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Rank the B&M coasters in Florida

Matt N

Matt N

CF Legend
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!
 
1. Montu - It is my favorite invert. Rode it last year for the first time in almost 15 years and it was just as good as I remembered it. The batwing is amazing and I love the loop buried in the trench. I just love all the low-to-the-ground elements throughout the ride.

2. Kumba - 30 years old and still packs a punch. It is forceful and fun. The elements are a staple of B&Ms now, but they just hit differently on this ride. I also love the helix at the end after diving in the tunnel.

3. Mako - Lots of great airtime on this one. Smooth and re-ridable. The hill that dives to the right on the return run is my personal favorite, and the view over the water at the end is very nice.

4. Incredible Hulk - The lift hill launch might be my favorite moment on any operating Florida B&M. It just plants you in your seat. Like Matt said, the first half is stellar. The launch/zero-g roll, cobra roll, loop, corkscrew, loop sequence are just relentless. The 2nd half is just ok, though, with nothing to make it stand out.

5. Dueling Dragons - I'm going to rank Fire and Ice together, as together and dueling they were quite the engineering feat. By themselves, the two separate tracks were nothing to write home about, although I preferred Fire's track because it had the more unique elements. Together, though, they created some incredible moments. The first near-miss was my favorite Florida B&M moment (while on Fire). Even knowing the Ice train was coming, I still yanked my feet up as it flipped up underneath us on my first ride. The loops were iconic as well. Also, this might be the only coaster I've ever been on where the lack of visibility on a night ride was disappointing. Definitely preferred it during the day for the visuals.

6. SheiKra - My favorite of the 3 dive machines I've ridden. I love the theme, and to me, the drop into the tower structure makes the 2nd drop stand out more than the other models I've been on.

7. Manta - This was a decent flyer. The pretzel loop was great, and I like the water element on the dive to the pool at the end. Flyers aren't my favorite models, but there are definitely worse ones to ride. Bonus points for all the different aquarium sections throughout the queue.

8. Kraken - This was one that I had wanted to ride for years, and when I finally got on it last year, it was just ok. I've ridden lots of B&Ms with those elements, and they just didn't stand out to me on Kraken. By far my favorite part of the ride was the end, diving in and out of the tunnels. But other than that, not much to write home about.
 
1. Manta I love flying coasters and this one has some airtime on the first drop and midcourse drop. The pretzel loop is also great.
2. Mako Big disappointment, there just isn’t enough quantity of airtime to be a top tier hyper.
3. SheiKra Dives are always fun, I think the airtime is better than Griffon.
4. Incredible Hulk The zero-g roll is great and I like the onboard audio, but the restraint was constantly pushing into my stomach unlike any other b&m I’ve done making the whole ride a little uncomfortable.
5. Kumba Zero-G roll is great, but b&m loopers can only be so good with all the cookie cutter inversions.
6. Montu Good invert, but not a big fan of inverts.
7. Kraken My one ride was forceless and stale.
 
Ooooh, list topics...and a locally based one at that! First and second for me are almost interchangeable depending on how I'm feeling that day.... but since I've gone on Mako more recently I'll give it the nod

Mako
Kumba
SheiKra
Manta
Kraken
Hulk
Ice Dragon
Pipeline
Fire Dragon
Montu
 
1. Mako
2. The Incredible Hulk
3. Sheikra
4. Manta
5. Kumba
6. Kraken

Missed out on Montu as it was down for it's big repaint when I went.
 
1. Mako: Mako is just a great ride. Every element hit for me. Even the second half that everyone complains about I found to be great. I ended with 13 rides in one day on my trip to SWO because of how much I loved this ride

2. Hulk: This is actually my favorite ride at Universal Studios. The forces on Hulk are just unreal. The first three, elements, four counting the launch, are just spectacular.

3. Manta: Manta is a great ride. I wasn't expecting a great ride but that's definitely what I got!

4. SheiKra: This is without a doubt quite a hot take. I personally prefer SheiKra over every other B&M at Busch gardens and Kraken. I love the airtime on the drop, the Immelmann is just fun, the second drop is good, and the splashdown is a neat visual. Overall it's just a fun ride.

5. Montu: It's intense but honestly I was expecting more then what I got. It was fun and had good pacing but I really wanted it to be more given how much hype it gets.

6. Kumba: Kumba looks good from on offride perspective, the same cannot be said for the ride itself. it's forceful but at the end of the day it's just a run of the mill B&M looper.

7. Kraken: It's just alright.
 
1. Mako - awesome hyper and still my favourite B&M coaster ever.

2. Incredible Hulk - great launch, super intense and love the setting of this coaster (over the lake).

3. Sheikra - forgot how good this dive coaster was. Seriously good drop, pretty forceful and just a good ol' classic dive machine.

4. Montu - used to prefer this more than Sheikra but after my most recent visit here, I didn't find it to be as intense as I used to think it was. Still, awesome invert.

5. Kraken - Wouldn't have had this ranked as high in my 2018 visit but it was a totally different ride experience for me in 2022. Seemed to be running pretty smooth and intense and some of those inversions were very whippy! Just good fun.

6. Manta - I'm not too bothered about flying coasters so this one doesn't rank too high but it's still got that awesome pretzel loop which packs so much force.

7. Kumba - as others have said, looks great off-ride but the coaster experience itself is just pretty bog standard. Doesn't have stand out moments for me.
 
1. Mako - I'm a big B&M hyper fan, and this is my fav one for now
2. Montu - every element hits, about as good as an invert can be
3. Kumba - about neck and neck with Montu, maybe my favorite zero g roll of all time, among the most relentlessly paced coasters I've ever been on
4. SheiKra - hard to beat the first drop with traditional OTSRs, also among the best immelmanns
5. Kraken - about as fun as Montu and Kumba but without the relentless pacing, very underrated IMO
6. Incredible Hulk - I've only been on it once over 10 years ago, I forget everything after the midcourse
7. Manta - the best flyer that I've been on but I don't like looking at the ground for a whole ride
 
1: Mako- I mean, it's a B&M hyper
2: Montu- Every element is flowing and feels like it belongs
3: Kumba- Best B&M sit-down ever made.
4: Kraken- Great fun but overshadowed by Mako and Manta
5: Sheikra- Not the biggest fan of dive machines, but a solid ride, with great inversions, and decent pacing.
6: Incredible Hulk- The pacing falls a little off on this ride, and the second vertical loop feels out of place.
7: Manta- Best flyer I've been on, but not my favorite model.

*From POV´s I think Pipeline would slide in at about the 4th or 5th spot. Looks to have good pacing and airtime. Not sure about the standing aspect though.
 
1. Montu- My favorite invert overall, just edging out Banshee
2. Mako- My favorite hyper overall
3. SheiKra- My favorite dive overall, although they're all kind of bunched together in my rankings
4. Kumba- Surprisingly still really good, has actually moved up my ranking the last few years
5. Pipeline- Surprising airtime. Only got one ride on it but this seems like a safe early spot to rank it
6. Manta- Fantastic layout. Would be higher but as I get older flyers get more uncomfortable to me
7. Dueling Dragons Fire- Trying to rank DD realistically without nostalgia is tough
8. Dueling Dragons Ice- Wasn't as good as fire I remember
9. Kraken- It's ok, I like it but it's a little rough
10. Incredible Hulk- Completely dies off after that 2nd loop and just meanders around the track

My top 2 and bottom 2 were the easiest to rank. Those middle 6 are tough and it really depends on the day you ask me and my mood. Also I refuse to call Dueling Dragons by any other name...
 
1. Mako - I love a good B&M hyper. Not my favorite but compared to the other FL coasters, it's the best.
2. Montu - this thing is smooth and extremely forceful. What a difference a few years after Kumba really makes. The batwing and the loop in the trench are my favorite part
3. Kumba - the classic. I wish B&M still made janky rides like this. It runs well for a 30 year old coaster.
4. Hulk - the first half is amazing. The second half leaves a lot to be desired. The ride did have a bit of a rattle, but it wasn't bad last time I rode it
5. Fire Dragon - I love the immelmann into the helix. Such a great element.
6. Manta - I don't ride this often because the pretzel loop is uncomfortable for me. The queue is wonderful and the rest of the layout is pretty solid. Sitting on the brake run sucks too.
7. Pipeline - solid new attraction for SWO. Vests are painful though
8. Kraken - a bit more of a modern take for Kumba, but not nearly as intense. The ride also tends to rattle worse than Kumba does.
9. Ice Dragon - love the airtime hill but the ride kinda meandered toward the end.
10. Sheikra - fun ride but these dive machines aren't really my thing
 
Looks like I got a backlog of these ranking lists...

1. Mako
2. Montu
3. Manta
4. Chinese Fireball
5. Kumba
6. Hungarian Horntail
7. Incredible Hulk
8. Sheikra
9. Kraken
 
Matt N said:
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!
Click to expand...
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
 
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