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Park News - (6/24/09) Discovery Cove is now offering special discount rates for Florida Residents, where you can save $90 off each reservation to the park, along with a 14 consecutive day pass good to either SeaWorld Orlando or Busch Gardens Tampa.
  (6/22/09) SeaWorld sent in a couple of fun pictures showing off some very ‘cool’ chairs they set up on the beach at Aquatica on the official first day of Summer. Each of these special lounge chairs were crafted from a solid block of ice and weighed in at more than 2,000 lbs each. They only lasted a few hours under the hot Florida sun though before they were gone.
  (6/12/09) A new special for Florida Residents is offering a really great deal. For a limited time, when you buy a full priced ticket to SeaWorld Orlando you will be given your choice of a free ticket to either Busch Gardens Tampa or Aquatica that is good through to the end of 2009.
  (5/18/09) Screamscape sources tell us that Manta will actually be closed on Monday for some reason, as the ride is technically still in a soft-opening mode. So if you were planning a trip to ride on Monday… reschedule.
  (4/30/09) A 23 year old Miami resident on LSD attempted to enter SeaWorld Orlando this week without paying several times before his actions eventually led into a fight with the local O.C. Sheriff’s Department who broke out the taser and shocked him several times, with little to no effect. Eventually, with a few more shocks, deputies were able to restrain him with a rope and take him into custody. Wow… that’s got to be a wild video if anyone got that on tape.
  (4/24/09) SeaWorld, Aquatica and Discovery Cove will be featured in a new one-hour Animal Planet special called Outrageous SeaWorld which will air on Saturday, April 25th at 10pm.
  (4/21/09) SeaWorld Orlando will host a special Breakfast with Jack Hanna event on the mornings of May 1st and May 2nd.
  (4/14/09) According to a source the new Kinetix show name and basic concept is actually a semi-transplant from Busch Gardens Williamsburg where they’ve had their own version of the show performed for the past four seasons.
  (4/13/09) Over the past week for Spring Break SeaWorld started up a few news-worthy items. For starters we’ve heard about a new evening show at Bayside Stadium called Kinetix, which is a mix of some music, dancing, bike stunts and stilt-walkers. The comments we got on this show were somewhat mixed… not bad but not great either, and I know SeaWorld has tried a few other shows with a very similar mix of elements in this same show space over the years since the Ski Show was put out to pasture, so we’ll see if this one takes or not.
  In other news the nightly Mistify spectacular show on the lake has some exciting new changes that SeaWorld fans will want to know about. For starters, the viewing locations for the show have changed this year, as the fountains and waterscreen once set up for viewing from the new “Waterfront” area have been moved over to a new location for viewing from Bayside Stadium on the other side of the bridge. (The second show setup near the Spice Mill restaurant is still in place however.)
  (4/6/09) SeaWorld has announced that they will be auctioning off some first rides on Manta as one of the many items up for bidding for the SeaWorld / Busch Gardens Conservation Fund. Other fun items of note to all theme park enthusiasts include a VIP tour for 2 at this year’s Howl-O-Scream in Tampa, various animal tours at Busch Gardens and SeaWorld parks on top of the one you really want to know about: The VIP Manta Prize Pack for 2 that includes admission to the May 21st premier opening party event where you can ride it the day before it opens to the public. I’ve also posted a few new Manta test runs shots sent in by a reader this past week down in the Manta section below, so enjoy.
  In other news Aquatica has now turned 1 years old and in celebration of the park’s first anniversary, they released a collection of B-Roll video footage that I added to YouTube for everyone to enjoy. Also don’t forget to check out my own footage shot at last year’s grand opening event as well below it.


  (2/5/09) I’ve been told that SeaWorld’s old Hospitality Center has been simply renamed The Terrace for now. You can buy beer here however, with prices ranging from $1.99 to $3.99. Also the old Brewmasters Club has been turned into “The Buffet” where guests can have an all you can eat extravaganza.

2009 - Manta - (6/16/09) Ok, we haven’t seen any new updates for Manta lately, but today a reader sent me a really nice music video one that is worthy of checking out, embedded below for your enjoyment.

  (6/3/09) A few other sites have jumped on the Manta bandwagon and have posted their own unique Manta updates lately. You can see this new content at Behind The Thrills, Westcoaster, Johnny Upsidedown and Theme Park Sushi along with a new video embedded below.

  (5/25/09) Lots of new Manta photos and videos have been flooding in over the last week, so I’m going post links to them all here at once and let you pick your flavor of choice.
  Lets start things off with photos and videos from RCPro, Orlando United and Florida Thrills who all have their own MantaCam videos, with the later also showing off an Interview with Busch’s Brian Morrow about the coaster. Meanwhile the local News 13 channel has posted their own story and POV video footage from Manta here. Another Manta report has been added to News Plus Notes this week featuring a ton of great still photos, along with a reports from Theme Park Review. I’ll end it all with an embedded video link below showing off a 10 minute tour through the entire Manta area with long looks at all the scenery, buildings, aquariums, queue areas, all empty of people so it’s like your getting your own private tour. Very nice.

  (5/22/09) The park has released some new video footage showcasing Tom Daley (Who? An Olympian - yeah, I had to look it up...) celebrating his birthday with a ride on Manta. In the meantime you can also check out a great update from JohhnyUpsidedown as well from the Media event.

  (5/19/09) Due to the number of media style events taking place this week at the park, we’ve heard that Manta may not be open much at all until the weekend. If your feeling left out and can’t ride, take a look at this new Manta ride report posted by BrianOrndorf.com.
  (5/12/09) A new official Manta video has been posted to YouTube and we’ve been told to keep an eye on the RideTheFlyingRay.com website for more information as to how readers can win front of the line access passes on Manta.

  (5/11/09) Several new pictures from Manta’s soft opening have been posted to RCPro this week.
  (5/7/09) A new excellent set of pictures showing off Manta has been put on the new Gravity Photography website.
  (5/6/09) I’m embedded a much better POV video of Manta taken from the front row below. In other Manta news, the park has announced that they will hold early morning exclusive ride time (ERT) for regular passholders between 8am and 9am starting May 26th through June 30th. The ERT sessions to not apply to “Fun Card” holders however. The park also held a very cool event for those following Shamu on Twitter, where people were invited to attend a special after-hours preview party to ride Manta the other day if you completed a specific challenge. You can see some coverage of the Manta Madness party posted to Orlando United.

  (5/5/09) Videos of Manta are popping up everywhere this week as it quickly is on it’s way to becoming one of this summer’s most popular new coasters. You can see a quick and dirty POV video taken from the front row with a camera phone, a musical montage video of Manta’s splashdown effect, assorted off-ride footage and even footage from inside the station showing how the trains load and dispatch. We’ve also been sent a ton of new still pictures of Manta in action to show off to everyone, so enjoy!
  (5/3/09) Forget waiting for Tuesday, I’ve been told that Manta actually soft-opened for guests to ride it on Saturday around 2pm, so you never know if it may open again before Tuesday. From what I’ve been told by a reader who was there, the aquariums in the queue aren’t all populated yet but from what I’ve heard, the ride is just an awesome experience, another fine B&M and Busch Entertainment project come to life. Some pictures of the ride in action, including what I believe are the first action shots of the actual splash-down effect in action can be found over at PointPics. Not to disappoint however, but the splash effect is just that… an effect only this time, achieved with timed water jets, and not from a scoop or something hanging off the side of the cars.
  Meanwhile a great video showing off the first half of Manta in action has been posted to YouTube and embedded below.

  (5/1/09) SeaWorld has confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel that park guests can take a preview ride on Manta at noon on May 5th, and opening at noon every day from then through at least May 10th.
  (4/30/09) From what I’ve heard the park may actually soft open the ride sometime late Friday or on Saturday if all goes well after the suits in corporate management come in to give it a shake-down. Meanwhile the park is running a contest at the official Manta website. It seems they are issueing a few challenges for people to win some prizes, such as a free “electronic photograph” of you on Manta and those who are able to complete all six activities posted on the site will get a front of the line pass for Manta. Meanwhile a bunch of new Manta ride and queue photos can be seen here.
  (4/10/09) A great Manta construction update was posted to Johnny Upsidedown this week. Of particular note is the fact that they’ve brought in the painters to give one of the Manta ray zero cars an all new paint job which looks very cool. I can only hope that each one may have a unique look by the time they are done. There is also a great video clip if you scroll down past the photos.
  (4/3/09) Orlando United has posted some new concept artwork I haven’t seen anywhere else that shows off quite a bit of the heavily themed queue and aquarium exhibits riders and non-riders will get to see before too long. Meanwhile you can see new footage of Manta testing over at RCPro.
  (3/9/09) The Orlando Sentinel has posted a new Manta update this past week, showing off a look at the trains for the first time which have a small school of Manta’s positioned over the rider’s heads as well as a large “Zero Car” out in front that looks like a large Manta ray. You can see the Zero Car if you click here and jump ahead to photos 18 to 20.
  If this is the first time you’ve heard the term Zero Car, I’ll give you a quick fill in about them. I believe the term first came to use with the debut of Alpengeist, the popular B&M Inverted coaster at sister park, Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Up to this point, the front of every B&M Inverted coaster built had started out with the Row 1 car of the coaster being the first set wheels, as you can see here on Montu. This is different from what B&M used on their normal sit-down and even stand-up coasters, which had always used a more traditional ‘nose’ lead car that also held the front wheel set for the train. A good picture of Kumba’s nose car can be seen here. Alpengiest changed all that when it opened with what was dubbed as a Zero Car, out in front of the first row, as seen in this picture. For whatever reason, B&M never did build another Zero Car on any other Inverted coaster to date, not even on Dueling Dragons where some of the early concept artwork for that particular ride even appeared to show off a themed dragon head on a Zero Car. Now for whatever reason it seems like Busch is bringing the concept of the Zero Car back again, but this time as part of the Flyer design. So I guess I’ve got to wonder, is this really more of a functional design aspect this time around (to avoid the more rigid linking of the first 2 rows) or was it added purely for themeing?
  (2/24/09) Johnny Upsidedown has posted an all new Manta construction update this week.
  (2/17/09) A good Manta construction update has been posted to Theme Park Review as they got a Hard Hat Tour of the site. This included a look at what they’ve mounted to the track over the “wing dip” portion of the ride to simulate the how the train and rider will pass through this area.
  (2/13/09) RCPro has posted a new Manta construction update this week on top of a new small collection of construction photos posted here.
  (2/12/09) A great Manta construction update has been posted to JohnnyUpsidedown showing off a lot of the ride in detail as part of a Hard Hat tour of the site, including the inside of the highly themed queue / aquarium area.
  (2/6/09) SeaWorld has announced that Manta will open to guests on May 22nd along with the new commercial for the ride that I’ve embedded below.

  (2/2/09) A good construction update for Manta can be found at Theme Park Review this week.
  (1/27/09) According to a Screamscape source, we may see Manta start testing sometime in early to mid March. Depending on how things go, and how fast they can finish up the rest of the area, it seems there is a slight chance of soft opening the coaster before the end of April, but that’s a big IF and not something you should count on in my opinion. My gut still says that regular park guests wont get to soar until May.
  (1/26/09) RCPro has posted another Manta construction update this week.
  (1/22/09) According to an article in the Orlando Sentinel SeaWorld has stated that Manta will be ready to open sometime in May 2009. They were not willing to be more specific yet, but I know they were shooting for a Memorial Day Weekend opening at the latest, but we know how quickly the coaster itself went up. Now it all comes down to the final testing and to see just how quickly they can finish up the animal exhibit and landscaping portions of the new attraction area.
  (1/20/09) Screamscape sources tell us that some of the first train cars for Manta have arrived and are being kept out of sight and covered up in a storage area right now.
  (1/19/09) I’ve been sent a couple of new construction updates for Manta, including an interesting one showing off someone who just couldn’t wait for the coaster to open before they got a ride. Ride ‘em Cowboy! Meanwhile you can see even more pictures shot over the weekend at Johnny Upsidedown and RCPro.
  (1/16/09) A new Manta construction report has been posted to OrlandoUnited.
  (1/9/09) A new Manta photo update has been posted to RCPro.
  (1/5/09) A great Manta construction update has been posted to Johnny Upsidedown.
  (12/26/08) We’ve got a great new aerial shot to share today, showing off the completed Manta structure from the Skytower taken just before Christmas.
  (12/22/08) Some new construction photos of Manta have been posted to Orlando Rocks.
  (12/19/08) A few new Manta photos were posted to the Orlando United forum this week.
  (12/17/08) We haven’t seen much of Manta lately, but today we’ve got a link to new photo update by Johnny Upsidedown.
  (12/5/08) Some new Manta construction updates can be seen at Theme Park Review and Johnny Upsidedown this week, and as you can see the layout is nearly complete.
  (12/1/08) A number of new Manta construction updates have gone up in the past few days. Check them out at Orlando Rocks, Amusement Park Insider and Johnny Upsidedown.
  (11/24/08) Another great Manta construction update has been posted to JohnnyUpsidedown this week. I’ve also heard the rumor that the park is on schedule to have all the track in place sometime around December 11th if all goes well. You can also watch video footage and Q & A sessions shot during last weeks construction site tour posted to Coaster Force and Florida Thrills.
  (11/18/08) SeaWorld hosted a backstage tour of the Manta construction site yesterday and a ton of site have posted their pictures for you to enjoy today so take you pick from Johnny Upsidedown, Theme Park Review and Orlando Rocks. Of course the best news is that the second inversion is now fully installed just following the pretzel loop and there is no question about if it is an inversion or not, so Manta will have four full inversions.
  (11/14/08) Another great Manta construction update was added to JohnnyUpsidedown this week, showing off the massive Pretzel looping being put into place.
  (11/13/08) Some all new Manta pictures have been posted to Orlando Rocks and Florida Thrills this week. Be sure to see this one in particular as it shows off just how low to the pathway this coaster is going to get here. Stilt Walkers Beware!
  (5/29/08 - Updated) I’ve just added one new piece of concept artwork for Manta below. They released that image and the previous aerial image that leaked out last month again, so it seems the purple track is the final color chosen. I’ve also got a few more stats to share. The exterior lagoon that the coaster will interact with will be 16,300 sq-ft.
  Manta will stand 140 feet tall (Kraken is 149 ft) and have a 113 foot first drop. The top speed is 56 mph and it will feature 4 inversions during the 3,359 foot run, which should give a 2 miniute and 35 second ride time. Manta will have 3 trains, each able to hold 32 riders for an estimated capacity of 1,500 pph.
  The animal exhibit area will feature a total of 3,000 animals in the 184,000 gallon environment, spread out through 10 different aquariums. Of the 60+ species, there will be 304 rays, 23 sea dragons, 20 sea horses and 2,500 fish viewable through the floor to ceiling 9 foot tall panels. There will also be a 22 sqaure-foot overhead viewing panel allowing guests to watch the rays circling above them.
  (5/29/08) It’s official... SeaWorld has just announced Manta as the official name for their new B&M Flying Coaster and the anchor for a new animal exhibit. To quote the press release, Manta is “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.”
  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.
  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.

2010 - Aquatica Expansion - Rumored - (2/4/09) The latest word on the Aquatica expansion is that there was a new attraction once planned for 2009, but it has been put on hold until 2010 now. We’ve also been told that permits have been submitted to the city and approved already, so look for construction to start sometime later this year.
  (2/3/09) We’ve heard a bit more about the Aquatica expansion and a couple of possible new attractions being designed. One plan is to add 3 or 4 new slides to the Whanau Way tower, loading them from the platform just before the main loading platform, along with a new splashdown pool. Another plan placed in the same general area would see a powered waterslide with uphill sections, similar to what you get on Disney’s Crush N’ Gusher slides, but this slide may take guests through some animal themed areas like a Flamingo exhibit (eeeww…stinky!) or a Tortise Pond. The later concept seems earmarked for 2010 at the earliest while the former could be added to the park before the end of the year if approved. I guess it depends on if they want to build one or both of these and how much they want to spend on expansion right now.
  (2/2/09) According to a Screamscape source the plans for a 2010 expansion of Aquatica are still alive and well. We had first heard these rumors at the opening or the park itself as a reaction to just how crowded and well received the park was. The rough idea then was to add anywhere from 2-4 new major attractions into the park, though the exact nature of the attractions in question was unknown, though apparently there were some good idea for the park cut from the original budget and left aside as possible Phase 2 additions. Anyone know more?

Nearby Projects - (5/26/08) Construction on those two new hotels off I-Drive just south of Aquatica has started this week. You can see pictures of the newly cleared site posted to Orlando Rocks. This is for two 200 room Marriott branded hotels to be built on a 9.2 acre site south of Aquatica on Central Florida Parkway. A six-story tall Fairfield Inn & Suites and a slightly larger six-story Springhill Suites will be built by Grove Street Partners.

The Future - Discovery Cove Expansion - Rumor - (3/25/08) About the same time that the new trademark filing for Manta was found, it was noticed that Sea World had also applied to trademark the name “Lost Cay” to be used for “a themed area”. The Lost Cay name does not appear to be connected to Aquatica in any way since all of the trademarks for Aquatica were filed by Busch Entertainment and not Sea World Inc, which has led some to believe that it may be connected in some way to the Manta coaster project, which was also filed by Sea World Inc.
  I’ve come up with a few other ideas however… just because the name itself doesn’t really sound like something that would be a good fit as a themed area for a new coaster. It sounds more like something to do with a waterpark and Lost Cay sounds more fitting as an expansion of the Lost Lagoon waterpark at SeaWorld Texas. Along the same lines, it would also be a fitting name for any kind of expansion to Discovery Cove in Orlando as well. Ironically enough, the last time a Discovery Cove expansion was announced, before the fallout from 9/11 killed it, the plan was to build Ray Lagoon, a new interactive animal attraction that would allow guests to swim with an army of over 100 Rays. (The current small existing ray pool was to be transformed into a more kid friendly attraction called Kid’s Coral Reef where kids could use snorkel masks to look at small tropical fish in the shallow water. So... Discovery Cove or SeaWorld Texas? Anyone know more?
  (2/27/07) I’ve heard a new rumor today claiming that the next big project for SeaWorld after Aquatica would be a major expansion of Discovery Cove to add more animal interaction opportunities. This rumor does have a little history behind it as Discovery Cove did announce an expansion that was to have been completed by 2002 that would have not only expanded the bird aviary area (which did happen) but also expanded the far end of the park out to add a new lagoon where guests could swim with sting rays. Other than finishing the basic infrastructure and expanding the roadways around the perimeter to allow for this expansion, the project was put on indefinite hold after 9/11. If the new rumors are true, once Aquatica is finally complete Busch will turn their attention to finally expanding the experiences available to Discovery Cove. The experience to swim with Dolphins is not unique to Discovery Cove and was just one of three animal interaction programs SeaWorld had been testing out of their parks over the years leading up to the creation of Discovery Cove. In the early days it was marketed in SeaWorld California as DIP, the Dolphin Interaction Program. Soon after new Interaction Programs were also set in motion for Sea Lions (aka: SLIP) as well as Beluga Whales (aka: BIP), both of which are currently in operation at SeaWorld Texas. If all the rumors and history line up, guests coming to Discovery Cove could soon have their choice of interaction with any of the three species, or all three as part of a mega-package option. This kind of plan would not only justify return trips to the already amazing Discovery Cove park for past guests, but also expand the daily capacity of the park by adding even more animal interaction opportunities and as well as expanding the size of the park. I wouldn’t expect to hear much more about this however until Aquatica is closer to completion.