The Voyage: Celebrating 20 Years of Wooden Roller Coaster Greatness

[DonHelbig]

Twenty years after its debut, The Voyage still delivers one of the most intense rides in the world—and remains the best wooden coaster I’ve ridden.

Read more: https://themeparksbydon.com/the-voyage-celebrating-20-years-of-wooden-roller-coaster-greatness/

[jbeast]

Great article Don! Next to a Beast night ride, The Voyage is hands down my favorite wooden coaster ever.

The Voyage is the most unrelenting and aggressive coaster and I love every second of it.

I was lucky enough to ride it over 20 times in one day last time I was there a couple years ago. Cannot get enough of it, although as I get a bit older I have to recuperate a bit the next day...ha!

[Timchat2]

RMC has made some amazing rides with impressive technology but Will Koch and the Gravity Group brought that special spark of creation to make The Voyage such a unique and incredible ride.

[johnjniehaus]

I might be crucified but I actually prefer the Voyage slightly over The Beast. Never thought I'd say that but Voyage has the length and speed and offered a slightly more exciting layout. They are my top 2 wooden coasters - I see it as The Beast is the legendary classic and the voyage was the same idea but built decades later with all the modern elements and transitions. Both are amazing rides - the single best element on any wooden coaster is still the double helix finale on The Beast but I think the voyage is the stronger coaster by just a tad over the course of the entire run

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

^^Voyage destroys The Beast imo. In fact I prefer Mystic Timbers over The Beast. While Beast has been running better in recent years thanks to the awesome work from the Gravity Group, rides like Mystic and Voyage has that non stop action packed airtime/twisted filled ride while Beast is mainly drops, gradual turns, and straight sections. 

[IBEW_Sparky]

3 hours ago, Timchat2 said:

RMC has made some amazing rides with impressive technology but Will Koch and the Gravity Group brought that special spark of creation to make The Voyage such a unique and incredible ride.

Exactly this.  The Voyage is the one and ONLY roller coaster on the planet that, if magically placed side by side with SV, would make the decision hard on which to ride if I only had time to ride one.  

[KI Guy]

It's my #1 wooden coaster as well. It wasn't until I rode a night ride on Dollywood's Lightning Rod 10 years later, that anything wood or steel compared even closely in excitement and intensity.

I love Mystic Timbers, but I think there is a market at Kings Island for a wooden coaster that is taller and faster (maybe even longer!) than The Beast (as long as it's properly executed this time).

It's just rather unfortunate because wooden coasters are cheaper. For the money they spent on the ho-hum Orion they could have built the best wooden coaster in the world.

[johnjniehaus]

5 hours ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

^^Voyage destroys The Beast imo. In fact I prefer Mystic Timbers over The Beast. While Beast has been running better in recent years thanks to the awesome work from the Gravity Group, rides like Mystic and Voyage has that non stop action packed airtime/twisted filled ride while Beast is mainly drops, gradual turns, and straight sections. 

I think it's about what you enjoy. I actually would put Mystic Timbers barely in my top ten in the park let alone consider it an amazing wooden coaster but then again I'm not a huge GCI fan... I find the trains and restraints uncomfortable and getting thrown around like a ragdoll side to side constantly while whipping over airtime hills is just not my thing. If I want airtime give me a straight pop up and down with a buzz bar like Phoenix at Knoebels. I am still team Beast due to the incredible terrain and the fact that there is no other coaster quite like it despite its lack of traditional elements -  not many other coasters are a 65mph train ride through the woods haha