HWN Voyage!! 5/26-27/06

Here is a short TR mostly about Voyage, as I’ve already posted in the past probably a 100 times what class act the Family of Holiday World puts on. They are the best in the business and that’s all that needs to be said :).

The Voyage is indescribable, by far most intense out-of-control ride I’ve ever been on. There is nothing that draws comparison really. The closest thing I can come up with is the first half is a faster smoother timbers followed by a more intense out of control longer Raven. All if this is tied in with Boulder Dash-esque terrain. Even that isn’t fair because it really it’s a ride above all itself.

The first few hills feature some insane straight up air. The Ride in the back you get pulled the whole way until you hit the bottom and the ride up front you are seemingly pushed up and over forever (I think the upstops got more action than anything here). This is about the only part of the ride where the middle seats are kind of tame because the air isn’t as pronounced, but really that part of the ride is just the appetizer in a 5 course meal. :)

The rest of the ride is mostly a series of severely banked turns mixed with huge pops of air all over Again its indescribable really-there is not a single straight piece of track the rest of the way. The triple down into the tunnel is especially insane at night, nothing like having the bottoms drop out in complete darkness.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about the ride is it gets faster and more intense as the ride goes on. I was figuring the ending turns and hills under/by/over the station would be kinda weak, but the train hauls through it and it might be the most intense part of the ride.

I’d say near the back is the best seat simply because you get the insane air on the first drops and the triple down, but regardless where you sit because you will get thrown around and beat senseless (in a good way) in the 2nd half. The trains track really smooth with little rattling which is a good thing because with the layout you would get shaken to bits it wasn’t. Plus in true HW fashion The Voyage runs in insane mode in the dark, you really have no idea where you are going with drops and turns into complete darkness.

Besides Voyage, Raven was running extremely well as usual as the ride in the back is at night is still an experience. Legend might have been a little slow coming home but that could just be because Voyage spoils it a bit ;). It was almost sad to see these ones get over looked as you could re-ride them threw most of 2nd nights ERT, but they are still top 5 materials in my book.

And as always the family of Holiday World still throws an outstanding event- by far the best there is.

Glad to see the first TRs coming up.

Due to some unfortunate events, my time at HW this past weekend was cut short, but I did get to experience the park and ERT on Friday night.

Let me just say, if it hasnt been said previously, nothing I have ever experienced comes close to the Voyage. This thing is really out of control. At the end of my first ride, during normal operation, I was just speechless. If it is possible to get crazier and better than this, major kudos to that park. (IMO, HW would be the only place to do it). That being said, after my first ride, I was could hardly wait for nighttime rides on this beast.

Then, the sun went down. WOW. If you think youve experienced anything like this, you are wrong. This coaster simply hauled like a bat out of hell during the nighttime ERT leaving almost everyone I saw saying Oh My God! Not being able to see anything and experiencing this ride is one of the most unique coaster rides and awesome ones available in an amusement park today. If anybody didnt snag a front seat ride in the dark, you surely missed out, as I got back and front, and although the back is a better feeling, the front leaves you simply scared out of your mind for what might happen next.

HW, you simply blew me out of the water with this ride, and it really cant get any better than this IMO. The Voyage will undoubtable live on as the most insane coaster experience in existance for years to come, and if you havent been out to the southern Indiana cornfields yet, get the hell out there!!!

Good Report and I think you summed up the feelings of most pretty well.

I would just reiterate that this coaster gives a ride that literally makes you think that it's totally out of control. I've never had that kind of a feeling on any coaster I've ridden before.

In the dark it's simply insane!

Great Trip report!

The Voyage is the first coaster I have ever gotten off of and said I was satisfied. I wanted to sit down after the first time I rode it, it was that intense!

After running all day and the whole thing has warmed up, I have to say it's the most wonderful ride I have ever ridden at night. You don't know what's coming next! Even after we got to walk back and see the layout, I still couldn't tell you what element was going to happen next. This is one that you should not miss riding in the dark!

Great report! i'll put mine up later tonight or tommorow (i gotta go to work!) but I think you pretty much nailed it. I think 2 nights was too much because i felt all the pressure points from the train the second night and i was all bruised up... regardless, it was amazing. Sorry to all those that have missed out.

// the first ride to ever make me lose my voice, and it was after my first night ride. unreal.

I do have to complaint about *1* element only in the ride that i feel is un-necesarry and doesn't really add much but a big slam in your lap, but other than that, simply perfect.
*** Edited 5/29/2006 2:34:11 PM UTC by SFDL_Dude***

I went on record saying that El Toro might be better then Voyage, Id like to strike the record please :)

I've been on many of the crazy woodies out there that feel "unsafe" in a fun way, not literally. Wooden coasters give you that out of control mayhem that it is hard to recreate with steel. With this thing, the train literally feels like it's taking the course too fast on the stretch run back to the station, in the most real sense, a true "Runaway Train." We kept asking how these trains (and the track) will handle that long-term. Unbelievable. Although hesitant to ever make such a comment before.....(in my opinion) this is indeed the perfect roller coaster.

Here are my photos from the event:
http://photos.tideblue.com/ryan/themeparks/holidayworld06/

Voyage is just the most amazing experience. There is rarely a time when I leave a park saying "I wish I had just one more ride on [blank]," but I want to go back again, even after nine rides. But overall, I geeked out over the whole thing, including the Voyage walkback, which I have a lot of photos of.

The voyage is the most insane coaster on the face of the earth. I have never been on a coaster this intense. It had a "out of controle" feeling.

Indescribable, is my only word to sum up the voyage, in my opinion the ride dominated anything and everything i thought it possibly was going to be. As well as it has taken my number one seed for my favorite coaster i've ever rode so far in my life. I agree with you's the back car is the place to be, i found the ride to be a little more rough towards the front of the train, but nothing beats the last car. This was my first ever trip to HW and im glad i did it in style at a great event as it turned out to be. I couldnt ask for a more fantastic visit than i had experienced this past weekend.

I have blisters on my left had from holding on so tight. Really. In all my coaster years, I have NEVER experienced anything like Voyage. It was also nice to start meeting fellow buzzers in person. Great job to Paula and the Koch family. Thank you!

I am still hoarse today from the weekend. HWN was truly wonderful and couldn't have been any better in my book. The Koch family knows how to throw *THE* single best coaster party ever for sure! Thanks to all who worked so hard to pull off this event.

Friday night, I made it to Holiday World for one ride on The Raven and The Legend, but no rides on The Voyage as they closed the line before 10. Saturday was a day of insanity. All told, I had 5 rides on the Raven, 5 rides on the Legend, and 7 rides on the Voyage. The Voyage was the first roller coaster in a long time that I was actually truly scared to ride, especially in the dark. The ride simply does not stop, and somehow even gets more intense throughout the ride. The triple down is incredible, and it really is amazing how cool the air in the tunnels is. The Pepsi Oasis idea is incredible. It was nice to just have a few sips of a drink whenever I was hot (which was all freakin' day!). I can't wait to get back to the park and ride the rides again.

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Arson said:
Here are my photos from the event:
http://photos.tideblue.com/ryan/themeparks/holidayworld06/

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Hey Arson, I was looking through your photo album and found this picture in front of the Raven (link) which my mom thinks she took of your group. Did a lady in a white shirt and blue and white visor happen to offer to take your picture on Saturday?:)

I guess I have a lot to report on myself. Especially since it was my first trip to HW. All I can say is wow, about the whole park! Oh and Voyage is also my new number 1 wood.;)

*** Edited 5/29/2006 9:21:08 PM UTC by MrPKI***

I took 12 rides total. 1 up front, 2 in the middle, the rest in back, mostly after dark. Great ride up front, absolutly fantastic in back! The thing never lets up.

I think Will Koch did exactly what he set out to do - build the ultimate wood roller coaster.

A new benchmark has been set.

I am heading to PKI and Holiday World in 2 weeks. Reading all these great reviews about Voyage has left me hyped for this ride. Having been on Hades, which is by far my favorite wood coaster, makes looking at the Voyage that much more exciting to ride. For those who have been on both Hades and Voyage, how do the two compare in terms of airtime/speed throughout the ride?

Hades does not begin to compare to the Voyage...

Will Koch best summed up the second half of the ride in his speech on Friday night when he was describing what he wanted to the GG guys. "I want the second half to be like the speeder bikes in Star Wars racing between the trees."

You ain't kiddin'...

I believe Will said he and the Gravity Group guys jokingly called the return run the "Ewok Adventure." The upstops take a rather serious beating on the insane run back to the station. Fortunately, if anyone's up tp the task of keeping this beast running well it's the great crew at Holiday World.

I'll write a little more on my 4th Holiday World trip and 12 rides on The Voyage later.

I had a great time. I had a ride with Crazy Horse before leaving the park Saturday evening. I met many Coasterbuzz people who I had not yet met. Nice meeting you all.

No matter how many times I ride it never ceases to amaze me.

The first drop is obviously fantastic then the first half of the ride is great. The ride could end after the turn around when the ride slows and be an incredible ride, but it doesn't. It enters a few tunnels one of which seems very long and dark then the ride goes completely insane until the break run. No dought the most insane roller coaster in existance.