Rank the B&M coasters in Florida

[Matt N]

Hi guys. The state of Florida contains many B&M coasters; between Universal Orlando, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, the state is now pretty saturated with them. Many different models are represented within Florida; the theme park capital of the world is almost a B&M showroom of sorts! But with a new prototype B&M having recently opened in the state in the form of Pipeline, I'd be keen to know; how do you rank the B&M coasters in Florida?

Personally, I've done all of the past and present B&M coasters in Florida with the exception of Pipeline (as it has only recently opened for staff previews), and I would rank them as follows:

1. Mako (SeaWorld Orlando) - This is a phenomenal ride, in my opinion! With phenomenal sustained airtime, an awesome sense of speed, a glass smooth ride experience, and huge rerideability and fun factor, this one has to be at the top for me! 10/10, #1/91 overall
2. Montu (Busch Gardens Tampa) - I remember this being pretty good! I only managed to get one ride, but I remember it having a brilliant sense of speed, brilliant pacing for its long length, and some excellent moments of intensity! I'd certainly describe it as my favourite B&M inverted coaster, anyhow. 9/10, #7/91 overall
3. SheiKra (Busch Gardens Tampa) - This is very close to Montu above, and could well shoot to #2 with a reride, but I also remember this being excellent! I love a good Dive Coaster, and I remember the drops on this one having the typical awesome sustained airtime sensation and phenomenal sense of speed! With that being said, I'm not necessarily sure the ride's additional length is a benefit compared to Oblivion. I currently have Oblivion ranked slightly higher, as I think that although Oblivion is short, the drop carries a bit more impact due to there being nothing else after it, if you get my drift. Although I haven't ridden SheiKra in 7 years, so I could feel differently if I get back to Busch Gardens in a month's time. 9/10, #8/91 overall
4. Kraken (SeaWorld Orlando) - I never hear particularly good things about this, but I remember it being surprisingly brilliant! The pacing was really good, the inversions were really strong, and it wasn't too rough, either; what's not to like? 8/10, #17/91 overall
5. Incredible Hulk (Universal's Islands of Adventure) - From memory, Hulk is a ride of two halves for me. The first few elements are absolutely ace, with that launch into the zero-g roll never failing to deliver and the ride holding excellent pace and intensity for the first few elements. However, the ride massively peters out, with the elements towards the end of the ride, particularly in the post-MCBR section, not having quite the same impact, which does lower it for me. The other thing that surprised me was that while not rough, Hulk was not smooth for a B&M coaster that had just reopened from a huge retrack (I last rode it in 2016). 8/10, #18/91 overall
6. Kumba (Busch Gardens Tampa) - This was the opposite of Kraken for me in that I always hear nothing but rave reviews of it, but I didn't think that it quite stood up to some of the other B&M coasters in Florida. Don't get me wrong, it was a great ride, with some awesome inversions and intensity, but I don't remember it quite warranting some of the huge hype it gets. 8/10, #19/91 overall
7. Manta (SeaWorld Orlando) - There's a pretty big chasm between this and Kumba for me in terms of ranking. I don't find flying coasters especially comfortable rides at the best of times, and I remember finding Manta's pretzel loop in particular a bit much for me in terms of intensity. A lot of people rave about this element, but I didn't like the sensation of blood rushing to my head, personally. I also didn't find that the rest of it particularly stood out compared to something like Galactica. Overall, even though Manta is bigger, I controversially prefer Galactica as flying coasters go, with that pretzel loop being a large part of the reason why. 5/10, #51/91 overall
8. Dragon Challenge Hungarian Horntail (Universal's Islands of Adventure) - I remember both Dragon Challenge coasters being pretty unremarkable, and surprisingly rough, inverts. Hungarian Horntail is ranked higher because I remember it being slightly less rough. 5/10, #52/91 overall
9. Dragon Challenge Chinese Fireball (Universal's Islands of Adventure) - As above, but slightly rougher. 5/10, #53/91 overall

I haven't ridden any of these coasters in 7 years, and some of them were only ridden once. But I'm going back to Florida in a month's time and reriding these coasters, as well as hopefully riding Pipeline for the first time and completing the set once again, so I'll be intrigued to see how this list changes after that.

But how would you rank the B&M coasters in Florida? Which one is your favourite? I'd be really keen to know!

 

[Alix]

I’ve only been to Florida once, and that was back in 1997 so my list is considerably shorter:

1 Montu. Think it was good (it was a long time ago). Ride photo suggests it was quite intense. My brother and I both have eyes screwed shut and grimaces. Parents refused to ride.

I’d love to go back, but not sure I’ll be able to afford it until I’m too old to enjoy it

 

[Burbs]

Very jealous of you having ridden Dragon Challenge @Matt N, but my list is as follows.

1. Montu - The intensity and relentlessness of Nemesis but dragged out over a much longer layout.

2. Mako - Wasn’t expecting to rate this particularly highly but the nippiness of it is great. I make no apologies for ranking Silver Star higher than it overall though, but I am a Sylvia fanboy. (Was going to abbreviate that to SS but worry I’d be misconstrued…)

3. Manta - The pretzel loop.

4. Incredible Hulk - A much longer layout than anticipated and I just found it really good fun.

5. Sheikra - Great drop, especially on the back row, but I found the layout a little cumbersome. That and after a few rides I gained a bit of a headache from it.

6. Kumba - Though arguably the most iconic thrill coaster in Florida, it’s very B&M by numbers. By no means a bad ride, however.

7. Kraken - I just didn’t find it particularly enjoyable, and it’s not aged very well either. It felt rather rough in some places.

 

[Matt N]

Very jealous of you having ridden Dragon Challenge @Matt N, but my list is as follows.

1. Montu - The intensity and relentlessness of Nemesis but dragged out over a much longer layout.

2. Mako - Wasn’t expecting to rate this particularly highly but the nippiness of it is great. I make no apologies for ranking Silver Star higher than it overall though, but I am a Sylvia fanboy. (Was going to abbreviate that to SS but worry I’d be misconstrued…)

3. Manta - The pretzel loop.

4. Incredible Hulk - A much longer layout than anticipated and I just found it really good fun.

5. Sheikra - Great drop, especially on the back row, but I found the layout a little cumbersome. That and after a few rides I gained a bit of a headache from it.

6. Kumba - Though arguably the most iconic thrill coaster in Florida, it’s very B&M by numbers. By no means a bad ride, however.

7. Kraken - I just didn’t find it particularly enjoyable, and it’s not aged very well either. It felt rather rough in some places.

In my view, you didn't miss too much. I admittedly never got to experience the rides duelling, and I only ever did either side once (Hungarian Horntail in 2014, Chinese Fireball in 2016), but as explained above, I didn't really rate either. They were easily my least favourite B&M inverts, and they alongside Manta were probably my least favourite B&Ms overall. I fully expect that I will likely prefer Hagrid's by some distance when I return to Universal next month.

You also have plenty of credits that I don't currently have in Florida, like VelociCoaster and Iron Gwazi, but that will hopefully change next month!

While I have your post quoted; if you don't mind me asking, what is it that makes you place Silver Star above Mako in the B&M hyper stakes? I personally found the two to be pretty closely matched to each other, and both were phenomenal rides (indeed, they're currently my #1 and #2!), but I eventually settled on slightly preferring Mako because I remember the ride's best airtime moments having a bit more impact than any on Silver Star, and I also remember the ride having this wonderful glass smoothness that Silver Star, while perfectly smooth, couldn't quite match. Granted, I had 3 rides on Mako nearly 7 years ago, whereas I had 10 rides on Silver Star only last year.

I don't know if you agree with my assessment, but those were just my thoughts.

 

[Burbs]

While I have your post quoted; if you don't mind me asking, what is it that makes you place Silver Star above Mako in the B&M hyper stakes? I personally found the two to be pretty closely matched to each other, and both were phenomenal rides (indeed, they're currently my #1 and #2!), but I eventually settled on slightly preferring Mako because I remember the ride's best airtime moments having a bit more impact than any on Silver Star, and I also remember the ride having this wonderful glass smoothness that Silver Star, while perfectly smooth, couldn't quite match. Granted, I had 3 rides on Mako nearly 7 years ago, whereas I had 10 rides on Silver Star only last year.

I really enjoy both but Silver Star has the full package for me. The jarring airtime after the MCBR. The slightly more elongated floater airtime throughout the camelbacks. The brilliant slalom ending.

Edit: It's worth noting the only B&M Hypers I've done are these two.

 

[Matt N]

I really enjoy both but Silver Star has the full package for me. The jarring airtime after the MCBR. The slightly more elongated floater airtime throughout the camelbacks. The brilliant slalom ending.

I will agree that I preferred Silver Star's ending, in fairness; I loved the ejector air in the post-MCBR section, and that s-bend into the brakes is a wonderfully snappy transition!

 

[Matt.GC]

Haven't been since 1994 (only a few weeks after doing Nemesis for the first time)! So only done Kumba and I adored it at the time. It was walk on early 1 morning and I remember going back round again and again over and over. Bloody loved the thing. I've always wondered what it would be like to ride it 29 years later.

 

[Tom]

Something international I can actually do for once...

1. Incredible Hulk - the upwards, enclosed launch is great
2. Manta - the height and Pretzel loop is awesome
3. Montu - excellent veteran
4. Mako - it's huge but a little simplistic and lumbering
5. Sheikra - good mix of features
6. Kraken - still good
7. Kumba - still good

 

[Austin Towers]

Shows how different we all are when Sheikra and Kraken are coming out better than Kumba with some of you. I'd have Kumba over those, I love it.

Mako was my favourite coaster in Florida but Iron Gwazi and Velocicoaster have killed everything else for me now. Just back from Florida last week and I did Velocicoaster back in late 2021 and wasn't overly impressed. It's either run in well or they've turned the power up as it's a completely different ride than before. I love it.

 

[Matt N]

Hi guys. The state of Florida contains many B&M coasters; between Universal Orlando, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, the state is now pretty saturated with them. Many different models are represented within Florida; the theme park capital of the world is almost a B&M showroom of sorts! But with a new prototype B&M having recently opened in the state in the form of Pipeline, I'd be keen to know; how do you rank the B&M coasters in Florida?

Personally, I've done all of the past and present B&M coasters in Florida with the exception of Pipeline (as it has only recently opened for staff previews), and I would rank them as follows:

1. Mako (SeaWorld Orlando) - This is a phenomenal ride, in my opinion! With phenomenal sustained airtime, an awesome sense of speed, a glass smooth ride experience, and huge rerideability and fun factor, this one has to be at the top for me! 10/10, #1/91 overall
2. Montu (Busch Gardens Tampa) - I remember this being pretty good! I only managed to get one ride, but I remember it having a brilliant sense of speed, brilliant pacing for its long length, and some excellent moments of intensity! I'd certainly describe it as my favourite B&M inverted coaster, anyhow. 9/10, #7/91 overall
3. SheiKra (Busch Gardens Tampa) - This is very close to Montu above, and could well shoot to #2 with a reride, but I also remember this being excellent! I love a good Dive Coaster, and I remember the drops on this one having the typical awesome sustained airtime sensation and phenomenal sense of speed! With that being said, I'm not necessarily sure the ride's additional length is a benefit compared to Oblivion. I currently have Oblivion ranked slightly higher, as I think that although Oblivion is short, the drop carries a bit more impact due to there being nothing else after it, if you get my drift. Although I haven't ridden SheiKra in 7 years, so I could feel differently if I get back to Busch Gardens in a month's time. 9/10, #8/91 overall
4. Kraken (SeaWorld Orlando) - I never hear particularly good things about this, but I remember it being surprisingly brilliant! The pacing was really good, the inversions were really strong, and it wasn't too rough, either; what's not to like? 8/10, #17/91 overall
5. Incredible Hulk (Universal's Islands of Adventure) - From memory, Hulk is a ride of two halves for me. The first few elements are absolutely ace, with that launch into the zero-g roll never failing to deliver and the ride holding excellent pace and intensity for the first few elements. However, the ride massively peters out, with the elements towards the end of the ride, particularly in the post-MCBR section, not having quite the same impact, which does lower it for me. The other thing that surprised me was that while not rough, Hulk was not smooth for a B&M coaster that had just reopened from a huge retrack (I last rode it in 2016). 8/10, #18/91 overall
6. Kumba (Busch Gardens Tampa) - This was the opposite of Kraken for me in that I always hear nothing but rave reviews of it, but I didn't think that it quite stood up to some of the other B&M coasters in Florida. Don't get me wrong, it was a great ride, with some awesome inversions and intensity, but I don't remember it quite warranting some of the huge hype it gets. 8/10, #19/91 overall
7. Manta (SeaWorld Orlando) - There's a pretty big chasm between this and Kumba for me in terms of ranking. I don't find flying coasters especially comfortable rides at the best of times, and I remember finding Manta's pretzel loop in particular a bit much for me in terms of intensity. A lot of people rave about this element, but I didn't like the sensation of blood rushing to my head, personally. I also didn't find that the rest of it particularly stood out compared to something like Galactica. Overall, even though Manta is bigger, I controversially prefer Galactica as flying coasters go, with that pretzel loop being a large part of the reason why. 5/10, #51/91 overall
8. Dragon Challenge Hungarian Horntail (Universal's Islands of Adventure) - I remember both Dragon Challenge coasters being pretty unremarkable, and surprisingly rough, inverts. Hungarian Horntail is ranked higher because I remember it being slightly less rough. 5/10, #52/91 overall
9. Dragon Challenge Chinese Fireball (Universal's Islands of Adventure) - As above, but slightly rougher. 5/10, #53/91 overall

I haven't ridden any of these coasters in 7 years, and some of them were only ridden once. But I'm going back to Florida in a month's time and reriding these coasters, as well as hopefully riding Pipeline for the first time and completing the set once again, so I'll be intrigued to see how this list changes after that.

But how would you rank the B&M coasters in Florida? Which one is your favourite? I'd be really keen to know!

Having now returned to Florida and ridden a number of these rides for the first time in 7 years as well as having ridden Pipeline for the first time, I think I should update this list:
(New entries are in italics, moved entries are underlined)

1. Mako (SeaWorld Orlando) - My comments from before still apply, and all I'll say is that it still firmly stands up 7 years later! 10/10, #1/99 overall
2. SheiKra (Busch Gardens Tampa) - Wow, I definitely enjoyed this more than I remembered! Both drops had such phenomenal sustained airtime, the ride had such a powerful sense of speed throughout, and overall, it was just a fantastic coaster! I love a B&M Dive Coaster, and this was a great one; I just loved the raw power and airtime of it, and I have to say that the additional length and size definitely added something to it compared to Oblivion for me. Overall, SheiKra was a great ride, and definitely more fun than I'd remembered 7 years ago! 10/10, #7/99 overall
3. Montu (Busch Gardens Tampa) - Due to the ride being closed, I was unable to ride this on my recent trip. 9/10, #12/99 overall
4. Kumba (Busch Gardens Tampa) - My overall impression of Kumba was quite similar to what it was 7 years ago, but I have to say that the pacing is better than I'd remembered, the layout is overall better and more potent than I'd remembered, and it was also remarkably smooth for a 30 year old B&M. Kumba was noticeably smoother than something like Hulk, which I find staggering given that Hulk has been retracked and Kumba hasn't! 8/10, #21/99 overall
5. Kraken (SeaWorld Orlando) - My overall impression of Kraken was very similar to that of 7 years ago, to be honest. Similarly to Kumba, it was a decent B&M with some good speed and inversions, and it wasn't overly rough either. 8/10, #22/99 overall
6. Incredible Hulk (Universal's Islands of Adventure) - I have to say that this dropped a fair bit in my estimations compared to 7 years ago. That launch and first inversion still deliver, and the ride is paced very well from start to end, but it was definitely a bit rougher than I'd remembered, with a noticeable rattle throughout and a few notable moments of headbanging, which is surprising for a B&M that technically only has 7 year old track. Hulk's not a bad ride, but it's a distant third of the three Florida sit-down/floorless coasters for me. 6/10, #37/99 overall
7. Pipeline: The Surf Coaster (SeaWorld Orlando) - I was really looking forward to Pipeline after hearing some very positive initial reviews, but I'm afraid that it didn't really do it for me. On paper, it has everything you'd want; the launch is punchy, the layout is great fun, it's smooth, it has good speed, the "jumping" seats are an interesting idea, and there are a few surprisingly strong moments of airtime. However, it was ruined for me by the fact that it fundamentally isn't comfortable, in my opinion. The vests are extremely tight, and they pinched my collar bones a lot more noticeably than those on something like The Swarm. I also found that when the seats "jumped", it hurt me a tad in the crotch, and the landing after the "jump" ended was somewhat uncomfortable on the feet. And overall, I just found the standing position in general a bit of an uncomfortable position to negotiate the layout in. All in all, then, Pipeline was a disappointment for me, for the simple reason that it's just a bit uncomfortable. 5/10, #52/99 overall
8. Dragon Challenge Hungarian Horntail (Universal's Islands of Adventure) - For the obvious reason of it being defunct, I did not get to ride this on my recent trip. 5/10, #56/99 overall
9. Dragon Challenge Chinese Fireball (Universal's Islands of Adventure) - As above. 5/10, #57/99 overall
10. Manta (SeaWorld Orlando) - I've never been a huge fan of this, but the whole thing seemed even more uncomfortable than I'd previously remembered for reasons I can't quite pinpoint, and even more uncomfortable than a ride like Galactica at Alton Towers. The pretzel loop, while perhaps not quite as bad as I'd previously remembered, was still an element I found pretty unpleasant to negotiate. Overall, I liked Manta less than I'd remembered, and I'd say that it's probably my least favourite B&M coaster. 4/10, #68/99 overall