The coaster that sss..strikes twice with venomous force

If you’re in the Carolinas this ssss…summer, you better watch where you sss...step.

The Carolina Cobra will rear up and spread its frightening hood beginning in March at Carowinds Park, located on the North and South Carolina border.

The 125-foot tall towering, twisting serpent will send riders speeding through three inversions, including a cobra roll and a 360-degree loop - both forward and then backwards. Ssssounds ssssizzling.

The Boomerang steel coaster, built by Netherlands-based Vekoma International, travels along 935 feet of steel tubular track at speeds of 48 mph.

The boomerang experience is unlike any coaster at Carowinds. Riders on the Carolina Cobra are pulled up a steep 125-foot lift hill and sent diving down a 120-foot drop, speeding along a 65-degree descent into three inversions, including a cobra roll and a 360-degree loop. The train is then “caught” by another lift hill, and, once it looses momentum, is towed to the top as riders wait in anticipation for the second descent. When the train is finally released, riders are sent racing into the inversions again…except this time in reverse!

According to the Carowinds Web site, the Carolina Cobra is equipped with newly designed trains exclusive only to its tracks. No other parks in the United States have utilized these spacious trains, designed specifically for a heightened rider-experience.

The sleek, semi-open 28-passenger trains will create an aerodynamic experience unlike any other on a coaster as riders undergo the sensations of wind and speed at an amplified level, for a smooth enjoyable ride.

Aside from its unique passenger trains, the coaster is the spitting image of one of my favorite coasters at Hersheypark - Sidewinder. While coasters like Fahrenheit and Stormrunner have eclipsed the smaller Sidewinder, I still enjoy the venomous-like ride. And if the Carolina Coba is anything like Chocolatetown's snake-like cousin, riders at Carowinds are in for plenty of thrills.

The Carolina Cobra will be the park's 11th roller coaster, joining Afterburn, Vortex, Carolina Cyclone, Nighthawk, The Hurler and Thunder Road in providing non-stop fun for park visitors.

"Carowinds has always been a perfect blend of family-entertainment and thrill attractions," said John Shanrock, the park’s vice president and general manager. “For 2009, however, we plan to tilt the scale more to the thrill side! Carolina Cobra will be exhilarating and unlike any coaster that we house at this park. Only serious thrill-seekers should venture into the queues of this towering twisting serpent.”

Every park has its unique characteristics and Carowinds is no exception. I think it's pretty cool that the park straddles the border of two states - you can actually walk back and forth across the border or even ride a coaster over the state line.

Now, with the Carolina Cobra slithering into the park, it’s going to make the park that much more ssssuper.

Flying Ray Swoops Into SeaWorld

Have you ever seen a manta glide through the water? They're pretty awesome creatures as they weave gracefully through the tropical waters of the world, typically around coral reefs.

The manta is the king of the ray family, the largest ever recorded measuring more than 25 feet across with a weight of about 5,000 pounds. That's huge!!!

So you're wondering what mantas have to do with coasters? Simple, beginning this summer you can catch a ride on the largest ray in the world when "Manta - Ride the Flying Ray" swoops into Orlando's SeaWorld.

Of all the new rides slated to debut in 2009, this is one of the splashiest.

According to the park's Web site, the new flying coaster is inspired by the underwater flight of these powerful creatures. Riders will fly face-down, in a horizontal position, underneath the belly of a coaster train shaped like a giant flying ray.

With a wing span of 12 feet across, riders will glide, swoop and dive along 3,359 feet of track and through four inversions on what is billed as one of the most graceful flying steel coasters ever.

The first drop will swoop down 113 feet and reach a top speed of 56 mph. As it curves at the bottom of the hill, Manta will skim along a lagoon and its wings will create a plume of water spray that will be quite a sight for riders and onlookers (and might soak them as well).

The whole idea is to give riders a chance to feel what it's like to be a giant ray, taking flight effortlessly from sky to sea.

How cool is that! This ride will no doubt be making a lot of waves in Orlando this summer! Check out the teaser link below.

That's all for now. Until next time, enjoy the ride!

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Manta Stats

Type of coaster: Steel flying coaster
Height: 140 feet
First drop: 113 feet
Top speed: 56 mph
Track length: 3359 feet
Ride time: 2:35 minutes
Height requirement: 52 inches

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PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT

SeaWorld Orlando announces 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 four-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.

ABOUT SEAWORLD - 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 http://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 http://www.worldsofdiscovery.com./

Manta Teaser

MAKIN' TRACKS

It's summertime and Koaster Kid is officially on the prowl! First stop, Hersheypark, in my own backyard. And oh what a ride... Fahrenheit, the park's brand new, $12.1 million coaster joins the park's 10 other coasters, including Storm Runner, Great Bear and Sidewinder (shown above). More on Fahrenheit in a few.


My first stop was Great Bear - always a smooth, cool ride with plenty of bearlike attitude! Ya gotta love da bear, a looping, inverted steel coaster that reaches speeds of up to 61 miles per hour as it rips down the tracks, through an immelman - a loop that turns you out at the top and then drops you.


Next up was Storm Runner, one of my favorites at the park. Storm Runner is a smaller version of Great Adventure's Kingda Ka and Cedar Point's Top Thrill Dragstser, both of which are among the top thrill rides in the nation. Kingda Ka continues to hold the highest, fastest record. Storm Runner is a lot slower, at 72 mph at take off, but it's just as fun and great for younger kids who aren't quite ready for the Top Thrills of this world.


And of course, no visit to Hersheypark would be complete without a ride on the Sidewinder, my sentimental favorite. This steel roller coaster sends you whipping through a series of loops, only to recoil, sending you through the loops backwards! It's like riding an angry snake on speed!!


I've left the best for last. First off, Fahrenheit boasts the steepest drop of any coaster in the country, at 97 degrees. The coolest thing is the ride up. The cars inch their way up the 121 foot hill as you literally lay on your back looking toward the sky.


The coaster was built by IntaRide LLC, the same company that built “Storm Runner,” one of the park’s most popular rides.

As you crest the hill, the sky is replaced by a panoramic view of the park. Then the real thrills begin as you drop into a 107-foot inverted loop at 58 mph. Coming out of the loop, you twist through an inverted corkscrew roll, a cobra, an airborne inverted five roll and a second inverted corkscrew roll.

But it doesn't stop there. Just as you think you're slowing down, there's an airtime hill, a high-speed/banked curve, a second airtime hill and a final high-speed/banked curve before returning to the station.


It's not the biggest coaster in the world, but it offers a unique experience that is different than you'll get at the region's other amusement parks. I would recommend the front or back seats for the most airtime. Nighttime provides a unique experience as the lights of the park spread out as you crest the hill. It's worth the ride!


On a side note, if you like water attractions plan a trip to Hersheypark in 2009. The park announced plans this week to nearly double the capacity of its popular Boardwalk attraction. Plans for The Boardwalk II - The SEAquel include the addition of a wave pool and a lazy river ride attraction. And one admission gets you access to both the water park and the amusement park.

That's all for this post. Until next time, enjoy the ride!