SANTA CLAUS, IN-----The world's top "air-time" wooden coaster was announced this morning as part of Holiday World & Splashin' Safari's largest expansion in its 60-year history.
"The Voyage is going to be an air-time machine, with riders experiencing a feeling of weightlessness for a total of 24.2 seconds," says Will Koch, the parks' president. "We're taking the traditional out-and-back layout to the extreme, with the steepest drop on any wooden coaster in the nation. The Voyage will be 1.2 miles long, placing it among the planet's top three longest and fastest wooden coasters."
The Voyage, which will be part of Holiday World's new Thanksgiving section, will feature three drops of over 100 feet, with the first drop's angle of descent a steep 66 degrees. The top speed of the three-train coaster will be 67.4 miles per hour.
"The Voyage will have five underground tunnels‹which is a world record," says Koch. "And some of those tunnels will be wide enough that we'll roar through them twice, creating a total of eight 'underground moments,' one of which will include a 'triple-down' feature. We'll also have two sections of extreme, 90-degree banking."
"For 2006, our focus continues to be family fun," says Koch. "We know our guests don't like to stand in long lines, so we're investing heavily in increasing capacity in both parks."
Other new attractions for 2006 include Bahari River, an action river for Splashin' Safari. The Thanksgiving section in Holiday World will also include a turkey-chase-themed interactive "dark ride," a new tilt-a-whirl, large restaurant, shop, games and more.
The expansion for the park's 60th Anniversary Season will total $13.5 million. Koch predicts a 10-percent increase in attendance next year, plus the creation of 100 new seasonal positions.
Holiday World & Splashin' Safari are open daily through August 17, followed by selected weekends through October 9. For more information, log on to www.holidayworld.com or call 1-877-Go-Family.