cgodsey wrote:It's pure insanity people. Night rides on this thing are going to be unreal. Also, I dont think you will see alot of people marathoning it. Each ride takes quite a bit out of you.
haha! I marathoned it for 2 days straight! However my thighs hurt from the airtime and it does take alot out of you. Heres my "short" review which doesnt go into detail about some of the finer points of the ride.
Let me add the POV video DOES NOT DO IT JUSTICE. AT ALL. Thats an EMPTY train and what looks to be not in the afternoon after it heats up. With a full train in the mid-late afternoon its almost too much for the body to handle. And yet - still very smooth.
I wont even waste the time to give the 2-4 letter words to describe it, those fall completely flat.
Mythical this ride is. No other word I could think of, other than epic, describes this ride.
I counted 22 moments of airtime of floater or above. Its excluding 2-3 moments that could be airtime but might be something else - what I dont know. 22 moments!!! The first day really had me in disbelief. Its the type of coaster that you design in No Limits. You throw in EVERY possible cool thing you can think of. Straight floater/ejector hills. Underground Tunnels. Double/Triple downs. Lateral airtime. Strong Lats. Sustained airtime. Strong pops of airtime. Twister sections. Station fly byes (x3). The list goes on.
But whenever one of us tries it in NL it ends up coming out...not so buttery smooth. Some things gel well, others, not so much. It ends up being a showcase of elements and not a ride. The Voyage is itself the showcase. Somehow, all of those things I mentioned are bottled into one unbelievable package that flows from one thing to the next as if it ALL belonged.
Time and time again Jeff, Kevin and myself kept saying "there is literally nothing, NOTHING to pick at." You could try, but the things you may end up saying are "Its a little too intense." or "Its a bit too long." As nitpicky as I could be I couldnt find a fault that could also be justified. Sure, its not perfect as maybe someday I will find something to say "maybe that should be different" but in the scale of what is out there vs what I envisioned as the dream ride - this is it. It has arrived.
It made landfall.
A play by play? Ill do that later. Ill sum things up by "element":
First drop - front seat is a great view, little air. Back seat is STRAIGHT sustained ejector.
Second drop - front is super sustained floater. Back is typical - ejector on the way over.
Third drop - same as second but with more speed and more intensity + banking with slight lats
Fourth hill - This is a low hill taken out of a tunnel and into a tunnel and taken with a turn in the middle. What does this give you in all seats? Sustained LATERAL floater. Bliss.
Fifth hill - This is the hill that Will called "weak" which, in relation to the other 428 hills it may be weak but in front seat its half floater and the back is floater too. What gives?
Twister turn around - Pyscho. 5 moments of strong air untill MCB. 8 changes in direction. Insane pacing.
MCB - NOT FLAT. HAHAHA. Yea, it may be straight but it curves. HaHa to that myth.
Triple down - front seat gets air on last 2 hills. Back seat gets floater over first 2 then awesome sustained ejector (pressed into bar hard) over what is actually a pretty large hill.
Coming home - Theres 2 more straight hills with great floater, a twisting airtime hill which in the front gives strong lats with airtime. Theres another crossing over lateral airtime hill and then the last 90 which isnt as good as the first 2 but its still very sweet in any seat.
(EDIT) I forgot to mention. The twisting hill before the last 90 degree turn is crazy because as you start down it (remember, youve been going downhill the entire way) you get this burst of speed that feels almost like a lim. Its where the terrain really drops off and the ride accelerates from around 40 to probably 55 mph. It is absolutly hauling and it was a complete shock. I cant think of many rides that as you got near the station actually accelerated (not counting powered/launched rides). Its ridiculous.
Station work - The first cross over in front of the station that crosses over the lift is INSANE. Maybe the strongest lats of the ride as it enters very unbanked and then banks hard right like a GCI and dives under the station providing airtime. The cross over behind the station over the brake run is equally as insane.
The final figure eight has a strong pop of airtime and just insane left right helix combos.
Ill expand later on the turnaround and station area as well as key elements because each one is so unique it deserves its own explanation.
The Voyage I really think will stand for quite some time. There are key factors that go into making this mythical andI cant off hand think of a park in the right setting with the right owner who would pour his heart and soul into the ride to make a ride that attempts to be the greatest ever built - and succeeds. Kevin made mention that even as long as hes been riding he cant remember seeing a design that was a full blown attempt at creating the greatest ride ever - till this.
This ride delivers. If you can find a way there, the ride alone is worth the price. We were there for 2 straight days and rode Raven and Legend each ONCE. Not because they suck, but The Voyage is so captivating you have to ride it over and over. However, it will kick your butt after awhile. I was ok after Day 1 but shortly after the start to today my thighs hurt. Not from walkign. But from being destroyed by the airtime that pounded me into the lap bar.
Best. Ride. Ever.