SeaWorld Orlando
Sometimes a visit to an amusement park starts with a bit of a bummer. In my case, the reopening of the Manta flying coaster was scheduled within a few days after an extensive overhaul and the Kraken floorless coaster was due to close on that very day. As I had already experienced a copy of Manta at Nagashima Spa Land, I was keen to try Kraken. In the end, Kraken didn’t open on the day of my visit and so I missed out on two of SeaWorld Orlando’s major attractions at the same time.
Manta
The ride on Manta starts with the ride’s lift, which takes the riders up to a height of 43m. Once at the top, the train plunges into a steep curve to the right. In a wide radius the train then floats through the valley and immediately climb a hill, which turns out to be the starting position for the Pretzel Loop. Without mercy it then plunges down and send its riders overhead for a short time and before doing the same in reverse order. Once again at high altitude, a left turn follows. Before the riders know it, they are spun around their own axis in an inline twist and hurtling towards the ground in a right turn. In a corkscrew the train then crosses the Pretzel Loop once more to reach the middle block section.
In a right-hand bend, accompanied by synchronised water fountains, the train then goes across a lake. Similar to a Bavarian curve, hill follows dale and at the end of the curve there is even another inline twist waiting for the passengers. Still in this great flow, it then goes in a left turn, which unfortunately leads the riders straight into the final brake.
Dolphin Adventures
The Dolphin Adventures presentation at SeaWorld Orlando was a delight. The show was visually impressive, but also had a very high educational character. It was probably the most beloved show on my day of visit, taking me quite a few trials before I could finally see the presentation.
Manatee & Turtle Rescue, SeaWorld Coral Rescue
SeaWorld Orlando is home to a large Manatee Rehabilitation Area adjacent to five-acre Rescue Center used for rehabilitating wildlife that has been ill, injured or orphaned – including manatees, sea turtles, birds and other marine animals. It is a very quiet and interesting area of the park, where you can easily spend a few hours, if interested.
Journey to Atlantis
Journey to Atlantis is the first water coaster by Mack Rides. It is a very elaborate themed ride featuring a large indoor section before the ride’s first lift hill. Once outdoors, the music changes dramatically. Once at the top, we take a short bend before going down a large straight drop, which barely soaks us. After a turn, there is a small lift serving as a block section of the ride, after which we experience a tiny chute, which – due to the rock works and a very mean S-Bend – completely drenches the front row. We then climb another lift hill back into the ride’s main building. Here, we go through another well themed dark ride section before we suddenly rush down a steep bend. Within a nice flow, we then change the direction of travel, take a short ascent, and then plunge down into the water once more. The middle-sized drop sure does not disappoint and gets the remaining passengers well moistened.
When exiting the ride, the paths lead directly into the Jewel of Sea Aquarium – a nice gem to an overall nice water ride.
Kraken
As I mentioned earlier, I did not have the chance to ride Kraken. This coaster is one of the first B&M floorless coasters to open and features one of the finest layouts to be found on any B&M looping coaster. After the first drop, guests experience a total of seven intense inversions starting off with a loop, a dive loop, a Zero-G roll and a Cobra Roll before hitting the elevated block brake section. After that, another loop and a corkscrew follow.
Antartica: Empire of the Penguin
SeaWorld Orlando used to be home to the very short-lived dark ride Antartica Empire of the Penguin. It was a trackless ride in a cool chamber with some screens and a few light effects for storytelling. The exit of the ride led directly to the penguin enclosures which you can still experience today. In 2024, the old show building will be the home base of the Penguin Trek roller coaster.
Sky Tower
SeaWorld is home to a very elaborate themed observation tower. Unfortunately, as it is with many of the SeaWorld parks and resorts, Observation rides like the Sky Tower are not included in the park’s admission, which is a pity.
Seaport Theater
Right next to the Sky Tower is the Seaport Theater, where they showed the Sesame Street Christmas Special Elmo’s Christmas Wish. This musical show is quite fun to watch, especially if you have younger children with you.
Pacific Point Preserve and the Sea Lion & Otter Spotlight
Located at a very calm corner of the park is the Pacific Point Preserve, home to Californian sea lions and harbor seals. Here you can easily waste some time observing the animals, before heading over to the Sea Lion & Otter Spotlight presentation. Although the show mainly consists of cheap jokes, it is a real treat and a must-do when visiting the park.
Shark Encounter
Right next to the park’s central lake, where you can rent flamingo shaped paddle boats, there is the entrance to Shark Encounter. The animal experience is home to very large aquariums and displays. The main attraction is a large underwater tunnel through the shark tank.
Mako
Apart of the final turns, you don’t see much of the park’s B&M hyper coaster Mako. Immediately after we left the station and went through a small turn, we are climbing the lift hill up to a height of 61 m. Once we reach the top, we are already descending toward the ground. With a speed of 117 km/h, we then take the first hill, guiding us along the boarder of the lake in a heavily inclined curve. This is followed by a very fine airtime hill after which we immediately change direction in an elevated turn. A series of airtime hills parallel to the already experienced path joins in, before hitting a block section right next to the lift hill. We then dive under the lift hill and hit another airtime hill right next to the station. A heavily inclined turn then leads us to the final turns on the park’s central lake, which we saw when entering the ride. Soon after, we hit the brakes and our very fine and highly repeatable roller coaster journey on Mako comes to an end.
Nautilus Theater
During my visit to SeaWorld Orlando, I had the opportunity to experience a concert of O-Town Motown featured in the Sounds of the Season performance series in the Nautilus Theater. The show was very entertaining.
Infinity Falls
One of the most exciting water rides at SeaWorld Orlando is Infinity Falls. This big rapids ride from Intamin begins with a very fast and furious rapids section before reaching the lift hill over which the final descent of the ride takes us. Another section of rapids follows on the top level, taking us to the ride’s elevator. As soon as the boat enters the lift, the tension rises in proportion to the increase in height. Finally, we leave the lift and shoot down the slide. Well soaked, we then take the last bend towards the station.
Sesame Street Land
The Sesame Street Land at SeaWorld Orlando is probably the largest Sesame Street area outside of the Sesame Street theme parks. While the recreation of modern Sesame Street with its interactive play and photo possibilities certainly has a certain aesthetic for American kids, this area falls short in terms of rides, especially compared to Port Aventura’s Sesamo Avontura with its awesome dark ride Sesame Street: Street Mission.
Super Grover’s Box Car Derby
The biggest ride it the Sesame Street Land is Super Grover’s Box Car Derby. It is the only Force Three Coaster by Zierer and hence a rather impressive family coaster. After climbing the lift hill, the ride goes down a steep curve to the left. Passing the lift hill, we then take a long turn along the ride’s station. Back to the ground, we then take a fast left turn over hill and dale before we hit the brakes and our ride soon comes to an end.
Orca Encounter
Since a few years, the focus of the large Orca shows at SeaWorld shifted more towards edutainment. As a result, they are now more of an opportunity to see an orca in action than pure entertainment. Of course, the Orcas still splash you, when sitting in the soak zone, but that’s more or less it. The Orca Encounter still is an worthwhile experience if you keep your expectations low.
Wild Arctic
Wild Arctic used to be home of an old-style flight simulator, which like Antartica: Empire of the Penguins served as a preshow to the animal enclosure you would experience immediately after. This area is home to beluga whales and walruses and is overall very well themed and worthwhile.
Ice Breaker
While the Ice Breaker roller coaster was still in construction, no shows were shown in the Bayside Stadium. The Premier Rides roller coaster with the world’s only quadruple launch features a nice launch section with double-up elements on both ends. The train then goes over a top hat and into a curvy low to the ground section offering a bunch of rapid transitions, a few airtime hills and a remarkable turnaround.
Pictures SeaWorld Orlando
Conclusion SeaWorld Orlando
Albeit I did not experience the park to its fullest potential, I had a very good time at SeaWorld Orlando. With soon to be five more roller coasters for me to experience, I’m pretty sure to come back sooner then later.
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