THRILLCOASTER TOURS
OFFERS TEENS A SUMMER EXPERIENCE
OF A LIFETIME!
Teen Travelers Will Barrel Through Coaster Twists and Turns at
Amusement Parks Across the U.S. and Canada!
(This press release is from 2008)
The perfect answer for bringing summer fun and excitement to teens is ThrillCoaster Tours, the latest craze in teen tours! Imagine the thrill for kids ages 12 to 16 as they twist, turn and plunge down the steep hills of some of America’s most awesome “scream machines!” ThrillCoaster Tours, headquartered in East Brunswick, N.J., announces its tour schedule with four teen tours and a new family tour, visiting 17 amusement parks in the United States and Canada including Busch Gardens in Williamsburg and Tampa Bay, Universal Studios in Orlando, Six Flags Over Georgia, Cedar Point in Ohio, Six Flags New England, and La Ronde in Montreal.
ThrillCoaster Tours provides a one-of-a-kind coaster touring experience within six weeks of travel. On the one- and two-week tours, teens and adult counselors not only visit amusement and water parks, but also go on whale watching excursions, hang out at the beach, take in baseball games, and much more! The 2008 summer tours include Get to the Point Tour (6/30-7/4), highlighted by a trip to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, referred to as the Roller Coaster Capital of the World, and to Hershey Park. Southern Studios Tour (7/6-7/18) heads to the Sunshine State for thrills at Orlando’s Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure and then on to the brand new Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, S.C. This two-week, action-packed trip ends at Six Flags Great Adventure, home to the world-famous coasters Kingda Ka and El Toro. Boston Extreme Tour (7/28-8/1) lands at Six Flags New England and includes a day of touring Boston. North of the Border Tour (8/4-8/15) features trips to the two biggest amusement parks in Canada – La Ronde in Montreal and Canada’s Wonderland in Toronto, and includes amusements and activities in Chicago, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. In May, ThrillCoaster Tours introduces its new Beachgoers Family Tour (5/22-5/26), which takes families with children ages 6 and up on a four-night, five- day trip to Busch Gardens and Water Country USA in Williamsburg, Va. and Virginia Beach.
Ira Gordon, Founder and Director of ThrillCoaster Tours, aims to provide teens with the most exciting summer filled with memories that will last a lifetime. “The kids love the tours because they get to travel with other kids to amusement parks and what could be more fun than that?” Gordon explains. “And it gives them the opportunity to visit amusement parks around the country, rather than staying local.”
Now in its fourth year, ThrillCoaster Tours averages 25 teens per tour and has a counselor to teen ratio of 1 to 6. Gordon accompanies the teens on each tour, overseeing the itineraries to every last detail. Over the past summers, tour participants have come from more than 15 states including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, Texas, California, and Hawaii. ThrillCoaster Tours travel by first-class motor coaches and depart from the New York/ New Jersey area.
Gordon, 37, created ThrillCoaster Tours out of his own love for roller coasters. For the last 25 years, he has traveled to amusement parks throughout the country, visiting many of them during vacations. As a youngster, he traveled with a teen tour for three summers, but the emphasis was less on amusement parks and more on travel. For four summers, he worked as a camp counselor. Upon graduating college, Gordon and three friends organized a trip based solely around roller coasters. They drove over 2,000 miles in two weeks for one purpose – to ride coasters! All of these experiences have helped him create the ideal roller coaster tour for teens. Gordon, an accountant, resides in East Brunswick, NJ with his wife Laura and their two sons Ryan, 8, and Jared, 5.
Teen participants and their parents have much praise for Gordon and ThrillCoaster Tours. “The camp was amazing!” says 13-year-old Jacob Hogan, of Mt. Laurel, N.J., who toured with ThrillCoaster for three weeks last summer. “It was great to travel the country and ride roller coasters that I hadn’t ridden before. It was also great to make new friends!”
Hogan’s mother Lisa Bien was so pleased with her son’s experience that she has registered him for two, two-week tours this summer. “What I love about ThrillCoaster Tours is that Jacob gets to meet kids from all over the country – kids who share his passion for roller coasters, and that creates an immediate bond,” she says. “I also love it because I have so much confidence in Ira and understand his passion for coasters, for kids and for creating quality, safe experiences for them. I know Jacob is in good hands, and he always has a fabulous time.”
ThrillCoaster Tours is offering four teen tours for the summer of 2008, with prices ranging from $1,325 to $2,575. The new family tour costs $2,500 for a family of three, $2,900 for a family of four, and $3,300 for a family of five. The tours include admission to all amusement parks and other attractions, accommodations at the finest hotels (primarily Marriott hotels), three meals a day and snacks, plus tour accessories. The tours include transportation on air conditioned, first class motor coach buses. For information and registration, call 1-888-542-4842 or visit www.ThrillCoastertours.com.
ThrillCoaster Tours offers premiere roller coaster teen tours that travel to amusement parks and other attractions in the United States and Canada. For additional information call 1-888-542-4842 or visit www.ThrillCoastertours.com.
