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10 Reasons Why Manta Is The Best Roller Coaster In The World

Sea World Orlando: Want self-explanatory articles? Mark’s got you covered!

From Mark Walker
Posted October 2, 2011 at 11:05 AM
Hey all! Yeah, I know, it’s been a while since I’ve showed my mug on this site – basically student life got in the way and I haven’t been able to do much. But hey, I’ve finally got a few spare hours so I’d thought I’d do a feature – 10 Reasons Why Manta Is The Best Roller Coaster In The World.

Now for those who don’t know me, I probably should state that I’ve been to a few theme parks, but I’ve been to some good ones! The best ones that Florida and England have to offer including Islands Of Adventure, Alton Towers, Busch Gardens Tampa, Thorpe Park, and many more that I can’t be asked to name! And throughout my many visits, I have ridden some truly awesome roller coasters (Nemesis, Hulk, Sheikra etc.) and a couple of truly terrible ones (X:/ No Way Out). In doing so, I have recently come to the conclusion that Manta is best of the bunch – and in this feature I shall state 10 reasons why. I rarely rate attractions 10/10, but Manta deserves every point!

Of course at the end of the day, this feature is just my opinion. Those of you who use this site often – you know the drill!

1). It does what it’s supposed to do
Sheikra simulates a bird of prey in action. Nemesis unleashes the fury of an alien pinned down by steel. Dueling Dra- sorry, ‘Dragons Challenge’ shows... erm... well I’m not really sure. Manta’s slogan is to ‘dive deep and fly high’ and it just takes one ride to prove that it does exactly that. With Manta, SeaWorld wanted to create the feeling of flying (as rays ‘fly’ underwater) and they were able to communicate this feeling visually and through the ride experience itself.


2). It’s beautiful to look at
Alton Towers, Busch Gardens, SeaWorld Orlando – proof that theme parks can be beautiful. And with great looking parks come great looking attractions. Roller coasters can be art – take a look at some of the B&M coasters around the world... some of them look like they belong in the environment they occupy. Manta is no exception. Like all the other attractions at SeaWorld, Manta’s design is inspired by the sea – the rock carvings, the lights, even the hand rails. Seriously, if you haven’t seen it, go check out the photos. The trains look great too!


3). It complements the park it’s in
SeaWorld is about family entertainment, but it is also about conservation. Manta contributes to that concept perfectly. Roller coasters usually take up a lot of space but Manta fits into the park perfectly – right at the entrance as well. Not only that, but barely anything was demolished – the only thing that was moved (as far as I can tell anyway) was the flamingo enclosure and they don’t seem to be bothered by their recent new big blue neighbour. Manta makes use of the space it runs in and if anything it’s a great attraction to welcome guests into the park with. Plus, for those who don’t want to ride, there are plenty of places to sit and non riders can look at the nearby flamingos, sea turtles and even check a separate aquarium while they wait for their friends and family who are riding.


4). Originality
Theme parks are places of entertainment, but first and foremost they are a business. Always have been and always will be. To stand out from the competition, they need to have a collection of rides that pull in attendance numbers every year. But to truly stand out, the rides themselves have to be original. There’s only so many times where you can ride a standard inverted coaster at Six Flags like... oh, I don’t know... Batman The Ride, before you exclaim ‘I swear I’ve been on this before!’. Seriously – there’s 7 Batman The Ride steel inverted roller coasters! How’s that for a lack of originality! Manta is one of the most original rides in the world. How many other coasters can you name that has an aquarium for a queue and a ‘wing dip’ splash affect? Rides that are original are always the ones that will stand out from the crowd. Take a look at Hulk. Look at Nemesis. Look at Dueling Dra- oops, sorry – force of habit...


5). The animals
Ironically, Manta has no Manta rays in the aquarium. While this may seem odd, it actually makes sense. Manta rays are the largest of their species – they have a 25ft wingspan and weigh roughly 1,300 pounds (thanks Wikipedia!). The only way one of those would fit in the attraction would be if the lagoon or the aquarium got some major expansion work! This year, they’ve recently added about two or three Leopard Rays to the main aquarium (where all the stingrays are) and they are massive – good luck getting a Manta ray in there! Having said that, the amount of creatures that they’ve actually got in the aquarium is staggering – stingrays, Sea Horses, Sea Dragons, even an octopus! That’s the great thing about SeaWorld – there’s always something to look at!


6). The ride
This is usually the most important aspect for everyone who goes theme parks. People go to theme parks to be entertained and to be thrilled – they’re not there to take in the sights and sounds or to appreciate their surroundings – there are rides to be ridden! Manta is 140ft high and roughly 3,400ft long reaching speeds of up to 55mph. During its run, riders will encounter 4 inversions including (in order) a pretzel loop, an inline twist, a corkscrew and another inline twist. The ride is fast and intense, but also it’s also surprisingly smooth. You get the feeling that the train ‘glides’ along the track. Throw in the near-miss with the waterfall, the wing dip effect and you’ve got yourself the total package needed to complete a proper roller coaster experience!


7). It ranks better compared to other flying roller coasters
Sure, Air at Alton Towers was the first ever flying coaster ever built (2002), and yes Tatsu at Six Flags is the tallest and fastest (170ft high. Top speed of 62 – oddly, Manta has the bigger first drop.). But at the end of the day it’s about the experience. Air does a good job of simulating flight but because of the parks restrictions it never really has the chance to go full out and therefore there’s only so much the ride can do. Tatsu definitely has the thrill factor (never been on it but I’ve seen pictures and videos) but unfortunately, like most Six Flags rides, it’s design and theme (I use the term ‘theme’ very lightly) is disappointing. Manta goes full out in every aspect – the ride, the design, the way it fits into the park, it’s just perfect.


8). The sounds
Music makes everything better - that’s a fact. Even in theme parks a memorable jingle that can get stuck in your head adds to the whole experience (barring ‘It’s A Small World’). In the queue line, the music is soft, ambient and wondrous... a bit like the rays that are swimming round in the aquarium. But when you get to the station the music builds up to dramatic and epic proportions... just like the coaster that you are about to experience. Plus, the noise effect that echoes throughout the station as the train flips the chairs into the ‘flying position’ (accompanied with screaming riders who are quickly adjusting to their new body position) ... it just works so well! As for the coaster itself, you’d expect a coaster of such a size to make such a racket, but even by B&M standards this coaster is surprisingly quiet. As I said earlier, Manta contemplates the environment it’s in – you really think they’d put the flamingos so near the coaster if it didn’t bother them?


9). The queue line
Wow... just wow. The music, the animals, the design... it’s beautiful (and I rarely use that word!). There’s nothing more to be said – it is the best queue line in the world (yes, that honour once belonged to Dueling Dragons, but we all know what happened there don’t we...).


10). This magic trick...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR-vKduJK10


See what I did there? Now you want to ride Manta. Amazing isn’t it!


Comments in chronological order. Most recent at the bottom. Scroll down to respond.

From Manny Barron
Posted October 2, 2011 at 1:23 PM
This was great to read. Now I really want to go on this ride again. Everything you said was spot on. The queue is one of my favorites in the world. The ride itself is crazy and innovative. Well said and hopefully they can replicate some of this awesomeness over to its San Diego cousin opening next year.

From Andy Milito
Posted October 2, 2011 at 3:50 PM
Is it a good ride? Probably (I'm not gonna ride it anytime soon)
Is it the BEST coaster IN THE WORLD? I doubt it.

From Mike Gallagher
Posted October 2, 2011 at 4:48 PM
Doesn't matter whether it is or isn't. To Mark, at this time, it is.

From N B
Posted October 3, 2011 at 12:59 AM
I know Manta is a clone of Superman: Ultimate flight with different elements, and the flying coaster is very unique and a completely different experience with it's slower speed.

I would have to agree that Superman is easily one of my favorites to ride.

You see a lot of the Disney and Universal die hards arguing all the time about whick parks are better. Universal is simply the best.. for us. Disney is better suited for younger families IMO and Universal is a better fit for families with kids that are 9-16 ish who are tall enough to ride everything. Universal does suck you in with the free Express Pass for on-site hotels. You can't go back....

Luckily for us, the child swap days are over. My youngest daughter just hit 54" this summer and was thrilled to go on everything she has missed over the years. She is now a coaster freak like her father and older sister.

I really wish Manta was running on our last trip, it was down all day and so was Kraken.... and no clouds or lighting in the area.... just not working. I would have loved to see the queue and experience the ride.

From Mike Gallagher
Posted October 3, 2011 at 3:55 AM
I haven't been on Manta, but..although I've come to like flyers...I prefer Vekoma (Batwing, Firehawk) over the Superman B&M clones.

From Kelly Muggleton
Posted October 3, 2011 at 4:09 AM
Great post Mark - I'm a big fan of Manta.
But had to let out an audible groan at the mention of X(dots & dashes) No Way Out.... Awful awful ride! I mean...what is it about??

But Manta...excellent. :-))

From Randy Stellar
Posted October 3, 2011 at 8:06 AM
I like Manta. It is not a Superman clone. But Tatsu is more thrilling and higher as it sits on a mountaintop (although less pretty than Manta.)

From N B
Posted October 3, 2011 at 5:26 PM
Randy,

Perhaps Manta is not a Superman clone, but a derivitave.... They are both B&M and have similar elements. Manta is a tweaked version of Superman and Tatsu.

From Tracy Bates
Posted October 4, 2011 at 9:16 AM
Personally, I like Manta as a coaster more than Tatsu, but there is one component to Tatsu that is just wonderful and that is the height. The park it's in is hilly, and it's at the top of the hill, so even when you're not diving or flipping, it flies you out over part of the park that is lower, so you feel like you are just soaring (pun intended) through the sky.

That being said, Manta is a smoother coaster and the queue line is better, so my nod overall is towards manta.

From Ashleigh Noad
Posted October 4, 2011 at 3:16 PM
I agree with a lot of the OP, some good points. I especially prefer Manta to Air. Manta appears to do this type of ride the best (my coaster terminology is not up to scratch I'm afraid).

I would disagree about the queue though. Yes, the initial queue with the rays is pretty awesome, but when you get close to the loading dock (SeaWorld queues in my experience have never been that long, so this is where I spend the majority of the time) the theme stops and then you're surrounded by blue walls. Unfortunately for me, this doesn't qualify as the best queue in the world.

For me, the best queue in the world is now undoubtedly FJ at WWOHP. Walking into Dragon Challenge breaks my heart...

From N B
Posted October 4, 2011 at 3:26 PM
I have to agree with you on the FJ queue.... simply amazing. Everywhere you turn, there is something familiar from the movies in exacting detail.

There are some hidden ways to get around the castle, (presumably for the cast to get around) we got to cut through almost the entire queue and ended up at a door that leads directly into the single riders line with no one in front of us.

The girl at the main entrance pulled us aside and guided us to a very quick way through (even those hallways were made to look like the castle), then called someone at the loading platform to tell him we were coming and to let us ride together.

From HANNAH CALLER
Posted October 5, 2011 at 7:04 AM
Mark and Kelly I'm glad I'm not the only one to have suffered X:/ No Way out, they should rename it X:/ please give me a way out, worst ride I've ever been on, total waste of Thorpe Park space.

I love Manta, its not my favourite though, it scares me slightly that all my weight is on the very thing keeping me in the Coaster, not the most relaxing of rides, I agree that is absolutely beautiful though, Expedition Everest is probably my favourite Florida attraction, whilst Stealth is my favourite UK attraction, The Swarm looks epic though, cant wait for that!

From Derek Potter
Posted October 5, 2011 at 2:29 PM
Nice ride...you might change your mind though if you decide to venture outside of Florida.

From Mark Walker
Posted October 8, 2011 at 3:45 AM
Thanks for all the comments! Keep ‘em coming :)

I should’ve stated earlier that although I stand by what I said (even though Ashleigh raises a good point that I forgot about regarding the queue), by no means am I putting down other rides. Just because I think Manta’s the best doesn’t mean that all the other coasters are rubbish.

Kelly and Hannah

Regarding X:/ No Way Out... erm... I’m not really sure where to start! The concept behind it (as far as I understand anyway) was to make you feel lost in the darkness – hence the title ‘No Way Out’. At the time it opened it fulfilled that concept pretty well but now I’m not sure what Thorpe Park is trying to do with it. Over the years at random times they use to have robots, lasers and sound effects going on during the ride but there all gone. Even worse, they turned up the lighting which practically destroyed the original concept! The ride just isn’t that good anymore – maybe not the worst ride in Thorpe Park – but a good contender!


Anyway – Manta... awesome ride! Please watch video then go ride it!

From Kelly Muggleton
Posted October 10, 2011 at 7:12 AM
I vaguely recall going to TP soon after X thingy opened.... Underwhelmed wasnt the word! They had lots of screens but half were off and so we never fully understood the 'plot'... I think it turns out that there wasnt one and they just wanted a rough idea for a ride.... :-) At least the park isnt full of 'attractions' like that though!

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