SeaWorld Orlando (SWO) Discussion Thread

Well here's a thought what about Universal, then, they own would both sides of international drive which is their ultimate goal I think since they own Wet'n Wild already and much of I drive in that area and they own the land just south of their own property near Lockheed Martin and the convention center so it would make more sense for them to buy it Then they could give Disney a run for their money.

Then Universal could really compete with the Mouse in Orlando. Besides it makes sense they already partner with Sea World , The Kennedy Space Center and several other parks with what is called a flex ticket to try to get Disney guests away from Disney.

Disney has always tried to keep their customers on property as long as possible that's the real reason for the four theme parks on property DHS (Disney's Hollywood Studious and Animal Kingdom where both built for that purpose.

I say bring it on I think it would be great for Orlando's economy and our tourism industry. It would force Disney into thinking of a new park to add to keep guests coming back besides it would be great for jobs. Besides Six Flags doesn't want to come here anyway they are scared of this market or they would have been here a long time ago like rumors have suggested for a long time now .

By the way manta is great they been working on it for a while it's alot bigger than people can imagine

^I think Blackstone is your best bet with the whole Universal/Busch merger. Personally, I would love to have a season pass that would combine USF, IOA, SWO, and BGA. Of course, they could have another pass that includes the water parks. But at this point, who knows what will happen with the parks.

I just read another artical about the takeover and we should know by November 11th if the reports are true.

Its between Merlin and the Dubai Group who signed a deal for 4 parks last year.

Disney have no longer been metioned.

http://www.vagazette.com/news/local/va-news3_110508nov05,0,5534760.story

^I'd love to see a British company in the US market, just to see how they run their parks. Merlin would be the company I'd like to see get Magic Mountain if SFI falls next year.

if you read up on Merlin and Blackstone you would know that Blackstone cant buy AB attractions because of their agreements in universal

Well that sucks.

Have you ever been to Thorpe Park, Chessington or Alton Towers?

We you will know that you would not really want Merlin running the parks in the USA.

Thorpe Park is known for one thing and thats break downs.

Blackstone can not buy the parks but Merlin can, they operate as a different companies. Merlin bought the Tosuards Group and the leased the land Alton and Chessington are on to Blackstone.

Merlin is owned by Blackstone but as I said they do operate as 2 difference companies, hence Blackstone do not own Alton Towers Merlin Entertainment do.

Guys, let's keep this related to Manta. There's a InBev/Busch park thread already, if you search for it.

The mystery has been solved...Spoiler Alert

Looks like a good layout. A little on the short side, though. The only potential problem I see is the MCBR - it seems like it might kill the momentum going into the lake splash. Although I guess it could be controlled how much it slows the train, depending on how much splash they want. But if that's the only reason for the brakes, why not add another element there and just use trims before the water dip? Do they want to be able to run an extra train? Or is there another reason behind it?

Ooo, layout

I like the two flat spins... for some reason I've always liked the ending one on the Superman:UF coasters.

Though, I thought it was going to be a bit longer... but who cares, Orlando is finally getting a flier

I agree with DiSab. The layout, though fun, is a bit on the short side. On the plus side, it would be a perfect mini B&M flyer for first-timers who have never been on a B&M flyer.

For those who are thinking the ride is on the short side, you do realize that its only about 300 feet shorter than Tatsu, right? That would make it the second longest flyer thats out there? As for the block brake, I'm not entirely sure of its purpose on this particular ride, despite them running 3 trains....unless they really think they can get the trains dispatched quickly enough to justify having the extra block mid ride. As for the water effect, it will be simulated....not the actual train making the splash like Sheikra or Griffon....at least thats the last I heard. If they operate Manta like Kraken, the mid-course brake will be used very lightly and have little to no effect on the ending of the ride.

Construction update for 11/5.

And that's the end. Thanks.

The last of the evac stairs to be added.

Thems looks like supports!

Station framing.

And here's the other side of that.

Maintenance shed and future aquarium (I think).

Oh yeah. It's blurry because I was trembling in excitement.

A coaster nerd's dream. Time for the money shots.

Correction: They did not build the roof of the station the other day.

Can't think of a caption for this one.

The pretzel loop is looking to be pretty intense.

And this truck was to blame. It was opened back up in about a minute.

Our attempt to go over to Journey was foiled by a wall.

They were bolting in the support for 2nd top of the pretzel loop.

This is where the pretzel loop will begin.

This week's construction update brings sight of the entry to Manta's large pretzel loop as well as work being done on the ride's station, maintenance shed and exhibit areas.

These photos were taken on November 5th, 2008.

The skyline will continue to grow as Manta comes closer to completion...

Manta blends in very well with the Seaworld Orlando atmosphere already set.

The pretzel loop will be visible from all sides of the park.

Another overview of the construction site.

The maintenance shed is quite large and appears to be almost complete.

Framework for the station has begun to take shape amongst the rest of the construction.

From the Skytower we are given an overview of the work being done in preparation for Manta.

Growing further...

The ride's maintenance and vehicle storage facility has gone up quickly.

Some paths towards Key West may be randomly blocked off for temporary use as an entry/exit point for construction vehicles.

Two of the pretzel loops supports have been installed as the track work moves forward.

Manta continues to rise from the depths of the construction--a giant within the park.

The ride's lift and first drop have been completed, allowing work to begin on the pretzel loop.

Guests entering the park are treated with a preview of what is to come.

^ Were you two guys taking pictures next to each other?????

Yeah, not impressed with the layout of this at all. And the pretzel loop as the first element.....yawn.

^Yes--actually we were! We both went to the parks today and we had a little bit of overlap in our photos considering we were next to each other for the majority of the time.

I'm somewhat excited with the pretzel loop being the premier element for the coaster, but I'm hoping that the loop itself is not too intense, as this is the only element that has ever pushed my limits of comfort to sickness when riding a coaster. I am definitely looking forward to the completion of the track work and especially after what has been done so far, I look forward to seeing the ride blend in well with all that Seaworld Orlando has to offer already.

I'm actually a fan of the layout. The pretzel loop is one of my favorite elements, and I think the best flyers are ones that stay close to the ground, and interact with the environment; it looks like Manta will do just that!

It looks like the smaller pretzel loop used in the Superman clones. The rest of the ride just kind looks meh.

Oh well, can't tell until you ride it.

That layout is weak sauce! Boo!

^ Just curious but have you even been on a flyer?

I for one think the layout looks pretty decent. The coaster's theming and layout should offer a very nice experience and while the ride may be on the short side, it still packs a lot in for as compact as the ride may seem. Being a big fan of Tatsu, I personally cannot wait to get the chance to ride this thing. I'm interested to see how the wing dip is going to work out, and it should make the ride that much more unique.

I think the layout will be better than the only few Flyers around, despite it's length. We will have to see how it turns out. This is a nice addtion to SWO, remember SWO does not try to out do with their coasters like BGA and BGE

Wow, those guys are pretty quick on building this bad boy! This ride may be done before Summer of 2009.

The pretzel loop and the layout looks promising. I just love how you can see the ride from the parking lot. Kind of builds up anticipation!

It looks like a fun ride. I predict however, that this ride will steal absolutely no thunder from Tatsu.

the only flyer i have ever ridden is the one at kings island firehawk, and i was just wondering how this coaster looks to stack up to ki's flyer, thanks