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SeaWorld Orlando: General Discussion

Queue times are not bad generally, but ride wise it is mainly coasters. I went in August and longest I waited was 30 mins, at some points queues showed higher than that but they settled down (ie manta shoots up not long after open (ie 70+ mins) due to being by the entrance. They have all of the shows as well but as they are moving to a more ride based park some non coaster filler rides are what is needed.

There are other issues at Seaworld, operations are not the best and the ridiculous food and drink prices (and generally poor quality. After visiting many times decided not to visit on my next trip, had a poor trip to Busch in August 2022 and didn’t bother going this year.
 
Hi, I’m going to SWO next year, and I’m just curious as to what you mean by this. Do they have excessive queue times, or could they just do with padding out their lineup?
Aside from the coasters there’s not a great deal to do, and there aren’t that many coasters in the first place for an American amusement park. They need a greater variety of attractions to experience to make the place more than a half-day activity.
 
A recent guest survey has gone out which indicates some projects they are considering next-

1- a full refurb of Atlantis and resorting it’s back to how it was when it opened Inc story and effects etc.

2- a family friendly experience based on jellyfish and pre Jurassic sea creatures. Sounds like a possible family friendly slow moving dark ride experience

3- new coaster- the description sounds like it’s a Mack Striker. Vertical launch, dynamic layout with unique elements, a unique start to the ride and 4 across and 4 rows of open air ride cars.
 
A recent guest survey has gone out which indicates some projects they are considering next-

1- a full refurb of Atlantis and resorting it’s back to how it was when it opened Inc story and effects etc.

2- a family friendly experience based on jellyfish and pre Jurassic sea creatures. Sounds like a possible family friendly slow moving dark ride experience

3- new coaster- the description sounds like it’s a Mack Striker. Vertical launch, dynamic layout with unique elements, a unique start to the ride and 4 across and 4 rows of open air ride cars.
They don't really need option 3 right now.

Seaworld has enough coasters but needs some other things to do.
 
Is the new flying theatre from Brogent? I could have sworn I heard that Brogent and Vekoma were somehow linked…

Putting a potential Brogent/Vekoma link aside, I can’t think of anything Vekoma manufactures other than roller coasters. Aside from the odd Madhouse, I can’t think of any non-coaster rides Vekoma has manufactured in recent years.
 
As it turns out, Vekoma actually offers a wider range of non-coasters than I thought they did: https://www.vekoma.com/attractions

As well as a wide range of flying theatres and “media-based attractions”, they also offer the Madhouse, as well as a Suspended Dark Ride and a “Beat It Interactive Boat Ride”!

So if SeaWorld have contracted Vekoma, they aren’t necessarily automatically building a coaster as I’d previously thought!
 
On their recent survey one proposed attraction sounded like a family friendly dark ride themed to under the sea and jellyfish and prehistoric sea creatures. The suspended dark ride system could work this this theme.

the other two proposals were a makeover Atlantis (Mack rides) and the new thrill coaster proposed sounded like a Mack Striker based on the description.
 
I visited SeaWorld Orlando for the first time today since 2022, and here are my general observations:

Pipeline is really rather good! The ‘seating’ is more comfortable than expected with having free vertical movement throughout the experience, except it’s a touch tight on the shoulders. The ride itself is a lot of fun and it’s so bizarre experiencing airtime whilst standing up, especially as the negative Gs throw your seat upwards too.

Penguin Trek is a better use of space than that trackless dark ride ever seemed to be (I never rode it but it looked balls). The launch is punchy but the layout is underwhelming, threatening some air time but not delivering.

And as for Expedition Odyssey, the new Mack AIRIFIC (flying theatre), I seriously hope they improve. The ride system is incredibly basic with barely any movement, the screens are tiny and if you stretch out your hands or feet the projections will clip. They have 2 screens and seem to be able to seat 30 people per side, so they’d be good for small parks with lower budgets and guest figures, but they fall wide of the mark for a park like SeaWorld who should be striving for excellence.
 
I visited SeaWorld Orlando for the first time today since 2022, and here are my general observations:

Pipeline is really rather good! The ‘seating’ is more comfortable than expected with having free vertical movement throughout the experience, except it’s a touch tight on the shoulders. The ride itself is a lot of fun and it’s so bizarre experiencing airtime whilst standing up, especially as the negative Gs throw your seat upwards too.

Penguin Trek is a better use of space than that trackless dark ride ever seemed to be (I never rode it but it looked balls). The launch is punchy but the layout is underwhelming, threatening some air time but not delivering.

And as for Expedition Odyssey, the new Mack AIRIFIC (flying theatre), I seriously hope they improve. The ride system is incredibly basic with barely any movement, the screens are tiny and if you stretch out your hands or feet the projections will clip. They have 2 screens and seem to be able to seat 30 people per side, so they’d be good for small parks with lower budgets and guest figures, but they fall wide of the mark for a park like SeaWorld who should be striving for excellence.

Good post. We had an excellent day there a few weeks ago.

Totally agree with you about Pipeline. We loved it. Had two rides on it, one on the very back row and another on row 2. Loved both rides.

Penguin Trek was good fun for a family coaster and has the added treat of seeing the penguins in their enclosure as you exit. Although I do wish it was a larger enclosure for them. They are majestic animals and deserve a bit more space on land as well as just in the water.

The flying theatre was naff I agree. Felt completely pointless with zero thrill or excitement.

Mako absolutely blew me away. Couldn't get enough of those airtime hills.
 
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