Coaster reviews

Airtimes First Drop Pace

Mako is my absolute favorite B&M hyper coaster. It does everything right in my opinion. The ride is beautiful. One of my favorite color schemes on any roller coaster. It has a beautiful entrance plaza and a nicely themed queue line. The trains are comfortable with no seat belts. The ride itself is fantastic. The first drop is incredibly intense. It flings you out of your seat with aggression. The overbanked turn gives some whip. The first big camelback absolutely throws you out of your seat for what feels like forever. The hammerhead turn gives some more whip and the following two hills give fantastic floater airtime. The speed hill before the mid-course gives some incredible ejector airtime. The drop of the mid-course also gives some airtime and the following hill gives some good floater. The little wave turn-esque element that follows gives you sideways airtime in the left seat and the dive over the lake is a picturesque way to end the ride. Mako is an elite ride and one of my all time favorites.

Pace Intensity Layout

One of my favorite floorless coasters out there. Just behind Superman and Bizarro for me. I love the entrance plaza and sign. The ride itself is high capacity with trains I find to be most comfortable. The ride itself has a great location against the lake in the first half, and in the second half with the pong and trenches. The first drop doesn't do much for me but the ride picks up from there. You go through a solid vertical loop that gives some good forces and then a dive loop that has both whip and positives. The zero-g roll is solid and whippy and the cobra roll also whips you a lot. It's not the most comfortable element but it's not bad either. You glide into the mid-course and dive off into the ride's great second half. You go through a vertical loop half entrenched. This is a forceful loop with a cool near miss. You hop up glide over the pond before you dive into an underwater tunnel. You turn through the tunnel and get hit with good forces the whole way before hopping out into a whippy corkscrew and hitting the brakes. The whole ride is a great well-rounded layout of forceful elements and a good setting while being overall a smooth ride. Great coaster.

Theming

Enjoy the theming!

Fun

Pretty smooth and fun family coaster. The theming is great and the train looks cool. Has some floater in the back too.

Theming Comfort Fun

Journey to Atlantis is a great water attraction that I love. I think it's something unique and perfect for SeaWorld. The theme boat ride first half is fantastic and the small coaster portion is very fun. You'll also get soaked every single ride. The queue has a nice generic theme and the ride building looks great when walking up. The boats look good and are very comfortable. The first portion of the ride is well-themed and has a good atmosphere. I wish they would bring back the actual storyline of the ride, however. You go up a lift and outside after going through the dark ride portion. You turn and go up a little more. You then go through the biggest drop on the ride. You splashdown and get soaked. You turn around through the water past all the rock work in front of the building and then go up another lift hill. At the top, you go through a dark room and hit the main coaster portion of the ride, a twisting drop and bunny hill. This section is really fun and features some solid whip. You splashdown and get soaked once again, and the ride is over. I think this ride is a perfect fit for SeaWorld as it gives the park something unique.

Comfort Launch

I know it's just a kiddy coaster but it has fun theming and a small tire launch that has some surprising kick. Good kiddy coaster.

Inversions Launch Layout Capacity Discomfort

I want to like Tigris more than I really do. I love the color scheme, soundtrack, and location, but the ride itself really isn't that good to me. I've done this and Tempesto and I like Tigris slightly more because of the location and color scheme. That still doesn't mean I'd consider it a great ride. The premier trains just are not good. They are far too tight to get in and out of with tiny cramped lap bars and annoying comfort collars. The ride itself could be fun but everything about it is just uncomfortable. The launches are fun but the lap bar begins crushing you almost immediately. The rise up to the top has good airtime but it hurts because of the lap bar. The hangtime should be the highlight of the ride but it hurts also. The twisting drop gives great ejector but it's painful because of the lap bars and collars smacking your neck. The non-inverting loop hurts your neck as well. It has a good layout that has potential it just isn't executed well.

First Drop Location Intensity

SheiKra is my favorite dive coaster at the moment. I think it does almost everything right for a dive coaster. My one knock is that I wish it did more with its layout but it's an early dive, and for me to still put it over Griffon and Valravn is high praise. I love the location, park interaction, color scheme, and trains. It does so many things right. The double loading station is good for capacity as well. The lift hill is massive and gives a great panoramic view at the top. The first drop is phenomenal. Incredible airtime all the way down the drop. The pullout is intense as well it makes me grey out every time. The first immleman has some great positives and even some airtime in the right seat. You glide into the mid-course and dive into a tunnel, providing more great airtime and a nice near miss. You go into a turnaround and glide into a perfectly placed splashdown. Then hop up into a final helix that has some good G's. The whole ride has great forces and is placed perfectly.

Lap Bar Fun Intensity

I love Scorpion. This is an awesome Schwarzkopf looping coaster for the whole family. It's a great intro coaster to inversions for the young ones while being extremely intense in such a compact layout for the older riders. The first drop has some classic jank and the loop is extremely forceful. You go through a helix that loses some speed as you raise up but gains it all back as you dive towards the ground which is an awesome interaction as you are just feet from the floor beneath you. You hop through the loop, giving the ride a very picturesque moment, and dive into a long helix that once again provides plenty of force and gets you closer and closer to the ground. Scorpion is a great classic. I love the recent repaint and the fact that Busch Gardens gave it some love. Hopefully one day they can get a second train so the line won't get so backed up and I'd ride it every visit.

Theming Comfort Fun Dead spots

Cobra's Curse is one of the best family coasters in the world in my opinion. The theming is the best at Busch Gardens Tampa. The entrance plaza, queue line, and on-ride elements such as the sculpture of the snake make this a fantastic experience. The queue is set up like an active dig site with little details all over. There is a small snake enclosure in the queue and a pre-show that is excellent. When you board the comfortable Mack trains you dispatch into a small themed section with glowing snake eyes. You then go up an elevator lift, which is a nice change from the usual lift hill and gives the ride some great character. At the top, you come face to face with the snake. You roll forward and then turn left before dropping down and banking to the right. The drop doesn't offer much airtime but the pull-out at the bottom offers some surprisingly good positives. You hop up and go into a helix that also has some ok positives. You hit a brake run and begin to rotate. You stop when the train is fully rotated backward. You go into one small helix and then start up a lift hill. This section doesn't do much personally. I wish it was more than one helix. At the top of the lift, you will bank to your left and drop into a trench. From this point on the train is free spinning. You hop out of the trench and reach the highlight of the ride, a large overbanked turn. While free-spinning, this element is a ton of fun with the forces and disorientation. You dive into another trench and pop up into a large banked turn that wraps around the lift. This is another great element while spinning. You go through another great banked turn and dive into one last trench. One last S-curve while spinning is a good finale before hitting the brakes. Cobra's Curse is the complete package when it comes to purely fun coasters made for the whole family. Great story, usage of space and trenches, mixture of forceful and fun elements, and a long, fun, comfortable overall experience.

Launch Fun Duration

Cheetah Hunt is a great coaster that blends family and thrill to perfection. The ride features several moments with good forces and airtime while still not going beyond the family coaster threshold. A perfect blend. The trains are comfortable and the ride itself has aged well. The location and duration make this a special ride. Flying over and diving into the Serengeti is so much fun. The first launch is quick and forceful. You lose some speed through the first turn, but this is supposed to be a little intro to what Cheetah Hunt offers. The second launch is one of the highlights of the ride to me. It's fast and forceful. You really feel it kick into gear. The first tall element gives a good pop on the way up in the back, followed by a nice panoramic view of the park, and then the main drop gives some sustained floater on the way down. The big twisted airtime hill doesn't offer much actual airtime but whips you side to side a little bit which is a lot of fun. You dive through a trench and then enter the first and only inversion on Cheetah Hunt. This heartline roll offers some good hangtime and is just a nice introduction to inversions for kids. You hit a brake run and dive to the right into what is my favorite section of the ride. You twist and turn through some rock work while only being feet above the water below. This section isn't always full of water but when it is this section gives you a special feeling. You begin your journey back to the station with a third and final launch. This launch is similar to the first in how it's quick and powerful but not sustained. One of the main highlights of the ride is right after this launch with an airtime hill. This is the strongest airtime moment on the ride as it slings you out of your seat. One last twisted airtime hill gives you a similar feel to the first with not much airtime but some good laterals. You dive into a trench and hit the brakes. Cheetah Hunt is a long ride with a great location and some solid elements. Great Ride.

Airtimes Lap Bar Location

This was one of my most anticipated rides going in. It definitely lived up to the expectations I had for it. The first drop is cool but the fun starts after. The massive drop into the ravine with all that sense of speed is incredible. The massive swooping turn is awesome as you run along the terrain. The airtime hills from there are all amazing. The little hop up before turning around the turtle gives a violent pop and the double down is ridiculous. All the airtime in the second half just feels so jank but is so intense. One of my favorite rides ever.

Airtimes Layout Duration

It doesn't get much better then this. My favorite wooden coaster ever. The ride does everything I want in a wooden coaster. The wooded setting and terrain usage is amazing. The ride just goes on forever and ever. The first drop isn't the greatest I've experienced but it's solid. The first hills on the way out are phenomenal. In the front you get ejected while cresting, in the back you get thrown out of your seat on the way down. The spaghetti bowl is absolutely insane. It's constant whip, laterals, positives, and airtime all mixed together back to back to back. The second half is all downhill so you get great whip and laterals. I fall in love with this ride more and more every time I ride. Perfect coaster.

Airtimes Smoothness Layout

People who say this is forceless are wrong. The first drop has great airtime in the back row. The first overbank has plenty of positives. Both big hills have a lot of floater and the turns have good forces as well. The bunny hill and final turn are a great finale that gives you that last pop and some whip. Great ride.

Airtimes Intensity Duration

Definitely one of the best coasters ever built. The first drop is very good, the first camelback is great sustained air, and the outerbank in the front row is insane. The second inversion is one of the highlights of the ride for me as it whips you hard. The second half is awesome weaving back and forth through the structure. The last zero-g roll is awesome as it continues rolling after. The final 6 bunny hills in a row bruise your thighs. I was able to get 10 rides in one day and it grew on me every single ride. I will still take Twisted Colossus over it but other then that this is my favorite RMC.

Inversions Smoothness Layout

Last time I rode Gatekeeper I was surprised by all the force. I don't remember that from my previous rides. The immelman has good Gs and the near misses were great. The dive loop had force as well. Much better then I remembered. Still prefer Wild Eagle and Thunderbird but solid coaster.

Airtimes Launch Layout

My favorite coaster out of 316. The theme and use of terrain is fantastic. The trains and entrance plaza are gorgeous. The ride itself is surprisingly intense and has some of the most unique elements you can experience with the spinning. The first drop is my favorite element on any coaster. The ejector down it is absolutely insane while sideways. The dive loop pulls good Gs and both launches actually have decent kick. The loop is great and zero-g roll is whippy. The twisted airtime hill gives violent ejector and the drop down to the second launch gives a good pop as well. I love Time Traveler becasue of how different it is. I haven't done anything like this ever. Easy 10/10

Theming Inversions Intensity

A good surprise of a ride. I was impressed by the near misses. The fire was cool and I thought the ending with the corkscrews was one of the best near misses ever. The ride was super smooth and intense as expected but the extra added theming, near misses, and effects really made me like this more then some other great floorless coasters like Kraken.

Airtimes Lap Bar Nice surprise! Dead spots

This was a great surprise. I figured it would be the best in the park but it still destroyed all expectations. I thought it had a solid first drop and the first turn was great. The first big hill gave stronger air then I was expecting. The big helix if fun. Definitely would be better use of space as something else but still not bad. The straight section is the biggest thing holding this ride back. I'd love more hills here. The next hill is absolutely insane. It felt like El Toro's rolling thunder hill. One of the strongest airtime moments I've ever experienced. The return trip has strong pops as well. Fantastic ride.

Theming Nice surprise! Launch Rattle

My personal favorite in the park. The theming is fantastic. I really love the trains to this ride. The coaster rattles a good bit but I was expecting that so no big deal. The launches are surprisingly forceful and the indoor portion has some great moments of positives. The finale is fun as well with the drop over the river. Great coaster.

Inversions Launch Capacity Harness

I'm just not a huge fan of this or Tigris. The restraints are uncomfortable and the trains are too tight of a squeeze. These rides have potential but I just don't enjoy them.

Theming Inversions Fun

One of my favorite arrows ever. It's location and length make it such a different experience. The loops over the water are awesome and the tunnel just seems to keep going and going. Such a great classic.

Airtimes Theming Intensity

One of my favorite family coasters out there. Good laterals and small pops of airtime. The theming is awesome. The millennium flyer trains are great as usual. I love the use of tunnels throughout the ride as well. They fit a lot of good solid elements into such a small coaster.

First Drop Harness Layout

Very good dive. I really enjoy these massive machines despite all the hate they get. This and SheiKra have the traditional OTSRs that allow you to get amazing floater down the drop. The immelman is a great second element and the dive loop is solid as well. The splashdown is also a nice touch. I prefer SheiKra slightly as it feels a little more intense but I definitely like this more then Valravn.

Airtimes First Drop Location

Definitely not the best hyper out there but very good. The location is fantastic and the hills all give very solid floater. The first drop is good and the return trip is super fun. Great floater filled ride.

Location Intensity Layout

An absolutely massive invert that's filled with positives and whip. It isn't the smoothest invert but is overall a super intense ride that I love. The cobra roll and transition into the mid course shake you up but the rest of the ride is a big swooping coaster with plenty of positives. Great invert

Airtimes Inversions Layout

Easily a top tier RMC. The whole thing runs faster then any other RMC I've ridden. The first drop is a perfect whippy hangtime filled masterpiece. The first three camelbacks are insane and the rest of the ride is filled with ejector hops. Top tier RMC 10/10

Intensity Smoothness Layout

Incredible coaster. One of the most intense rides I have ever experienced. The first drop is great and the legendary first turn makes you grey out every single time. The rest of the ride is just constant high speed transitions that whip you side to side and there's even some floater thrown in to mix it up. 10/10 for sure.

Intensity Layout Hangtime

Pretty solid floorless coaster. Not the best but it's solid. Good layout with some forceful and whippy inversions. The loop and low to the ground turn are awesome.

Location Hangtime Discomfort

Not as bad as most people make it out to be. It's not the most comfortable ride in the world but I didn't think it was much worse than many other Arrows I've done. I rode this last in the late season so it wasn't running the fastest and that turned out to be a good thing. Ended up getting plenty of hangtime through the corkscrews. The location over the lake is also pretty cool. Not terrible but I think a replacement wouldn't be bad either.