delirium_guy

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.

Well, they began work on the Pretzel Loop today. When I was leaving, there were two more pieces that they were preparing to lift....which would top off the first part of the Pretzel Loop pretty much. They are definitely picking up speed, including the exhibit area. Day by day, its continuing to grow further and further out.

It is most certainly larger than it appears on the map Just scroll through a few pages back in this thread. There have been pictures of the area posted that were taken from Sky Tower, those will give you a better idea of the size of the area as well as the ride placement within the Park.....and the ride will pretty much touch every corner of the area. There is a horseshoe type element in the far corner by the Friends of the Wild Gift Shop and Mama's Kitchen.....then the finale comes almost all the way out to where the construction wall near the front gate plaza is located.

Manta is being constructed in the area with all the pathways you referred to. The lift hill runs toward Whale & Dolphin Theater, crossing over the entrance to the theater and curving back in to the construction site as it drops. There is NO dark ride portion to the coaster, however there will be 10 aquariums in the exhibit totaling 184,000 gallons and featuring 3000 fish, rays and sea dragons. The rides queue will go through the exhibit with the non-riders passing through on the opposite side....so everyone will be able to have the same experience. They really haven't been doing any major, major work on Sundays, but they should resume tomorrow and hopefully begin the next element, which is the Pretzel Loop. There will be an exterior lagoon constructed as well that will play a roll in the ride's finale.

Here are a few pics from about 2 hours ago....I didn't get to ride Sky Tower though. - Todd

No problem. They aren't the greatest since I'm using my cell phone during a lunch break, but least its easy to keep up to date As for the layout, I did get to see it and I was pleasantly surprised with it. The ending, especially, looks fun and very much interacts with the entire area. - Todd

Grabbed two pics today on my way to lunch, I'm off tomorrow and may swing through the Park with my camera. The path between Coconut Bay Traders and JTA is currently closed. All guests are being routed past Stingray Lagoon, Dolphin Cove and behind Blue Horizons in order to get to JTA and Kraken area. This path will be closed while the remaining overhead construction takes place in that area, should re-open by next week sometime. The ride has really taken over the entire area, with supports going back all the way against the Coconut Bay Traders gift shop. Anyway, here are a few pics - Todd

It IS steep. I wasn't able to take a picture today, but I did have to stop by the park for a few minutes today. The lift is about 75% completed at this point. Just a few more pieces of track until it reaches the highest support thats already been put into place. I'm going to try to swing by tomorrow and take a few pictures. - Todd

Track installation has began.....I just took these after I got off work this afternoon... - Todd

This is true information, it appears as though this is the tallest support, although there could be one more....this one is in very close proximity to Gulliver's gift shop. There are still supports to go up over the midway and over into the Whale & Dolphin theater entry. Just with one support up, its already changed the dynamic in the park. This ride is definitely going to be incredibly impactful with its placement. The lift is gonna be steep too... * Here are a few pics Station area View from Bayside / Wild Arctic area Highest Lift Support in place Block work progressing on the entry way and aquarium This is from the Smoky Creek BBQ area - Todd