New #1 coaster, on a list of 478

It took awhile, but it happened. I have a new #1 coaster:

The Voyage


Three words: Oh.My.God.

The pics, the vids, the reviews, I had seen it all. I went in expecting to be underwhelmed. Three big hills and some zig-zag return track with a few tunnels. Whee. No biggie.

This ride just about kicked my a$$. Night rides are not to be believed. This is, without question, the most intense coaster on earth. Think Dragster is intense? You're right. Now imagine keeping that intensity for nearly three minutes. You hit the brakes absolutely exhausted.

I managed to get 60 rides in two days, 45 of those at night during ERT. I'm still sore.

The trip out is like Shivering Timbers.
The turnaround pretzel is like Hades.
The trip back is like being thrown down a flight of stairs (but in a good way).

Airtime, laterals, three 90deg turns, multiple tunnels (one with a triple down), etc etc etc... wow.

[Oscar]

YEah The VOPyage kicks ass. I remmeber last year n the coaster trip I took, when bockzilla, cjd and I were riding it, cjd was one seat ahead of us, we were on the back and after going through the turn around, coming back, cjd wa sliterally being thrown side to side and he was going vertical It was sucha funny sight to see happen over and over again. After all he isn't that small of a guy and to see him get thrown like a rag doll was fun. It's a really good roller coaster and in my opinion should have received first place the year it opened.

[Kev]

damn, i wanna ride this one so bad. hopefully i can make it over there sometime this year.

[Oscar]

take out health insurance before hand, maybe that's where I busted up my back?

[Kev]

yeah, i was wondering if that could have been it.

The Voyage is fantastic. I almost feel as if the only coasters worth talking about anymore are Gravity Group rides, because no other company can make a coaster anywhere near as good. Not even CCI. I posted this in another thread about Voyage and Hades:

Voyage is without a doubt my #1 wooden coaster, and favorite coaster overall, but closely followed by the underrated Hades.

The thing is Voyage completely spoils you. By the time you hit the turnaround, which isn't even the halfway point on the ride, you've already gone through more than you can ask for on a coaster. When hitting the MCBR, no matter how many times I ride it, I can't get over how I just went through all of that insanity on ONE ride, and still have the completely out-of-control second half to experience. It isn't fair to non-GG coasters because nothing even has a chance. If you took just 1/3 of the ride, it would still be the second best coaster out there (after Hades), that's how great it is.

Hades is wonderful too though, and isn't that far behind Voyage. If you haven't ridden it and love Voyage that much, you need to take a trip out to Mt. Olympus. The tunnel run is something you won't experience on any other coaster, as the airtime and laterals are just thrown at you right after the other and it just feels like a coaster isn't capable of delivering something that amazing. Then there's that huge airtime hill out of the far turnaround that has probably the most perfect slightly-greater-than floater air I've ever experienced and once you hit the lapbar you're just held there and there's no chance you're hitting the seat anytime soon with how long the air on that hill is sustained. And then the section from the hill next to the lift all the way to the helix is so intense due to the intensity of the turn by the station, and right after that turn you FLY through two of the best airtime hills I've experienced while turning a bit with the view of that helix in front of you. Now that I think about it, these two rides are pretty damn close. And there's that double drop before the lift hill where if you ride in the back seat, it hits you HARD with some extremely powerful ejector air.

I need to ride one of these coasters again, it's really worth the trip back out there just to experience either of these beasts a few more times.

[Dirk_Ermen]

great reviews guys. And now image that a dutch friend who has been there said: F*ck Voyage when he rode Troy [;)] (yeah, I know, It's a dirty staff member who get's VIP access to troy ) But still, that means Troy is better then the voyage [shocked][shocked][shocked][shocked][shocked]

At the end of the day.

-You can have your 165 foot lift hill.
-And your 68mph, 50+ seconds of airtime.
But i bet you all the money on Earth, that you would have twice as much fun on Grand National =D. Im not going to explain why although im sure you all understand.


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Unfair! My country can really do with a nice fast Gravity Group woody like Voyage. It always looks insane on TV through all those tight bends and hills.

Originally posted by Dirk_Ermen

great reviews guys. And now image that a dutch friend who has been there said: F*ck Voyage when he rode Troy [;)] (yeah, I know, It's a dirty staff member who get's VIP access to troy ) But still, that means Troy is better then the voyage [shocked][shocked][shocked][shocked][shocked]

Troy > Voyage?

My only response to that is:

Bah, the earliest I'm going to get a ride on Voyage is when I can drive I can't wait that long, It looks freakin crazy!

Originally posted by english coaster guy

At the end of the day.
-You can have your 165 foot lift hill.
-And your 68mph, 50+ seconds of airtime.
But i bet you all the money on Earth, that you would have twice as much fun on Grand National =D. Im not going to explain why although im sure you all understand.

WOO HOO!!! Now you owe me all the money on earth!!!

Seriously, I've been on Grand National many, many times. I love that ride! The double-down on the first drop kicks serious butt.

But, just a seriously, Voyage OWNS every other coaster I've ever been on. That includes EVERY coaster at Blackpool, as well as Alton Towers, Lightwater Valley, etc etc etc.

It's not even close.

Originally posted by WeeWeeSlap

After all he isn't that small of a guy and to see him get thrown like a rag doll was fun.

Kinda reminds me of the beating I took on Ghostrider!

Originally posted by minicoopertx

The trip back is like being thrown down a flight of stairs (but in a good way).

[lol] Wow man, thanks for that report.

[jayman]

as far as ghostrider goes I WILL be there the next time you ride it..

Originally posted by TConwell

Originally posted by minicoopertx

The trip back is like being thrown down a flight of stairs (but in a good way).

[lol] Wow man, thanks for that report.

I thought that was quite a hilarious comparison as well.

Being thrown down a flight of stairs - possibly the best way to describe what happens in the second half. And it starts with 3 straight flights down!

I wont go into my detailed reasons why its EASILY the greatest coaster on the planet right now, but it is.

I have to ask, you got ERT this last weekend? What the heck for what?

Yeah... The Voyage is indeed the ultimate. It is one of the few coasters out there that I hang on for dear life instead of keeping my hands up... and even hanging on, I still get thrown around like crazy, as WWS observed. But I have to disagree with Gravity Group being the only company with coasters worth talking about. I just rode both The Voyage and Maverick within one week of each other, and I must admit that Maverick is pretty darn close. Granted, nobody but Cedar Point really has the budget for that kind of coaster, but Intamin does stand somewhat of a fighting chance if they keep the trend of ramping up the intensity.

Originally posted by cjd

It is one of the few coasters out there that I hang on for dear life instead of keeping my hands up... and even hanging on, I still get thrown around like crazy, as WWS observed.

There's only one coaster out there that I really do hang on for dear life when riding, and that isn't the Voyage. I still enjoy Voyage more overall, but when I ride Coaster @ Playland, I truly fear that if I don't hang on for dear life I will be thrown from the train. The restraints on that coaster are LESS restrictive than buzzbars (!) and yet my thighs still get bruised from the sheer force of the negative gs.

But I have to disagree with Gravity Group being the only company with coasters worth talking about.

That was more of a relative comparison. I still think that there are quite a few coasters worth raving about (none of them being manufactured by Intamin), but Gravity Group just sets the bar so high that there's such a huge gap in quality IMO from some of the best non-GG coasters to the worst GG ride.

Real, you forget that many people who've ridden El Toro prefer it to Voyage. As much of an Intamin and El Toro fan as I am, I actually think I might like Voyage better if I ever get that opportunity (highly doubtful). But, while Voyage has some ridiculously pwnage characteristics, so does El Toro...likely much higher positives and much stronger air. Point is, I don't think Voyage is as much of a clear leader as you describe, as a few rides like El Toro compete with it and keep up in several ways IMO.

How is Voyage compared to el toro? I have been on el toro and it is really good.

Originally posted by dcs221

But, while Voyage has some ridiculously pwnage characteristics, so does El Toro...likely much higher positives and much stronger air. Point is, I don't think Voyage is as much of a clear leader as you describe, as a few rides like El Toro compete with it and keep up in several ways IMO.

Who cares about positives on a wooden coaster? Positives don't do anything that other forces do. When you experience negative gs, it's as if you're being thrown out of the train. When you experience laterals, it's as if you're being thrown from the train sideways. But positives do anothing except make you feel nice and secure in your seat... real exciting on a wooden coaster! I'm glad that GG and CCI actually design their rides to PURPOSELY create as low positive gs as possible (with small exceptions). Those companies know how to design a wooden coaster.

And El Toro may have much stronger negative gs, but more air? No. I will take PTC lapbar airtime over Intamin staple "airtime" any day. Airtime on wooden coasters means completely leaving your seat so there is air between your butt and the seat... leave the negative gs without airtime to steel coasters.

Waiting for Dcs to reply with the "I had 2 inches of room the last time I was there" ;)

Also, Mitch Hawkers poll showed that out of 62 people who rode both rides, 46 preferred Voyage to El Toro. Is that a high enough ratio for you?

Im quite certain El Toro is a quality ride. I love the airtime on Mavs air hill as its just intense and sustained. But, when you factor in location, overall ride time, overall experience - the choice to me isnt very hard.

I haven't been on Voyage, but I tried Hades last year. I thought it was great, and the tunnel section is insane. But I was slightly diseapointed compared to my expectations. The airtime wasn't nearly as great as it sounds from the reports. And for the out of control feeling, I prefered Avalanche. Crazy ride, crazy pacing.

As for the intamin wood vs normal wood debate, I prefer Intamin any day. Balder owns every other woodie I've been on, and the airtime is insane. The airtime on Hades pales in comparison. Voyage looks like a very beefed up version of Hades, but I can't see it beating Balder, at least in my book [;)] With that said, I would love to give Voyage a spin!

Originally posted by IntaminFan397

Originally posted by cjd

It is one of the few coasters out there that I hang on for dear life instead of keeping my hands up... and even hanging on, I still get thrown around like crazy, as WWS observed.

There's only one coaster out there that I really do hang on for dear life when riding, and that isn't the Voyage. I still enjoy Voyage more overall, but when I ride Coaster @ Playland, I truly fear that if I don't hang on for dear life I will be thrown from the train. The restraints on that coaster are LESS restrictive than buzzbars (!) and yet my thighs still get bruised from the sheer force of the negative gs.

But I have to disagree with Gravity Group being the only company with coasters worth talking about.

That was more of a relative comparison. I still think that there are quite a few coasters worth raving about (none of them being manufactured by Intamin), but Gravity Group just sets the bar so high that there's such a huge gap in quality IMO from some of the best non-GG coasters to the worst GG ride.

Oh man, I totally forgot about the restrains on Coaster. I rode it 2 years ago...I forgot about it That's one of my favourite woodies. Awesome.

I've never ridden Yovage, but I got on Toro in April. It's now my favourite coaster, the air and first drop are amazing! I can definately see some things on it where it definately rivals Voyage, but IMO, Voyage looks like it's overall just crazier.

Well last time I rode El Toro (around a week ago) I had 2 inches of space between myself and the lapbar! (lol that's funny Real, because that was exactly what I was thinking/going to say, even before your post haha) Yeah the ops generally don't push down as hard as people say, and this one was just pulling up on lapbars. I usually have around an inch of space, and the lapbars don't go down during the ride, whereas on the PTC's I've been on, like B&M speed trains, the lapbars staple me at the bottom of the first drop and stay down the whole time (unless I hold them in place...I'd rather be keeping my hands up and enjoying the ride rather than worrying about the lapbar though).

But yeah, even while nearly stapled, with the forces on that ride your butt won't touch the seat over the entirety of the stronger hills.

Yeah Intaminfan, I'd usually agree with you about positives, as I'm generally not very impressed by them either, but El Toro's are an exception. In any seat most riders generally can't sit up straight (I favorited a backrow youtube onride where you can see just that http://youtube.com/watch?v=a4Fc04RIQ9A notice the body movement on the first and third pullouts, bottom of the turnaround, and twister section) and it just seriously adds to the intensity. If you're sitting in back, the transition between ridiculously strong airtime (we're talking pressure building in your head strong) and heavy g's is really quick which also accentuates the intensity. In the front, the transition from really high g's to airtime really makes you slam up into the lapbar as opposed to being smoothly pulled into it.

I think a lot of the thrill of these positives is the airtime in between them. Without that, they wouldn't be anything special. The airtime, high g's, and quick transitions just make the ride ridiculously intense in the first half. The "pops" of high g's accompanied with the surprisingly strong and dynamic laterals in the twister section makes that part very thrilling.

Also, I don't know if you were referring to me when you said that El Toro doesn't have more airtime than Voyage, but for the record I never said that, or anything like it. That's not the best argument ever though, atleast by itself...Nitro has tons more air than El Toro, but IMO the ride isn't nearly as good. You have to consider the quality of airtime along with the amount. You also say "leave the negative g's without airtime to the steel coasters" or something to that effect, and I know that I've gotten more airtime on Nitro and Apollo's Chariot than any wooden coaster I've been on, and I've gotten negative g's *and* plenty of airtime on El Toro.

I just don't understand a lot of your argument. Intamin wooden coasters are made of just as much wood as any other wooden coaster, and they're ranked among the best, even THE best in the world, but yet you imply they don't know how to design wooden coasters? How is that logical? Maybe they don't design woodies like you'd *like* them to, and that's fine, but that doens't mean they can't design a good wooden coaster. I won't even say I disagree there, based on experience, reviews and rankings, I don't mean any disrespect but I'd have to say you're wrong about that.

I feel like you think I'm bashing Voyage, but like I think I said before, I think it looks absolutely amazing, and would probably be my favorite ride of all time (or very close to it) if I got a chance to ride. With that said, I don't think you've been on El Toro, and that ride is pretty deceiving, it looks pretty great and is actually better than it looks, especially on the parts (high g parts, strong negative g/airtime hills) that you say aren't as effective as low g's and less negatives but (apparently) more airtime filled hills.

In response to Real, that is a pretty clear ratio (and again, I think I'd like Voyage better than El Toro). However, there are other factors to atleast take into consideration... long lines at GAdv (El Toro probably averages an hour, but can get up to 3), more frequent breakdowns, less friendly park guests...all these things I've seen people say about El Toro, when in reality they don't affect the actual ride experience at all. I think most of the (few) comparisons I've read actually have El Toro over Voyage, by a very slim margin, and they don't really take into account outside factors which really shouldn't be considered when describing the ride experience itself.

It's tough to tell but I think more enthusiasts who have ridden both would like Voyage more, but much of my previous point was El Toro (and other Intamin woodies) are no joke and can atleast legitimately compete with it in ride quality and thrill.