The Voyage (roller coaster) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Voyage
Holiday World & Splashin' Safari
Location	Holiday World & Splashin' Safari
Park section	Thanksgiving
Coordinates	38°07′17″N 86°54′41″W / 38.1213°N 86.9115°W / 38.1213; -86.9115
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 6, 2006 (2006-05-06)
Cost	US$6.5 Million
General statistics
Type	Wood
Manufacturer	The Gravity Group
Designer	Mike Graham, Korey Kiepert, Larry Bill, Chad Miller, Will Koch
Track layout	Out and Back
Lift/launch system	Chain Lift Hill
Height	159 ft (48 m)
Drop	154 ft (47 m)
Length	6,442 ft (1,964 m)
Speed	67 mph (108 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	2:45
Max vertical angle	66°
Capacity	1200 riders per hour
Height restriction	48 in (122 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
Must transfer from wheelchair
The Voyage at RCDB

The Voyage is a thrilling wooden roller coaster found at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana. It was designed and built by The Gravity Group. The coaster's theme is inspired by the famous journey of the Mayflower ship, which carried the Pilgrims to North America in 1620. The Voyage first opened to the public on May 6, 2006.

This roller coaster is known for its impressive size. Among wooden coasters, The Voyage is the second longest and sixth tallest. It has a track that stretches for 6,442 feet (1,964 m) and reaches a height of 173 feet (53 m). One of its most exciting features is its 24.3 seconds of "air-time". This is when you feel like you're floating out of your seat! The Voyage has more air-time than any other wooden coaster. It also has five unique underground tunnels that riders zoom through. In 2006, it won a "Best New Ride" award from Amusement Today magazine. The magazine also named The Voyage the "Best Wooden Roller Coaster" for five years in a row, from 2007 to 2011.

History of The Voyage Roller Coaster

How The Voyage Was Built

The Voyage roller coaster

To celebrate Holiday World's 60th birthday, the park decided to add a new area called Thanksgiving. The Voyage roller coaster was planned as the main attraction for this new section. The Gravity Group was chosen to build the new ride. Larry Bill, one of the company's founders, was a big part of designing the coaster. Even the park's president at the time, Will Koch, helped design it! Will Koch also asked roller coaster fans from all over the world for their ideas. While it was being built, The Voyage was shown on TV shows like "SuperCoasters" on the National Geographic Channel and "Building the Biggest: Coasters" on the Discovery Channel.

The Voyage opened on May 6, 2006. It first ran with three trains, each holding 28 people. These trains were made by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company (PTC). The first 28 seats on the very first ride were sold in an auction. The money raised went to the Riley Children's Foundation in Indiana.

Changes Over the Years

In 2009, Holiday World announced they would try new trains called Timberliners. These new trains were being developed by Gravitykraft, a company connected to The Gravity Group. The park wanted to make the ride smoother as the track got older. However, the new Timberliner trains were not ready for the 2010 season. So, the park used a train from another coaster, The Raven, on The Voyage for a while.

For the 2011 season, The Voyage still used the same train setup. The first Timberliner trains ended up on other coasters. Gravitykraft planned a newer Timberliner model for The Voyage in 2012. To help The Raven get its full capacity back, Holiday World bought more train cars. This allowed them to build a full train for The Voyage and return the borrowed train to The Raven.

In 2012, the new Timberliner trains were delayed again. Holiday World decided to wait until 2013 to use them. The park also worked with The Gravity Group to fix and improve parts of the "spaghetti bowl" section. This change added even more air-time to the ride, bringing the total to 24.3 seconds!

However, in August 2013, Holiday World decided not to use the Timberliner trains after all. They chose to keep using the PTC trains. In 2014, the park made the trains a bit shorter, from seven cars to six. In 2015, when the new Thunderbird coaster was built, safety netting was added under Thunderbird's loop. This protects riders on The Voyage as they pass underneath.

Features of The Voyage

The Station Building

The Voyage's station, maintenance area, and transfer track (rightmost building), gift shop (building to the left of the station), and brake runs (behind the station), as seen from the roller coaster's lift hill.

The Voyage's station looks like a 17th-century ship. The bottom floor is like the ship's cargo hold, and the second floor is the deck. The ride operator's area is called the "Captain's Quarters." The station has three levels: a ground floor, a second floor, and a basement.

Before you enter, you might walk through outdoor lines. Then you go into the ground floor. If the line is long, you might go down stairs to the basement, which has more lines. After the basement, you walk back up to the ground floor, then up to the second floor.

The second floor is where you get on and off the coaster. It has gates for each row of the train. On the unloading side, there are shelves and lockers for your stuff. This side also has the ride operator's controls and two exit gates. Beyond the unloading area are places to store trains not in use. This also gives maintenance crews space to check the trains.

The Trains

The Voyage uses two blue trains, each holding 24 riders. These trains are made by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. Each train has six cars, and each car holds four riders. Inside each car, there are two rows, with two riders in each row. A divider separates the two riders in each row. The restraints are a ratcheting lap bar and a two-point lap belt for each rider.

The Track

The wooden track of The Voyage is built from many layers of Southern Yellow Pine wood. On top, there's a layer of steel where the train's wheels touch. The supports for the track are made from about 750 short tons (680 t) of steel. The total track length is 6,442 feet (1,964 m). It includes drops of 154 feet (47 m), 107 feet (33 m), and 100 feet (30 m). There are also five exciting underground tunnels.

The ride starts with a chain lift hill. The track has five "block sections". This means that, in theory, up to four trains could run at once. However, it's usually not practical with 24-passenger trains. The Voyage has run with three trains at most. The ride uses fin brakes to stop the train at different points, like in the station or at the end of the ride.

The Gift Shop

The Voyage has its own gift shop near its exit. This is different from Holiday World's other wooden coasters. In the gift shop, you can find different items featuring The Voyage and Holiday World & Splashin' Safari. You can also see and buy your ride photo here. The photo is taken by an on-ride camera just before the drop through the station building.

The Voyage Ride Experience

An overview of the first three drops of The Voyage in 2006, as it looked prior to the construction of Thunderbird

The whole ride on The Voyage lasts about two minutes and forty-five seconds.

From Start to Mid-Course Brakes

Your adventure begins in the station, facing Plymouth Rock Café. After the train leaves, it quickly goes under a part of the track and then hooks onto the lift hill chain. You then climb up the 163 feet (50 m) tall lift hill. At the very top, the train immediately plunges down the first big drop, which is 154 feet (47 m) tall! You'll reach speeds over 65 miles per hour (105 km/h).

At the bottom of this drop, you zoom over a 107 feet (33 m) "airtime hill," where you feel that floating sensation. Then, you cross under the exit of Thunderbird's vertical loop. Next, you go over another 100 feet (30 m) airtime hill.

Right after the third drop, you enter the first of five underground tunnels. This is one of eight times you'll go underground! In this tunnel, the track crosses under Thunderbird's heartline roll. After the first tunnel, you go over a small hill before entering the second underground tunnel. After that, another hill, then into the third underground tunnel.

When you exit the third tunnel, you enter the "spaghetti bowl" section. This is where the train turns around to head back. You'll go through a banked "S" curve, then a full 180-degree turn to the left. Next, there's a 90-degree banked turn to the left, followed by another 90-degree banked turn to the right. After these turns, the train makes a small turn left and enters another underground tunnel. After this tunnel, you hit the mid-course brake run, where the train can stop if needed.

From Mid-Course Brakes to the End

One of The Voyage's three 90° banked turns.

The return trip starts with a "triple-down" drop into an underground tunnel, gaining a lot of speed. After exiting, the train races back towards the station. You'll go under the steel supports of the first three hills, which creates cool "headchopper" effects where it looks like the supports are very close to your head! You'll cross under Thunderbird again in the same spots.

After crossing under Thunderbird's loop, the track goes through a series of S-bends under the second airtime hill and the lift hill. This ends with a final 90-degree banked turn to the right. Once the train leaves this turn, it passes under the lift hill and turns left.

The ride's on-ride camera is on the left side of the track near this turn. After the camera, you fly over the base of the lift hill. Then, you make a diving right turn into a tunnel under the station. This underground tunnel goes under the walkways for people entering and exiting the ride. There's even a viewing window in the basement lines where waiting guests can watch the train zoom by!

After exiting this tunnel, the train makes a climbing right turn. It then quickly shifts into a diving left turn that takes riders into another tunnel under the Thanksgiving midway. Finally, after exiting this last tunnel, the train makes a climbing, sweeping turn to the right. Once the train finishes this turn, it enters the main brake run, then a secondary brake run, before returning to the station.

Records Held by The Voyage

Awards for The Voyage

The Voyage has won many awards! It was voted the world's "Best New Ride" at the 2006 Golden Ticket Awards.