Manta POV (from SeaWorld YouTube channel)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld2BbcxWzPk

Well, it's not the entire ride POV, but you get a look at the drop some of the pretzel loop and up right until the mid-layout block brake.

Off-ride video of Manta testing with employees:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ncschHaziU

Looks incredibly faster than S:UF!

Are the any other Buzzers out there doing one of Manta's media days? Sounds like a good time, it'll be interesting to see if they're handled any differently under InBev's regime....

Grrrr, why can't they just show a POV of the complete ride and not cut back and forth between that and a view of one rider and not even show the entire ride? I hate it when videos are edited this way.

Have fun Gator. Say hi to Rob and Gary.

Looks pretty amazing. Hoping to ride it in a few years.

Do you guys really think it looks amazing? For some reason I was expecting more. To me it doesn't look any more exciting than the typical SUE--a little taller, a little longer and an extra inversion or two, but not that much to get excited about. An extra 13 feet to the drop can't increase the speed that much.

I thought there was going to be a little more interaction with the ride and the water--the artist's misconception showed a wingtip splashdown, but I didn't see anything like that in the video. It was hard to tell if it was even over any water. Perhaps if they had just shown the POV I might have seen more.

I'm sure the queuing will be incredible with the underwater aquarium, but the ride itself will nice, fun, and a good addition for SeaWorld. Amazing--not so much.

Well the POV does seem to end early. Perhaps the pool with the water wasn't filled yet.

I've already given my opinion about flying coasters in general, that being that I'm not fond of them. It's just not a particularly comfortable experience.

I will have to agree with Jeff, especially when you are waiting to get back into the station because somebody on the train in front of you had their feet outside the holders and they had to put the ride back down. And the best part of flying coasters is staring the puke and spit in the face!

Jeffrey Seifert said:Do you guys really think it looks amazing? For some reason I was expecting more.

I wasn't... ;)

I thought there was going to be a little more interaction with the ride and the water--the artist's misconception showed a wingtip splashdown, but I didn't see anything like that in the video. It was hard to tell if it was even over any water.

If Aquatica's "Dolphin Plunge" was the standard you're using - and it was mine - then we ended up with the anticipated results. SeaWorld has done a good job of "involving" the rides with the animal enclosures...the riders, maybe not as much. It's going to be a solid ride, and should have great ROI - but there's a reason Rockit has garnered "the whale's share" of the Orlando-area attention. :)

Jeffrey Seifert said:
I thought there was going to be a little more interaction with the ride and the water--the artist's misconception showed a wingtip splashdown, but I didn't see anything like that in the video. It was hard to tell if it was even over any water. Perhaps if they had just shown the POV I might have seen more.

Oh, don't be so quick to judge. :)

http://nicksvideo.com/manta/Splash_003.jpg

http://nicksvideo.com/manta/Splash_002.jpg

^Based on those pics, if you are in the far right seats of the last 3 rows, you are going to get a nice surprise getting wet.

Manta is a great addition to the park. Not just the ride itself is really good but the entire experience with the queue (even the floors are themed and they have great mood setting music) to the water effect. As for the ride itself it was perhaps the smoothest coaster I've been on and it seemed so well engineered that ever turn and loop and such were all taken so smoothly and didn't feel like the train was jolting around. Sea World hit a home run with this one.

As for the water effect... while the train doesn't touch the water the effect does a great job of making it look like it does and from the sounds of the people watching it it also makes a lot of people believe it does. And no you really don't get "wet", misting yes, wet no.

You would be surprised with the attention the ride is drawing. So much in fact they added a second media day due to high number of responses. The announcement of the soft opening this week was a big news item in Orlando this weekend.

I'm anxious to get back for media day in a few weeks and log a few more rides - Manta has quickly become a favorite of mine.

Is it open to the public?

Re: waiting in prone position
How many trains does it have? If it has 2 trains and 2 stations, it should never be waiting in the breaks, right?

By the way, how many trains does Tatsu have and does it end up waiting? Does the extra station increase capacity that much? paging SFMMAddict

rollergator said:
Are the any other Buzzers out there doing one of Manta's media days? Sounds like a good time, it'll be interesting to see if they're handled any differently under InBev's regime....

I will be down there for the media days. Official opening is the 22 for public.

Im slightly confused at the "how it will be handled by InBev". They will more than likely have little effect on an already built coaster. InBev comes more into play when it relates to salaries, new/upcoming projects, and partnerships between parks and brewery.. I doubt there will be any noticeable effect on Manta due to InBev.

^^ Tatsu has 3 trains, but I have never seen them run more than 2 at a time. I have only seen them run both stations twice. Both times were on holiday weekends when the park was packed. On those two trips the line moved like clockwork and you did not have to wait at the end. When they run one station, you have to wait at the end, so I would say that the extra station does increase capacity. It eliminates the downtime when one train is being checked and the other one is just sitting there.

ApolloAndy said:
Is it open to the public?

It opened yesterday around 2:30pm. It will be open each afternoon through May 10th as part of soft openings. Media days are 20/21st. Grand opening is 22nd.

Wow, that splash down is more impressive than Pilgrim's Plunge. ;)

kRaXLeRidAh said:

Jeffrey Seifert said:
I thought there was going to be a little more interaction with the ride and the water--the artist's misconception showed a wingtip splashdown, but I didn't see anything like that in the video. It was hard to tell if it was even over any water. Perhaps if they had just shown the POV I might have seen more.

Oh, don't be so quick to judge. :)

http://nicksvideo.com/manta/Splash_003.jpg

http://nicksvideo.com/manta/Splash_002.jpg

That 2nd pic looks like they're using water jets. Guess I was wrong in thinking that there would be scooplike device that Sheikra, and Griffon use.

Coasterphan said:

That 2nd pic looks like they're using water jets. Guess I was wrong in thinking that there would be scooplike device that Sheikra, and Griffon use.

That would be an awkward design as the train and track are above the riders and not below as it is in Sheikra and Griffon. In order to do that the scoops would have to start from train assembly above the rider and run below the rider towards the ground level, or awkwardly jet out one side of the train which would cause pretty nasty asymmetric drag on one side of the coaster (since its in a bank).

I suppose it could dip them underwater so the "shorter scoops" would work, but I think the risk of drowning the riders would occur ;)

ridemcoaster said:[Im slightly confused at the "how it will be handled by InBev". They will more than likely have little effect on an already built coaster. InBev comes more into play when it relates to salaries, new/upcoming projects, and partnerships between parks and brewery.. I doubt there will be any noticeable effect on Manta due to InBev.

LOL, the ride is the ride. I meant how they'd handle Media Days (for example, in comparison to the media stuff for SheiKra, which seemed a little bit disorganized).

edit: I should note the only other media day opening I've attended was for Mummy. With SheiKra we got a bunch of rides in - although with Mummy we got some cool "gifts". :)

re-edited for name confusion... ;)