thrillrider Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 What a great event! I will have a full trip report up either tonight or tomorrow. I do have to say that Holiday world has some of the greatest staff in the industry. I would even place them at Disney level. All the coasters were running great (except for legend Imo) and thunderbird was a great coaster. The only negative thing I took from this event was the behavior of some coaster enthusiasts ( not any from TPR). Some were complaining the whole time, and one even got banned from the park and got walked out. I am not going to mention what "large" coaster club they belong to, but they should be embarrassed by the behavior some of them displayed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroGravity55 Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 So I'm finally going to be getting out to the park today. Every time I've made plans this year, something with work or school has came up. Hopefully with the cooler temps, the park won't be as crowded. The park is also going to be open until 9 p.m. Hopefully I'll be able to score some night rides tonight as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jodon Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 What a great event! I will have a full trip report up either tonight or tomorrow. I do have to say that Holiday world has some of the greatest staff in the industry. I would even place them at Disney level. All the coasters were running great (except for legend Imo) and thunderbird was a great coaster. The only negative thing I took from this event was the behavior of some coaster enthusiasts ( not any from TPR). Some were complaining the whole time, and one even got banned from the park and got walked out. I am not going to mention what "large" coaster club they belong to, but they should be embarrassed by the behavior some of them displayed. Just curious, but what did they do to get banned from the park? And I would agree, the staff at the park is truly awesome, especially during the ERT sessions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 I would rather not say on here, but if you PM me, I can tell you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirkFunk Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 I had heard something about a removal with a tie in to a closely associated park of Holiday World. I wasn't there though and certainly can't substantiate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invertalon Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Was my first time at this event (but not to the park) and had a blast. Thankfully, we were able to avoid all of the enthusiast drama and just had a great old time. I think it was the best event I have attended. The employees were just fantastic all around... Genuinely happy and friendly, did not seem forced or "fake" at all when they say hello or ask how our day was. Really great! First time in the waterpark here and it was amazing. Epic slide collection. We got 1.5 rides on Mammoth due to a blocking issue, rollback and evacuation which was pretty awesome... In a weird way, a highlight! So much fun, especially with the employees trying to get us moving again. Wildebeest was incredible! I really wish more parks built slides like this... Holiday World knows how to do it right. We skipped the buffet on Saturday to do our own thing at the campgrounds, but the snacks and other things they had were delicious. Loved the boneless wings. ERT of course was fantastic. Employees were very friendly and energetic with us, so it made it really fun. Always welcoming us back and telling us it was great to see us again and such. Great vibe all around. Raven was the highlight for me... Back seat at night in those pitch black woods is just insane. I always loved Raven, but it easily bumped up to top spot for me after this event. Voyage ran very well, smoother than the last time I rode a few years ago. Legend was probably the roughest of the trio this time, but still a great ride. Thunderbird was a really solid ride... X-Flight is still my favorite wing, but the rest are all really close to each other. They are just solid, fun rides. The launch was stronger than I expected and I loved the zero-g into the s-bend hop, keyhole combo. The station, lighting and effects were top notch. Really well done. Thanks to Holiday World for throwing such an amazing event for all of us to enjoy. First time back to the park in 2-3 years and now we are already are planning coming back next year already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejenkins1 Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 We were in line waiting and waiting and wondered what was up with Mammoth. We did see them go get the rafts and the people. So did the water jets not fire on your boats? Odd to see not only 1 but 2 boats valley. Our ride was fantastic! I am a Wildebeast junkie as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invertalon Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 We were coming around the one turn before the large drop and the water level started to drop, so we slowed down and stopped right at the top. Eventually the workers came up and told us the boats got too close together, so the ride shut itself down. They had to push our boat with very little water (which made it tricky) so we had to help shift weight to get it to move. When we eventually went down the hill, we got stuck on the incline of the uphill section since there we no water flowing. So then they had to push us down that way a few times until we came to a stop at the bottom so we could get off. The two boats were removed and the ride started back up shortly after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shavethewhales Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 I'm at the park today too. If you see a guy with glasses, a brown beanie, and a brown sweater, it's probably me. Rough start to the day. Light rain, I got here late, and both Thunderbird and Voyage are down. I'm in line for Raven and operations feel like they are crawling. Hope it gets better when it dries off this afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejenkins1 Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Thanks for that update on what happened on Mammoth. Guess I need to add a Mammoth Rollback to my list of others....... Is there a sign in the station saying this could happen like on Thunderbird or other coasters (is it listed at Wildebeast as well)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirkFunk Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 I didn't see one for Thunderbird. Maybe if you unplug some of the generators powering the ride though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koasterking48 Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Is there a sign in the station saying this could happen like on Thunderbird or other coasters (is it listed at Wildebeast as well)? There is one for Thunderbird throughout the queue for rollbacks, but execs at media day were told by B&M that rollbacks should be extremely rare. The situation with Mammoth sounds like a very rare circumstance to warrant making a new sign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prozach626 Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 I might be planning on visiting HW on June 27th (Saturday) and 28th (Sunday). Has anyone gotten a feel for how the lines will be now that Thunderbird has arrived? This is the weekend we've gone to the park in the past, with our last visit being 3 years ago. Crowds were usually moderate on Saturday, but no lines are usually over 20-30 minutes. I'm hoping to avoid hour long waits on Thunderbird, which aside from Raven is the only coaster I'm interested in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroGravity55 Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 ^ The crews here at HW were hauling today. We only waited 30 mins in the bottom the station and 5 mins in the station once the ride opened. And that was with every school kid in the park in line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shavethewhales Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 So today started off a little rocky. I slept in and got there about 45mins late, it was raining, and the first thing I saw walking in was the sign saying both voyage and thunderbird were down. Even though it was an odd monday in June, the park was busy with a number of school groups. With only one train ops running on both coasters, I waited a bit over 30 mins for raven and then maybe 45 mins for legend, which got stuck on the lift for a few minutes right before I was about to get on. At this point I was worried that I had picked a lousy day to come and that HW was going to phone it in as a lame Monday - but then things quickly turned around. Both raven and legend got their second trains on, then they got voyage open which took a bunch of pressure off of the other two and made things bearable. Then at about 3pm or so thunderbird was finally ready. Surprisingly, all the school kids left at around 5-6, leaving everything a walk-on with two train ops. I had an absolute blast marathon riding both voyage and thunderbird. Thunderbird truly was an excellent and all-around sensible addition for this park, and is a blast to ride over and over again. I could only marathon voyage in the front since I'm turning into an old man and it gives me headaches anywhere else, but at the end of the day I got to stay in the front seat with an empty station until the park closed. Night rides on the voyage in the front seat are incredible. I'm so glad I got that experience. I can definitely see why HW has been talked up so much all these years. I'm so happy I could finally see it for myself, and I'm sure I'll be back again sometime soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroGravity55 Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 (edited) ^ Me and you basically had the same experience today. Thunderbird actually opened up sometime after 1:30, as that gave us a good reason to get out of the cold waterpark. Since you said everything I was basically going to say, I'll just stick to giving my thoughts on the rides. I did get a couple of pictures of Thunderbird with my phone. Let's start with the most polarizing coaster on the planet, The Voyage: This was probably the best The Voyage has ran since it opened, IMO. My first ride on it came right after it opened in the morning and right after it stopped raining. So, not only did we have a full train, but our train ran through the 1st part of the ride like a bat out of hell. Needless to say, we got braked pretty good at the MCBR. As others have said, it takes away the airtime on the 1st two downs, but every airtime spot is still there from the third down on. I do feel as though the laterals weren't as extreme as they usually are when the brake is off. Could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on you talk to. I do have a bit of a funny story to share. On one of my rides, as the train rotated out of the 1st 90 degree turn, my middle finger brushed a tree limb and the only thing I could think of was the TPR video where the guy says "I just got hit by a tree!" Those were literally the words coming out of my mouth too! The Legend: I thought The Legend was running fantastic today. It was nice to see it's second train back. The laterals on this ride are absolutely insane. The Raven: The Raven was running good today, but out of three, I found it be a tad bit rougher for some reason, which usually never happens. Still runs great for a 20 year old CCI. Now, the main reason I was at HW today, Thunderbird: What can I say? I'm a HW fanboy and I've been pretty pumped about TB for quite awhile now. HW has hit it out of the park with this one. First and foremost, the plaza and station look stunning. The ride looks so much bigger in person and the colors of the track and supports look amazing. The ride is so damn photogenic, it's not even funny. As for the ride itself, the launch really does have a great kick to it and the pacing of the ride is incredible. The placement of elements is perfect. This ride doesn't hit you with inversion after inversion and leaves you disoriented to the point where you have to take a break, it's very re-rideable. I think my favorite seat was the back outside left, but I liked riding in the front for the launch. I do have to say, that final inline twist is so wrong, but feels so right. Congrats to HW on getting such an amazing attraction! Now on to the two photos I took. Excuse the quality, I'm a cheapskate when it comes to getting a new phone. Also, as you can see, the gloomy weather wasn't conducive to taking good photos. Yes, I know, totally original shot. Edited June 18, 2015 by ZeroGravity55 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyleparks77 Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Holiday World shared this awesome story on their Facebook page: http://www.duboiscountyfreepress.com/wallys-wild-ride-and-mary-lous-trip-too/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gp1086 Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 It's official! I'll be traveling from NYC to the midwest to visit Holiday World and Six Flags St. Louis in July. Never been to this part of the country and I'm psyched. I'm most curious about food. (1) Any can't miss food items in the park? I'm intrigued by Fried Reeses Peanut Butter Cups at "Funnel Cake Factory". What about for meals though? (2) Good places to eat surrounding the park or is everything good in the park? (3) Anything worthwhile food-wise (e.g. good BBQ) on trip between Indiana and St. Louis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nwstone Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Kringles cafe is pretty good, also make sure you visit the restaurant in Thanksgiving. That's probably the best place in the park. I couldn't tell you anything about the new BBQ place in thunderbird plaza. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 I have a photo trip report up from holywood nights here...... http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=70414 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 It's official! I'll be traveling from NYC to the midwest to visit Holiday World and Six Flags St. Louis in July. Never been to this part of the country and I'm psyched. I'm most curious about food. (1) Any can't miss food items in the park? I'm intrigued by Fried Reeses Peanut Butter Cups at "Funnel Cake Factory". What about for meals though? (2) Good places to eat surrounding the park or is everything good in the park? (3) Anything worthwhile food-wise (e.g. good BBQ) on trip between Indiana and St. Louis? 1. All the food I had was catered in the picnic grove, so I can't help you here. 2. HW is basically the entire town. I did notice that virtually every gas station had pizza, but there really aren't any actual restaurants in Santa Claus. Off I-64 there are a couple fast food places, but essentially you'll want to eat in the park. 3. There is nothing worthwhile anything-wise between Santa Claus and St. Louis. Just a LOT of corn. In St. Louis itself there are lots of good places. The Hill has fantastic Italian food, but can be pricey. The Delmar Loop is a great pub/gastropub scene, and I especially recommend Fitz's--they brew their own root beer in-house, and you can get a bottomless mug and try several varieties. Near Busch Stadium Mike Shannon's and J. Buck's are great. Best BBQ in town is Pappy's, near SLU. Also while in St. Louis, hit up Ted Drewe's on Chippewa St. (old 66). You will not want to miss it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gp1086 Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Very helpful! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nannerdw Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Try the fudge in Mrs. Klaus’ Kitchen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyleparks77 Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 (1) Any can't miss food items in the park? I'm intrigued by Fried Reeses Peanut Butter Cups at "Funnel Cake Factory". What about for meals though? If they have it this year, the Red Velvet Funnel Cake is really good. Plymouth Rock Cafe is definitely the best place to eat in the dry park (full thanksgiving buffet). Zoombabwe Grill is the best place in the water park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gp1086 Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Thanks for the continued suggestions! 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