Don’t miss if you’re 16: Mako
Requisite photo op: Orca Encounter, Shamu Stadium
Food you can only get here: Shamu ice-cream bar at carts parkwide
The most crowded, so go early: Orca Encounter, Shamu Stadium
Skippable: The movie at TurtleTrek
Biggest thrill: Mako
Best show: Orca Encounter, Shamu Stadium
Where to find peace: Anywhere around the lagoo
- Mako: Orlando’s tallest, fastest, longest coaster, and a true delight.
- Manta: Gliding, swooping, and diving (this one's a very smooth ride) at speeds of up to 56 mph, you'll fly face-down and headfirst (yikes!) along some 3,359 feet of twisted steel track. You'll spin through four inversions (including inline spins, flat spins, and a pretzel loop) and drop a heart-pounding 113 feet to within feet of the water below before it's over (which is in just under 3 min.) -- in the end throwing out a spray of water some 14 feet high and some 60 feet long.
- Kraken: This floorless, open-sided coaster reaches speeds of up to 65 mph as it combines steep climbs, deep drops, and seven tremendous loops reaching high above water before plunging below the ground. It's not as cutting-edge as it used to be, but it's still a good time.
The Best Water Rides
- Infinity Falls: Unlike most round-raft river courses, this one has a fun twist: an elevator that lifts your boat high into the sky and sends it swooping down a long, steep ramp for a spectacular splashdown finale.
- Journey to Atlantis: This flume ride sends you careening around the sharpest of curves as the forces of good and evil battle to claim Atlantis for their own. Before you know it, you're being plummeting down several steep, watery drops when your boat unexpected turns into a coaster car. It's a very weird ride—and that's partly what makes it so fun.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
