HWLover Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 ^ That long ago.... I swear, everything from 2007 to 2011 is a blur. Having kids will do that. But thanks for the expanded list. Dollywood has been investing heavily for about a decade, and it's paying off. If HW is consciously avoiding body slides, what about that looping raft slide prototype we saw a few months ago? That would certainly turn some heads. What kind of looping raft ride prototype? Is it like a mammoth water coaster type ride or is it like your typical raft ride?(raging Rapids type) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 The one from this thread: http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=69492 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Maybe if they served alcohol Voyage would be more fun? Just sayin'. The park in general would be more fun, especially with the water park. My wife and I don't care for dry parks. We like to relax and have a few beers in the evening in between rides. It sounds petty, but it really kind of 'makes' the experience for us. (especially her, since she's not so into parks) On the flip side, I can understand why they don't. I'll say bluntly that some of the clientele seem like the type of people who could really get out of control if alcohol were sold at the park. However, I feel like you could counter act some of that by charging a very pretty penny per drink. Usually the $12 for a 24 case of Nadi-lite people don't really care for paying $10 for a quality beer. Lastly, I should have put emphasis on my post about the Voyage. I'm just expressing my own personal view point, and that of my wife. Of course everyone will view every ride differently. I agree 100% with your post! When we visited, it was about 95 degrees with sweltering humidity. I kept thinking about how good an ice cold beer would have tasted and would have gladly paid $8 or so for one. While I loved the idea of free drinks and sunscreen, I am not a soda drinker so I ended up drinking ice water and Gator-Ade most of the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidecat Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 It looks like the former home of Sparkler (Crows Nest) should have something in 2016: http://inthelooppodcast.com/tag/holiday-world/ Perhaps a Frisbee ride? If Holiday World ever adds a polercoaster, it would obviously have to be a "North" polercoaster and go in the Christmas section. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollercoaster Rider Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 It looks like the former home of Sparkler (Crows Nest) should have something in 2016: http://inthelooppodcast.com/tag/holiday-world/ Perhaps a Frisbee ride? If Holiday World ever adds a polercoaster, it would obviously have to be a "North" polercoaster and go in the Christmas section. Zamperla Disk O Coaster? Maybe they can reuse the Sparkler Name? Or a Mack Twist N' Splash/Zamperla Water Mania Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LcHg5265 Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 I was at Holiday World yesterday, overall a pretty good day! Voyage was running well. My first ride stopped in the block brake as expected, my second one ran right through (unexpectedly) and resulted in an even better ride! Thunderbird is excellent(which I didn't think winged riders could be)! The area reminded me a lot of Dollywood (impressive) and the ride was forceful but smooth. The ops team was spot on with dispatches hitting the cycle time almost everytime! I was surprised to see that thunderbird was running off the Cummins diesel generators all day. I guess having a plan B worked in their favor! I struggled to see the "thanksgiving" theme in the new area, seemed to be a bit of southern / western, but not a holiday. I wonder if this is a direction the park may take in the future? Unfortunately: Voyage opened almost an hour late Mammoth opened almost 4 hours late and broke down causing an evac and an extra 20-30min wait. The boat grouper on mammoth apparently did not seem to understand the concept of a single rider line. Time and time again, boats were dispatched with empty seats and obviously below the weight limit. The single rider line was not close to full and took 20 min more than the normal line (which was an hour 15 min wait). When they rotated though to the next employee, the line moved very quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroGravity55 Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 The boat grouper on mammoth apparently did not seem to understand the concept of a single rider line. Mostly, this depends on the cooperation of the groups in line. The Groupers on Mammoth and Wildebeest are trained to ask the groups if they would like to have someone ride with them if their group is below is the capacity of the raft. If a lot of the groups say no, which is usually the case, then the single rider line can turn into a longer wait than the actual line itself. Everytime I visit the park, the single rider line is usually full of groups who think they can get on the ride faster by using it. I was surprised to see that thunderbird was running off the Cummins diesel generators all day. Sure you weren't hearing the flywheels? They're quite loud. I struggled to see the "thanksgiving" theme in the new area, seemed to be a bit of southern / western, but not a holiday. I wonder if this is a direction the park may take in the future? Honestly, people going to the park, who have no inclination of the back story, probably aren't going to understand it either. I believe the park has one the Koch sisters telling the story playing as you go through the queue? But, most people have short attention spans and won't pay attention to it. Incase you're wondering, here's the Legend of Thunderbird: In 1620, as the Mayflower neared the end of its 66 days at sea, a mighty storm nearly capsized the ship, taking it hundreds of miles off course. As passengers and crew feared all was lost, an immense bird appeared in the sky. The thunderbird, whose wings created the thunder and eyes flashed the lightning of the powerful storm, rescued the ship by launching it through the sky to the New World. Now there is a bit more to the story. This is where the whole 66 days at sea journal comes into play. They're telling the story that a the pilgrims eventually made their way to Indiana and buried the journal, so no one would have to deal with the wrath of Thunderbird? (Paula please help me if I'm wrong). Fast forward 100-200 years and a Indiana farmer discovers the journal and unleashes the wrath of Thunderbird. This is why you have all the farm theming. It's a bit far fetched and maybe a little complex, but at least they went all out instead of just naming it Thunderbird and not doing any theming. I don't think this something the park will do all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolidayWorldFTW Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I think you got the story pretty correctly. Either way personally myself I think the Thunderbird plaza does put of a Thanksgiving type feel. It feels like a town that might have been created by pilgrims or even in Indiana when people started to explore Indiana and settle. The story is presented on various posters on the walls in the queue presenting the story while you wait in line. When I went I believe I did hear bits and pieces of the story being told on the speakers in the line but when I was there Thunderbird was a walk on the entire time so I never spent enough time in the queue to hear the full spiel. I do remember hearing the Thunderbird theme music a lot as well which really adds to it all I think. I LOVE that music. Wondering and hoping that at some point Holiday World will offer it as a download. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejenkins1 Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Where is the on-ride photo taken on Thunderbird? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koasterking48 Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Where is the on-ride photo taken on Thunderbird? In the fly through barn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LcHg5265 Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Having spent as long as I did in line, they were not asking if it was okay for people to join. Having visited the park several times, this was the first time having an issue with the single rider line. It appeared to be specific to the employee versus the process. In terms of the flywheel, I could see the Cummins trucks hooked up in what looked like a temporary way. I could also hear them making noise versus the building. The exhaust on the truck was open and going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolidayWorldFTW Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 The cummins trucks have never not been hooked up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeromyL Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Who's ready for Holiwood Nights??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonskinny12 Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Who's ready for Holiwood Nights??? Can't wait! Someone briefly mentioned wifi at Holiday World pages ago in this thread. Does Holiday World really offer free wifi? If so, is it throughout the park or is there a specific place where the signal is strongest? How fast in the connection? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodie Warrior Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Who's ready for Holiwood Nights??? I sure am! Can't wait to finally ride Thunderbird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroGravity55 Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 ^^ They do and it's throughout the park. I don't recall how fast the connection is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolidayWorldFTW Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 The connection is decent enough. It's not like LTE speeds but good enough to do most things. It truly is available in the entire park, and like all the other little extras, the wifi too is free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonskinny12 Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Thanks for the wifi answers! There are a couple game 7s of the NHL playoffs during both nights of Holiwood Nights and I'd like to keep up with those or stream it on my phone without eating a bunch of data, if possible. I've never been to Holiday World and I'm really excited for my first trip there. Seems like a great park and it's awesome to see the things they offer to their guests for free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midgetman82 Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Last time I used Wifi in the park was with a friend last fall. We tried watching YouTube videos while eating, and it took quite a while for the videos to load. Like they said, it's there and it works but don't expect any fast speeds. Also, I too am ready for Holiwood Nights! Just gotta remember to bring my rain jacket and DeLorean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigcwd2000 Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Who's ready for Holiwood Nights??? I cannot wait! I am looking forward to Thunderbird obviously but also the two water coasters. Those things are a blast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterGuy06 Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Super excited for my first visit since 2011 and my first Holiwood Nights! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyleparks77 Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Referring to the wifi: it all depends on how many people are in the park. Think of it like being at a sporting event or concert when there's a lot of people in one place. You will always be able to get a wifi signal, and it will be sufficient enough to send iMessages, check Twitter, etc. However, if it's a really crowded day, your upload speeds will be what suffers the most. It might take a few minutes for a picture to send, for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nannerdw Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 How smooth is Voyage this season, compared to, say... 7 years ago? Also which seat offers the smoothest ride? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy T. Koepp Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 ^Smooth and Voyage should be an oxymoron. I believe the question you might want to be asking is, "How much more or less brutal is Voyage in comparison to 2007?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koasterking48 Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 (edited) How smooth is Voyage this season, compared to, say... 7 years ago? Also which seat offers the smoothest ride? Well, the front seat provides the smoothest ride, but the back seat provides the best ride. And, the ride is running the best it can for how it's built. It's a smooth as it will get, so not awful, but not glass-smooth. Granted it's the beginning of the season, but last week didn't feel any rougher than Thunderbird's media day. So, take that for what it's worth. Edited May 29, 2015 by Koasterking48 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now