Holiday World announces Pilgrims Plunge, the world's tallest water ride

Wow, you guys are hard to please. This looks to be a great ride. A longer flume to "meander through" than most shoot-the-chute rides, an excellent drop and a stunning elevator lift system.

The whole thing looks very thrilling to me. I don't get the criticism for the drop, 45 degrees is a nice drop for a flume with great height. Don't forget that Perilous Plunge is tracked like a roller coaster, not a true flume ride like this.

Holiday World has a winner here and I also really like dual loading from both water park and amusement park. A great idea!

Wow, you guys are hard to please.

Well it's not a coaster...of course some aren't happy. Of course even had it been a coaster we'd still have our share of complainers, lol.

I look at it this way: if this ride's appeal to the general public causes another nice attendence increase it's literally paying the way for Holiday World's next new coaster ;)

*** This post was edited by Mamoosh 8/27/2008 1:34:23 PM ***

Meh,

Just a bigger version of a ride that almost every park has, and a ride that is so passé that some parks have actually started to remove them. They could have made a better investment with something more unique.

Just a bigger version of a ride that almost every park has

Same could be said about Voyage!

They could have made a better investment with something more unique.

But if parks are removing them it will be unique.

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I don't get the criticism for the drop, 45 degrees is a nice drop for a flume with great height.

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I can understand why the angle descent is relatively "tame." It's so that families can challenge this world record breaker together without mom and dad taking a raincheck on it after looking at the thing. (Would mom and pop go on THIS? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN4tYC-TEh4 -- Probably not.)

However, I've been on Odyssey in Beijing where it's drop is around 100 feet, but at a 45 degree descent. It personally do not think it's that thrilling at all. It's kind of like rolling down a street on your bicycle without pedaling.

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Don't forget that Perilous Plunge is tracked like a roller coaster, not a true flume ride like this.

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Nope. According to the renderings provided by Holiday World, Pilgrims Plunge is a Mega Splash model, just like Perilous Plunge and Hydro. The differentiation between Mega Splash and Intamin's shoot-the-chute is the heavy-set boats with individual seating and restraints...and bulkier chute fabrication. Pilgrims Plunge will also utilize a "track" like Hydro and Perilous Plunge.

The elevator lift and its appearance is just as scary as the 90 degree drop to me.

For a steepness reference, the drop on Snake River Falls at CP:
http://www.pointbuzz.com/Photos/Photo.aspx?id=7028&tag=snake+river+falls

I'd say that's a pretty steep drop, no? It sure feels steep while on ride. It's 50 degrees. 45 doesn't seem so shallow, now does it?

Depends. Will it have those sweet magnetic brakes like Snake River? :)

LOL. ^ I didn't notice those last year, and I've been wondering if those were trims all year. Wonder what their reasoning for that was, because it still throws a mean splash so that couldn't have been it. Maybe to slow down / prevent a boat from jumping the trough in the event of low water? :-D

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For a steepness reference, the drop on Snake River Falls at CP:
http://www.pointbuzz.com/Photos/Photo.aspx?id=7028&tag=snake+river+falls

I'd say that's a pretty steep drop, no? It sure feels steep while on ride. It's 50 degrees. 45 doesn't seem so shallow, now does it?

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I've been on SRF before. That photo you're providing is definitely going to make it look steeper than it actually is because it's not shown from the side (where you can get a better idea of its slope degree.

Look at this photo of Dorney's White Water Landing (an exact clone of Snake River Falls). Here you can see that 50-degrees really isn't even that steep. And Pilgrims Plunge is 5 degrees more shallow than that.

SRV/WWL (50 degree drop): http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3201/2534127399_f0f6e51301.jpg?v=0

Compare that to -

PP/HYDRO (75-78 degree drop): http://sfgamworld.com/gallery/v/KBF/PerilousPlunge1.jpg.html

Sorry. After riding Perilous Plunge, no other shoot the chute really comes close. I guess I've been spoiled. :)

I think it will be freakin' AWESOME!

You are always going to have people complain. Whatever. They can just stay home. :)

KraXLeRidAh says: Pilgrims Plunge will also utilize a "track" like Hydro and Perilous Plunge.

I don't see where in the renderings you see a track. Everything about the animation of the elevator system or the flume shows a ride with normal flume boats. Look at the first video. At the top, as the boat leaves the elevator, you can even see the side rear guide wheel that guides the boat in the flume.

^ Right, because all animations and renderings for rides are completely accurate down to every single detail. [/sarcasm]

Not only will the ride have the "track" setup like Perilous Plunge and Hydro, but it will also have boats with "overhead lapbars" according to the park's spokeswoman...which I think is unnecessary considering the slope of the drop isn't that steep. Pilgrims Plunge will have this restraint system, but with thematic modifications:

http://www.westcoaster.net/images/updates/060906/060906-kbf024-sm.jpg

Looking at the Perilous Plunge video, yes, it's quite steep. But only for about 2 boat-lengths worth of the drop. Then it enters a long tapered curve until it hits the bottom. The renderings from HW show a drop not as steep, but more constant from top to bottom.

I am actually betting the the OTSR/Overhead Lapbars have more to do with Intamin designing the ride then the fact that Holiday World is installing such a ride. I have to wonder if Intamin would even bother with having lapbars anymore simply for the sake of safety and their reputation at least on rides that have proven to be risks.

Well, I don't know what to think. Having only ridden a Hopkins model, I have no comment. I personally think that horsecollar restraints would totally ruin the ride. No drenching. But then again, those things hardly ever get patrons wet unless you're under the bridge. I guess there will be two elevators, one from the waterpark and one from the amusement park? And they'll lead to the same drop? Weird. The thing about those watches that I see a concern with is if us blind people would be able to use them. I can see some good uses already. Walk around the park on your own, and just leave your guide a message on the watch so he/she can tell you where to go. I still need to get out there. Or here's another one. If you're at HoliWood Noghts, and you want to go off on your own, as I would do, and you get lost, you could message somebody in your group to ask for directions. I see potential here.
*** This post was edited by John Moore 8/31/2008 7:06:02 AM ***

From today's Holiblog...

and here's a direct link to the picture referenced in the entry...

If you followed this morning's tweets about our meeting with Sandor from IntaRide, you'll know I promised to get my mitts on some photos showing the progress on the boats for Pilgrims Plunge.

Direct from the factory in Germany, here's a shot of one of the boats.

We've received many emails asking about the restraint system. The black bar contraption is it.

It's similar to our coasters in that it's an individual lap bar. It's similar to Liberty Launch in that it's hydraulic (no click-click-click). It opens overhead to give riders more room as they board the ride and, soaked, step out of the boat after the boat returns to the station.

During the meeting, we spent a considerable amount of time discussing drain holes. It seems on most shoot the chute rides (and log flumes), the boats drain easily out the back as they head up the lift hill.

Pilgrims Plunge, as you may remember, has that crazy elevator. No angle of ascent. Straight up.

So the draining will take place back in the station. Some sort of flaps will open. Sandor said the guests probably won't even notice them.

Next season, the ride ops at Pilgrims Plunge will recognize our blog readers. They'll be the ones asking, "Where are the drainage flappy things?"

Yay! Individual lapbars!!!!!