7 Best Rides At SeaWorld Orlando
Starting its life as a marine zoological park, SeaWorld has transformed over the years into an exhilarating ride-based destination, with plenty of attractions that rival Orlando’s top theme parks.
Visitors of all ages can enjoy the park’s unique mix of aquatic life, educational shows, and thrilling rides and roller coasters.
However, with so much to see and do at SeaWorld, there might not always be enough time to hit all the rides that you want to.
The park has 18 fantastic attractions to choose from, including 6 high-thrill roller coasters and 2 exciting water rides.
So which are the rides that you shouldn’t miss?
1. Mako
Claiming the title of the tallest, fastest, and longest ride in all of Orlando, it should come as no surprise that Mako tops the list of the best rides at SeaWorld.
Named after the ‘Mako Shark’, one of the fastest sharks in the ocean, the steel hyper coaster takes you on an exhilarating ride through shipwreck reef at a top speed of 73 mph.
With multiple drops from up to 200 feet in height, Mako certainly isn’t a ride for the faint-hearted.
The coaster’s first drop plummets downhill at more than a 70-degree angle.
Many of the coaster’s steep hills and fast twists lift you right out of your seat, with only a lap bar to keep you in place.
The bum-out-the-seat sensation makes you feel as though you’re flying through the air – or gliding through the ocean like a Mako Shark.
Unlike many of SeaWorld’s other big roller coasters, Mako doesn’t go upside down at any point.
It’s a great option if you enjoy high speeds but find loops and corkscrews a bit too much to handle. It’s also an extremely smooth ride considering the high speeds and steep drops.
Mako’s 4,700-foot track takes two minutes to complete, making it the longest roller coaster in Orlando. This is a ride that’s certainly worth the queue time.
The hypercoaster has a 54-inch height restriction so is suitable for some younger riders – if they’re feeling brave enough that is!
2. Ice Breaker
Opened in early 2022, Ice Breaker is SeaWorld’s newest ride and the park’s first launch coaster. The ride was named after the icy Arctic summits.
The coaster features four high-speed launches, accelerating you forwards and backwards, before catapulting you into a whopping 93 feet tall spike with a 100-degree angle – the steepest beyond vertical drop in Florida.
After the initial launches, you soar through a number of exciting twists, turns, and hills at speeds of up to 52 mph.
There are no loops or corkscrews along the 1,900 feet long track, but there’s still plenty of airtime that’s guaranteed to get your heartbeat racing.
Ice Breaker was initially marketed as a roller coaster suitable for the entire family.
However, due to seat safety concerns for smaller riders, the height restriction was quickly increased to 54″.
The launch coaster is certainly intense enough to satisfy thrill seekers. But it isn’t quite as scary as some of the other major coasters in the park.
It’s a great ride for older children or those who aren’t as keen on big coasters. And at just 1 minute and 20 seconds in duration, it’s not too long if you don’t enjoy it.
3. Manta
Manta is a unique coaster that lets you experience what it’s like to soar through the water like a manta ray.
The Manta experience begins before you even get to the ride. While waiting in line, you’ll walk through a series of aquariums, including an unusual 360-degree pop-up aquarium, housing over 3,000 marine animals.
You’ll see plenty of rays swimming through the tanks, so you can prepare yourself for what’s to come.
Once on the ride, you’re strapped into position facing down, just like a manta ray.
The ride then starts with a face-first inverted nosedive of 113 feet. There’s no slowly easing into this coaster!
The thrilling ride twists and turns its way around 4 inversions, including a corkscrew and a pretzel loop, to imitate a ray gliding through the ocean.
You’ll see plenty of rays swimming through the tanks, so you can prepare yourself for what’s to come.
Once on the ride, you’re strapped into position facing down, just like a manta ray.
The ride then starts with a face-first inverted nosedive of 113 feet. There’s no slowly easing into this coaster!
The thrilling ride twists and turns its way around 4 inversions, including a corkscrew and a pretzel loop, to imitate a ray gliding through the ocean.
The coaster reaches heights of 140 feet before dropping back down toward the water below at hurtling speeds of 56 miles per hour. All on one of the smoothest tracks in the world.
Although the ride comes close to the water on many occasions, Manta isn’t a water ride, so you don’t need to worry about getting drenched. At most, you may get sprayed with a light mist as the wings skim the water below you.
4. Infinity Falls
If you’re looking to cool down in the notorious Orlando heat, Infinity Falls is a must-ride.
You’re guaranteed to get soaked as you descend down the 40-foot drop towards the whitewater below, the tallest drop on any rapids ride – But not to worry, you’ll dry off quickly in the hot Florida sun.
Infinity Falls takes you on a water safari through its South American tropical ruins-themed surroundings, filled with amazing waterfalls, fountains, and surprise geysers.
You’ll need to cling onto your raft as you splash and spin your way around the roaring rapids, chutes, and turns.
Infinity Falls takes you on a water safari through its South American tropical ruins-themed surroundings, filled with amazing waterfalls, fountains, and surprise geysers.
You’ll need to cling onto your raft as you splash and spin your way around the roaring rapids, chutes, and turns.
While the 40-foot drop will certainly get your heart racing, the rest of the water ride isn’t too scary. With a 42″ height restriction, the ride is suitable for younger children.
Infinity Falls is one of SeaWorld’s most popular rides, so the wait time can be up to an hour.
The line usually gets longer later in the day when the heat is at its peak. But with over 1,500 feet of track to cover, the ride takes 5 minutes and is definitely worth the wait.
5. Kraken
Kraken is one of the scariest and most extreme rides in SeaWorld if not all of Orlando. Opened back in 2000, it’s become one of the park’s most iconic roller coasters.
Kraken is the only floorless roller coaster in Orlando, allowing your feet to dangle freely in the air as you reach startling heights of 150 feet at speeds of 65 mph.
Named after the mythological beast that has terrified sailors for generations, the coaster moves much like this underwater monster.
It starts with a steep drop, before moving into a series of dizzying loops, corkscrews, and rolls – there are 7 inversions in total.
Some sections of the coaster even go underground in dark, disorientating tunnels.
Kraken lasts for 2 minutes in total, which is about the right amount of time considering the intensity of the coaster. You’ll need to be over 54″ to ride.
In 2017, Kraken was refurbished and renamed Kraken Unleashed with optional virtual reality headsets. However, these were removed in 2018 due to the increased wait times.
6. Journey To Atlantis
Opened in 1998, Journey to Atlantis was the first coaster in SeaWorld and is still as thrilling today as it was 25 years ago.
The hybrid roller coaster/water flume ride takes you on a journey to the sunken city of Atlantis. Starting inside, you’ll slowly explore the hidden passageways of the mythical city.
The stunning design of the city, combined with the lighting and music, creates a magical atmosphere that’s sure to delight kids and adults of all ages.
The ride then ramps up as you head outside to take on the 60-foot drop.
This is when it turns into a roller coaster, with thrilling twists, turns and 42 mph speeds leading you to the final drop.
Much like Infinity Falls, don’t plan to stay dry on this ride.
Both of the drops in Journey to Atlantis will get you soaked from the mist and water flowing into the boat.
The entire ride takes around 5 minutes. Wait times can be up to 45 minutes, particularly on hot summer days.
Guests between 42” and 48” can ride Journey to Atlantis with a guardian over 14 years old. If you’re over 48”, you can ride unaccompanied.
7. Cookie Drop!
Cookie Drop! is one of the top family rides at SeaWorld Orlando.
Located in Sesame Street Land, the ride is themed around one of the most popular characters from the franchise, the Cookie Monster.
The tower lifts you up to 20 feet in the air before dropping you and bouncing up and down like cookie crumbs falling from the cookie jar above.
The ride might not offer much for older riders, but it’s a great introductory ride for little thrill seekers.
With the fun theme and exciting drop, younger kids love this ride. There’s a minimum height restriction of 42″.
With only 6 seats on Cookie Drop, the ride time is short to accommodate as many guests as possible. Fortunately, the wait time is usually no longer than 10-15 minutes.