I began this trip with one goal in mind, ride the newly opened WindSeeker! I headed straight there once I was let into the park.
After going through the queue line and given a seat number, we were let in to board.
It is an awesome ride and I hope more parks get one! There is a great breeze at the top and an awesome view of the park.
The movie soundtrack really completes the whole experience! Next, I headed over to Millennium Force to get in line for the #1 Steel Coaster in the world before the general public came rolling in.
After that, I hopped on Iron Dragon for a ride before heading back to WindSeeker!
After a half-hour wait, I was soaring in the skies again. When the ride was over, I saw Mr. Sphen checking on ride operations.
Then I headed over to Space Spiral and inside, it’s not exactly the clearest view of the park since they never seem to clean the windows.
Since I was going with the crowds instead of against, I took the train around once before taking the SkyRide back to the car for a quick snack.
Coming back into the park, I ran into Robin Innes and he remembered my Dad and I from when he took us on the winter tour. We stopped to chat for a minute before I was again on my way to Power Tower, red side. Next, I went on Super Himalaya. I then headed over to Paddlewheel Excursions to take a relaxing boat ride sponsored by Doritos.
It was then time for Grand Ole County. It’s nothing special. It’s worse this year then it was last year, which it wasn’t too good last year either.
Dinner time rolled around and I was treated to a Cedar Point company picnic dinner because my Dad works at Smucker’s.
They had hot dogs, baked beans, fresh fruit, fried chicken, Toft’s ice cream and unlimited Pepsi soft drinks! It was all delicious!
After dinner, I went over to the Jack Aldrich Theatre to see Rockin’ the Point. It was a much better then Rock Band, Live!.
Then I headed over to Ocean Motion. I really love the new location and themeing, but I hate how they assign you a row and the make you merge into one group to go onto the ride. Next I rode Troika before heading over to WindSeeker for the 3rd ride of the day.
I then headed over to the Corkscrew where it broke down as I reached the station. But instead of just standing there, one of the crew members, who I later found out I was already Facebook friends with, started up a game of Cedar Point Trivia.
My sister, Dad, and I were getting all of the hard one’s while the few others playing with us were getting the general knowledge questions. We eventually left after the ride never reopened. I then headed over to Magnum XL-200. Next I headed over to Frontier Town and the Town Hall Museum waiting for the Starlight Experience to open. When it finally did and I went through to find it not as “magical” as the first year, but there are defiantly improvements. As closing time was rolling around I got ready to head home. I stopped by WindSeeker on the way out for a few pictures and videos of WindSeeker’s amazing light show.
After a night of little sleep, I was off to the park for another day of fun! It started with us first heading down for ERT in Splashin’ Safari. We were greeted with fresh fruit, muffins, and other breakfast goodies. After grabbing some strawberries and a muffin, it was time to ride Wildebeest. It a really fun ride, I wish more water parks would get one. (I’m looking at you Cedar Fair.)
I then had to go back to the lockers for my camera. I found this out later, but we weren’t supposed to go back to the lockers. Oops, but Dan Koch walked by me on my way back and didn’t say anything, so I guess it was OK and I will know for the future. After that, I headed back up to the Wildebeest for my first photo walkback. We were free to walk along the sidewalk, inside a tunnel, and up to the crow’s nest.
I got a lot of great pictures. When I was done, I met up with my dad and we went on ZOOMbaba twice and Zinga once. We then headed back to Wildebeest for a few more rides before the general public literally came pouring in.
With the lines growing, we took a relaxing ride around the Bahari River. To finish off the water park, I took a ride on Jungle Racers.
Since we were all wet, we grabbed a shirt and headed off into the park in search of water rides. First was Frightful Falls. It was a nice to be back on an actual log flume when my last log flume was at Kennywood back in 2005.
It was fast paced and had a fun final drop.
Next was Raging Rapids, not exactly Thunder Canyon, but I loved the western town themeing!
Finally, we rode Shoot the Rapids’s sister ride Pilgrims Plunge.
It really was nothing compared to Shoot the Rapids, just a quick ride to the lift and then the drop. No two hills, a misty tunnel, or a waterfall canyon.
We then went back to our locker to empty it out before heading to the car to change back into dry clothes. As seems to be the trend, all that water made us hungry.
Being short on time we settled for Kringle’s Cafe and some famous Holiday World pizza. It lived up to the little hype I’ve heard about it.
Of course I was expecting a little more to the breadsticks. I thought they would have a garlic taste, but instead they just tasted like dough. After lunch, I was heading out to the car for my video camera when I ran into my friend, Jeff Guilkey. We talked for a few minute, but I needed to get the camera before the walkback. When I got back he introduced me to Ted Adams and I introduced them to my dad. Shortly after that, the walkback began.
It gives you some really close-up views of The Raven and The Legend. To get all of the shots in the little time we were allowed back there, I took the pictures and my Dad took the videos.
I was really surprised by how there was no “restricted area” fences and signs around the coaster. Holiday World is really trusting of their visitors.
After the walkback, I was drenched in sweat, so I grabbed a free drink and went over to the Hoosier Celebration Theatre because Real Country was going to start soon. I was expecting the show to be like a small amusement production. Especially after seeing Cedar Point’s shows over the year, I wasn’t expecting much. After watching just a few minutes, I was blown away at how good it was! It had great performers, upbeat song selection, and audience interaction.
I was sad to leave before it ended for The Voyage walkback, which was another great opportunity to take pictures that the general public can’t.
We were allowed to walk down the whole road up to the 90° turn at the far end. After I had taken a ton of I pictures, my dad and I started to walk back with Ted and talk about coasters.
With sunset approaching, we headed off into the 4th of July to ride all if the rides we missed. First we went to Holidog’s Fun Town for the Howler credit.
Fun little coaster and we got double rides!
Next was my first round-up ride on Revolution. Ouch, way too much pressure on my feet.
Next, I picked a gentler ride, Eagle’s Flight. A really fun ride, but lacks the capacity needed on busier days.
Moving on to the bigger rides, we went on Liberty Launch.
For a small version of Power Tower, it really packs punch. Tons of air when it hits the top!Moving down the midway, we found the Lewis & Clark Trail.
It was fun and amazing that 5+ person crew at Cedar Point was replaced by one at Holiday World.
Although, the ride was nothing special, CP has better tracks for their cars, longer rides. After getting off of the ride, I heard the Vinyl Daze had started, so we raced over to catch another great Holiday World show. The performers are great even in the super humid weather.
After the show, we headed down to Splashin’ Safari to empty our locker since they had just closed.
We then made our way back up to the 4th of July and Christmas to do some shopping.
Since The Raven was nearby, we got in line for a ride where we found some other HoliWood Nighters and struck up a little coaster talk.
After flying through the woods, it was time to get a t-shirt as the park was closing soon. We made our purchases and I stayed down in Thanksgiving to take pictures of Pilgrims Plunge and The Voyage.
I then headed up to Halloween and rode the HallowSwings where someone asked me what was up with a lot of people in the park wearing E.R.T. shirts and name tags. I told her it was for HoliWood Nights and she thought it was really cool how many perks we got, I still think its awesome how many perks we got too!
I then met up with my Dad and we headed over to the Good Old Days Picnic Grove. We were treated to a delicious buffet dinner of hamburgers, fried chicken, fruit, veggies, Mac & Cheese, cookies, brownies, and of course free soft drinks.
The Beachcombers band was there playing for us and they sounded really good! There was silent auction. I placed a bid on a few things, but didn’t win. After, Mrs. Koch and Dan Koch came out and auctioned off ride time with him and Leah. Then they brought out the very first Pat Koch bobble head to be auctioned off. If I remember right, it went for over $100.
After that, we were set free into the park. My Dad wanted to drop some stuff off at the car so I went to Halloween to take pictures. Just then I ran out of storage space, so I had to run out to the car to get my other car, which I ended up having with me the whole time. Going back into the park, we went on The Raven and The Legend a few times before walking over to Thanksgiving.
I had a bit too much to eat and since I didn’t want to repeat the events of the night before, I decided to sit it out. As 10:oo pm rolled around, the Scarecrow Scrambler was open, so we took it for a ride and that had a really long cycle, almost too long since I wasn’t feeling too good to begin with.
Before leaving we got one more ride on The Legend and The Raven before calling it a night.
On the way out we were given Recesses Pieces because it had a tie in to E.T. (E.R.T).
I had an AWESOME weekend at Holiday World and I can’t wait of go back again next year!
After making it through the traffic of Cincinnati and the long drive through nowhere, my Dad and I finally saw the sign that said “Welcome to Santa Clause Indiana”.
After a few minutes, The Voyage popped up along with Pilgrims Plunge.
We headed into The Legend Lot to park and found it eerie quit. There were only a few people still around getting in their cars. They must have thought we were crazy for pulling into the parking lot and getting out with our park stuff. We headed up to the group sales where we got our HoliWood Nights tickets and shirts.
We had to wait about 10 minutes while they cleared out the park before we could go in for the night.
After making it in, I grabbed map and we headed in blindly to find some coasters. The Raven, which I had heard about since I was a little kid thanks to PBS, wasn’t open yet and The Legend broke down as we got into the station. After finding the long path down to Thanksgiving, we got on The Voyage and we were both in for a surprise. The ride was fast, crazy, and out of control. Nothing could have ever prepared me for that!
I had talked with Holiday World’s twitter a few days before my trip and they said my camera clip-on cases that I use to store my camera wouldn’t be allowed on the ride, so I after asking some friends what they did when they visited, I put my camera in my pocket to hide it and hooked the strap to a clip. I had completely forgotten about losing my phone. I usually hold on to it while ridding, but The Voyage was so out of control, I completely forgot about it. This means it happened for the first time, I “lost” something to a coaster, in a way. I got off the ride and was walking down the exit ramp doing my pocket check when I realized that my phone was missing. I ran up and told the ride op that I lost my phone and in what car I was sitting. The girl looked along with the guy who was sitting there. After a quick search nothing was found, but just as all hope was lost, the guy held up the phone. He found it! Thank you whoever you are if you’re reading this!
So after all of that, I wasn’t feeling too well after having my Wendy’s dinner being shook up. So I took what I thought would be a nice gentle ride on Turkey Twirl. I was wrong! The combination of Holiday World’s long ride cycles and the spinning, it felt like I was going to throw up. After the ride finally stopped, I went to get a free drink to help settle my stomach.
Then it was on to The Legend, another great coaster and my personal favorite at Holiday World. The wolf howl at the top and the smell of campfires in the woods makes for awesome themeing! It was then finally time for The Raven.
Another awesome coaster! After the drop into the woods, you can’t see a thing and you’re just flying! After The Raven we headed up to the Kringle Kafé to see what kind of food they had. The pizza and fudge looked delicious, but I still wasn’t feeling the best and there were coasters to be ridden. After a few more rides on The Raven and The Legend, the HollowSwings had opened, so I hoped on for a spin.
Andy, who was also operating Turkey Twirl, is one of the best amusement park employees ever. He was super friendly and seemed to love his job. I then found myself heading back down to Thanksgiving to give The Voyage another try, but guess who I ran into first. The one and only Mrs. Koch!
I got a picture with her before braving the rough waters ahead. That ride wasn’t any better than the first. Oh well, the free cupcake made up for it!
I headed back to Halloween for another ride on The Legend and The Raven before coming back to the HollowSwings for another ride. Andy let us go three times before finally closing the ride for the night. To finish off my amazing evening, I took one more ride on The Legend.
Part one of my “Road to Holiday World” trip started out with a stop at Kings Island for a few hours.
What’s even better is that in order to fit in a Kings Island stop, I would get to miss school for the day!
As soon as my Dad and I got there, we headed straight to the Diamondback, but got side tracked by a walk-on Boo Blasters on Boo Hill.
This was my first ever shooting dark ride and they are really fun. It’s now on my Cedar Point wish list for stuff they need to get. After that, we headed over to the Diamondback and found a short half hour wait.
Once in the station, we headed to the 2nd row, which gives you all of the thrills of the front row without the front row wait. After my ride, I have to say that it was one awesome coaster for my first B&M hyper! Tons of airtime! You just fly over the hills and the splashdown ending is great!
Next up was another first for me, a giant top spin in a box. Yep, it was time for The Crypt.
I thought it was an amazing ride and it had great themeing, of course I’ve heard it was better at one point, but I still loved it! Then we headed over to check on the progress of Kings Island’s WindSeeker.
It looked like it was having the same problems as Cedar Point’s WindSeeker.
We then headed over to The Racer to find only one side running, red, and of course I needed the blue credit.
Oh well, I’ll get it another day. The Racer was great and had lots of airtime. Since it was nearby, we went on Adventure Express too. That ride is definitely faster than Cedar Point’s Mine Ride. Next was a quick spin on Dodgem.
I’m not a big fan of bumper cars in the first place and the weird seat belt didn’t help me like this one anymore.
Walking down the Coney Mall, we stopped at Shake, Rattle, & Roll where my Dad got paired up with a junior coaster enthusiast whose home park is Coney Island (the one in Ohio).
There was also a very friendly employee giving everyone high fives. (This was just a sample for what was coming later on this road trip.) We then walked over to Backlot Stunt Coaster and found a short wait.
To finish up the trip, we rode The Beast and I thought that it was a horribly rough ride.
I do not know why people say Mean Streak is so bad when The Beast is just as bad.
As we headed out, I wanted to stay longer, but we had places to be later that evening… click here to read part two of my “Road to Holiday World” trip report.
For my 2nd trip of the season, I started in the back with Maverick and then walked down the Frontier Trail to Millennium Force.
After an amazing ride on the Force, I headed over to Mantis, which I now regret because it hurts way too much in too many places.
On the way out to the car to change into a swimsuit, I stopped for a ride on the Magnum, which also hurt. I guess it depends on which seat in. After a quick change in the car, I headed over to Shoot the Rapids where I got in 5 rides with very little wait.
It looks like all of its problems have been fixed. They even added mist to the top of the 2nd hill.
I then headed to the car for lunch. After lunch I went over to the Gemini games determined to win a Minion. After beating a girl in the first round to win a cheap bear, I then played against myself to finally win a Minion!
After that I headed down the boardwalk to check on WindSeeker.
Then I rode Troika and Ocean Motion.
Moving on, I took the SkyRide over to the Frontier Trail so I could see Grand Ole Country. It’s exactly the same show as last year and the cast seems worse. I’m sure it will grow on me, but I never really liked the show anyway. Next up was Tropical Heat, Island Beat. It was great as usual! When I was leaving the Garter, I saw dark clouds and heard thunder.
So I joined the crowd of people heading out to their cars, but of course I pulled out my video camera and filmed the whole thing. So that was how my day ended.
