Original plans for the ride showed a SLC ride 265 feet in height, which would have made it the tallest Inverted roller coaster in the world and seventh tallest overall. The plans were scrapped due to complaints from local residents, limiting the height to a maximum of 180'.
During the 2003 season the restraint design was modified, due to complaints from several riders of "nipple burn", the restraints were changed at a cost of about £60,000. In September 2005 the trains were returned to Vekoma factories after a major breakdown in the form of a restraint connector snapping occurred. All the restraints were equipped with toughened steel and, presumably in an attempt to increase the smoothness the wheels were also tightened, this was thought to be the reason for a rollback on the first test run, however it is said to be a one-off occurrence. The ride received a new colour scheme & station in February 2016, with yellow track and grey supports.
Operation
Odyssey currently operates with only one train, which seats 20 riders in a 2 across in 10 rows formation. It currently costs £5.00 per ride or can be accessed with the Fantasy Island wristband system. It is frequently affected by high winds and will not operate with winds speeds in excess of 25 to 30 mph due to the high risk of the train stalling.
Rankings
Its reported construction cost of £28 million is the highest of any roller coaster ever built in the United Kingdom. Its nearest competitor is The Swarm at Thorpe Park, which was completed in 2012 at a cost of £20,000,000. Odyssey is the largest SLC in the world. Its 38-metre vertical loop is the highest in the United Kingdom and the fourth highest in the world. With a maximum height of 51 metres, it is the third tallest UK roller coaster. Its 43-metre drop is also the third highest in England. Its top speed of 63 mph makes it the fourth fastest roller coaster in the UK. It was ranked 209th in Mitch Hawker's Roller Coaster Poll in 2007 and 177th in 2008. It is also considered amongst coaster enthusiasts as the "best SLC Vekoma has ever produced."
Incidents and Stalling
A year after the ride's opening, the Cobra Roll and Horseshoe were lowered in an attempt to prevent the train stalling, as it had done numerous times in its opening year. Whilst lowering the track had a beneficial impact, the most recent occurrence was during the 2015 pre-season, where the train stalled whilst testing. At the start of the 2016 season it stalled again without passengers. The ride does not operate during certain combinations of high wind speed and direction.
