El Toro versus The Voyage (Updated With POV Vid!!)

POV video at bottom of this article!!!!!


With my El Toro ride offically in the books, I thought I would pipe in on my Voyage versus El Toro opinion. I have been lucky to be near both rides when they opened.

My Voyage experience was that it was an amazing, creative layout that packs a major punch. The ride is ferocious and un relenting all the way through. There have been a lot of reviews on the net, so I won't go into detail on the exprience other than to say it was fantastic, easily my #1 at the time. My only qualm being the ride beats the living turd out of you so rerides will cost you some serious creaking and groaning the next day.

I was at Great Adventure in early May and I remember thinking El Toro looked a bit overrated. It just didn't have the same visual impact that the Voyage does. That said, I'll try and reconstruct yesterday's ride. First off, the train is ludicrously long. It seems to go on forever in the station. The gates open and you sit down in the very comfortable seats. I tried to pull down my lap bar to give me a little air and was told that the attendant would do that for me. This seemed silly to me, but as the attendant started putting the restraints down I kept hearing rumblings. As he got to my seat he leaned in and stapled the lap bar down. Now, I'm married, so it's not like I use my balls for all that much any more, but if I did, they would have been out of commision for a while. The attendant rammed the lap bar down and made sure I didn't even have room to wiggle at all. Little did I know I would be very grateful for this.

One other point, I was sitting in the second to last car. The ride slowly rolls out of the station and approaches the lift. As the car engages on the lift I was amazed at how fast the ride went up. So much like Millie, but it seemed even faster. Towards the top the size of this ride really kicked in. This is one monsterous woodie.

The train crests the hill and a beautiful thing happened. I actually got air on the crest of the hill. Around the turn we went aproaching the first drop. The visuals were like Nitro in that the second hill seemed way to close to ever allow a drop and rise in that short of a space. Now comes my first true opinion on this ride. The train started to straighten and drop. I found my self accelerating insanely and I hadn't even started to drop yet. In short order I was hurled down the most insane drop ever on a coaster. I have been on Millie, Superman ROS's and Nitro, the big drop rides, and I must say they don't even come close. El Toro's first drop was almost orgasmic in the sheer sustained ejecter air-time.

The bottom transition was amazingly smooth and the train rose towards the crest of the second hill. Again I was thrust towards the heavens as the train roared over the second hill. Pure bliss and the best sustained air time I have ever had. Third hill was same as the second. I could not believe Six Flags would allow such an extreme ride! As we approached the diving turn, I got some serious lateral negative G's and the trains negotiated the turnaround very smoothly. Not to say it was boring as the angles and transitions were a blast.

The next three air hills were smooth and fun, but nothing like the first three hills. As the train cranked a left turn in preperation for the twister section, it rose towards another innocent little hill. Holy God in heaven!!!! This little hill was the most insane airtime I have ever had. Remember when I wrote I would later be thankful for the stapled lap bars? It was for this very hill. I can only pray Six Flags won't trim this section. It was amazingly cool to see an entire train of hair standing straight up on this drop. Pure bliss!

The twisted section, while fun, was in reality a moment to catch you breathe from the insane first section. While the first half was very quick, the ride seemed to wind down in the second half of this section into the breaks.

I have read a lot of great reviews of the Voyage, and I also loved the ride. That said, while the Voyage is longer and visually more fun to ride, El Toro is the better ride IMO in that it is every bit as extreme, while being smooth enough to be re-rideable. It is trully amazing. We are blessed as coaster geeks to have two rides as great as this in one year. The airtime on the Voyage was amazing, but El Toro's just seemed more forcefull and better sustained.

In short, sadists will prefer the Voyage, but I have to think the majority of enthusiasts will be blown away by El Toro.

One man's opinion. Let the inevitable argumentative comparisons begin.[:p]

Update:

Full POV at end of first video.

http://www.prnewswire.com/broadcast/246 ... umer.shtml

I honestly was sure that I would like Voyage better if I went on both, but now El Toro looks like a ride that would really scare me, and that's hard to do. So even though I still think I might like Voyage better for the variety and ride length, the ejector air on El Toro looks so fun and intense, and like you said, the smoothness would probably make it an easier re-ride.

Update!!!!!!

My friend that is one of the control electricians at Great Adventure let slip that a few GM's from some other "large" Six Flags parks were going to be in town later this week for a meeting. His boss, the maintanance head, was told to plan on giving a tour of El Toro as part of the meetings.

Oh, great lord almighty, please let Six Flags jump on the Intamin woodie band wagon!!!! I'll update this thread if I hear anything more.


This has been a WWS exclusive breaking news!!!!

I haven't been on El Toro yet but I am hoping to go to six flags great adventure this summer after my disneyworld trip next month. I have herd really good reviews on El Toro and the Voyage they both look like fun. I think that the drop on El Toro looks like fun and really high off the ground but I haven't seen the Voyage drop but I have seen some pictures of the Voyage both coasters look like fun how is the Voyage competed to El Toro? I think that both coasters look like fun and that everyone should do both wooden coasters this year. What state is the Voyage in? I hope to go on both coasters this Summer but I probably will only get to ride the El Toro this Summer and not the Voyage wooden coaster what coaster company makes the Voyage? I hope to ride El Toro this summer if not this year I will try to get on it next year I am glad that you like both wooden coasters and I think that everyone has there own appan to which wooden coaster is the best they both look like fun to me. is El Toro really were the long wait for the coaster? I will try to get on the El Toro this summer and get on this awesome wooden coaster but I will be getting on a really good coaster this summer the new coaster at animal kingdom I will give a review of the new coaster at disneywolrd when I come home form my disneyworld trip I will be in disneyworld for 7days so look for a trip report after July 14th or on the July 16th I am going to disneyworld on July 8th that is when I am plaing to get there so look for a trip report on my 7 day trip to disneyworld next month after the 16th or on the July 17th.

Awesome review Pdonahue, thanks!

OMG! Now I really want to go to SFGAdv! Awesome review, makes me wanna ride it!

Voyage isnt rerideable? I rode it over 40 times in 1.5 days and had mildly sore thighs. :
Again, I just dont think an argument based on smoothness is legit.

Originally posted by Real

Voyage isnt rerideable? I rode it over 40 times in 1.5 days and had mildly sore thighs. :
Again, I just dont think an argument based on smoothness is legit.

How about airtime? While voyage had some great ejecter moments, El Toro's air time is massively sustained.

By the way, you must be made of rubber to get 40 rides and not be sore. How tall are you? I am six feet and 210 pounds. Maybe if you are a bit smaller it wouldn't be so bad.

Or maybe you are one of those sadists I mentioned would really dig the Voyage more.[:D]

I hope you get a chance to ride El Toro this year as I would really like to read your opinion. Remember that The Voyage was by far my #1 woodie until El Toro. It is still a great ride, it's just that El Toro is a just a little bit better IMO.

Really pdon, El-toro is much the same as Colossus at Heide Park. 3 massive air hills giving absolute mega ejector air time. The same lateral negative forces on the turn around, and a straight forward finish, excluding the air hill you was on about.
The Voyage is all about the return trip imo. Ducking through tunnels, 90 degree banking in loads of places. And the speed, just so fast. You may say that on paper, el-toro is quicker. Which by truth it is. But there is no intense terrain that makes the ride seem to go alot faster.
I have always preferred the PTC trains over any wooden coaster train. As of riding an Intamin woody train, and many PTC's i have to say that PTC owns Intamins. The sheer simplicity of the cars is outstanding. And the design is some what of a classic woody should be. Not these big fancy things.
There is my opinion, all though i am yet to ride Voyage, but riding a simlar coaster to El-Toro. Im still sticking with my opinion of Voyage being the best.
Just by looking at it i can see that it is probly one of the worlds best coasters throughout the wood+steel catogories. Period[:)]

And a fantastic review, El Toro seems to be alot of fun[:)].
EcG

Originally posted by chrisps

what coaster company makes the Voyage?

Built by a company called Gravity Group.

I think that I whould like to ride the Voyage and El Toro I think that the Voyage looks like fun and it probably is becuse of the trains on the Voyage it is made by ptc there trains are really contlabele I have been on a ptc in hersheypark the comet is a ptc and it the best wooden coaster that I have been on so the Voyage looks like it whould be a fun ride to get on becuse it looks really cool I like the banked tuns and the tunnels on the coaster I have seen pictures of it on rcdb and it looks like a fun ride. I hope to get on El Toro this Summer the train looks really long in the pictures of the coaster the lighting racer you are really tight on that coaster to so I won't feel uncountable on El Toro becuse I here that the safety bars on El Toro are really tight but I think that they have to be for the first drop on that coaster remember that El Toro has the steepest drop on a wooden coaster do it looks like fun competed to the other wooden coasters that I have been on and seen I have also herd that El Toro is quitter than other wooden coasters the Voyage looks like fun but I don't think that I will be able to ride that coaster this year it is in Indiana and I am going there for a f1 race so I won't have time to ride the Voyage becuse I need to be back in Lancaster pa by monday so I can go to work on Tuesday and then get ready for my long trip to Florida on July 7th I will get there on July 8th so there won't be anytime to ride the Voyage this summer but maybe I will get to ride El Toro this summer how long is the wait for El Toro? I will not stand in line for 5hours when it cost $60.00 to get into a park and there are other rides to get on so I won't wait for 5 hours to get on a wooden coaster it just isn't worth the long wait.

I don't think the line will be 5 hours long, those trains are huge. I'll take a guess and say the wait won't get much above 1 hour and 30 minutes on the busiest of days, as long as the ride operators keep trains dispatching at a nice pace.

Pdon - I am 6ft tall and 190lbs.

Im also a christian, not a sadist.


I just dont feel its rough. Come on, it was JUST built. Sure, it shakes but it was in no way rough. Every turn was taken very smoothly and every hill taken very smooth.


I expected Toro to have that crazy sustained ejector airtime but Ive experienced that before and its not the same because of the restraints. I knew comparing the two would be utterly useless because they are two vastly different rides.


However, I feel El Toro is WAY to much of a "one trick pony" only offering really 4 moments of great air and one with good air and the rest really just filler. Ive alot of reviews and the first hills are great, then the one that leads into the twister section. But the rest is just filler.


No matter how good the airtime is on El Toro, Voyage has 22 moments. Its also nearly 3 times longer in ride time. It also doesnt slow down at the end like Toro.

So, it is down to personal wants and needs. But overall, I feel its like comparing KK to Storm Runner. Both extreme - in different ways. One focuses on a central theme (Speed) and the other on a more multi-sensory experience. For me, Storm Runner wins out every time.


Any ride for that matter that delivers a true multi-sensory experience (like Voyage which comes at you from all angles) is a Top 5 ride. Toro, because its Intamin, will lack that "coming from all angles" but will focus on a central theme AND nail it good. I just got past that phase in my coaster riding life where a single theme would win me over.


Its a bit tougher now.

[jayman]

Originally posted by Real

Pdon - I am 6ft tall and 190lbs.

Im also a christian, not a sadist.

not a masochist either .... ?


i really want to check out both of these rides, it sounds like tons of fun. it gives me something to consider, as it comes from a first person point of veiw... thanks for the description...

oh , real that's awesome that you got to ride the voyage so many times..i'd love to do that.. heck , why not, it's not like you'll get to go as often as you want!thanks for restating the "one trick pony" philosophy.. i have that discussion ALL the time with my freinds when we discuss ghostrider vs xcelerator

I don't think it's funny or respectful to joke about someone's religion for those who have been...

Thanks for the review pdonahue. I was looking forward to reading one. I'm gonna get on El Toro tomorrow, and I'll let you all know my thoughts on it afterwards.

[jayman]

no i really did sense that real was being ironic in his statement... my statement has nothing to do with one's religion, but with proper use of terminology... a MASOCHIST is someone who enjoys have themselves harmed.. a SADIST is someone who likes to do , or see it happen to someone else.

Exactly, no harm no foul jayman.

[jayman]

woulda been nice to keep the gag going... "im not a sadist, i'm a mechanic"

You sound very biased in many of your statements Real. I know it's your opinion and I respect that, but how can you have such a relatively negative opinion of El Toro, when one of your favorite rides is Shivering Timbers? I just think your opinion on that ride is contradictory to a few of your recent comments.

I do really agree with you when you said that Voyage and El Toro are two very different experiences despite their outward similarities. I think I'd have a hard time ranking them if I had ridden both. Both completely amaze me as the designer/manufacturer really did what they could to make them legitimately world class rides, not just something the public will undoubtedly like, but still nothing special.

This year is really awesome for coasters!

Full POV video on the end of the first video

http://www.prnewswire.com/broadcast/246 ... umer.shtml

Oh f*ck, that looks like INSANE airtime on that hill before the twister section! Can't wait to ride this..

Originally posted by coasterguy77

Oh f*ck, that looks like INSANE airtime on that hill before the twister section! Can't wait to ride this..

Oh, it is and then some. The video really illustrates my review. Just listen to the guys reaction on that hill and you know it is something special.

Ehhh, The video was kindof crappy quality. It kept skipping even after fully loading. I think the video just reinforces Real's statement that it is a "one trick pony". Voyage is nearly twice as long.

[coolbeans326]

And the east coast still has all the amazing rides with ejector air. The closest thing to that in CA is Ghost Rider, but the jackhammer through most of those hills really kill the sensation of it. I'd give anything to have an intamin air time machine anywhere within an 8 hour drive from my house.
Sure, I get tatsu, and Xcelerator, and some other stuff, but what California really needs is something that wows you everytime. Something that most people walk off saying, "Wow that was amazing! But i'm gonna sit the next ride on it out." While the seasoned riders go, "Lets go on it again!" I think every park should have one of those rides, and these air time machines always seem to be it. You people who are within driving distance of these scream machines are really lucky. I have to buy a plane ticket in order to get there.[:(!]

Once again, it is so far from a one trick pony....it has constant speed, intense G's at bottom of hills, and high laterals in twister section and turnaround.

Just becaus eit has tons of ejector airtime doesn't mean it's not a great ride. Hell, Balder was #1 in Mitch's poll and that is FAR more of a one trick pony than Toro. Boulder Dash, my #1 wooden, is pretty much a plain out and back coaster, Colossos, etc...