SeaWorld unveils launch date for Orlando coaster
SeaWorld Orlando has set June 10 as the opening date of its new hypercoaster, Mako.
The park claims it will be the tallest, fastest and longest coaster in Orlando.
Promising ‘tight turns, stomach steep drops, and shark-attack speeds’, it said the ride will see riders soar up to 200 feet high and reach speeds up to 73 mph.
It will be the centerpiece of a new two-acre shark-themed area which also includes Shark Encounter, an underwater restaurant, gift shops, and shark- and shipwreck-themed educational experiences.
Guests who visit before the opening date can get a preview of the ride’s design, construction and experience.
The preview presentation, called Mako Rising, is now being shown at Nautilus Theater daily at 11:45am and 2:45pm.
The launch of the new coaster comes as the park’s owner, SeaWorld Entertainment, carries out a major overhaul of attractions following a backlash over its treatement of killer whales.
The theme park group has bowed to pressure from animal rights groups and has agreed to stop breeding orcas.
It is replacing theatrical orca shows with ‘new, inspiring, natural orca encounters’ in all of its parks.
The changes will start in its San Diego park next year, followed by San Antonio and then Orlando in 2019.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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