SeaWorld Orlando (SWO) Discussion Thread

[CaptainUnknown]

When I was there I December, I'd have ridden it more than once if it weren't for the uncomfort collars. This would be a welcome change. I also wonder if they'll be able to lower the minimum rider height back to previews levels with their removal.

[tndank]

More reports of them gone now.  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpf15Akv7nt/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D

Would be great if they took them off others in the chain.

[Satans Hockey]

I was just there last week and got my first ride on ice breaker, definitely agree that the ride would be much better without those collars. I still wouldn't wait more than 10 minutes to ride it no matter the restraints. 

Also rode Mako again, not sure if they have been off for awhile now cause I hadn't been on the ride for a few years but the screens above the ride that use to show water with sharks swimming around was off. 

Mako is still such a fun ride, it's amazing that every time I've been there it always takes longer to walk through the queue than to wait for an actual train to get on. 

The new stand up really changes the front entrance of the park when you're walking to security / ticket entrance. I didn't realize that's where they were putting it but it looks like a fun layout and gets down near the water too. 

[grsupercity]

Going to swo for the first time in like 6 years. Excited for Icebreaker. I know a long shot but would love to ride a soft open the bouncy stand up 

[anonymouscactus]

(Screen cap from a video they just uploaded)

Ice Breaker is back open with no comfort collars, an added seatbelt, and a 48" height requirement!

Also: Pipeline: The Surf Coaster made it's first full circuit test run!

Exciting stuff!

Edited March 12, 2023 by anonymouscactus
photo

[thrillseeker4552]

Such great news!

Unfortunately I don't see this happening on the Sky Rocket IIs, since those are not marketed as family coasters, but one can dream.

[SharkTums]

Pipeline - The Surf Coaster Media Day today!

Check out our multi-angle video of the ride...

 

 

I actually thought the 'gimmick' of the bouncing worked way better than I thought it would. I will say, the ride was not 'fluffy' friendly as we saw quite a few people getting kicked off. 

 

[AmyUD06]

@SharkTumsIt looks like a lot of fun!  I was never a big hater of stand-ups (either the B&M or Togo varieties) in the past and actually enjoyed them; hopefully this model does well for B&M and spreads.

[mikeykaise]

I know it might not be practical or money efficient but if a park created a stand-up woodie, that would be really unique!

[Skysthelimit]

We were able to ride 3x after work and had a nice 2 hours at the park. Pipeline really has a strong presence in the area and although the aesthetics are basic, somehow it works. Definitely not a Pantheon look and the water feature and sound effects were nice. 
 

We rode twice towards the back and once towards the middle. I didn’t notice as much of a difference in either section of the train compared to say Mako. There’s definitely a rattle, but it seems more to do with the seat than the actual wheel chassis. Both trains were running and the line moved pretty quick.

The launch, airtime hill and layout were about what you’d expect but really what makes the ride shine is the movement of the seat. There as some semi-forceful positive g’s followed by airtime pops and it’s a super unique sensation.

Great addition and better than you’d expect!
 

 

[coasterbill]

On 5/12/2023 at 1:31 PM, mikeykaise said:

I know it might not be practical or money efficient but if a park created a stand-up woodie, that would be really unique!

Don’t even speak such evil into the world.

[thrillseeker4552]

I was able to quickly pop into SeaWorld for a ride on Pipeline and I was very impressed. When it was announced and under construction, I was never too hyped for it since I'm so-so about stand-ups (I really only like Riddler and Scorcher) so I was skeptical of bringing the concept back. I will say it is vastly improved with this design. The 2 across seating, vest restraints, and dampening do wonders for the ride experience. I love the open air trains and how you "jump" on the airtime hills. The train design really make a great ride that otherwise has a pretty bland and boring layout. Even after just a single ride, I can pretty confidently say it's my second favorite in the park behind Mako. I'll be back for more rides in a few weeks, hopefully once Mako reopens from refurbishment.

I am also very happy to see B&M expand their horizons, particularly with this coaster and Mandrill Mayhem at Chessington. I think those are the two most unique B&Ms ever built and I love to see it.

It's also worth noting that the area looks great. It was reminding me of HangTime's theming at Knott's - a very similar vibe (obviously). The color scheme is gorgeous and the kinetics of the area is great. They placed it in a perfect location. I was worried they would "pull a Pantheon" and just plop the ride down with no immersion but I would say they did a fine enough job for what it is.

[Hilltopper39]

Looking forward to head down this weekend for passholder preview, but one question for anyone that's been, are there any special requirements for the preview? Do you have to get a wrist band some or a special ticket or just show your pass at the entrance like in years past? 

[thrillseeker4552]

12 hours ago, Hilltopper39 said:

Looking forward to head down this weekend for passholder preview, but one question for anyone that's been, are there any special requirements for the preview? Do you have to get a wrist band some or a special ticket or just show your pass at the entrance like in years past? 

You show your pass at the entrance of the ride. They will also stamp your hand, I presume so you don't need to show your pass every time. I only rode once so I cannot confirm but that seems to make sense why.

[Skysthelimit]

21 hours ago, thrillseeker4552 said:

You show your pass at the entrance of the ride. They will also stamp your hand, I presume so you don't need to show your pass every time. I only rode once so I cannot confirm but that seems to make sense why.

I asked the employee at the entrance and yes, you are correct it’s so you don’t have to keep showing your pass. You can ride as much as you’d like. 

[CaptainUnknown]

Everything I've heard about the ride experience so far has been positive. But what about the loading experience? One of the big problems on stand-up coasters of Olde was how long it took to adjust and lock the harnesses at a comfortable height for riders. Does Pipeline still have that, or does the bounciness negate the need for such?

[SharkTums]

^It's a little slow, I think the bounciness gives them a little flexibility but I still saw them have to unlock and relock several rows each time. 

[Skysthelimit]

Yeah, I agree it’s definitely a little slow. I worked Mantis many moons ago so I was really intrigued. SeaWorld has had four on platform which definitely helps. The crew up there is fantastic and you could tell they knew how to run a B&M

It’s essentially the same process as a traditional stand up in the sense that you understandably have to stand straight up for the harness to lock at the proper position. Guests try to bounce like Tigger before they’re in the proper position. You also have to pull the seat down to your height on your own just like the original design- I think if there was a way to have them automatically lower that would speed things up, but not having to constantly lock/relock the up/down motion of the seats is one less thing slowing down the process. 

[anonymouscactus]

Looks like SeaWorld is trying to boost their attendance numbers the next month and a half!

https://seaworld.com/orlando/annual-pass/passport-to-summer/

I don't think I've ever seen anything like this at a park. Annoying that you have to collect vouchers instead of it keeping track automatically but interesting to say the least. I know most might only get some free popcorn but at least it's something

[AmyUD06]

Cedar Fair has been doing something similar with their "Pass Perks" rewards program for the past few years, but the rewards were never specified like that.

[tndank]

Hersheypark has also introduced a reward system for visiting certain times, consecutive days, etc.  Seems like a good way for parks to boost attendance.

[Hilltopper39]

I had a chance to get 4 rides on Pipeline this weekend with my oldest during the passholder preview and we had a really fun time. I gotta say, my expectations weren't high for this ride, or low really, but it's pretty fun. The trains bounce way more than I thought they would and it produces some really unique sensations. I thought that the layout after the inversion would be really dull but there were several unexpected pops of air time that the seats created that otherwise probably wouldn't exist. For a "gimmick" coaster it's a pretty fun little gimmick. I have no idea where this thing ranks but it's a heck of a lot of fun. Mako is still my favorite coaster at SeaWorld, but this is a really nice addition.

The whole area around the ride looks great, it's very minimal on the themeing but the sand and the palm trees along the waters edge really looks great and has a nice beachy vibe to it. I did notice there was an awful lot of space on some pathways around the ride which makes me think there's some potential to really bring this area into use during the various festivals throughout the year. Lots of nice places for some food stands, and the whole plaza is goin to be a great viewing spot for the fireworks in the summer time.

As far as the loading procedures I really didn't notice any issues. Granted it was a passholder preview so crowds were limited, but we had a few rides where the line filled almost all of the main switchbacks below the stairs down the launch track and it took 10 maybe 15 minutes? They did have to re-check a few restraints each train but it really didn't feel slow or anything. Also I think I saw one person get turned away for the restraints but also noticed several larger people ride with no issues. Feels like there was a lot of discussion about the restraints being restrictive for larger people early on when the ride first opened, but I think that's just a thing that people (bloggers) bring up now to have something to talk about when it's really not that big of an issue.

Overall it feels like a really solid addition for the park, probably not gonna be anyone's favorite coaster ever but it's a really fun ride.

[grsupercity]

I keep hearing nothing but glowing reviews of this ride! 

[abovethesink]

We spent a day at SeaWorld while in Orlando earlier this month. I'll echo a lot of what people have said about the operations. They were very poor. With that said though, we had a really good day still.

Our group was myself, my wife, her sister, our 12 year old son, and our 14 month old twins. We opened with Manta. Well, they did. I have ridden it a few times and just don't like how I feel after the pretzel loop. All those flyers are just one moment of too much intensity for me coupled with a lot of boring. I don't hate them, but they aren't for me. Since someone has to stay with the twins, I volunteered. Instead I pushed the twins around the attached aquarium before taking them over to see the penguins while everyone else waited in the line. I forgot that the penguins themselves have a decent line too though. Long story short, I was regretting the decision a half hour later when we finally got to go in. The two of them were remarkably good for 14 month olds waiting in a line, but it was still exhausting. One can walk super well and the other can't at all, so I had to hold one or two of them the whole time. It would be nice if strollers could go in. Wheelchairs can. Please note that my tongue is almost entirely in cheek here, but who is more handicapped than a single parent with twin toddlers? Let me bring the stroller in!

Yet, all that exhaustion immediately melted away and I had our best moments of the entire trip in there. Our boy twin, the strong walker, absolutely lost his mind. He spent the entire five minutes pointing and alternating screaming "duck duck" and "quack quack" at the penguins. He was in heaven and remained captivated the entire time. Penguins are now known as Ice Ducks in our family. When we went back to Manta to grab everyone else, we turned around and went right back to the penguins to show everyone else. He repeated the act. Not much holds the attention of a young one year old but apparently penguins will do it infinitely for him. We got some amazing video there. Even after two full five minute sessions he was still enthralled by the views of the tank you get from outside the refrigerated habitat.

After that we had lunch in the restaurant nearby. The line to pay was a clusterbadword to say the least. There were two lanes and both looked like they had tellers, so both lanes filled up. Apparently one was just doing something on the monitor though and disappeared without saying anything. This led to the worker in the other lane yelling at everyone in the wrong lane for being in the wrong lane which made people grumpy. It wasn't great customer service to say the least. And on top of that, two full lanes had to somehow merge together into one lane that was already completely full. Yay, SeaWorld. A nice group of people gave up their space when they saw us trying to find shade for the toddlers at least. We were super grateful for them. The food was plain but edible.

Then we wandered over to Kraken. This still remains my favorite B&M Floorless. I always see mixed reviews but I have never had a bad ride on it. The wait was only a couple trains but the dispatches were slow enough to drag that out for a bit. The ride itself has a bit of a rattle but otherwise runs super well still. After that we tried to get on Pipeline. It was passholders only as expected. We live in NY about as far north as you can go in the state. It would have been nice for an upcharge option other than buying season passes we would have no way of using again this season. It is what it is though. We travel down to Orlando every couple years, so Pipeline isn't that far into the future.

Before we went to Pipeline, my wife took the toddlers to the Sesame Street area while us remaining three went to Pipeline and then Ice Breaker. Ice Breaker was a new credit for me and a very pleasant surprise. I think they missed the mark if they were going for a family coaster though, The airtime on the hill during the repeated passthrough launch was pretty strong. After you finally crest the hill the ride is pretty tame, but that first part of the ride exceeds family coaster status in my view. It made me think of Hershey's failed attempt at a crowd pleasing hyper and subsequent redo. SeaWorld should turn around and put another family coaster in if they really want one. While I don't have any complaints about the on ride experience, the wait was almost 45 minutes despite not having much of a line. What is the point of the switch track if you are only using one train? They were loading that one extremely slowly too. The line moved so infrequently that most of it sat down while we waited for the next shift in location.

After that we found the wife and kids and called it a day. This was day one of four straight parks, so we weren't looking to spend ten hours at SeaWorld. We definitely would have ridden Mako, probably more than once, if it was open. The new paint looks nice at least. I've ridden it before and love it like most people. It'll still be there in three or four years when we are back at least. All in all it was a good day despite the operational shortcomings. Crowds were light and we did what we could given not being allowed on Pipeline and Mako being closed. You can tell it is a pretty poorly run park operationally, but at least the stuff they have to do is all pretty good.

[thrillseeker4552]

SeaWorld is hosting a "VIP Ride Night" for pass holders this Thursday, June 1st, from 7pm to 10pm after the park closes at 6pm. Sounds like a cool opportunity to get lots of rides with minimal waits. The event page mentions Mako, Atlantis, and Pipeline being open. Unsure if that is the complete ride list or if Manta, Kraken, and/or Ice Breaker are also included. Regardless, it sounds like a fun event that I thought I would spread the word. I plan on stopping by and seeing what it's like.