Ready to conquer some of the BEST roller coasters in Orlando, Florida?
Most people come to Orlando for the thrills that the parks have to offer, but which ones have the best of the best?
Which parks have the creme de la creme of roller coasters?
And which coaster takes rider’s breath away with their theme, thrills and takes records as they go along?
That is what we are here to check in on today!
I will go over the following:
- Brief History
- Theme
- Stats
I have talked about the best coasters in all of sunny California, so of course it was only natural to check up on the best of Orlando!
Will your favorite make the list?
Let’s find out, shall we?
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO. Which means if you click on certain links, I may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you.
1. VelociCoaster (Islands of Adventure)
I figured it would be better to get this one out of the way. When I first did research for this piece, I asked people what they felt the very best coaster in Orlando was.
Unanimously, it was Velocicoaster at Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando Resort.
This coaster actually replaced the former Triceratops Encounter Attraction and is themed to Jurassic World.
Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Owen Grady ( Chris Pratt) return to portray these characters in the attraction’s pre-show.
To date, VelociCoaster was the winner of the Golden Ticket Award for Best New Roller Coaster in 2021.
The History and Construction of This Orlando Roller Coaster
Early 2018 is when permits were filed to demolish its predecessor and construction went into full swing in spring 2019, with track being laid in June.
The track went vertical in early 2020 but briefly paused due to the pandemic. It was quickly resumed with the signature top hat being completed in June 2020.
Leaked documents had fans salivating an anticipating a new coaster back in 2019, but Universal would not officially confirm and introduce the coaster until late September 2020.
They were on track for an early 2021 opening.
At long last after testing and media previews, the attraction made its debut on June 10, 2021, and quickly received extremely positive reviews from all who rode!
The queue itself gives nods to both Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, with guests being greeted by 2 huge raptor statues at the entrance.
There are various sections of the queue to entertain riders while they wait with nods to its next-door neighbor, Jurassic Park River Adventure.
Get Your Universal Orlando Resort Tickets Today! CLICK HERE.
Why We Love VelociCoaster
While there is a behind the scenes documentary regarding the making of the attraction, riders can expect to experience going 0-50 miles per hour (MPH) in 2 seconds and another 50 to 70 MPH launch during the ride in 2.4 seconds.
Along the 4,700 feet of Intamin crafted track, you will travel over a 155 ft top hat hill, down a 144 ft drop at 80 degrees, an 100 ft zero g stall, a heartline roll, Jr. Immelmann, S bend turns and overbanks.
A total of 4 inversions truly makes this attraction a crown jewel of the land and park.
VelociCoaster Orlando Roller Coaster Stats:
- The VelociCoaster Height Restriction: 51 inches
- VelociCoaster Height: 155 feet
- Max Speed: 70 miles per hour
- Inversions: Intamin
Overall, this roller coaster, despite only being a year old, has left its infinite mark as one of the best roller coasters in Orlando.
2. Iron Gwazi (Busch Gardens)
Although this Florida roller coaster is technically in Tampa, I had to add it to the list because it’s just a short drive from Orlando.
This coaster in particular is a great example of the excellence of Rocky Mountain Construction and how it can truly revamp and upgrade beloved wooden coasters.
Iron Gwazi, was originally simply “Gwazi” and crafted by Great Coasters International for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
The History and Construction of This Florida Roller Coaster
Gwazi opened in 1999 at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and was a dueling wooden coaster, with the tracks being named “Lion” and tiger.
Due to high maintenance costs and lack of ridership, it was closed for good in 2015. But this was not the end as we will soon see.
In March 2018, rumblings began to surface of a new ninth coaster for the park, which was confirmed in March 2019 with the collaboration of Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) known for upgrading wooden coasters as steel/wooden hybrids and more.
The official announcement for Iron Gwazi took place in September 2019 with a media construction tour taking place in late January 2020.
The track construction was moving at a rapid pace with it being completed in March 2020.
This was another attraction that was delayed due to the pandemic and missed its original opening date because of this fact.
With further testing completed, the park announced a new opening date of Spring 2021 with an accompanying POV video being released.
Sadly, it was pushed back a second time, announcing a new date one more time in August 2021 for a grand opening of March 11, 2022, which went as scheduled.
Get up to 35% off of your Busch Gardens Tampa Tickets with Groupon TODAY!
Gwazi vs. Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa
To save on costs, Iron Gwazi utilizes the original 8 acres that Gwazi once occupied. It was stated that 25% of the original wooden structure was re-utilized as well as 75% of the foundations.
The original wooden tracks had a total of 3,508 ft featuring treated southern yellow pine.
Each side had a maximum height of 105 ft and required 2 million bolts and 4.4 million nails to complete the track.
For Iron Gwazi, the brand-new steel track is 4,075 ft and instead is themed to the crocodile rather than the previous lion and tiger. The cars featured lap bar restraint now and uses a purple color scheme.
Compared to Gwazi’s original max speed of 51 miles per hour (MPH) with a total ride length of 2 and a half minutes and the tallest drop almost 92 ft, Iron Gwazi’s top height and drop is 206 ft with a max speed of 76 MPH for a total ride experience of 1 minute and 50 seconds.
Also, Iron Gwazi has an addition of 2 inversions and a max angle of 91 degrees.
Due to the attraction not even being 6 months old yet, it hasn’t garnered awards yet unlike its predecessor, but has been given amazing and raving reviews thus far, being compared to Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point.
Making Iron Gwazi one of the best roller coasters in Florida.
Iron Gwazi Florida Roller Coaster Stats:
- The Iron Gwazi Height Restriction: 48 inches
- Iron Gwazi Height: 206 feet
- Max Speed: 76 miles per hour
- Inversions: 2
- Manufacturer: Rocky Mountain Construction
3. Mako (SeaWorld Orlando)
Moving to one of the next best roller coasters in Orlando requires us to take a dive into SeaWorld Orlando and hop aboard the second oldest coaster on our list.
Mako is located in area called Sea of Mystery at SeaWorld Orlando.
The History and Construction of This Orlando Roller Coaster
At the time of its announcement in April 2015, it was stated that it would be the longest, tallest and fastest coaster in all of Orlando with a height of 200 feet.
However, with Iron Gwazi’s top height alone, we can already surmise that this is no longer the case.
The following month, SeaWorld officially gave it a name and it was “Mako” after the Mako shark.
After construction was completed, it was slated and announced to open on June 10, 2016.
To coincide with this, the park and its sister park, Aquatica, dubbed it the “Summer of Mako” which ran for the entirety of 2016 summer season.
Get your Discounted (up to 42% off) SeaWorld Tickets with Groupon TODAY!
Why We Love Mako at SeaWorld Orlando
The design of the attraction was made so riders would have 9 airtimes sections and go over water for a third of the experience.
Also, the length of steel track totals 4,760 ft while careening riders at max speeds of 73 MPH.
Since its debut, it has won 3rd for Best new ride for 2016, Ranked Top 20 for Golden Ticket Awards for Best Steel Roller Coaster and number 1 of USAToday’s Best Top Ten Roller Coasters overall.
Mako at SeaWorld Orlando has gained generally positive reviews over the years with a few complaints regarding it not being friendly for bigger folks, which is absolutely valid.
Making it one of the best roller coasters in Orlando!
Ready to plan your theme park trip? Watch the best vacation planning tips on YouTube. Get started here!
Mako Orlando Roller Coaster Stats:
- The Mako Height Restriction: 54 inches
- Mako Height: 200 feet
- Max Speed: 73 miles per hour
- Inversions: 0
- Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard
4. Revenge of the Mummy (Universal Studios Florida)
Returning to Universal Orlando Resort, we are going to touch on a ride so popular that it was brought to Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Singapore in a different coaster capacity.
Introducing a ride where you have to help Brendan Fraser get his cup of coffee, we will take a journey to defeat a curse on Revenge of the Mummy in the New York City section of Universal Orlando.
The History and Construction of This Orlando Roller Coaster
This was the ride that replaced the opening day attraction, Kongfrontation.
Following the success of 1999’s “The Mummy” remake of the 1932 original, in 2002, Universal wanted to create a dark ride based on it.
During the construction, some of Kongfrontation’s track was used and some of the ride building was made fixed to make more room underground for the final drop.
Two years later on June 25, 2004, the ride debuted to the public!
Its outside facade is a Museum of Antiquities, where the filming of “Revenge of the Mummy” is taking place.
Riders enter to play extras in the filming but there is a rumor that the set is cursed by Imhotep and so everyone wears the Medjai symbol on their person for protection…. except Brendan Fraser.
As you follow through the story, riders are transported from the film set to an archaeological dig site as a member of the crew loses their Medjai symbol and disappears.
Get up to 25% off of your Universal Studios Tickets with Groupon TODAY!
Why We Love Revenge of the Mummy Roller Coaster
The enclosed steel launch coaster is a great ride for everyone as it has no inversions and uses three LIM launches to blast guests from a complete standstill.
It is the longest experience on the list at a total of three minutes with a top height is 44 ft and max speeds of 45 MPH.
The Mummy roller coaster may not seem like it packs a punch but the special effects in the ride, including fire, a backwards descent, 80-degree banked turns and a 50-degree angled descent.
The ride consistently was in the Top 5 or usually number one for Golden Ticket Awards best indoor coaster category since it opened, but it kept winning so much that the category was retired, and it was given a legendary status.
Revenge of the Mummy Orlando Roller Coaster Stats:
- The Revenge of the Mummy Height Restriction: 48 inches
- Revenge of the Mummy Height: 44.4 feet
- Max Speed: 40 miles per hour
- Inversions: 0
- Manufacturer: Premier Rides
This is one of the Universal Orlando attractions that lives up to the park’s efforts to allow its riders to step into the movies.
It’s also always a ride that we add to our “best attractions at Universal” lists!
5. Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure (Islands of Adventure)
We have come to the last coaster on our list who is now 4 years old and made its debut with a few issues and the most outrageous wait times to date, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, or Hagrid’s for short.
This steel launch coaster burst into the world from the minds of Universal Creative and the most expensive roller coaster ever built at a price tag of $300 million, beating out Expedition Everest’s record of $100 million.
The History and Construction of This Orlando Roller Coaster
The coaster replaced Dragon challenge in 2018, where the land that originally occupied it was cleared and in its place was the attractions and over a thousand trees were planted to create the forbidden forest atmosphere.
The vertical construction began in May 2018 with castle construction following at end of summer. By winter, the first of the trains were on the track ready for testing.
By the end of February 2019, Universal finally announced the brand-new addition to Islands of Adventure’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter-Hogsmeade.
Its grand opening was star studded on June 13, 2019. It was off to a rough start due to its numerous downtimes and infamous for having 10 hour wait times on opening day.
Regardless of this, it was received warmly by riders and won a few awards from Amusement Today and Golden Ticket Awards.
Why We Love Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
Universal Creative describes the ride as a story coaster, that features elements from the Harry Potter Film Franchise including the bike ride vehicle similar to Sirius Black’s and the feature of several Magical creatures including Cornish pixies and unicorns.
However, let’s get into the nitty gritty.
To start, the coaster features the most launches of any coaster in the entire world, with the last launching riders from 0-50 MPH in 4 seconds.
It measures with almost a mile long of track also having the longest roller coaster track in Florida.
Not to mention, it’s the second coaster in the United States to feature a vertical drop at almost 17 ft.
This particular attraction is another great ride for most riders since it has no inversions but does an amazing combination of thrill and storytelling.
It is a three-minute experience that is still worth riding at least once but I guarantee you will want to ride it over and over again. Making it one of the best roller coasters in Orlando.
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure Orlando Roller Coaster Stats:
- The Hagrid’s Ride Height Restriction: inches
- Hagrid’s Ride Height: feet
- Max Speed: miles per hour
- Inversions: 0
- Manufacturer: Intamin
Ready to start planning your next Universal Orlando vacation? Listen to the latest podcast episode on Apple or on your non-Apple device now!
My Final Thoughts on the Best Roller Coasters in Orlando
Roller Coasters come and go, but it takes a true marvel to leave its mark on the hearts of coaster and thrill enthusiasts.
Whether they have won awards, have been revamped to attract more riders, tell a beloved extension of a story or what have you, each of these rides are some of the best roller coasters in Orlando that delivers something unique and special that brings people back every visit.
Did you favorite make the list? Share your top favorites and why you love them in our comments section below!
Until next time, Happy Park Hopping Hipsters!
About the Author
Victoria is a professional solo traveler here to make your solo trips as stress free AND enjoyable as possible for you.
She has over 5 years of Disney and Non-Disney travel experience and was featured by POPSUGAR as one of the Top 50 Black Disney Creators you should follow.
She is a Proud Native to Baltimore, Md but always will call Disney World home. You can find her at Disney Tea with V.
UP NEXT: 9 Fastest Rides at Disney World You MUST Experience!
(Original Article Date: July 18, 2022/Updated by Editor on March 27, 2024)