Theme Park Best: Top 3 roller coasters at SeaWorld Orlando
We ask you, our readers, to vote for your favorite food, ride, land, or activity at theme parks around the world every week. This time, we’re ranking the Top 3 roller coasters at SeaWorld Orlando.
For the purpose of this poll, we evaluated all the roller coasters in the park, from big to small. We then read through each answer you shared on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube and compiled the top three.
These are the official winners for Top 3 roller coasters at SeaWorld Orlando:
3. Pipeline: The Surf Coaster
Pipeline: The Surf Coaster is the newest addition to the park, opening May 2023. This surf-style roller coaster has a height requirement of 54 inches minimum and 78 inches maximum. Riders will be launched at 60 miles per hour up to 110 feet while experiencing five airtime moments and an inversion.
2. Manta
Manta is one of the most exhilarating roller coasters in Florida, as guests lay down and soar over SeaWorld Orlando for dives and non-stop inversions. This roller coaster has a minimum height requirement of 54 inches. This coaster puts riders on their stomachs as they fly over the park, so remember to empty your pockets into the holding bins or a locker.
If you didn’t see, a brand new SeaWorld just opened in Abu Dhabi with its own version of a Manta roller coaster.
1. Mako
Mako is Orlando’s tallest and fastest roller coaster. This coaster is not for the faint of heart and requires a minimum height requirement of 54 inches. The hyper coaster has one goal: to send riders soaring skyward and then plummeting to the ground, again and again and again.
We reached out to you, and thanks to your votes, we have the Top 3 roller coasters at SeaWorld Orlando. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube to share your voice in our next poll.
Tharin I’d like your opinion and perhaps even an article on a trend I’ve noticed at SeaWorld
It seems by their recent construction of new rides that SeaWorld has become strictly a “thrill seekers park”
while eschewing any type of family oriented rides
They’ve built Icebreaker and Pipeline in just the last year while no longer offering the actual ride parts to both Empire of the Penguin and Wild Arctic
While true that they did build Infinity Falls a few years ago and do have the Sesame Street area for the younger ones, it seems as if any mid range type family rides are no longer in SeaWorlds iconography
Are they doing this to differentiate themselves from both Disney and Universal?
I’d appreciate your thoughts on this topic
Hey Vinnie, I completely agree with you that SeaWorld Orlando has had a recent fixation on thrill attractions.
There is a rumor that SeaWorld is working on a family coaster ride right now, but even if it is true, that is yet another coaster offering. I do think that SeaWorld is trying to separate itself from Disney and Universal. It needs to be distinct in this market. You have Disney, with their iron grip on “family, fantasy, and service” (even if in recent years their service has been questioned online). You have Universal, with their dominance on Harry Potter (possibly the most successful themed properties in the world?), as well as recent win, VelociCoaster. Universal also has the ever-growing Halloween Horror Nights, a world-wide name associated with quality and success. For budget trips, Fun Spot can’t be missed, they do offer rides and games for a fraction of the price. And, their location at Old Town offers nearby entertainment, bars, car shows, and nightlife. Legoland Florida is a bit farther away, but does really well for its regional area, and has done a surprisingly good job at continually adding new shows and rides to get repeat visitors. Their world-first Peppa Pig park was a major win as well.
That takes us back to SeaWorld, as well as their sister park, Busch Gardens. Busch Gardens, Epcot, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom did not suffer the same activist fate that SeaWorld Orlando had to endure with Blackfish. Even with SeaWorld’s hard work to disprove claims and vastly improve living conditions for animals, they still get that heat sometimes.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has maintained a strong foothold of animal conservation, food events, live music, and amazing roller coasters. They don’t try to take on Disney or Universal, and they don’t need too. They know they are still one of the strongest park offerings in the United States, even if they seem smaller because their neighbors are juggernauts.
That is where we come to SeaWorld Orlando, who appears to be taking advice from everyone, as well as pushing forward on their own path. In the past 5 years, I have seen a stronger push for food festivals at SeaWorld, (and in my opinion, they rival all the Florida theme parks for the best tasting food, as well as the best deals). I have also seen more religious and school offerings at SeaWorld than Disney or Universal. The American flag flies high at SeaWorld, and they talk about veteran perks more than Universal or Disney (from what I have seen). The Christian faith-based show, “O Wondrous Night” returned this year after fans asked for it. Alongside that SeaWorld has had to modify animal shows, and my brain tells me they have a secret new animal offering or show waiting away for a time that they need it.
Sesame Street Land was a MAJOR success to SeaWorld, and I truly think it came at a perfect time for them. The land is almost always the busiest area of the park. I think SeaWorld saw this, and saw a unique opportunity. Universal can have the teens, Disney can have the kids. SeaWorld wants three distinct audiences, toddlers, thrill seekers, and animal enthusiasts. These are wildly different people, but look at their advertising…
NEW LARGEST ROLLER COASTER, VISIT TODAY! or Free admission for kids with a purchasing adult pass or Annual Passholders get a free animal experience tour this upcoming month.
Pipeline: The Surf Coaster was an ambitious endeavor, and I applaud SeaWorld for their work. They got a world-first and that is their’s to claim forever. Use that to sell to the thrill lovers, and keep them with Mako and Manta, and the rest. Convince families to come to Sesame Street Land, where SeaWorld Orlando offers rides and character experiences with a fraction of Disney’s wait times, and it is cheaper to visit. Then, slowly and carefully use your die-hard fans (Annual Passholders and influencers) to build back up your name in the animal care world. I used to work for SeaWorld, I saw first hand how hard they work for these animals. But, to convince the public is hard work and will continue to take years and years.
For now, SeaWorld needs to focus on what works, and that has been major thrill rides and budget options of competitor offerings. Is Halloween Horror Nights too busy and expensive, Howl O Scream offers nighttime roller coaster rides, great shows, scare zones, and haunted houses. I actually wrote an article on why it is the perfect Halloween date night. Is Epcot’s food and wine festival busy and continually over-priced? Come to SeaWorld and get a lanyard, save money and sample drinks and food.
I have no rumors or info to base this on, but I do hope that the United States based SeaWorld parks look at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi and get even one of those realms to bring it to reality. I truly believe that if SeaWorld Orlando could bring a realm like that to life it would be a park game changer. SeaWorld Orlando desperately needs indoor offerings, and a monstrous indoor animal exhibit could lead the way for animal conservation and more offerings.
So, sorry for the long rant. But yes, I do think SeaWorld is modifying itself for a specific audience. I think it has to carefully pick its budget, but even with constraints it has been bold at times. I encourage SeaWorld Orlando to continue with its endeavors, and I hope for great offerings to keep coming for years to come, signed a 5 year+ Gold Passholder who has NO plans on stopping my support anytime soon.