SeaWorld Orlando (SWO) Discussion Thread

[Invertalon]

Stopped at SWO this past weekend while in town for HHN, mainly to ride Mako. Walked back to the ride near open and had a solid hour or so walk-on. Ride op's let us sit wherever we wanted when we asked, even though they were assigning seating. Rode front, back a few times and in the middle.

 

My impression?

 

Very impressive, better than expected. I like B&M hypers/giga's, but this one moved up right under Fury for me. The airtime was very strong. The first drop is one of my favorites of all time in the backseat, it was fantastic! The first turn was a lot of fun, a bit different in sensation. The first airtime hill was fantastic, again, very strong air. The turnaround is good/typical and the trim before the third hill was on, but still got decent air (not as much as the first hill, though). Love the headchopper on the right hand turn before the low airtime hill which was GREAT. Very nice pop of air into the MCBR as well. Didn't slow us down too much, thankfully. The bunnyhop following was a bit on the weaker side, but the left hand side in the turn to the right has a cool airtime/lateral sensation I didn't expect. Ending is nothing special, but it's different so I give credit for that.

 

No rattle anywhere on the course in any seat, super smooth. Love Mako! I prefer it over Nitro, Raging Bull, Apollo's Chariot, Behemoth, Diamondback, etc... It falls again, right under Fury for me (which is a whole other level of B&M).

 

Afterward, rode Kraken and it was horrid. I have been on this many times before and never felt it so bad... It was completely brutal. Train needed overhauled, BAD.

 

Was a great short visit to the park, we bought the funpass for $99... So we hope to stop back again in April to get more rides on Mako!

[TheCoasterKid211]

Well if Universal can't do it right, no one can.

 

I could keep going. . . But, I think you get the point.

OK, in all seriousness, if Universal put VR on, say, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, they'd do it wrong. All I'm sayin'.

[RCF]

Well if Busch Gardens can't do it right, no one can.

 

Still fixing that for you.

Busch Gardens and Sea World are owned by the same company.

[DILinator]

Afterward, rode Kraken and it was horrid. I have been on this many times before and never felt it so bad... It was completely brutal. Train needed overhauled, BAD.

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! This makes me very sad to hear!

[coasterbill]

Afterward, rode Kraken and it was horrid. I have been on this many times before and never felt it so bad... It was completely brutal. Train needed overhauled, BAD.

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! This makes me very sad to hear!

 

If I listened to enthusiasts every time they called a coaster rough or uncomfortable I would never ride another coaster again. Just ride it for yourself and draw your own conclusions. When I hear about a coaster that I really enjoyed "running rough" I usually just assume it's because enthusiasts are pussies and then when I go and ride it again my assumptions are confirmed. This happens all the time.

 

To be fair maybe the train had a bad wheel, maybe it's headed for rehab soon, who knows? But usually the explanation for this type of thing is that enthusiasts are pussies. I've yet to ride any B&M that wasn't a standup that was rough (Yes, I've ridden Scream). Just ride it for yourself before worrying about it.

[coasterbill]

Also the park will close today at 2:00, will be closed all day tomorrow and will re-open as scheduled on Saturday.

[Condor]

I rode Kraken this week as well. My last rides on it were 5 years ago and I could notice a marked difference in how it tracks. There's no headbanging or jarring transitions so I wouldn't call it rough, but this is not the same Kraken I remember from 2002-2009 I used to marathon 20 times in day. I don't get to ride it with the same frequency I used to, but based on my rides on all the Florida B&Ms this week I think Kraken is aging the worst. I had no such complaints about Kumba, Montu, or Dragons, all of which are older and probably more highly cycled than Kraken.

 

Also I loved Mako. It finishes weak, but the first half might be some of the finest work B&M has done.

[Invertalon]

If I listened to enthusiasts every time they called a coaster rough or uncomfortable I would never ride another coaster again. Just ride it for yourself and draw your own conclusions. When I hear about a coaster that I really enjoyed "running rough" I usually just assume it's because enthusiasts are pussies and then when I go and ride it again my assumptions are confirmed. This happens all the time.

 

To be fair maybe the train had a bad wheel, maybe it's headed for rehab soon, who knows? But usually the explanation for this type of thing is that enthusiasts are pussies. I've yet to ride any B&M that wasn't a standup that was rough (Yes, I've ridden Scream). Just ride it for yourself before worrying about it.

 

I agree. I understand your reasoning (it is valid), but I have been on Kraken dozens of times the past few years. This is the FIRST time I have ever not had a butter smooth ride on it. I have high tolerance for rough rides as well, but this train was for SURE in need of work. I am sure if you got another train or they swap this train out for a rehabbed one it would be back to it's old good self... Last year, the ride was perfectly fine and running great. This time, on this trip, it was REALLY bad, not just little rattles here and there. You can see the wheel assemblies hunting for that rail as we rode, it was not typical B&M action going on (on this train). Wasn't willing to try again. We rode in the back and the entire train, every row, was shuffling badly side to side.

 

I personally think Kraken has aged awesome (except this trip).

[CoasterDirected]

Ok, so I hate to ask this but I'm currently in Tampa and will be visiting BGT Tuesday, however, I am undecided on whether to head to SeaWorld tomorrow or Monday. I and my family would prefer to go tomorrow to break up the park days and enjoy our time at the resort but is there a significant attendance decrease from Sunday to Monday? How long are the lines usually on Sundays this month compared to Mondays?

[TheCoasterKid211]

Afterward, rode Kraken and it was horrid. I have been on this many times before and never felt it so bad... It was completely brutal. Train needed overhauled, BAD.

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! This makes me very sad to hear!

 

If I listened to enthusiasts every time they called a coaster rough or uncomfortable I would never ride another coaster again. Just ride it for yourself and draw your own conclusions.

Bill, my friend, you've done it again.

[CoasterDirected]

Had an absolutely incredible time at SeaWorld today. Overall, an amazing park with great shows, a great atmosphere, and amazing rides. I loved this park way more than I thought I would and completely entertained the entire day. Lemme just give a quick grade to each ride.

 

Manta: A

Times Ridden: 4

Easily best flying coaster I've been on, tons of fun. Pretzel loop is super forceful and crazy in the back row, rest of the ride is tons of fun with the second half of the ride my favorite part. Coasting over the water with the fountains going off is awesome and flying so close through the rock work beats any near miss on a wing coaster.

 

Journey To Atlantis: B/B-

Very fun water coaster, my first by Mack Rides. Was missing the hologram in the opening scene and a few other effects were down. Drop was fun and the final coaster section was surprisingly good.

 

Kraken: B

Times Ridden: 2

Easily my favorite floorless (only have ridden Rougarou). "Rattly" as hell, but to be honest, I don't give a damn. Had zero head-banging, and the entire ride is tons of fun. Drop was underwhelming but the rest of the ride made up for it. Zero-G roll was great. Especially love the second half when it dives into the trenches and tunnels and that final corkscrew was awesome.

 

Mako: A+

Times Ridden: 7

What? This thing blew away my expectations, easily destroys my now second favorite B&M Hyper, Diamondback. It's extremely well paced and has very strong floater, even on the hill that has the trim. Second half is great with the overbanks, although it is a little slow. Best seat was definitely front, followed closely by the back for the insane airtime on the drop. The other seats are good but I would not rate it as high as I currently am if I only rode middle seats. Bottom line, probably top 5 coaster.

 

Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin: C-

Times Ridden: 1

I was very disappointed in this ride. I didn't know exactly what to think except for a trackless dark ride with some real penguins in it. Was the longest wait of the day around 40 minutes when Mako was a walk-on and honestly I regret it. The trackless functionality is completely wasted and even the "wild" setting was extremely tame. It felt like I was in a warehouse with fake ice, and I know that is technically the case, I shouldn't feel like that. HPATFJ and Spiderman are some of my favorite rides of all time and honestly I would take them over many coasters, why couldn't this be like that? I got off this thinking, "Wait, that's it? That's the best they could do with this incredible technology?"

 

Overall amazing park where all my expectations minus Antarctica were blown away. Totally worth the visit, especially if you pair it with BGT. Manta and Mako jumped into my top 10 coasters currently, but I will have to see if that remains true after my trip to Busch Gardens on Tuesday.

[ragerunner2]

Went on Mako on Saturday and the trim on the hill was off, made for some great air time on the back half of the ride. It was amazing.

[CPmillenia94]

^You are sure it was off?

[BlahBlahson]

^I know, when I hear that I just sigh. Pretty sure Mako would be a top 20 ride for me if they just got rid of the brakes. There are 4 nerfed hills due to that brake that just don't deliver nearly as much compared to the ride's 3rd hill before the hammerhead.

[Condor]

From my experience a couple of weeks ago Mako's trim after the hammerhead only activated when the train was over half-full, which unfortunately will usually be the case. I went on a slow Monday when often only 2-3 rows were filled so the trim barely affected it. But when it did the difference was huge.

[ragerunner2]

^You are sure it was off?

 

Yes, and the train was full with a 25 minute line. With it off the run to the mid course break was outstanding.

[DoubleDown]

The entire B&M trim phenomenon pisses me off.

 

"Let's advertise a huge hyper coaster in a promo video at a speed throughout the course that it will never truly achieve, then we'll just do whatever we can to make it less fun and provide the least air-time possible."

 

I mean seriously B&M, what the hell?

[prozach626]

I can only imagine it's best for maintenance in the long run. I didn't find the trim all that terrible, especially in comparison to a hyper like Raging Bull, where it absolutely kills the ride.

[B&MBoy1982]

Trim brakes are there to keep the coaster running at the proper speed.

 

If a coaster is meant to return to the final brake run in 55 seconds, too many 50 second rides or too many 60 second rides will result in an automatic E-stop.

 

Either they have the trim brake, or they run soft wheels on it to keep it the same speed as it is currently going.

 

It's like the Beast. Everyone complains they have slowed it down, but they have not. It runs the same speed with the magnetic brakes as it did with the skid brakes. It just slows the train down more abruptly with mag brakes than skid brakes.

 

If they determine on Mako that the trim is not needed like on Banshee and remove it, They will run soft wheels to keep the trains returning to the station at the same speed it is currently running.

 

Take my word for it, I am finishing my third season at Banshee, and the trims were never used. They are now on top of Diamondback's MCBR.

[jynx242]

Although you feel the trim kick in on Mako, it really doesn't affect the ride for me. It is kind of a small slowing, as opposed to trims that really slow things down like on Raging Bull and the Beast (both are coasters that I really like as well, but the trims are so noticeable that you are forced to wonder what it would be like without them.)

 

In my opinion, Mako wouldn't be that different as the trims really don't knock that much speed off.

 

David (SFoG Goliath is still better ) McCollum

[Apollo von Sol]

Take my word for it, I am finishing my third season at Banshee, and the trims were never used. They are now on top of Diamondback's MCBR.

 

Wait, what? An B&M Inverted coaster brakes can be used on a B&M hyper coaster? Aren't the train different and the brakes latch on at different component of a invert train than a hyper train? I didn't know brakes were truly interchangeable with different coaster types?

[B&MBoy1982]

The magnetic brakes are the same. The fins on the trains are the same. Horizontal in position on each side.

 

That is why the friction brakes don't grab as hard on the MCBR.

 

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=793224

 

Best photo of the brakes Banshee and Diamondback uses. As you can see, this is Intimidator at Carowinds. Very interchangable.

 

I would imagine the spines of the trains being the same width. No way for me to know, though. I spend more time at Banshee than Diamondback.

 

These are also the same as what is used on Mako.

[Apollo von Sol]

The magnetic brakes are the same. The fins on the trains are the same. Horizontal in position on each side.

 

That is why the friction brakes don't grab as hard on the MCBR.

 

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=793224

 

Best photo of the brakes Banshee and Diamondback uses. As you can see, this is Intimidator at Carowinds. Very interchangable.

 

I would imagine the spines of the trains being the same width. No way for me to know, though. I spend more time at Banshee than Diamondback.

 

These are also the same as what is used on Mako.

 

Very interesting, I didn't know the underside of a inverted train were similar to a sitdown train. Thanks for that tidbit, I learned something new.

[Jew]

I've always said that B&M just keeps flipping trains around. The floorless looks like an inverted invert train...guess I was right!

 

Also, the trim keeps Mako from being REALLY good. It's middle of the pack for me, still lots of fun though.

[JeromyL]

Planning first trip to sea world Orlando for the day after thanksgiving. Any must do things at the park. Tips. We will get the front of the line pass while there . (Coming from Vegas)

 

 

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