SeaWorld Orlando (SWO) Discussion Thread

[matteocrepaldi]

Great update. Thanks for sharing.

 

The one in this picture is a support for the lift hill, right?

[Johnny Upsidedown]

The support in the picture above is for the track switch section. The support at the bottom of picture. This gets attached to it http://www.johnnyupsidedown.com/manta/sw132a.jpg . Then you have the dual station and the lift hill will go up the top of the photo straight out. ..

[gamerdave]

Nice to see that vertical construction has started! This will be an interesting one to see go up. Especilly since we don't know the layout!

[jmicha]

I'm really liking the color scheme of this ride. Definitely a really soothing choice of colors.

[Kalepi_Konei]

Its really wierd that there starting construction and still haven't told us the layout....it's keeping me engaged in this like a fat kid who can't reach his cake.

[rollerboy]

Looking good so far! I really think that a Flyer will be good for Seaworld, it will fit in nice with Kraken.

[sam06pr]

awesome updates johnny! judging from one of the picture it looks like Manta will have a duel loading station like Tatsu.

[Johnny Upsidedown]

Thanks Sam. This weeks update came out really nice and I was glad that I got some good photos of the track and supports. Yes it is a dual loading station, the parts are in the field. I was so excited today when I walked in the park and saw the blue support that was up.. The ride is really going to stand out in the park entrance, thats all you will see once you enter the park. Cant wait tell next year when its all done and I get to take Manta for a spin.

[gamerdave]

I'm sure this thing will be another Seaworld capacity monster! The longest Ive ever had to wait for Kraken is like 10 minutes at the most! Those are some nice colors! That tank is also really starting to go up!

[justint87]

Great update Johnny! Its great to finally see a lot of the tracks and supports as well as the station being built. Pictures are beautiful. Cannot wait to see your future updates as the site will drastically change during the next weeks and months.

 

Funny as I always thought the train would leave the station making a turn to the left, then climbing the lift. Now from these pictures, it appears that it will go straight up the lift after leaving the station.

[alpengeist04]

Once again, thanks for the great update Johnny. It's nice to finally see supports going up. I'm heading to the park in December, so I'm sure most if not all the track will be up by then.

[Jumboshrmp]

This is what I've been waiting for since the announcement was made!

 

Thanks for posting the pictures, I love seeing things like this. Now that track has finally arrived, I also hope that they do not show us the layout. I am excited about slowly figuring out what everything is going to be, now that track is there.

 

Hopefully some actual gravity track won't take too long to show up, the station/transfer/brake track on B&Ms has always looked weird to me, the cross-ties are really high off the spine.

 

The track switcher segment for the dual station is pretty cool looking.

 

And what's this? (Click it, it's a thumbnail linky)

Is that the lift motor?

 

And are those smaller things behind it motors for the friction wheels?

[Johnny Upsidedown]

Thanks everybody, glad you are enjoying the photos..

 

JUMBOSHIRMP>>

Take a look in this photo http://www.johnnyupsidedown.com/new/su8a.JPG

The Manta photo you are refereing to, it would appear that it is the lift motor and the things on the ground are the lifting actuators that fold the train up. If you look at the photo of Superman, see how lift motor is generally the same shape. Then look on top of the station area see the same looking things that are lying on the ground in the Manta photo..

 

Regular track will begin to ship on Sept. 29, I would not expect main track work tell Nov or Dec.. Station track and transfer track will go up now so they can enclose the building.

 

Here is a rough layout of what the ride might look like. Just looking at the footers here is a guess.. http://www.johnnyupsidedown.com/manta/manta.jpg

[gamerdave]

From what im seeing it looks like its going to be another crazy steep B&M lift. There isnt that much room in the direction its going!

[bgeguy]

I actually enjoy B&M's recent design of steep lifts. It adds to the ride, instead of just the normal mundane ride to the top.

[sam06pr]

So, what I want to know is why are they opening the ride so late? is it because of all the extra theme? or because they started on the project a bit too late?

 

anyways, I hope it is a really steep lift, that would be awesome on a flyer, it already is an awesome feature on SheiKra

[Johnny Upsidedown]

Lift angle.. I think its going to be a standard angle lift hill for 2 reasons.

1. Evacuation of a flyer at a steeper angle may present a problem.

2. The station is about 25 feet off the ground, the roller coaster only has to go up another 120 feet. There is pleanty of room for the lift to be a standard angle. The photos just dont show how big the site is or how spread out the ride really is.. Next time I am out I will get a photo of Kraken and a photo of Manta site crop one into the other and you can see how Kraken fits into the Manta work site.. Its pretty cool to see it I had tried it in the begnning of construction.

 

Your other question was why so late... Couple reasons.

1. Its not really that late,, Kraken opened last week of may so did Sheikra. So another week or so in to June and well no worries..

2. With the amount of themeing, all the tanks, fish and other countless things that are involved my thinking is they want to have it completly ready when they open the ride. Not like others, even sheikra they were still painting and stuff. Sheikra ultamily was finished in the middle of June even though it was open.

3. Just to give you an idea that if there plan is for June they have so much work to do that they are working 7 days a week and I would imagine more then 12 hours a day as there is work getting done after park hours.

 

Anyway I will ask my person as Sea World if they have a date they are shooting for with the opening or if its still up in the air. Last I had heard in the park was around mid June. I would imagine they will hold to that..

[justint87]

I too don't think it is late. My sources tell me that Manta should be up and ready around the end of May 2009. If anyone remembers, this was around the same time Kraken was ready with a grand opening on June 1st, 2000 I believe.

 

If this holds true, SeaWorld is basically aiming for the same opening time frame as Kraken back in 2000.

[Jumboshrmp]

Thanks for the Manta drawing, Johnny.

 

I love how some people can figure stuff out like that. I'm surprised there are already enough footers to make a guess at the layout, last time I saw an update, I thought there were no footers.

 

You said main track work may not begin until November or december, but do you think we should start seeing more track segments arrive in october?

[Johnny Upsidedown]

I would say more than half of the footers are in.. There is so much stuff that is in the ground that the photos just dont show.. My drawing is just a best guess as to what the layout is. As far as I know and from what has been hinted at, I can guess the layout to a point. The ending I am not so sure of as I dont really have it right. You also have to figure that I have been studying what they are doing every other week and I also have tons of photos that I dont post that show all kinds of things, close ups of footers and bolt patterns.. When I do an update I just try to show the best and most of what I can..

 

Track, From what I have been told and from what I saw over the weekend.. Most of the station track, brake run track and maintinance building track is onsite. The regular track as in lift hill and element track will start to ship on Sept. 29th. I figure it will take most of October to ship it all down to Florida. I will be getting a delivery schedule soon for all the track so I will know in the next week when everything will arrive.

 

Footers, take a look at this, here are most of the footers that are in. I know I missed a few but this will give you an idea of where they are..

http://www.johnnyupsidedown.com/manta/manta1.jpg

There is a lot of stuff in bottom of photo under the trees that are hard to pick out. You can compair it to layout and you can start to see the patern of what and where. http://www.johnnyupsidedown.com/manta/manta.jpg

 

As I said I am just going with a best guess. I could be completly wrong with it so we will see as the supports and track start to go up..

[sam06pr]

hey everyone new update. looks like the transfer track is now up

 

 

 

www.orlandorocks.com/1a/seaworld/all/manta/construction/1/Manta-at-Seaworld-Construction.aspx

 

thanks to Orlando rocks for the pictures

[Kalepi_Konei]

Heres the image for those of you who are too lazy to click the link...

 

Photo taken from link in above post....^

[sam06pr]

^ LOL thanks. Doesn't the transfer track look like Shamu's tail???LOL

[Jumboshrmp]

The dual loading station looks pretty neat. On other coasters with a dual loading station, how does is the line split up? Do they have a greeter in the line that asks how many in your party and assigns you to a certain side and a row, or do you just get in whichever side you want?

 

Is it likely that you will get to choose your row? When I went on Kraken you could choose your row, but the park was very slow that day, so it may be different when they are busy.

 

Also, are the gates to board the coaster in between the two tracks, or on the outside? It would seem easier to find an empty row if they were in between.

[KrakenKing]

Well, at SFoG on Superman the line just split into two when it reached the loading station. Then you could choose any line you wanted (Unless it was really busy, then they'd assign you a row. But if you asked politely, they'd let you choose.)

 

TTD, you chose if you wanted to load into the first, or second train.

 

Kingda Ka, they assigned you a side of the station, then you chose which train (1st or 2nd) you wanted, and chose which row you wanted as well.

 

I think Manta will assign station sides and rows (Except if you want front) when it first opens just for crowd control. At least this is what they did on SheiKra the first day it opened.