Thunderbird — Attraction in Santa Claus

Thunderbird is really different from the Holiday World lineup, in a good way. Instead of thrashing you around, slamming you side to side and ejecting you out of your seat like a certain Thanksgiving themed wooden coaster nearby, this ride is a great stepping stone coaster in the park. Thunderbird is incredibly graceful yet still feels as intense as it should be— the launch is decently forceful and the ride is very appropriately paced. Some rides (like at Six Flags parks) just feel slapped down and hastily planned, but it’s evident that Holiday World did as much research and variety as possible with this coaster. It’s unique, yet fits right in to the park’s atmosphere and fascinating charm. The only reason why this ride is docked a star, however, is because of how far away this and the Sparkler swing ride are from the rest of the park... you have to walk up a twisting path past the old Pilgrim’s Plunge station and splashdown pad, with hardly anything else to ride nearby. I would recommend Holiday World to offer some sort of two-way skyride traveling over this pathway... that would boost their ride count as well as interest in Thunderbird, as when I visited during Holiwood Nights this ride had the shortest lines in the entire park. Still Thunderbird is a must do at Holiday World and I’d recommend it...

I'll be the first to admit I'm fat. But in my years of going to various amusement parks, I have never had as much trouble getting on rides as I have today. I was excited to try the Thunderbird, even used my express pass out of the Gamebook I bought. After uncomfortable and cramped experiences on other rides (being big AND tall sucks), I was hoping Thunderbird would work, especially since the sign stated that rows 2 and 3 were big and tall friendly. This proved to not be the case as the big and tall seats were identical in every way to the other seats and the belt that locks in the shoulder bar wasn't even a foot long. The ride attendant said they've been having at least 1 or 2 people every launch that had to be turned away and as many as half the riders in a single launch. I may be fat, but I'm pretty far from the coast guard needing to assist me back into the water at the beach. There were perfectly average people that didn't fit on the ride and after a multi-hour wait (thank god I had a pass) I would be livid if I was turned away.

When a disturbingly large portion of the clientele of Holiday World traverse the park in mobility scooters because they're so fat they can't walk, the rides, especially the ones headlining the park, need to be...

One of the best B&M coasters--the innovative flying wing design allows you to have a slightly different ride each time, depending on where you sit. All the usual Bolliger and Mabillard traits are here--Almost every review will mention how insanely smooth this coaster is--as close to flight as we can get. Of course the downside is that this ride is pretty short--total ride time is around 45 seconds. That can be pretty disappointing after a long wait, but the quality of the ride, only the second of its kind in the US, makes up for it. If you have friends who are nervous about coasters, particularly ones with inversions, this is the one to introduce them to how...