Holiday World 5-28-24

To think it has been 10 years since I have been to this park is almost as insane as saying that Thunderbird is also hitting that mark this year as well.

Anyhow, so in ten years not too much has changed in the overall park besides the fact they added a few flat rides and I think the candy/coffee shop in Thanksgiving was new.

Got to the park before rope drop and the rush to Thanksgiving. Still a very clean and well organized park from the moment you get in and throughout. So, the rope drops you got the younger folks out hustling the likes of me as I’m slowing down a bit, but still made the Voyages first train of the day. Snagged a middle seat and the ride is still other worldly good. Holiday world has put tlc on the first three hills the turnaround section in the back and the ride for being there for 18 years still runs pretty smooth in I’d say 90% of its layout.

I do have to say though there was one concerning thing that maybe I never noticed until yesterday but the ops definitely aren’t as top tier as they used to be continually stacking trains and this was on most coasters and really taking more than a few minutes to dispatch trains. Something either for the four previous times I thought was better or just didn’t notice but it was easily noticeable on this trip.

So, on to Thunderbird. I handled the hike up the hill pretty well and also like that they decided to remove the out of place water slide that used to be there last time I went on the way up. Got two rides on thunderbird one of each side. It’s the best wing coaster in the US hands down. The intensity of the launch and the Immelmann and vertical loop provide the great beginning to the ride that all the others lack in the US. The zero g roll at the end at least for me is only rivaled in hang time by Valravn as the only other coaster that has something like that. Also love that the theming with at least the lights flickering is still there although the smoke before the launch is gone from years prior. Also they had a very friendly ride crew.

Then going back down to Gobbler Getaway to call some turkeys. I love the absurdity of a turkey themed dark ride which for its age many of the targets and the guns/caller devices still work. Just a fun ride.

Took a gander at new for this year Good Gravy. They gave out time specific boarding passes. They were actually themed liked dinner invitations which was a nice touch. Took another Voyage ride to kill some time and same as the first besides the fact it had warmed up a bit but just marvel at how near perfect everything still is and just how aggressive the ride is.

Good Gravy was ready for a ride. So I’ll preface this by saying I know what it was built for families and kids alike. Let me start off by saying half of the fun of the ride is seriously the queue with all of the strange grandmothers house themed rooms. I think it even had some cinnamon smells floating through the air. The trains on the ride are the star attraction being shaped like a giant gravy boat and honestly they are quite comfortable. Unlike the old vekoma boomerangs I think there is a lot of growth for layouts based on the fact these aren’t cookie cutter rides where the hills are stacked next to each other. It was a mild ride to be honest with some very nice theming on and surrounding the ride. It will be a hit and dare I say a nice and relaxing ride compared to the rest of the lineup.

Got lunch at Plymouth Rock cafe. The green beans are worth the trip for food alone just so good also had chicken and dumplings and mashed potatoes and gravy for 19 bucks. I get its amusement park food and albeit a smaller portion than maybe I’d like it’s still some decent food for an amusement park. Plus free pop which I forgot existed for a minute when looking for drinks when I was checking out.

Hit the Halloween section after lunch for a truly staggeringly out of control ride on the Legend. So good and it even had some serious ejector air moments on hills coming out of two turns in the middle and at the end bravo to them on maintaining it as well. Got a walk-on Raven ride and it was fun as well it definitely will be the ride on maintenance rotation especially a section at the end where it was certainly showing some wear but nothing too bad to be considered overly rough.

Lastly hit a few flats in Fourth of July and called it a day. Overall, the park is still a park I love as one of my favorite parks. It’s got an incredible maintenance crew and overall friendly staff. Like I said stacking is a problem, but if that’s the only problem I think as the season goes on it will get better. It’s still has a solid top four coasters and a nice new addition for the family and honestly it’s a park that I can say for the five times I’ve been always delivers.

Glad to hear the Woodens are still running great.

I got the recipe and make those green beans at home. So yummy.
I haven’t been to HW in a number of years and will probably put that trip off until a spectacular of some kind opens. I get it, but new rides there are always few and far between. The Gravy ride fills a need nicely- it’s a good “family thrill” attraction and occupies a space that was abandoned and forlorn for years.
The park always looks great and has most recently made the most of themeing opportunities. Coasters are always a draw but some of my favorite one of a kind rides are Turkey Whirl and Firecracker, a rescued and refurbished Calypso. A bit of Lesourdsville Lake lives on.

With the work they've done on Legend over the past 8 years, it went from a coaster I didn't care to ride, to my #1 overall coaster out of 375. Especially after the night rides we got on it this past October. Tomorrow night, during trimless rides, The Voyage may re-take the title.

I would certainly put them neck and neck. They both have that out of control feeling but leave just enough room for the smoothness and fun, which really pushes wooden coasters to their limits. This was my first legend ride since the reprofile so it was quite a surprise.

We missed each other by a day! Just put up my report and saw yours. I thought Raven was running the best I’ve ever seen it. I didn’t sense any bad roughness there, Voyage had a rather concerning jackhammer at the bottom of the tunnel triple down though. Still the woodies are all still stellar, and the Halloween duo seemed to be running the fastest I’ve ever seen.