What's new

Manta- B&M Flyer for SWO opening May 22

CedarPoint6

Hyper Poster
Opening Date: May 22nd.

Official announcement:

SeaWorld Orlando Announces New Mega-Attraction Coming In 2009
-- Manta, Ride The Flying Ray --

ORLANDO Fla. (May 29, 2008) -- SeaWorld Orlando announced today the next generation of SeaWorld thrills with Manta -- a new mega-attraction which will seamlessly transition guests from the awe of encountering rays in underwater flight… into the sensation of actually being one. Swooping over sea and sky, Manta will inspire riders with amazing underwater animal habitats, then soar them face-down, in a horizontal position, aboard a manta-inspired flying coaster. Manta opens summer 2009.

The Manta flying coaster will create a new level of immersion into the animal world -- in a way only SeaWorld can do -- enveloping riders in a sensation of oneness with the ocean's most powerful and graceful creature as they soar, dive and plummet through the air.. and at times within inches of the sea.

The journey begins the second guests enter a mythical village filled with artisan-created engravings and artwork that celebrate ray legend and lore. No ordinary queue line – the attraction starts with the first step inside. Anticipation builds as guests wind through caverns adorned with ray-inspired art in marble, jewels, and mosaics, all hand-created and left behind by artists who were moved to pay tribute to the beauty, grace and intrigue of these animals.

Whether guests choose to ride or not, the attraction is a world unto itself. Floor-to-ceiling windows create mesmerizing face-to-fin encounters with 300 rays, as well as thousands of fish and mysterious creatures native to oceans all over the world. Shark rays, spotted eagles rays, leopard rays, cownose rays, and oscillate river rays float past guests with fluidity and grace in a view new to SeaWorld. Enhancing the feeling of awe, elaborate lighting, sound and rushing waterfalls further submerge guests into this underwater universe.

The experience then evolves from seeing ... to being.


Inspired by the underwater flight of these powerful creatures, guests will fly face-down, in a horizontal position, underneath the belly of a coaster train shaped as a giant manta. With a wing span of 12 feet, the giant manta will soar over sea and sky in the most graceful flying coaster ever created.

Gliding, swooping and diving up to nearly 60 mph, through four inversions on 3,359 feet of track, riders will feel as if they are a ray, taking flight effortlessly from sky to sea -- so close at times that the Manta's wings skim the waves.

"This ride is uniquely SeaWorld,” said Dan Brown, Vice President and General Manager of SeaWorld Orlando. "SeaWorld is famous for connecting guests with the sea and its amazing creatures, and Manta does this in a way that has never been done before, creating a true sense of oneness between human and animal.

"The sensation of Manta also will be like none other in the world – guests will be inspired by the grace and power of live rays, then feel as if they, themselves, are gliding through air and water,” said Joseph Couceiro, Chief Marketing Officer for SeaWorld's parent company, Busch Entertainment Corporation. "No one but SeaWorld can unite thrills and ocean animals into such a unique experience.”

The 4-acre, 140-ft tall attraction will be located inside the main entrance to SeaWorld, and become an icon in the park with its unique design. Towering over SeaWorld's 200-acres, the manta-themed coaster – cloaked in hues of dark purple, ultramarine blue, and cobalt – will lure guests into the world of the mysterious ray.

SeaWorld is working with the renowned Swiss coaster design company, Bolliger & Mabillard for the design of Manta.

SeaWorld Orlando is one of 10 Worlds of Discovery parks operated by Busch Entertainment Corporation. The other Florida Worlds of Discovery parks are: Aquatica, SeaWorld's waterpark in Orlando; Discovery Cove in Orlando; Busch Gardens Africa and Adventure Island in Tampa. For guests looking for the best value and flexibility when planning their vacation, multi-park tickets are available. Admission to Discovery Cove includes seven days of admission to either SeaWorld or Busch Gardens. For more information on multi-park tickets and vacation planning tips, guests may visit www.seaworld.com or call (800) 327-2424. Worlds of Discovery, based in Orlando, Fla., employs more than 21,000 people nationwide. On the Web at www.WorldsofDiscovery.com.


--SeaWorld--

See the original rumors topic here:
http://www.coasterforce.com/forums/view ... &start=126

TPR's topic with several concept pictures and stats:
http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/vi ... 894#587894
 
Yay so finally it's official. Any ideas when construction begins? I read in our holiday brochure it's scheduled to open Spring '09 and the Orlando theme parks don't usually disappoint with deadlines.
 
When do you think we will see layout plans?
The coaster looks impressive on paper, being slightly smaller than Tatsu, and with potentially the best queue line out there... Wait a sec, may that mean that we will see an underwater station too?

Or perhaps it will be a regular queueline, going down into a basement with large windows bordering the manta tank, before stairs lead to the platform.
 
I hope that they stick with the colours they have planned as it's a really nice shade of blue and blends in nicely with it's surroundings and the water below.

Plus, I really like the idea of dipping the wings of the car along the waters surface. :D
If this stays on track and opens on time then it's set to be an absolute stunner. :D
 
Ok so in 2008/2009 Florida's getting...

Manta
Aquatica
Hollywood Rip, Rockit, Ride
Simpsons
Harry Potter
Toy Story Midway Mania
Possibly a new B&M Hyper for Busch Gardens
And Disney's bound to add at least another small thing or two

2009 is looking like an amazing time to visit Florida.


On topic though this ride looks amazing. It might actually finally make the Sea World ticket price worth it, and put it in the same caliber as most other Florida theme parks.
I just hope they can keep a solid two-three train operation going at all time, as these coasters tend to have problems in that aspect.
 
^Hopefully during the summer?
Because if not you're going to be missing like 6 things by a month or two, which would suck.
 
I have a feeling that we won't see that hyper in BGA by 2009. After the huge investment they made with Jungala, I think 2009 will be a quiet year.

Of course, I would love for my thoughts to be proven wrong here.
 
I like the idea. It sounds like an awesome experience. Hopefully I'll get to go ride it with PLCP next year.
 
Like Ollie said above, the thing I am most interested to see are the layout plans.

If they can utilise the water and aquariums well enough then I think that's what will make or break this ride. I'm not saying that the layout won't be good, I just think that they seem to be focusing on the theming so much, which is great, but the just have to get it right.
 
Rahh this is awesome! I'm going to Florida in November and I haven't been in 16 years!! =[ So I'm mega excited, shame this won't be finished by the time I go because it sounds amazing and the artists impression is stunning.

I'll take some pics of its construction and stuff though..
 
The whole walk through area to the ride itself sounds like it will be amazing and will really prepare people for the coaster journey.

Just hope the coaster will still be intense enough and not just a smooth ride over a tank to oberve the fish. But it looks very impressive from the illustrations.
 
Yay! I am so excited to see construction and layout plans. An under water que would so great! Also as it says in the quote, "views from ceiling to floor". So maybe they could ahve a glass floor in the station somewhere that allows guest to see the fish and stuff.
I don't think the coaster will actually dip into the actual aquarium. They either need to make a little blocked off section of the aquarium where the coaster can splash without bothering the animals. Or they can splash water up when the coaster goes by. Oh well, that's just my opinion.
 
Sounds so much better than I thought it would be, good on them looks like they have actually thought about this than rushing to get a coaster.
 
Going back to Orlando in 2010 :) I still think next year is to risky as the Harry Potter Land does not open until the end of the year.
 
Manta sounds very well themed and I hope it has a great layout. Although, I wonder how else it will interact with the water other than the water splash... Maybe a clear underwater tunnel at the bottom of the main drop with some other effects....
 
That looks bloody amazing.
Is the train acctually going to be shapped like a manta ray!?, or is it gna like just, fly over them!? Cause seriously, that looks amazing
 
Top