Manta dangerously nears the fine line between a fun ride and a ride that could kill you

[BachataMan]

Today I went to Sea World for the first time in 14 years now that I have the Platinum Pass. I was amazed how upscale the park was especially compared to Busch Gardens. I got to ride on all the coasters, but one I want to mention is Manta.

This is an interesting ride in that the seats move up 90 degrees like the Superman roller coaster at Six Flags so it’s like you really are flying, hence why it’s highly recommended to get front row. I really like the ambient music they play on the lift hill as well.

Where this ride comes near to killing you however is with the first inversion. Because of the way you’re positioned and because it’s such a sharp loop downward making an inverse inversion, you feel like your head is going to implode or fall off or whatever , so Rider beware.

Rest of the ride is pretty awesome because it is like you’re flying.

I think if it wasn’t for the inversions this would definitely be the best ride at Sea World, but instead it kind of gave me a migraine especially with the big sharp loop.

 

[FLOIR]

The first loop makes the ride, especially if you are in the back. You can feel like you are slowing down and then all of a sudden the mass of the rest of the cars whips you through the loop. It is an extreme feel.

 

[jaceraden]

I love that ride and think maybe just maybe your title is a little dramatic. To each their own!

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I thought Manta was awesome! I loved the drop and the feeling of soaring the whole ride.

 

[Shanti]

Rides like that are why I stick with Disney World. Yikes!

 

[BachataMan]

I love that ride and think maybe just maybe your title is a little dramatic. To each their own!

Not so dramatic when I felt like I was going to die on the ride and had a splitting headache after.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Rides like that are why I stick with Disney World. Yikes!

I'm not certain what you are envisioning, but SeaWorld is anything but an extreme rides park. I wouldn't let one person's assessment of one roller coaster turn you off of an entire park family. You'll find MANY people who think Manta is one of the best coasters in Orlando....my husband is one of them. Trust me, he's rode it often enough that if it were a killer coaster (literally), he would have been dead many trips ago.

Not so dramatic when I felt like I was going to die on the ride and had a splitting headache after.

To be fair, your personal tolerance for roller coasters does not constitute it being a near-death experience. I thought I was going to die and had a splitting headache after riding The Simpsons at Universal, and it is just a simulator (where you are literally in no physical danger at all, save for the nasty "feeling" that it can induce in us less hearty folks). I'm not arguing about how you FELT, but it's a big stretch (and as another poster very aptly put it, dramatic) to insinuate it could kill you. That implies a level of danger that I just don't believe is accurate.

 

[Jennasis]

Umm...I felt like death was imminent on both Manta and Mako. I do not like rides where all my weight is pressed against the restraint like that. The lift hill on Manta was terrifying. All I could think of was falling to my death if the restraint failed. I actually felt safer when the ride was moving after that first drop. I couldn't ride it a second time, but i was glas i gave it a shot.

On Mako...which i believe may be the best coaster ever...I also felt like there was a big danger factor as the lap restraint wouldn't click in that ONE notch tighter so every drop cause me some significant airtime LOL. Which was both awesome and terrifying.

What I learned after our visit to SW and BG is that I am OLD now. Back in the day I could ride pretty much anything. The faster and spinnier the better. Now I need an hour of mild Small World-esque type rides in between any coasters. Ugh...aging blows.

 

[jaceraden]

On Mako...which i believe may be the best coaster ever...I also felt like there was a big danger factor as the lap restraint wouldn't click in that ONE notch tighter so every drop cause me some significant airtime LOL. Which was both awesome and terrifying.

What I learned after our visit to SW and BG is that I am OLD now. Back in the day I could ride pretty much anything. The faster and spinnier the better. Now I need an hour of mild Small World-esque type rides in between any coasters. Ugh...aging blows.

I know what you mean about that extra click... and the age thing. I had my legs wrapped around that bar on Mako like my life literally depended on it. When we were going uphill, I could not believe that little game controller of a lap restraint was all there was to keep me from doom. I'm glad I did it but all further rides were done by my then 8 and 10 year olds, while I watched from the ground.

To be fair though - the ride that scares me THE MOST in all of Florida is Soarin'. I still have nightmares about it. I have gone on it several times, thinking I was just being silly or maybe I've gotten over it. NOPE. Nopity nope. I'm clammy just thinking about it now.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Umm...I felt like death was imminent on both Manta and Mako. I do not like rides where all my weight is pressed against the restraint like that. The lift hill on Manta was terrifying. All I could think of was falling to my death if the restraint failed. I actually felt safer when the ride was moving after that first drop. I couldn't ride it a second time, but i was glas i gave it a shot.

On Mako...which i believe may be the best coaster ever...I also felt like there was a big danger factor as the lap restraint wouldn't click in that ONE notch tighter so every drop cause me some significant airtime LOL. Which was both awesome and terrifying.

What I learned after our visit to SW and BG is that I am OLD now. Back in the day I could ride pretty much anything. The faster and spinnier the better. Now I need an hour of mild Small World-esque type rides in between any coasters. Ugh...aging blows.

I know what you mean about that extra click... and the age thing. I had my legs wrapped around that bar on Mako like my life literally depended on it. When we were going uphill, I could not believe that little game controller of a lap restraint was all there was to keep me from doom. I'm glad I did it but all further rides were done by my then 8 and 10 year olds, while I watched from the ground.

To be fair though - the ride that scares me THE MOST in all of Florida is Soarin'. I still have nightmares about it. I have gone on it several times, thinking I was just being silly or maybe I've gotten over it. NOPE. Nopity nope. I'm clammy just thinking about it now.

You're both doing far better than this old girl. Anything crazier than the mild side of Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin and I'm out . I still haven't even been able to summon the courage to ride Journey to Atlantis. Plummet straight down to my death? I think not!

I did, however, ride the Sea Carousel like a boss .

 

[Penguinempress]

Umm...I felt like death was imminent on both Manta and Mako. I do not like rides where all my weight is pressed against the restraint like that. The lift hill on Manta was terrifying. All I could think of was falling to my death if the restraint failed. I actually felt safer when the ride was moving after that first drop. I couldn't ride it a second time, but i was glas i gave it a shot.

On Mako...which i believe may be the best coaster ever...I also felt like there was a big danger factor as the lap restraint wouldn't click in that ONE notch tighter so every drop cause me some significant airtime LOL. Which was both awesome and terrifying.

What I learned after our visit to SW and BG is that I am OLD now. Back in the day I could ride pretty much anything. The faster and spinnier the better. Now I need an hour of mild Small World-esque type rides in between any coasters. Ugh...aging blows.

I love Mako, it's one of my all-time favorite coasters. I will, however, get my husband to press down on my lap bar with all his strength just so I can get that extra click. My thighs may be mashed to the seat (and I still get air time on the hills!) but at least I don't feel like I'm going to fly to my death.

 

[kathy884]

I like the Manta because of that first loop and to me that's the only reason I bother with it with all the other great stuff (non thrill ride stuff there is to do at SeaWorld). That first loop is the only reason it makes it on the list of my top three favorite roller coasters. The other two are at Cedar Pointe in Sandusky, OH.

I personally never had any physical reactions from the ride and found it quite pleasant, but I will say it is the only coaster I ever gave a little scream on. If you know why this one didn't work for you, perhaps you can do some research before riding something new. Have you ever had that reaction on anything else or is this the only thrill ride you have not enjoyed?

I'm 57. My 82 year old mom and 22 year old son love the Manta too. // I enjoy this one, but don't enjoy simulator rides like the Wild Artic (I do the non moving seat line) or the many simulator rides at Universal. Lots of coasters aren't fun for me these days too -- too jerky, too many spins, etc. I need smooth coasters for them to be enjoyable for me these days. Spinning rides don't work for me now that I am older also. But the Manta is still a rare fun one for me. My list of thrill rides I enjoy gets shorter the older I get, but the Manta is still on the list as a fun doable one.

Interesting that we all react quite differently to different thrill rides.

 

[kathy884]

I'm not certain what you are envisioning, but SeaWorld is anything but an extreme rides park. I wouldn't let one person's assessment of one roller coaster turn you off of an entire park family. You'll find MANY people who think Manta is one of the best coasters in Orlando....my husband is one of them. Trust me, he's rode it often enough that if it were a killer coaster (literally), he would have been dead many trips ago.

To be fair, your personal tolerance for roller coasters does not constitute it being a near-death experience. I thought I was going to die and had a splitting headache after riding The Simpsons at Universal, and it is just a simulator (where you are literally in no physical danger at all, save for the nasty "feeling" that it can induce in us less hearty folks). I'm not arguing about how you FELT, but it's a big stretch (and as another poster very aptly put it, dramatic) to insinuate it could kill you. That implies a level of danger that I just don't believe is accurate.

I so much agree with Gina's points here. I think SeaWorld is the best park in Orlando for a great day for those who don't do thrill rides. It's the only park that all my older relatives still enjoy going to. It's such a great park for a multigeneration group to enjoy together.

 

[Penguinempress]

I like the Manta because of that first loop and to me that's the only reason I bother with it with all the other great stuff (non thrill ride stuff there is to do at SeaWorld). That first loop is the only reason it makes it on the list of my top three favorite roller coasters. The other two are at Cedar Pointe in Sandusky, OH.

I personally never had any physical reactions from the ride and found it quite pleasant, but I will say it is the only coaster I ever gave a little scream on. If you know why this one didn't work for you, perhaps you can do some research before riding something new. Have you ever had that reaction on anything else or is this the only thrill ride you have not enjoyed?

I'm 57. My 82 year old mom and 22 year old son love the Manta too. // I enjoy this one, but don't enjoy simulator rides like the Wild Artic (I do the non moving seat line) or the many simulator rides at Universal. Lots of coasters aren't fun for me these days too -- too jerky, too many spins, etc. I need smooth coasters for them to be enjoyable for me these days. Spinning rides don't work for me now that I am older also. But the Manta is still a rare fun one for me. My list of thrill rides I enjoy gets shorter the older I get, but the Manta is still on the list as a fun doable one.

Interesting that we all react quite differently to different thrill rides.

I feel like they need to get rid of that Wild Arctic ride (or refurb it or something). I am usually fine with all rides but the Wild Arctic made both my husband and I feel terrible (and we're ok on all the simulators at Universal). Maybe the motion and picture don't sync up right or something. Needless to say, I did the 'sit on the stationary bench' version on my last trip!