Are you ready to take on the BEST SeaWorld Orlando rides for your visit?
Even this solo traveler has some firsts and recently, I completed another one!
At the urging of some friends, I was convinced to visit SeaWorld Orlando for the first time ever.
I went in with little research, which I would never recommend you do.
The only reason I didn’t was that I was being guided by very knowledgeable and trusting annual passholder friends and I wanted my experience to be pure.
SeaWorld Orlando opened just two years after Magic Kingdom on December 15, 1973.
With the addition of Discovery Cove and Aquatica parks, you’ll come to experience the thrilling attractions and get up close and personal with sea life that you normally would not be able to see.
Plus, you’ll learn about how you can contribute to protecting and expanding the longevity of the creatures.
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In this guide, I will share which of SeaWorld Orlando’s 16 rides and attractions are the absolute must-do’s when visiting.
The way SeaWorld is laid out is by “Seas” with each having its own unique element:
- Port of Entry
- Sea of Shallows
- The Sea of Legends
- Sea of Ice
- The Sea of Delight
- Sea of Mystery
- The Sea of Power
- Sesame Street Land
Let’s dive into the attractions that simply can’t be missed at the park!
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1. Mako
Rounding out our must do list is Mako, located in Sea of Mystery. Mako is a hypercoaster, which is a complete circuit coaster over 200 feet (ft).
This SeaWorld roller coaster is named after the Mako Shark and has been in the top 50 coasters for Golden Ticket Awards every year since it opened in 2016.
Mako is one of the only roller coaster on this list with no inversions. Making it one of the BEST SeaWorld Orlando rides.
How fast is Mako at SeaWorld Orlando?
Its length of 4,760-ft is impressive on top of its 73 miles per hour (MPH) speed.
It can hold 28 riders per experience and currently boasts as the longest, tallest and fastest coaster in Orlando currently.
According to SeaWorld, 1/3 of the ride goes over water and guests can experience airtime nine times.
The lift itself is right next to Kraken’s dive loop and hugs a side of a lake and goes over part of the park’s lagoon.
Why We Love This Ride at SeaWorld Orlando
As you go through the queue, you will notice wood. That is because you are under a wooden pier while you wait.
Eventually, you get to a point where you are in the viewpoint of the Mako, hunting its prey. Once at the station, you arrive at a shipwreck.
Mako is heralded as an excellent addition to SeaWorld and Orlando’s theme park coaster lineup by the Orlando Sentinel and USA Today.
Riding it personally gave me a feeling of riding an old fashioned coaster with a modern twist.
It was the coaster we waited the longest for at 30-minutes and it was worth the wait entirely.
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2. Kraken
Making its theme park debut in 2000, Kraken is a floorless roller coaster with its theme being after the mythical creature of the deep.
This SeaWorld Orlando ride was the park’s first attempt in boosting international attendance and appeal.
The attraction is located in Sea of Legends. A good chunk of the ride is above water, including three subterranean dives.
Why We Love This Ride at SeaWorld Orlando
Kraken’s ride station and areas are supposed to be the creature’s lair.
The ride boasts 3 trains with 8 cars, holding 32 riders per run pushing through 1500 guests and hour. Making it one of the best SeaWorld Orlando rides!
How Fast is Kraken at SeaWorld?
The attraction boasts a height of 153 ft., length of 4,177 ft. and hits a top speed of 65 miles per hour (MPH).
The entire experience lasts about 2 mins where guests reach:
- 3.9 G forces
- A drop of 144 feet
- Seven inversions including two vertical loops, a dive loop, a zero G- roll, a cobra roll and a corkscrew
Safe to say, don’t eat before getting on the Kraken.
It was a hit when it strolled onto the scene, at the time, it was the tallest and longest coaster in Florida, until Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom broke the record in 2006.
Rewards and Recognitions
Kraken won several Golden Ticket awards, being in the Top 50 Steel Coasters.
The Kraken VR Experience
In 2016, Kraken went under refurbishment to give it a Virtual Reality experience, but guests were not a fan of it due to slow dispatches and long wait times that it caused.
The VR experience was shelved and the original was returned in 2018.
For my experience, the wait time was still a bit long but overall it was majorly thrilling, breathtaking and fun.
The best part of the experience was going over water a good chunk of the ride, the surprise of the subterranean dives and the 144-ft drop at the beginning of the journey.
3. Manta
The Manta ride is located in Sea of Shallows and debuted at the park in 2009.
This roller coaster is similar to Batman attractions at Six Flags where guests are laid on their backs to get the experience of a Manta as they go through the ride.
How Fast is Manta at SeaWorld Orlando?
The Manta roller coaster is 140 ft. with a top drop of 113 ft. It hits 3.7 G forces and a top speed of 56 miles per hour (MPH).
At a full length of 3,359 ft., Manta takes about two and a half minutes to finish and features four inversions which are a pretzel loop, two inline twists and a corkscrew.
What Does it Feel Like on Manta Flying Coaster?
Manta is an attempt to simulate flying in the way that it looks as though Mana Rays fly through the water with ease.
The good thing about the ride is that it has the ability to load two trains at once, thus lessening wait times and easing up capacity.
Why We Love This Ride at SeaWorld Orlando
The ride can also load 1,500 guests an hour. This SeaWorld Orlando ride is gorgeous with its dark blues and is another ride that features nearby water experiences, including passing by a waterfall.
Explore the Queue
What makes this attraction a special experience is its queue. The theme is a seaside village with manta ray inspirations.
It has several aquarium exhibits within the queue that holds 184,000 US gallons of water and houses over 3,000 animals, including 60 different species and 300 different manta ray types.
Non-riders can see parts of the aquarium as well through a second entrance. You can even extend the experience and feed stingrays in a nearby exhibit.
Rewards and Recognitions
Manta has also won several Golden Ticket Awards, being in the Top 50 Steel Coasters.
The Manta roller coaster is a great experience from start to finish and quite frankly beautiful, breathtaking and a great time!
Ready to plan your theme park trip? Watch the best vacation planning tips on YouTube. Get started here!
4. Ice Breaker
The Ice Breaker roller coaster is the newest addition to the SeaWorld Orlando Resort.
Getting its name from the icy Arctic, Ice Breaker is SeaWorld’s first launch coaster and Florida’s steepest beyond vertical drop attraction at 93 feet tall with a 100 degree angle.
Why We Love This Ride at SeaWorld Orlando
For such a family-friendly roller coaster, you can still expect the constant thrills and screams that will emerge from this SeaWorld Orlando ride.
You’ll go backwards and forwards with four airtime launches and a near vertical top hat maneuver that will take you whizzing through Ice Breaker’s many twists and turns!
Ice Breaker Roller Coaster Stats:
- Height restriction: 48 inches
- Ice Breaker’s Height: 93 feet
- Max speed: 52 miles per hour
- Inversions: 0
- Manufacturer: Premier Rides
5. Journey to Atlantis
This is one of the most unique roller coaster experiences that’s also a boat ride that I had to include it in the list.
We have all been intrigued by the lost city of Atlantis for centuries.
As previously mentioned, The Journey to Atlantis is a hybrid water ride, roller coaster that shows you a different side of Atlantis– a dark side.
Your boat floats through the sunken city and you take in the sights right before the chase begins.
After zipping through twisting tunnels, you emerge from the castle and plunge into the water.
You may never find Atlantis again…
But I wouldn’t count on Atlantis being hidden forever. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if one day, man actually took a Journey to Atlantis.
It may also have a lighter, happier side.
Ready to plan your theme park trip? Watch the best vacation planning tips on YouTube. Get started here!
Honorable Mention – Pipeline: Surf Coaster at SeaWorld Orlando
Hang tight on the world’s first surf coaster!
The Pipeline: Surf Coaster at SeaWorld Orlando is a thrilling and dynamic ride that promises an intense and memorable experience for thrill-seekers.
Standing at a towering height of 110 feet, this steel roller coaster propels you through a series of inversions and spiraling twists, offering a heart-pounding adventure from start to finish.
And did I forget to mention that you will be standing up while you’re on it?!?
So cool!
How fast is The Pipeline roller coaster at SeaWorld Orlando?
With a top speed of 60 miles per hour, the Pipeline delivers an intense and fast-paced journey, ensuring an unforgettable and adrenaline-pumping ride as you feel as if you’re conquering the fiercest wave ever!
This is done by the cool seats that let you feel as if you can move around with total freedom with this new technology.
Overall, the Pipeline roller coaster is a combination of height, speed, and inversions makes it a must-try for those seeking an exhilarating experience at the Coaster Capital of Orlando.
Roller Coaster Stats for The Pipeline:
- Speed: 60 miles per hour
- Height: 110 feet
- Minimum Height Requirement: 78 inches
- Length: 2,950 ft
- Type: LSM launch Surf Coaster
- Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard
Watch the Full Guide to SeaWorld Orlando here on YouTube!
Honorable Mention – Penguin Trek (Coming Soon)
Are you ready to have the most EPIC research mission ever!
That’s what you’ll get on the new Penguin Trek roller coaster coming to SeaWorld Orlando.
It’s a mind-blowing family launch coaster adventure through the stunning vastness of Antarctica.
When you arrive at your basecamp, you’ll hop on your snowmobile and zoom along with your expedition crew at speeds of up to 43 miles per hour.
Here you’ll be twisting and turning as you narrowly avoid the crumbling dangers of an icy cavern on this launch coaster.
Once you get to the end, you’ll uncover the ultimate treasure: a real penguin habitat!
This new indoor/outdoor family ride is the most immersive addition to the Coaster Capital of Orlando.
Don’t Forget to Check Out the Penguins Before You Exit
There are many species of penguin within the exhibit and the entire experience takes about 30 minutes to complete, not including the attraction.
About 245 penguins and their cold friends are here and guests can see them through a 20-ft glass when they go underwater into their pool.
It’s truly a unique and awe dropping experience overall.
What’s the height requirement for the Penguin Trek roller coaster at SeaWorld Orlando?
The height requirement for this new roller coaster is just 42 inches. This makes it a perfect journey for families to enjoy together.
Groupon offers great deals on SeaWorld tickets. You can also purchase your tickets directly from SeaWorld’s website prior to your visit.
From Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin to the NEW Penguin Trek Roller Coaster
The Empire of the Penguin was located in Sea of Ice land and debuted in 2013 as the largest SeaWorld attraction of all the parks at the time.
However, after the 2020 pandemic it never reopened with the other attractions of the park which left a lot of fans disappointed because we all looooove this ride.
I even asked a Team Ambassador at the attraction in 2022 if the ride would open again and he said he didn’t think it would.
It was later officially announced in 2023 that SeaWorld would add a new roller coaster, Penguin Trek, to replace this beloved ride.
Penguin Trek is set to open in the spring of 2024!
Why We Loved the Former Empire of the Penguin Attraction
Empire of the Penguin was the first of its kind, boasting a prototype motion based, trackless dark ride system.
Each vehicle held up to 8 people and followed you on the journey of an adorably cute young penguin.
To no one’s surprise, the attraction itself was absolutely cold and that’s because the attraction also housed the penguins that guests could see.
The attraction was popular as a family attraction and thus the wait times were always a bit hectic.
Former Ride Experience of the Empire of the Penguin
Empire of the Penguin’s area took up 4 acres and featured a 50-ft entrance archway.
When entering the ride, riders and non-riders entered the pre-show room where they saw projections of the Antarctic landscape with 3D exhibits combined.
Guests were then introduced to a penguin colony that is home to a young penguin named Puck in a video.
Non-riders would see another video before going into the Penguin exhibit. Riders were then taken to choose a “Mild” or “Wild” version of the ride.
Being that it was my first time, we went with Wild.
Guests followed Puck as he enters the sea and encounters a harrowing chase with a leopard seal.
Thankfully, Puck made it safely as guests heard the ride’s theme song as they got to see the live penguin exhibit behind glass before entering the 32 degree Penguin Exhibit.
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My Final Thoughts on the Best SeaWorld Orlando Rides
SeaWorld Orlando is a park that simply cannot be slept on.
While it may seem a bit sleepy and quiet, its an awesome park to get your thrills and enjoy a relaxing, enjoyable and unique experience.
I enjoyed every single ride I tried, so now is the perfect time to see what SeaWorld has to offer you as a solo traveler!
Have you visited SeaWorld Orlando before? Let us know in our Facebook Group about your experience!
Until next time, Happy Park Hopping Hipsters!
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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.
(Original Article Date: April 26, 2021/Updated by Editor on February 7, 2024)