SeaWorld Orlando announces new thrill ride, part coaster, part animal attraction

$80 million for Toy Story Mania? Wow! I wonder how much of that went to SW developers. ;)

So the description is rather vague. Anyone want to venture a guuess? Most money for an attraction? What's their most expensive to date? Spidey?

....and the hits just keep on coming.

It's good to live in Florida...REAL good. :)

Well the description does mention something about "gliding" - perhaps a B&M Flyer?

B&M Flyer, name: Mantaray.

That would be hot. There is going to be so much new stuff in Orlando the next time I am there, I can't wait!

That whole bit about "animal components" has me a bit nervous. It sounds like some sort of coaster/animal cyborg. ;)

I believe Sea World filed to trademark the name "Manta." B&M flyer, possibly built over/under/through a manta or stingray pool?

janfrederick:

No, it's not Spidey. I have Radiator Springs at Disney’s California Adventure at 300 million, and I imagine Test Track was a little lower than that. The Tower of Tower at MGM (Hollywood Studios) was at 140 million. I only think Spiderman was a 100 million.

Are you guys reading it the way I am? Single biggest investment in a SeaWorld park....that means it has to top...the JtA rides, Kraken, and probably Great White. I'm not saying this won't be impressive, only that the pricetag doesn't have to be THAT ouchrageous (TM - Moosh).

Also, for "interaction between ride and animals"....expect something VERY similar to Dolphin Plunge at Aquatica... ;)

^ re: interaction: I'd also expect a prelift section where riders glide slowly over (or thru, in a clear tube) a manta ray pool.

That might be cool. Let's make sure they can't jmp out of the water like what happened to that lady on the boat/

Are we really sure this attraction is going to feature manta rays? This page seems to indicate that manta rays and captivity don't mix.

While I'm sure this will be a nice ride (and a great addition to SWO), I'd expect that a good portion of that cost is giong toward construction of animal habitats and not the coaster itself.

-Nate

Toy Story Mania is more advanced than most people seem to believe. It's not just your average shoot the target dark ride.

Along with that, I believe Mission Space remains the single most expensive attraction ever built. It was in the $200 million range.

Whatever, I'm happy. SWF is one of my favorite parks and I'm thrilled it'll be getting a new attraction, especially if it's a variation of a B&M flyer. That'll make it totally unique in the region.

Am I the only one who thinks a flyer is a niche ride for a park that's only got a couple of coasters to begin with?

Already the park has a limited "thrill-seeking" audience. Going with a flyer seems like it eliminates a few folks who aren't quite so, ahem, adventurous.

Does anybody know when they will announce more?

The new stuff in Orlando overall is helping me break out of my Universal box. Yay for them!

There are MANY different kinds of rays, and some will do better in captivity than others. I wouldn't put it past the park to name the ride "Manta Ray" and then have another kind of ray on display.

Think of the "crocs" in the Montu pit. They used gators instead, for a varierty of very good reasons.

^^^Brian, I think of this in terms of diversifying their offerings to cast a wider net, demographically-speaking.

Finally, can I suggest using a Vekoma Stingray INSTEAD of the aforementioned and assumed B&M flyer...of course, Moosh may already *know*, so that might be moot. Given the nature of SWF guests, the lower throughput shouldn't be too big of an issue...

My sources aren't always correct, Bill.