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bsheldon75 
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| Posted: 28 May 2008 at 3:48pm | IP Logged
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My wife Leslie and I visited Holiday World on 5/18/08.
Here it is, finally. The park that I have been dreaming about for years is at long last in front of me. It had a ton of expectation and hype to live up to and man did it deliver! What a great, great park. I know it has been said a zillion times, but if you have never been, make the effort to get there. This park is a true gem on just about every level. You truly feel like they care about you and your enjoyment.
As great as our experience was on a whole, there were just two slightly “ify” things that kept the whole day from absolutely 100% perfect—still, it ranks as one of, if not our favorite park.
The first is their insistence on taking your loose articles from you on the coasters. I completely understand their stance on it and after I thought about it a bit, it is actually a good thing that they come and get your articles from you. It greatly speeds up the loading time. At first however, it almost seemed confrontational. Leslie was really put off by it as they wanted our sunglasses and demanded my camera after I had put in my zipped up pocket--just as I have done for every coaster I have ridden in the last 5 years. I understand the camera issue completely. However, we have gotten burned badly by leaving things in bins before—i.e. we have had irreplaceable items stolen. Leslie really didn’t want to leave our camera, and more importantly the memory card with over 400 pictures on it from the previous two days. Again, after I distanced myself from it for a bit and gave it some thought, I decided I liked how they take your stuff to speed up loading. This is one of the things that annoy me at other parks, waiting on rides while they make the person get up and take their items to the bins; here they do it for you. They just seem a wee bit pushy about it—especially the sunglasses. I don’t ride anything; water parks, launched and inverted coasters included without them, never have, and never will. Same pair I have had for years. After the same ops saw us a few times they relaxed and everything was fine.
The only other slight “ify” happened while we were in the queue for the Legend. A mother came in with her son who appeared to be about 7 or 8 years old. He was real close to the 48” limit. She said he rode it the week before. The operator measured him with the PVC measurer and his buzz cut hair was definitely touching. Then she took him over to the “more official” measuring area and she deemed he was too short. If he was it was by less than 1/8th of an inch. I am 90% sure that if he had thick, bushy hair, he would have been allowed to ride. Then the mother asked why he got to ride last week. They asked if he had on different shoes. She said yes. Fortunately the little guy took it pretty well and didn’t burst into tears, but man that was rough to watch. I understand it is the ride op’s job to make sure he is truly the right height for the sake of safety, but man that was pushing it a bit. Especially, since all rides now have seat belts.
Again, neither of the two above very slight issues detracted from us having one of the best times we have ever had in an amusement park. They truly are tiny nits to pick when put into perspective with the rest of the things they do so well. I only mention them to give a full perspective on our day, not just a seemingly blind glowing rave.
The only other oddity I found was their lack of indoor dining. Goblin Burger, Plymouth Rock Café, and the Alamo are all outdoor dining only. Kringles Kafé appears to be an indoor establishment, we didn’t go in. For me this could be a slight issue come summer time, when you want to go somewhere and relax in the A/C. However, the weather was absolutely perfect for us, so not a real issue.
Much has been said about the free parking and the Pepsi Oases and I feel that more needs to be said about it, especially after being at a Six Flags park the day before. Free parking just simply sends the right message from the get-go. You don’t feel like a walking wallet, but a guest there to enjoy yourself. The free soda really didn’t seem like that big of a deal until we were there. The little huts are positioned just right throughout the park and every time I felt the least bit parched; there were the lovely free Pepsi products. Also, you don’t feel like you have to drink the whole thing right away. You can just drink what you need in small intervals and you can get exactly what you want, as opposed to sharing a giant compromise at other parks. Plus you don’t have to lug around the huge, unbelievably overpriced, annoying plastic cup all day. It really is a wonderful treat and is greatly appreciated. It is truly a top-notch policy.
The park has been there since 1946 but as spotless and perfectly well maintained as everything is, you get the impression that it was built just this last off season. While we were eating we saw two maintenance guys carrying a ladder to the restroom building across from Goblin Burger. We were curious. They were changing one single light bulb on the Christmas light strand on the building. That is the type of commitment they have here to make everything just right.
I had no intentions of visiting the water park, as I didn’t even bring a suit. Leslie really wanted to go. So, she bought me one—for about the same as you could buy one from your local Wal-Mart. Try finding something like that at your favorite corporate park. What a great time we had there as well. We rode every slide at least once and a couple of them a couple times, hit the wave pool for one session and the lazy river for one go around all in under two hours. There wasn’t a line for anything. Granted it was only about 75 degrees out and very windy. We had a blast. They have all of the new giant slides that the Six Flags parks keep obtaining, all here in one location. Plus, free sun block, which I used generously. Add it all up and you have a great water park with something for everyone.
We did take in the “Dive” show and it was rather entertaining and worth the 30 minutes or so. This show was a nice change of pace. I don’t like most shows, but this one kept me entertained. Sure, it is a bit cheesy, purposely to keep the kids happy, but still time well spent.
They did have the music shows going throughout the day in the large covered stage area in the center of the park. We didn’t watch any of those. They looked like your typical singing and dancing type shows that I would go out of my way to avoid. One was country, one was a flashback through rock n’ roll history or something, and the other was gospel. I was a little surprised by the overtly Christian presentation, but we are in Middle America. So, I guess it is appropriate.
We ate at both Goblin Burger and Plymouth Rock Café. Goblin Burger is very typical park fare, but with the obvious exception of free soda. Plus you get a choice of your side item and they include a cookie. It was above average for park food, but priced well below. Thanksgiving Café is unlike anything I have seen before in an amusement park. It reminds me of a country kitchen home-style cafeteria. The food was fantastic, as was the price. We also got a funnel cake and an ice cream cone. We actually took a picture of the funnel cake sign because it was only $2.49. We couldn’t believe it. It was yet another wonderful example of the things that this park does so right.
The overall feel of this place is just right on many levels. There is appropriately themed music playing in each of the sections. The landscaping is as well done as I have seen anywhere. Again everything here is just so well taken maintained. Furthermore, and this is a huge one with us, the employees were always friendly and helpful. I genuinely got the feeling that the Koch family takes great pride in this park.
The only other general statement I will make is that the park is not level. Plan your trip accordingly. You don’t want to be hiking back up to the Fourth of July and Christmas sections many times throughout the day. The walk from Raven to Voyage isn’t all that far, downright cozy by Cedar Point standards, but it is quite a change in elevation.
On to the Rides:
Eagle’s Flight:
I still am not sure why many coaster fanatics love this so much. I tried everything and still haven’t figured out how to get the famous slack in the cables. No big deal, I still kind of enjoy them. These looked like a rather old model, but the paint on the Eagles appeared to be minutes old. They were pristine. This one ride is a very good example of the park as a whole: small, simple, and perfectly maintained. 6.
Liberty Launch:
Small, S&S, air launched, shot/drop tower. I have ridden several of these, some much taller, and for whatever reason, this is the one that I liked the best. It really plays tricks with your insides. The launch and the delay at the top are paced perfectly to give you that great floating sensation that takes your body a while to recover from. I loved it. 9.
Turkey Whirl:
This is in the new Thanksgiving section so the cars are appropriately themed. They look like giant Turkeys. The ride itself is identical to every other one of these I have been on—good fun. 7.
Gobbler Getaway:
This is the first dark shooting game that Leslie has ever beaten me at. I destroyed her the first game, but she was on fire the second time through. She ranked just below the highest level on the board. I really think there are differences in the sensitivity of the callers. The second time through I really had to be 100% exact and even then it didn’t seem to always register. It was a big difference than the ride we just had. We literally rode it back to back. We got off the car and walked up to the one in the loading position, as there was no one else in the line waiting. It was a very good experience and very well done. All the animatronics worked and there is enough in there to keep you looking for more even after riding it several times. It is as good as any other of this type that I have been on. I rather enjoyed it. 8.
I believe that was all the flat rides we rode. We would have ridden The Monster (Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride) but there was just a tiny line and we didn’t want to wait through the incredibly slow loading and unloading procedure that this ride is famous for. Oddly this ride is obviously a portable. The Swings are highly themed to go perfectly with Halloween section—the best that I have ever seen. The same goes for their scrambler, very well done. I don’t know the age of these rides, but they both appeared to be on their maiden tour of duty. We didn’t ride either. We still had to drive home. So, we didn’t want to get our clothes wet on the Frightful Falls or the Raging Rapids. The Raging Rapids really looked intriguing though. I liked the flooded little town area that you can see from the walkway down to the Thanksgiving section.
Now on to what you really want to know. How are the coasters? Well, here you go.
Howler:
Here is the teaser. Yes, we rode this, the credit whores that we are. We rode it twice—once reluctantly. The ride operator was in training and he missed with the brakes as we returned to the loading station. So, we had to go around again. Wow, what a rough little sucker this is—shockingly jerky for a kiddie ride. I found it ironic that their only steel coaster is rougher than their three wooden ones. This ride experience seems out place here. 2.
Raven:
We only rode this 2 times. This was the first of the trio that we rode. We rode them in geographical order, front of the park to the back. I always marveled at how this relatively small coaster could rank so high. I have read enough about this coaster that I basically had the layout down in my head upon boarding it. Obviously, I still didn’t know exactly what the back half would bring besides “out of control.” The first drop and the second hill each provide decent air. The turn over the water is pretty good and then we get to the real fun. The drop after the lake still took me by surprise, even though I knew it was coming. I’m still not sure how they get such a large drop right after the lake. The terrain and their implementation of leaving all of the trees don’t allow you to see the entire back half of the ride from anywhere inside or outside of the park. From here back to the station is a speed fest of twists and turns at a real good clip through the trees. It is all kind of a blur. In an instant it is over. You hit the brakes and are back at the station. We rode it once in the back and once in the front. Both are good a ride. The second ride later in the day in the back was definitely better than up front first thing in the morning. I wouldn’t go near as far as to call it sluggish in spots, but the ride back to the station never got to the “out of control” level I had expected. It is a very good coaster, no doubt. It is still a top 20, but it has to be a completely different animal altogether at night to have reached the rankings heights that it has. This was a very distant third to its two younger brothers. 8
Legend:
We rode this 3 times--once in the back and twice in the front. This coaster consistently ranks near the top of many enthusiasts’ list as well. I can say without reservations it is 100% merited. For about 10 whole minutes (the time it took to exit Legend and board Voyage) it was in the running for my number wooden coaster on the planet. It is still near the very top. The ride starts out with one of the best first drops on any coaster anywhere—definitely a top 10 first drop. The diving drop, especially in the back, combined with the natural terrain on which it is built makes if seem like you are going to go flying into the water park, but instead you are yanked down to the left and into a dark tunnel. Great start. From there it is just non-stop insanity. You come out of a tunnel and almost get your head ripped off by the supports of the huge Zoombabwe water ride. From there you go over another hill and into a left hand turnaround—It wasn’t until I was actually in line for the water ride that I realized that it was in fact a turn around. While riding it I had no sense of direction at all. You have no idea what is coming next or where you are going. From there it just continues to carry speed over seemingly endless helixes that just keep coming one after another. It seems to just keep going and going. It never lets up to let you catch you breath. These helixes change directions and are filled with tunnels, drops and hills all complete with tons of laterals—which are sustained for an eternity and airtime aplenty. You really get disoriented and have no idea where you are in relation to the station or anything else for that matter. Plus, you can’t really see the vast majority of the track from anywhere else in the park. The ride at night has to be absolutely nuts. This ride delivers the goods from the fantastic, first, diving drop all the way to brakes which you find yourself wondering if you will ever reach. A definite must for any woodie fan. Without a doubt, a 10.
Voyage:
We rode this 6 times--2 back, 3 front, once 2:1. And here it is. The #1 ranked wooden coaster on the planet. Did it deliver the goods? Yes, and then some. It not only earns the ranking, it demands it. Now I have not ridden El Toro or Colossus (Intamin’s newest, giant wooden creations) so I can’t say for certain that is absolutely, positively the end all of wooden coasters right now, but I can’t imagine one topping the Voyage. It truly is spectacular.
Gravity Group should call themselves “Anti-Gravity Group” with the amount of air that this thing produces. It more than lives up to the billing as an air-time machine. It has nice soft euphoric floating air, and it has the “Oh, dear God, please let my lap bar hold me in” ejector-type air.
This ride more than any other I have ever been on is very seat specific. I only rode it in three different rows, but man, what a difference. The back is nice ejector city all over the place with crazy head choppers. This is my favorite seat. It delivers crazy good air on the triple down—I knew it was coming and still it took my breath away. The triple down is not nearly as good up front as in the back. The front has nice floater air everywhere combined with the crazy turn/air transition right in front of the station that I simply loved. You can see this element I am talking about while waiting to board the train. It doesn’t look like much, but it is amazing. It floats you up and to the right and then suddenly slams you down and to the left as you enter the turn. It reminds me if skier going from side to side in powder—if that makes sense. I don’t think this move has a name—the Ozark Wildcat is loaded with this maneuver and is the only other coaster I have ridden that does it as well as this. Here though it is much faster and much more powerful, although not as plentiful. Plus the front gives you the view going down the first drop hill—second only to Millennium’s “The Drop”. On top of all of that you get to see just how crazily this track is twisted all over the place. Leslie liked the front the best. On our final ride we rode it in the first row of the second car. What a completely different animal. It delivers crazy and I do mean crazy ejector air in a few spots. The car shuffled just a bit through the turns and was a much more violent ride than either the front or the rear. It is really bizarre how different just one car is. Also, it is strange that the second car is more violent than the last car. The differences between the front and back are as expected, but even more so on this than any other coaster I have been on, but the difference of car 2 row 1was literally night and day to the front or rear seats.
I can foresee a couple of transitions in the turn around section that will have to get reprofiled just a bit in a couple of years as it was rather intense in 2:1. If there is one park in the world that can maintain this monster, this is it. I have full confidence that it will remain its wonderful self for many years to come. A couple of the pops of air were really lap bar pinning and I was thankful for the first time ever for a lap belt. Side bar: they don’t staple you in here, which is very nice as you get to enjoy every bit of the generous air that The Voyage delivers.
This coaster really seems to be the culmination of all that has come before it in the world of woodies. It appears to be an out-and-back, but it definitely goes beyond any of those in existence. It also reminds me a bit of one of the most beloved wooden coasters of all time, The Beast. By that I mean its almost completely hidden layout complete with multiple tunnels. However, the ride experiences couldn’t be farther apart. It takes this the terrain type coaster to a whole new level with multiple tunnels, following natural hills, and much of the return tip and the turn around are only a couple of feet off the ground. They also crisscross the track itself multiple times. Combined that with the unbelievably long ending twists, turns, hills, and helixes you definitely get the feeling of a twister. They also threw in three 90 degree turns, head choppers, and even a section of trick-track. All this adds up to deservedly #1 ranked wooden coaster on the planet.
Overall this truly is the new standard by which all new wooden coasters will forever be measured. It is that good. It epitomizes intensity while not beating you up. It can be re-ridden as is evidence by Leslie wanting to keep riding it back to back. However, I’m not sure I would want to ride it all day like some other great woodies. It does seem to wear you out just a bit. It is just so intense and a little draining. It takes so much out of you; you need some time to recoup. That is completely a positive statement, in no way derogatory. The only thing I can equate it to is: The rush you get from TTD (or KK) that causes you to be euphoric for several minutes afterward. The difference is the rush here lasts about 2 solid minutes, not 15 seconds. It really does take you on a “Voyage” into what wooden coasters are now capable of. Truly the new benchmark that redefines what a world class thrill machine is. It has me rethinking what my 10 ranking really means.
Overall, this little treasure lives up to its reputation as one of the friendliest and cleanest parks you can go to. While it doesn’t have the largest selection of rides (although its water park does) what it does have is all done as well here as anywhere. Combine that with the charm, pricing, landscaping, and theming and you have a truly special place that delivers world class fun like few others can. I can’t recommend it enough
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a&f kid
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| Posted: 28 May 2008 at 4:44pm | IP Logged
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Sounds like you had a good time and great TR  . I really want to ride The Voyage.
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Clint B.
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| Posted: 28 May 2008 at 5:21pm | IP Logged
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HWN was a lot of fun. It was also my first time to the park. LOVED Legend, Raven was good, Voyage was Voyage, but I can't rank it as my new #1. It'll rank #2 wood and #3 overall for me.
Glad you had a great trip.
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Plus 2 Flitzers, a Mad Mouse, and a Dragon Wagon at a Fair.
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Dis Heart End
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| Posted: 28 May 2008 at 6:24pm | IP Logged
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Wow! What a glowing TR. I'd love to check this place out someday. (It got a good review from WWE Wrestler Mick Foley.)
Edited by Dis Heart End on 28 May 2008 at 6:25pm
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bsheldon75
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| Posted: 29 May 2008 at 9:03am | IP Logged
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Yeah, we really did have a great time. The more I think back on it, the more the small things seemed to all add up. The place just gives you a real nice feeling.
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Futant462
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| Posted: 29 May 2008 at 1:31pm | IP Logged
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Ugh...JEALOUS!! 
I need to go there...yet I'm stuck at work...why?
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a&f kid
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| Posted: 29 May 2008 at 2:01pm | IP Logged
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I like how it is a great park for woodens, I don't think any other park has just woodens that's a great park?
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bsheldon75
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| Posted: 29 May 2008 at 3:34pm | IP Logged
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It is a great park period. It is a bit odd that it doesn't have a steel coaster, but not much about this park is typical--which just adds to its charm.
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a&f kid
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| Posted: 29 May 2008 at 4:45pm | IP Logged
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^Right like Santa Claus, Indiana 
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spaceweaver
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| Posted: 31 May 2008 at 11:02am | IP Logged
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Awesome TR!
I'll be doing my HWN shortly! :)
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CoasterFanatics.Com : Trip Reports
Topic: Holiday World Trip Report 5/18/08.
