I'm worried because I rode Hades today for the first time since 2006. My verdict? The coaster has declined quite a bit. I rode the coaster a few times in it's opening year 2005 and a few more times the next year with no noticeable decline in quality. Now it's been three years and I was so excited to get another ride on Hades.

So I board the coaster and we leave the station. First thing I remember and always liked was the huge amount of air you get just dropping out of the station. However, immediately after that, I notice a lot of roughness along the track just leading up to the lift. I didn't want to focus on it and hoped it was just maybe that section. We climb the lift and my excitement rises along with the coaster train. Speaking of the train, they now have this extra part added to the left side of train that would block your arm from reaching out to the side. It's similar to American Eagle but far more uncomfortable as it actually makes the seat have less room.

We get to the top of the lift and drop. Great airtime and a little rough but nothing too bad...yet. We drop into the underground pitch black tunnel...wait...that's how I remember the tunnel. Now they have the lights on and you see everything. What the hell?!?! That was one of the things that really made Hades stand out to me. Besides that, the ride is unbearably rough all through out. I can feel my head bouncing around and my face tightening. I actually couldn't wait for the ride to end. Numerous people complained how rough it was and were holding their necks, sides and looking for the nearest chiropracter.

I later asked an employee if they knew if the lights on in the tunnel was temporary or the reason behind it. She didn't know much but did say that's how they operate now. This was all very disappointing as this was easily one of my favorite wooden coasters. It was raining through the day and I've heard how woodies run faster when they're wet so I'll give some benefit of the doubt that if it was running faster, that might cause some extra roughness. The lights on policy made me wonder if that had anything to due with the extra piece on the train to keep your arm in. I know the tracks run close together in the tunnel and possibly close to the ground. Did that part being in the dark confuse some rider(s) as to their close proximity to objects and was there some incident?

When I rode this coaster in 2005 and 2006, I gave this coaster a nearly perfect score, just under The Voyage. Now I could only give Hades a 5 or 6 at best due it still having some great airtime and good layout. It's rerideablity though may be completely gone for me however. Seeing as both Hades and The Voyage are from the same manufacturer and share similar stats and features such as height, speed, length, tunnels and a wood track with steel supports, I worry that They Voyage might also share it's fate.

I hope that this is just a case of Mt. Olympus not taking care of their wooden god and Holiday World is taking better care of their wooden trip. Please tell me this is the case and that whenever I go back to ride The Voyage, I won't have this same disappointment.

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Voyage is still great. I think it might be a slight bit rougher, but not much. The trim brake they added after the turnaround doesn't ruin it like I feared it would.

Holiday world isn't afraid to spend some bucks to keep their coasters great. It was a couple of years ago that they retracked over 2000 feet of Legend.

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They added a trim brake? Where is it? I rode in 2008, and there were no brakes anywhere. The block brake wasn't even on.

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Based on such your thread title name: I guess so. I did it twice for a first time to see how it would stack up against El Toro in June. I brought the 2006 heated matchup to 2009 and found right before the lift Toro blew it out of the water.

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Thrillnetwork Moderator - Sophomore Original sn: CHILLERLC1
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You knew I wanted the other repeat too

I heard through the grape vine (well second hand, but very close to the source) that Hades and Voyage is going to get some serious loving in the upcoming off season. Sorry you had such a rough ride Mark.

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Leo, you're talking about The Voyage? I'm not sure what you were getting at but it sounds like you rode The Voyage in 2006 and then again this year. It also seems you're saying the coaster isn't what it was and now pales in comparison to El Toro? Am I right?

Edit- Yeah, me too Katie. The reason this really bugged me is that Hades wasn't just a coaster I liked a lot, it was one of my favorites. Out the 90+ coasters I've been on (CP, SFGAm, KI, SFWoA, SFStL, HW, etc), this was probably in my top five overall and only second to The Voyage in the wooden category. I haven't been to Cedar Point (which has four of my top 10 including my top two and top three out of four or five) now for a couple years after going there every summer for eight straight years. So this was something I was really looking forward to.

That's why I'm whining right now. I know somebody will quote me on that.

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I've ridden The Voyage every year since it opened and have not once been let down by it. My last trip they did have the tunnel lights on but my friend told me that a few days later when he went they were off again.

On top of that The Legend was running amazing this year and probably jumped into my top 5!

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To me, Voyage has improved. Been to the park close to about 7 or 8 times this year. The block brake has been off this year. Track has been rough in a few spots but they did replace one spot already and the other is going to get done in the off season.

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Mark
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I enjoyed neither Voyage nor Hades, and I rode both for the first time in 2008. Call me crazy, but neither did much for me. Hades was a rough, boring ride (albeit, the pre-lift was loads of fun) and Voyage, well I don't know what it was about Voyage, but it just didn't do it for me.

Raven and Legend are both top 10 rides for me, while Voyage isn't even close. I don't know, I'd really like to get back and give it another shot; it's a shame that such a highly beloved ride means nothing to me.

I only rode the Voyage in 2009. I remember the 2006 El Toro debut along with The Voyage and seeing a storm of Voyage shirts at SFGADV in 2006. I've been meaning to compare the two since then. Pre Boulder Dash I think I could understand why Raven was rated high. Voyage I made my decision on. Legend I wish I had another ride on because I was able to judge its my favorite coaster in the park but I need another cycle to tell me if it's deserving of my Top 10. My Legend exposure was so short.

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Thrillnetwork Moderator - Sophomore Original sn: CHILLERLC1
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You knew I wanted the other repeat too

When I was there in may they weren't on.

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To me, the Voyage is still a great ride. I did get one bad ride on it this year. I was in the second to last car and it seemed to not be tracking properly. It was my first ride of the year, and I promptly got on again in the rear car, and sure enough, the issue was only with the one car. I must have had 10 great rides on it that day.

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I rode Hades 6 times last month and found it very rough. The ride was somewhat disappointing. Maybe I was expecting another Voyage. I thought Zeus was nearly as rough as Hades.

The Voyage is still my favorite wooden coaster. The Legend did not do much at all for me. I thought the layout was rather ordinary and air time was nothing special. I rather ride Raven or the Beast than Legend.

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