Philrad71 Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I took one ride on Voyage, and…look…I get that it has a HUGE following and has won loads of awards. That’s awesome. It’s just not my kind of ride. The first three hills on Voyage are incredible and where I think the ride really shines, but after that, it just throws you around too much for my tastes. Those that love it, I’m glad it’s there for you, but you’ll find me either at Thunderbird, at the other woodies, or in their amazing water park! Completely agree with this statement, Robb - although I have yet to ride Thunderbird, it looks like a ton of fun. I was so hoping that Voyage would be better than it was, but there was just way too much jarring for my tastes and my partner just abhorred it because it hurt him so bad. The ride is what I might consider a "younger crowd pleaser" - not really so much for the over 40 crowd. Sure would be nice to see RMC get their hands on this because it could easily be a #1 coaster based on the high number of amount of airtime hills, length and the overall 'Beast' vibe. If I go again, I will ride it, but just wait the extra time for the front seat and pray that it is smoother in that row (like Shivering Timbers was). Thanks for the report...we will definitely have to check out the German restaurant there during our next visit - looks awesome! Also proud to see the company that I work for is providing our generators for back-up launch power. Cummins is based in Columbus, IN so it's cool to see them involved in providing "local" power for HW's new coaster! Cummins...represent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waltrane Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Great coverage there Robb! Thank you for sharing it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted April 27, 2015 Author Share Posted April 27, 2015 The second group (a.k.a. non-media) on the backstage tour actually ran into the "problem" of having no riders for hardly any of our shots! Hey, I was helping out! That tour took place after we were done "working' and we were able to get a few rides in. I waved at you guys each time we flew by! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJLehto Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Awesome! Even more excited, and great report as always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrEmmettBrown88 Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Thanks for the great reports and photos everyone! Now for another report from the media day event. Thunderbird is an awesome experience and a great addition to the park, every element has great positive / negative g's behind them which makes for an entertaining ride throughout. The park put on a wonderful event and I can't add much more to that expect to say thanks for the wonderful hospitality, rides and great food... especially the Thunderbird ice cream! Now for just a few photos Opening Ceremonies Shiny new trains! Love the color scheme. The windmill aka the point of no return. The Legend... now with giant invading spiders. Our fearless leader. Hi Robb! Me and my buddy The Voyage... almost. See ya later. One last spin for the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted April 27, 2015 Author Share Posted April 27, 2015 (edited) ^ Thank you for that super flattering picture! lol Edited April 27, 2015 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollin_n_coastin Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Great report on the ride and day! It was honestly one of the best coaster related days that I've ever experienced. It was exceptionally smooth and well planned with every detail covered. There were so many smiling faces with so much enthusiasm for Thunderbird and rightfully so. The guys from Perdue looked like they were having a blast. The auction winners looked really happy and so did media and all of us enthusiasts. Just a great day all around. It was a pleasure supporting GKTW and being able to attend. I hope the two to four of us riding Voyage for who knows how many times in a row helped with the backstage pictures lol. It was so funny coming up over the hill and seeing so many people standing there all of a sudden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrEmmettBrown88 Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 ^ Thank you for that super flattering picture! lol Anytime! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWFan Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 As a big HW fan to begin with (as evidenced by my TPR forum name lol), I was really excited for this ride. I remember, as the speculation was really building before the announcement, how a lot of people thought that HW was too much of a "small" park to build anything this big and great. After announcing 1.2 million annual attendance numbers in the past and very successful financials that came out five years ago or so in a state audit (I believe), it's obvious that HW is a small-park at heart that has been able to grow at its own pace over the years. While the Voyage was just another chapter in a history of additions (like the Raven) putting it more and more on the map, I think that Thunderbird is finally that top tier level, just because it is a $22 million, one-of-a-kind B&M. As far as I'm concerned, this park has nowhere to go but up! It's officially been a decade since I first visited Holiday World, and I look forward to seeing how to park continues to improve in the decade ahead. Just a quick note for Robb: I'm sure I'm not the only one who found the unique perspective you gave, as a member of the media, to be interesting. It's easy to be critical online, but a lot of people (myself included) don't see the running around and constant rushing to get videos/posts edited and uploaded. Thanks for the "behind the scenes" info, and it doesn't surprise me that HW did some out of the ordinary things to take care of the media just as it does for its Guests. Thanks for the TR and videos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FilmoreISnAZN Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Hey! There's my group, Purdue TPED, behind Robb in that picture! Had such an awesome day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imagineerz Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 ^ Thank you for that super flattering picture! lol Oh sweet Jesus I look so displeased Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBru Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 It's great to see all these reports rolling in! Did anyone happen to get a good photo of the area where the new Thanksgiving path and the new Splashin' Safari entrance meet? If not, can you describe how that's going to work? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyleparks77 Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I stumbled across this documentary by accident of YouTube. Its from 2005 about the building of El Toro, The Voyage, and Kentucky Rumbler. I found it to be extremely interesting and a great throwback after seeing Thunderbird built at HW. They really go in depth about the engineering and construction process of Voyage, definitely more so than the other two. You can also see how the layout changed slightly from the original plans during the design-build process. [youtu_be]https://youtu.be/8t8j955Psfo[/youtu_be] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 ^ The whole thing feels like it's focused on Voyage and Kentucky Rumbler. Probably because both Six Flags and Intamin are super protective about El Toro. Is Thunderbird's force around the Banshee range? If so, Parrot Coaster finally got a cousin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paradox Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I really wish that Voyage had the timberliners and not PTC's as the timberliners looked so much more comfortable and Wooden Warrior's trains were great. Thunderbird looks amazing and I really wish I could get out there some time. Now let's see B&M make a launched invert similar to Hulk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu K Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 THANKS DrEmmettBrown88 for the heads up on the spiders are they just on the entrance? My wife hates them so much, as in if there's one in the car she would sooner crash than stay in car with spider. Remember October trip to Magic mountain and there was a huge one on Colossus lol. Stu K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koasterking48 Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Did anyone happen to get a good photo of the area where the new Thanksgiving path and the new Splashin' Safari entrance meet? If not, can you describe how that's going to work? I did not get a picture, but they are reusing Pilgrim's Plunge old Splashing Safari merge path and built a new stairway leading toward Hyena Falls. They moved the Splashin Safari entrance directly to the left of where it used to be. Looking at the park map may better explain what I'm talking about. are they just on the entrance? My wife hates them so much, as in if there's one in the car she would sooner crash than stay in car with spider.Stu K They are only at the entrance. Ride operators are now more frequently using the school bell at the top of the station for the Legend, which is definitely nice to have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ape Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Don't you dare! how dare you speak that way about my Voyage, that's my boo. in all seriousness that ride being as relentless as it is all the way through is what makes me love the thing so much. I loved the trip report and thank you for the awesome shots. I had to drive within ten minutes of that park Saturday but just did not have the time to stop i was sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted April 28, 2015 Author Share Posted April 28, 2015 I really wish that Voyage had the timberliners and not PTC's I really wish they'd bring in RMC to give it the "Texas Giant" treatment. Could you imagine what the ride would be like if they re-designed in with their I-Box system? Holy cow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopper39 Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I really wish that Voyage had the timberliners and not PTC's I really wish they'd bring in RMC to give it the "Texas Giant" treatment. Could you imagine what the ride would be like if they re-designed in with their I-Box system? Holy cow... I've always thought The Legend would make a great candidate for an RMC makeover, could you imagine coming off the lift into a Medusa style right hand inversion rolling into that left handed first drop? And then the layout after that has all kinds of potential for crazy air and hang time. And Legend is kind of in a weird spot in HW's current coaster collection, bigger than Raven but smaller than Voyage, a RMC makeover could really transform it into something unique and awesome. But yeah it would be awesome on Voyage as well. Even when Voyage was brand new (and I still love the ride) it was incredibly aggressive so I can only imagine what time has done to it. It's a shame the timberliners never worked out, who knows how those might have improved the experience. And Thunderbird looks amazing, every new picture I see of the thing it just keeps looking better and better. I love the colors, it looks like it in a perpetual state of Autumn, which is kind of how I imagine Indiana year round anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ape Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I don't think I can handle the thought of changing Voyage. I am a Voyage fanboy and i admit it. I have never had a ride actually make me drool on myself though and for that alone it put it as my #1. I have no where near the amount of experience riding as a lot on here. I really need to get out and try El Toro. Voyage was hyped to me and it was better than expected so El Toro with how much it has been hyped should be great when i get to it as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jynx242 Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Thanks for all of the updates!! Looks like an awesome addition to the park. I love Holiday World and it makes me so happy that they look to have a winner on their hands!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I really wish that Voyage had the timberliners and not PTC's I really wish they'd bring in RMC to give it the "Texas Giant" treatment. Could you imagine what the ride would be like if they re-designed in with their I-Box system? Holy cow... No kidding! I'm glad that Thunderbird turned out so well. The station and the ride plaza look great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdoede108 Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I wish I could have gone to Media Day. I can't wait until I get to visit the park in June and ride Thunderbird, Voyage, Raven, and Legend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I LOVE the German restaurant. Their food looks very delicious! Great TR! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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