Thunderbird Roller Coaster has been in operation at Holiday World since 2015. Designed and manufactured by Bolliger and Mabillard (B&M). Holiday World up to this point was known for its wooden coaster collection. When they announced this 22 million dollar steel coaster investment it came as quite a shock. We are happy to report that the risk paid off!
Thunderbird Roller Coaster Rider Experience
Entering into Thunderbird Roller Coasters queue line you can either walk through the barn queue or if it is busy you might have to wait through some switchbacks. Once you get close an attendant will either direct you to the left or right staircase. The trains load in two separate stations due to the design of the trains sitting on opposite sides of the track. The trains are 5 rows long. You can pick the front which gives the best views. But we still recommend the back since it gives the best forces.
An over-the-shoulder restraint with a seatbelt will keep you safe. Once a ride-op has visually checked your restraint your train will move into the last section of the Barn. Loud thunder and light flickering will go off. Then some smoke will shoot out in front of the train. Once that happens hold on. Or put your hands up as we did!
Thunderbird Roller Coaster Has to Offer
Thunderbird Roller Coaster starts off with a Launch from 0 -60 in 3.5 seconds. From there you will be flipped upside down 4 times. The ride is kind of split into 2 parts. Part one consists of the launch and a bunch of inversions. This is all the parks you can see when walking to the coaster. The second part is where the coaster goes into the woods. Then it transitions into taking tight turns and near misses. The near-miss elements are where the train will look like it is going to crash into a building only to turn in a certain way as to not crash. Finally, it will come to the final break run and back into the station.
Thunderbird Roller Coaster: The Good
The launch isn’t the most powerful we have ever experienced. However, that doesn’t stop it from being very good. The spectacle they put on with visuals and audio builds the anticipation well. An example of theming helping to enhance the experience! The smoke at the last second is a genius idea. If you are sitting in the front when that happens it is such an odd experience to shoot out into it. Then just as you are catching your breath you are being flipped upside down.
Our favorite aspect of Thunderbird is its pacing. There is no mid-course brake run. From the second you hit 60 mph you are hitting one awesome element after another. Dead spots where the coaster almost comes to a stop just kill a coaster. Thunderbird instead will keep the fun going till the end.
The Bad
Holiday World really knocked it out of the park with this one. Which means we have very little to complain about. The only issue worth mentioning is that the left-side riders are getting cheated. When walking through the queue and the ride op assigns you the left or the right side stairs. Our recommendation is to ask for the right. It seems all the elements are better on the right side. For us, the magic row is the back on the right side. If you are riding on the left side you are not getting as great of a coaster experience.
Final Verdict
Thunderbird Roller Coaster at Holiday World was a risk that paid off. This is the best B&M wing coaster ever built! It has a great-looking layout and the elements offer a great mixture of forces to keep the pace up. That is of course if you are sitting on the right side of the train. As long as you love big thrill coasters then Thunderbird will blow you away. Because of these reasons, Thunderbird on a scale of 1 to 10 gets a 9.5.
Thanks for Reading!
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