PHOTOS: Busch Gardens and SeaWorld Unveil Ride Vehicles for Upcoming Roller Coasters
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment shared exciting ride car designs and new details on many of the company’s new attractions on opening day of the 2019 IAAPA Attractions Expo, the attractions industry’s premier trade show and conference hosting more than 38,000 industry professionals from around the world in Orlando this week.
SeaWorld Orlando and San Antonio, as well as Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Williamsburg revealed the lead ride car design and details on their new park attractions, while SeaWorld San Diego announced the name of its thrilling 2020 attraction is Emperor.
Some of the record–breaking thrills and adventures coming to the parks in 2020 include:
- North America’s tallest hybrid coaster and the fastest and steepest hybrid coaster in the world – Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
- The steepest beyond vertical drop in Florida – Ice Breaker at SeaWorld Orlando.
- The world’s fastest multi-launch coaster – Pantheon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
- The tallest, fastest and longest wooden coaster in the state of Texas – Texas Stingray at SeaWorld San Antonio.
- The tallest, fastest and longest dive coaster in California and the only floorless dive coaster in the state – Emperor at SeaWorld San Diego.
- America’s first dual-tailspin water slide – Solar Vortex at Adventure Island.
- Florida’s first-ever dueling water slide - Riptide Race at Aquatica Orlando.
These are all part of a new attractions lineup creating buzz across the country and providing endless reasons to visit the parks again and again.
Iron Gwazi – Opening Spring 2020 (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay)
A new legend is surfacing in 2020 at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay with the evolution of Iron Gwazi, North America’s tallest hybrid coaster and the fastest and steepest hybrid coaster in the world.
Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction, Iron Gwazi will be 206 feet tall, feature a 91-degree drop, and reach top speeds of 76 miles per hour. The journey will include 3 inversions and 12 airtime moments as it races along more than 4,075 feet of purple steel track. With a 48” height requirement, Iron Gwazi will be an exciting thrill attraction that families can take on together.
Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction, Iron Gwazi will be 206 feet tall, feature a 91-degree drop, and reach top speeds of 76 miles per hour. The journey will include 3 inversions and 12 airtime moments as it races along more than 4,075 feet of purple steel track. With a 48” height requirement, Iron Gwazi will be an exciting thrill attraction that families can take on together.
While elements of the former wooden attraction will be integrated into the new ride, the steel track and reimagined layout of Iron Gwazi present an entirely unique experience that tells a different story. Iron Gwazi will highlight the best of both worlds — the classic nostalgia of a wooden coaster and the bold innovation of a steel coaster. Thriving and adapting over millions of years, this evolutionary crossroad is perfectly represented in the crocodile, the largest living reptile and the animal inspiration for Iron Gwazi.
Iron Gwazi Fast Facts
- Opening Date: Spring 2020
- Maximum Height: 206 feet
- Maximum Speed: 76 mph
- Drop Angle: 91 degrees
- Track Length Travelled: 4,075 feet
- Number of Trains: two
- Number of Riders per Train: 24
- Minimum Rider Height: 48 inches
- Ride Elements: 12 airtime features, including three inversions
- Manufacturer: Rocky Mountain Construction
Ice Breaker – Opening Spring 2020 (SeaWorld Orlando)
Making its debut in spring 2020, riders will shiver through family friendly adventures on SeaWorld Orlando’s first launch coaster: Ice Breaker. Named after the icy Arctic summits, Ice Breaker will feature four launches, both backwards and forwards, culminating in a reverse launch into the steepest beyond vertical drop in Florida — a 93-foot tall spike with 100-degree angle.
Located near the Wild Arctic Attraction, the ride’s theme is reflective of this area with a nod to Ice Breaker’s conservation partner, Alaska SeaLife Center. Primarily dedicated to marine research, education and wildlife response, the Alaska SeaLife Center mission matches closely to SeaWorld Orlando’s, making them an ideal partner to help educate riders about the Artic and its inhabitants.
The opening of Ice Breaker is the perfect addition to SeaWorld’s ever-growing ride portfolio, and its 48-inch rider height makes it a family friendly thrill ride. From the roller coaster thrills of Mako, Manta and Kraken, to the water rapids of Infinity Falls and the flume fun of Journey to Atlantis, Ice Breaker joins the park’s famed attractions as a must-do experience in Orlando.
Ice Breaker Fast Facts
- Special Features: SeaWorld Orlando’s first launch coaster and a quadruple launch coaster. Experience a reverse launch into the “steepest beyond vertical drop,” a 93” tall spike with 100 degree angle.
- Rear Spike: 93 ft.
- Top Hat: 80 ft.
- Track length: 1900 ft.
- Track traveled 2750 ft.
- Maximum Speed: 52 mph
- Ride Duration: 80-90 seconds
- Number of trains: two
- Number of coaches: three per train, with three rows per coach
- Minimum rider height: 48 inches
- Manufacturer: Premier Rides
We will continue to share updates from the IAAPA Expo in the coming days, so stay tuned to OTPN for more exciting news!
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