Holiday World (HW) Discussion Thread

[kyleparks77]

Happy National Roller Coaster Day, y'all!

[neil009]

I hate this blurring of language. Laterals do not equal roughness!

 

Most people would describe rapid shifting of one's body from side to side, causing them to slam into hard objects, or another person, to be "rough". And the other 1 person is a coaster enthusiast who happens to like rough rides!

 

Seriously, though... There's nothing wrong with liking laterals, and yes, the definition of "rough" can vary from person to person. However, let's not act like I'm somehow misusing language (of which I am a scholar) when I state something that most non-enthusiasts would readily accept as fact. Rapid forces side to side are quite jarring on the body. However, nobody is less-than or better-than for liking or disliking them...

 

Language changes a little bit when you're going from a casual setting to a setting like this forum where all we do is talk about rides. Distinctions like the difference between "rough" and "lateral-heavy" become much more important. I don't like "rough" rides because "rough" is a bad thing, it implies either poor maintenance or a poorly designed track. Wildcat at Hershey is rough, SLCs are rough. If you're describing the moderate amount of shaking and jackhammering the Legend does, I could understand describing it as rough. But the laterals are simply it doing exactly what it was designed to do. Using your definition, Maverick with the old restraints might be described as rough even though it's actually smooth as glass, whereas Thunderbolt at Coney Island has nothing for your body to be slammed into, yet it's practically the roughest steel coaster I've ever ridden. Lumping in everything that isn't pure positive Gs and negative Gs with "rough" just makes these discussions more vague and harder to understand.

[DILinator]

I hate this blurring of language. Laterals do not equal roughness!

 

Most people would describe rapid shifting of one's body from side to side, causing them to slam into hard objects, or another person, to be "rough". And the other 1 person is a coaster enthusiast who happens to like rough rides!

 

Seriously, though... There's nothing wrong with liking laterals, and yes, the definition of "rough" can vary from person to person. However, let's not act like I'm somehow misusing language (of which I am a scholar) when I state something that most non-enthusiasts would readily accept as fact. Rapid forces side to side are quite jarring on the body. However, nobody is less-than or better-than for liking or disliking them...

 

Language changes a little bit when you're going from a casual setting to a setting like this forum where all we do is talk about rides. Distinctions like the difference between "rough" and "lateral-heavy" become much more important. I don't like "rough" rides because "rough" is a bad thing, it implies either poor maintenance or a poorly designed track. Wildcat at Hershey is rough, SLCs are rough. If you're describing the moderate amount of shaking and jackhammering the Legend does, I could understand describing it as rough. But the laterals are simply it doing exactly what it was designed to do. Using your definition, Maverick with the old restraints might be described as rough even though it's actually smooth as glass, whereas Thunderbolt at Coney Island has nothing for your body to be slammed into, yet it's practically the roughest steel coaster I've ever ridden. Lumping in everything that isn't pure positive Gs and negative Gs with "rough" just makes these discussions more vague and harder to understand.

 

Fair enough...

 

FWIW, I would have described parts of Maverick as "rough", prior to the new restraints, simply because anytime somebody's head is jarred unnaturally against the OSTR, that is a pretty "rough" action. That doesn't make it a "rough" coaster overall, to me at least. I see where you are coming from though.

 

The strange thing about the Holiday World coasters to me, is that obviously, to many people The Voyage is rough. Even though I love that coaster, I can't really deny that it can be a bit rough. However, I don't care for The Legend, even though I love The Voyage. It's a different kind of roughness, and I've yet to find that ride enjoyable, any of the times I've ridden it. To each their own, however...

[Koasterking48]

Happy National Roller Coaster Day, y'all!

While I'm not able to celebrate it today, I was able to get in many laps on Thunderbird and some on the other three a few days ago. Minus yesterday evening, the weather has been beautiful this past week for coaster riding!

[kyleparks77]

Did anyone attend the park this past weekend? I'm planning on going this weekend and I was curious what crowds are like this season during weekend-only operations and school back in session.

[marth555]

regarding staff and cleanliness; as much as reviews and people praise these aspects, I did not find them better than elsewhere I’ve been to. Kings Island was as clean and as friendly as this place. Some staff, in particular the food outlets staff was not that friendly. The park was clean, but not more so than KI or even Dorney Park.

Expensive souvenirs; more so than Cedar Fair or Six Flags, no really.

 

I have been to HW 1 time a year for the past 3 years and Ive never noticed the staff being better or worse then KI or other parks I have visited.

Regrading souvenirs on my last vist ( August 11th) I didnt think HWs were expensive I Bought a HW lanyard and a Voyage pin for 4$ total and I saw plenty of resonably priced shirts and other items.

[Koasterking48]

Did anyone attend the park this past weekend? I'm planning on going this weekend and I was curious what crowds are like this season during weekend-only operations and school back in session.

Heard it from my friends that it was packed Saturday and fairly crowded Sunday. I'd expect it to be worse for Rock the World, but lesser crowds Sunday.

[mike541x]

Regrading souvenirs on my last vist ( August 11th) I didnt think HWs were expensive I Bought a HW lanyard and a Voyage pin for 4$ total and I saw plenty of resonably priced shirts and other items.

 

 

Agreed with this. Souvenirs are much cheaper here than any other park I've been to. Thunderbird Souvenir cup was only $5.99 (not to mention free refills), which is a much better deal than other parks, where you're paying $10+ more for the cup and 99 cent refills.

[kyleparks77]

Did anyone attend the park this past weekend? I'm planning on going this weekend and I was curious what crowds are like this season during weekend-only operations and school back in session.

Heard it from my friends that it was packed Saturday and fairly crowded Sunday. I'd expect it to be worse for Rock the World, but lesser crowds Sunday.

Oh yeah I forgot that it was this weekend. Guess I'm gonna try for Sunday.

[HolidayWorldFTW]

Anyone gonna be there for Rock the World?

[theMaritimer]

Well, our stuff was pricier or as expensive than at other parks, my mug was 12 or 13 dollars and shirt was 18. The only stuff on sale was quite ugly, especially the mugs. What more can I say...

[theMaritimer]

Did anyone attend the park this past weekend? I'm planning on going this weekend and I was curious what crowds are like this season during weekend-only operations and school back in session.

 

Well just above your post I was describing my experience on Saturday live from the park.

 

It was packed, but totally manageable. We didn't wait more than 20 minutes for anything. We got there before opening and were at the rope drop in 4th of July. We were down the hill well before the Halloween rope drop and were on the third train of the day of Thunderbird. We went back down to Voyage and got a ride, then hit the waterpark for 11am opening. Did Mammoth 2x, Wildebeest 2x, Zoombabwe, Zinga, and Hyene Falls. Went back into the park and by the time the crowds made it to the waterpark, T-bird, Legend. and Raven were all 15 minutes or less (Raven was a walk-on). Didn't ride Voyage in the afternoon.

 

A storm shut down everything from about 6-8, but we used this time to ride Turkey Trot and get dinner at the Thanksgiving restaurant. We got on Voyage right when the rain stopped, then Legend and Raven were just about 10 minute waits. Thunderbird did have a huge line at night, however.

 

Wow, what a day! You're lucky, I was there on a bad and crowded day I believe. I knew that Halloween opened after all the other areas, what is that about?

[HWFan]

Did anyone attend the park this past weekend? I'm planning on going this weekend and I was curious what crowds are like this season during weekend-only operations and school back in session.

 

Well just above your post I was describing my experience on Saturday live from the park.

 

It was packed, but totally manageable. We didn't wait more than 20 minutes for anything. We got there before opening and were at the rope drop in 4th of July. We were down the hill well before the Halloween rope drop and were on the third train of the day of Thunderbird. We went back down to Voyage and got a ride, then hit the waterpark for 11am opening. Did Mammoth 2x, Wildebeest 2x, Zoombabwe, Zinga, and Hyene Falls. Went back into the park and by the time the crowds made it to the waterpark, T-bird, Legend. and Raven were all 15 minutes or less (Raven was a walk-on). Didn't ride Voyage in the afternoon.

 

A storm shut down everything from about 6-8, but we used this time to ride Turkey Trot and get dinner at the Thanksgiving restaurant. We got on Voyage right when the rain stopped, then Legend and Raven were just about 10 minute waits. Thunderbird did have a huge line at night, however.

 

Wow, what a day! You're lucky, I was there on a bad and crowded day I believe. I knew that Halloween opened after all the other areas, what is that about?

Disclaimer: This is complete speculation on the alleged later rope drop by the Halloween section.

 

If this is/was happening on purpose, as some have claimed, it could really make sense from a crowd control perspective. In my past experience, a ton of people would go Raven, Legend, Voyage. Because of this, there could be hour long waits for the Halloween rides while everything in Thanksgiving was a walk on, for the first couple hours of the day. Then by noon, everything in Halloween would be a walk on. This is rooted in the "start at the back of the park and work your way forward" tip, as most people do the opposite. If the rope in Halloween was still up, even for a very short amount of time, it could encourage lots of people to go to the other areas of the park that have a higher capacity, which would take some strain off of Holiday World.

 

To give a related example from one of the SFSL season pass bring-a-friend free days:

After things were crazy on Saturday at the front gate, Sunday needed to go smoother. By switching up some schedules at the last minute, the operations team set up staffing for Batman, Ninja, and the Joker an hour before the park opened. The front gate, ticket booths, and toll plaza were also set up to be staffed 30-60 minutes before their usual staffing time (setting them to open 90 minutes before the park). As soon as the first Guest arrived, they were able to enter almost immediately where they then had a 30 minute wait inside the park before Batman opened. Then, with a lot of Guests in the Batman Plaza area, most of them went up to the northeast side of the park at rope drop while the Guests who were just entering went to the west side of the park where the new Justice League ride and Mr. Freeze are. In the end, crowds were dispersed in a much more even fashion, and the average wait times were shorter than they would have been normally, allowing people to have a better visit.

 

Again, I want to stress that I have seen no proof that Halloween has been opening later purposely, and even if it has/had been, what I wrote is complete speculation from someone who hasn't even had a chance to visit this year. Either way, I love Holiday World and am happy to hear that Thunderbird has been really successful for the park this summer.

[Midgetman82]

^I've seen a similar method used at Kings Island where they would let the front of the early crowd into the front plaza early, then proceed with the pledge of allegiance before releasing everyone. I also think certain quick routes to certain places in the park for certain amounts of time were limited to season pass members only?

 

Either way, they didn't have to do too much considering much of the crowds disperse on their own to opposite ends where Banshee and Diamondback are.

[cdl]

My wife and I will be making our first trip to Holiday World on Sept, 5th. Actually this will my first time going to a theme park since I was a teen and I'm 47 now. So please pardon me for asking such "newbie" questions.

 

1) At the water park is there a place to put your shirt before going on each ride or do you need to wear it while riding?

 

2) How will the lines be this time of the year? We are planning to hit the water park first and later the rides in the front of the park in hopes of avoiding longer wait times.

 

3) Also we will probably try at least one or two coasters but are interested in the flat rides also. My sense from reading the forum is that the wait time for most flat rides will be significantly shorter.

 

As you can probably tell, I don't like waiting in lines. So any further suggestions on how to avoid them would be greatly appreciated. Other advice is welcome also. Thanks!

[adamico2]

1) I usually just leave my shirt, towel, and sandals on a lawn chair by the wave pool. (Lockers are also available near the front of the water park.

 

2) You'll have to look to someone else for lines this time of year, but here are some tips that will help regardless of the crowd levels.

- Get to the park at least 30 min. before the posted park opening, as the Christmas section will open early.

- If you don't mind walking a long distance, at a brisk pace, make the trek all the way back to Thunderbird first. (It's also the mildest of the 4 coasters.)

- Ride some other rides in the thanksgiving section, including Gobbler Getaway; they will have very short waits at this time. The Voyage is a very intense ride; you may want to save it for later in the day, since it's been so long since you've visited a park. Be sure not to miss it, though, as it's the best ride in the park. (Ride the Raven first to see how your body will respond.)

- The water park opens 1 hour after the dry park; you can use the back entrance to the water park, located in the Thanksgiving section.

- Ride Mammoth first, THEN Wildebeest to avoid LONG lines later in the day. The lines for the other slides will gradually increase throughout the day. Zoombabwe is really the only other "must-do" slide in the water park, but the other slides are fun as well.

 

3) You shouldn't have to wait more than about 10 minutes for any of the flat rides.

[Vonni]

I wish I could have made it to HW this summer. Thunderbird and Splashin Safari have really been calling my name.

[cdl]

1) I usually just leave my shirt, towel, and sandals on a lawn chair by the wave pool. (fluffy, fluffy bunnies filled with medicine and goo are also available near the front of the water park.

 

2) You'll have to look to someone else for lines this time of year, but here are some tips that will help regardless of the crowd levels.

- Get to the park at least 30 min. before the posted park opening, as the Christmas section will open early.

- If you don't mind walking a long distance, at a brisk pace, make the trek all the way back to Thunderbird first. (It's also the mildest of the 4 coasters.)

- Ride some other rides in the thanksgiving section, including Gobbler Getaway; they will have very short waits at this time. The Voyage is a very intense ride; you may want to save it for later in the day, since it's been so long since you've visited a park. Be sure not to miss it, though, as it's the best ride in the park. (Ride the Raven first to see how your body will respond.)

- The water park opens 1 hour after the dry park; you can use the back entrance to the water park, located in the Thanksgiving section.

- Ride Mammoth first, THEN Wildebeest to avoid LONG lines later in the day. The lines for the other slides will gradually increase throughout the day. Zoombabwe is really the only other "must-do" slide in the water park, but the other slides are fun as well.

 

3) You shouldn't have to wait more than about 10 minutes for any of the flat rides.

 

Thanks for your response. It was very helpful. It sounds like they don't have a place by the water rides to put your shirt. So I guess I will go shirtless while in Splashin' Safari. I don't mind doing that but thought it might be prohibited by their dress code.

 

If anyone else has suggestions I would be glad to hear them. Thanks!

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Shirts, shorts, and shoes are only required in Holiday World. In Splashin' Safari, it's fine to wear a decent swimsuit or swim trunks.

[Koasterking48]

My wife and I will be making our first trip to Holiday World on Sept, 5th. Actually this will my first time going to a theme park since I was a teen and I'm 47 now. So please pardon me for asking such "newbie" questions.

 

1) At the water park is there a place to put your shirt before going on each ride or do you need to wear it while riding?

 

2) How will the lines be this time of the year? We are planning to hit the water park first and later the rides in the front of the park in hopes of avoiding longer wait times.

 

3) Also we will probably try at least one or two coasters but are interested in the flat rides also. My sense from reading the forum is that the wait time for most flat rides will be significantly shorter.

 

As you can probably tell, I don't like waiting in lines. So any further suggestions on how to avoid them would be greatly appreciated. Other advice is welcome also. Thanks!

Trying not to reciprocate what the previous poster said but I am directly answering your questions:

 

1) A locker is the best bet for storing any valuables all day, including clothing.

 

2) I would expect pretty large crowds considering it is the unofficial last weekend of summer. Saturdays have been pulling in lots of people compared to previous years. You should hit the Voyage before going to the water park, arrive as it is about to open, and knock out Wildebeest + Mammoth before the herd of people arrive.

 

3) You should definitely hit up Gobbler Getaway since it is unique to the park. Everything else is something you can find at other parks in case it is not your priority to ride all of the flat rides. If you think you can handle it, try every wooden coaster at least once. Holiday World has one of (if not the best) collection of wooden coasters. All three are ranked highly among the general populous of enthusiasts (save for maybe the Legend). Thunderbird is a must since it will be easier to re-ride and obviously it is the new steel coaster.

 

Hope this helps and you enjoy your visit!

[cdl]

Shirts, shorts, and shoes are only required in Holiday World. In Splashin' Safari, it's fine to wear a decent swimsuit or swim trunks.

 

Thanks for the clarification.

[HWLover]

I I know we won't be getting a super large addition, but I figure they will most likely add some new flat ride and some more improvements here and there. Does anyone know when we may see an announcement for this???

[cdl]

My wife and I will be making our first trip to Holiday World on Sept, 5th. Actually this will my first time going to a theme park since I was a teen and I'm 47 now. So please pardon me for asking such "newbie" questions.

 

1) At the water park is there a place to put your shirt before going on each ride or do you need to wear it while riding?

 

2) How will the lines be this time of the year? We are planning to hit the water park first and later the rides in the front of the park in hopes of avoiding longer wait times.

 

3) Also we will probably try at least one or two coasters but are interested in the flat rides also. My sense from reading the forum is that the wait time for most flat rides will be significantly shorter.

 

As you can probably tell, I don't like waiting in lines. So any further suggestions on how to avoid them would be greatly appreciated. Other advice is welcome also. Thanks!

Trying not to reciprocate what the previous poster said but I am directly answering your questions:

 

1) A fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo is the best bet for storing any valuables all day, including clothing.

 

2) I would expect pretty large crowds considering it is the unofficial last weekend of summer. Saturdays have been pulling in lots of people compared to previous years. You should hit the Voyage before going to the water park, arrive as it is about to open, and knock out Wildebeest + Mammoth before the herd of people arrive.

 

3) You should definitely hit up Gobbler Getaway since it is unique to the park. Everything else is something you can find at other parks in case it is not your priority to ride all of the flat rides. If you think you can handle it, try every wooden coaster at least once. Holiday World has one of (if not the best) collection of wooden coasters. All three are ranked highly among the general populous of enthusiasts (save for maybe the Legend). Thunderbird is a must since it will be easier to re-ride and obviously it is the new steel coaster.

 

Hope this helps and you enjoy your visit!

 

I appreciate your recommendations. Due to our schedule, we won't be arriving at HW until 11:00 am. But we do plan to hit the water park right away.

[ZeroGravity55]

Did anyone see the live tweeting HW was doing during a emergency drill today? They actually went all out with a worst-case scenario emergency where a storm actually hits the park and leaves behind some damage. I wonder if this had anything to do with the tornado scare they had earlier this summer?

 

Here are some pics the park posted:

 

They actually used real people with blood and gore make-up lol

 

 

They even brought in a life flight helicopter and search and rescue crews.

 

 

Here's the link to the parks Twitter account. Go through and check out some of their tweets from the emergency drill. It was actually kind of interesting.

[Raven Maven]

^ We conduct these large, multi-county emergency-preparedness drills on a regular basis (last night's drill wasn't in reaction to anything) along with even more frequent smaller drills.