On Friday, June 1st, SeaWorld San Antonio gave me the opportunity to tour their brand new Half Roller Coaster Half Spillwater Ride on behalf of Coasterdom. Known as Journey To Atlantis, the ride is manufactured by Mack of Germany. JTA is the first of it’s kind in the United States, and meets one of SeaWorld’s goal of providing unique attractions.

Before I met up with Fran and Ricardo from SeaWorld, I took a little time to view the area that the ride is located it. It stands on ground that was previously occupied by nothing but trees. The ride is located on the opposite side of the park from Steel Eel, Great White, and other attractions, which helps control the crowds. The first visual decoration that I noticed was various banners placed around the ride area. Colored with the same purples, greens, and blues of JTA, they are very simple decorations that look great. The walls that surround the area and make up the buildings are of a nice yellow that is very appealing to the eye. The colors already mentioned also decorate these walls. In addition to the walls, the ride is enclosed by vibrant pink fencing that lights up the area. Last but not least, Sea World added theming that depicts coaster environments. There are rocks along the turnaround at the end of the ride, and right next to them is a painted beach where lost treasure has come ashore. Last but not least, the area was very nicely landscaped and many plants and trees have been planted. It looks as if the ride has always been there! SeaWorld really impressed me with all of the detail they put into the ride area.

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From the moment you sit in your seat, you know this ride will be different. Whether your facing backwards or forwards you have a feeling this will be unlike anything you have ever experienced. You pull out of the station and after a quick 90* turn you are heading up the lift.

As you crest the lift you are yanked over the top and the ride begins. A small trop and then a raised turn sends you spinning immediately. Drop, turn, up again and your head is spinning and you have no idea which direction you will head to next. After the largest drop of the ride you fly up into a horseshoe turn, which induces more spinning then imaginable. After that a banked turn of 180* takes you into a low to the ground partially enclosed helix. You feel the 3 G-Forces as it pulls you in and spins you like crazy.

 Then some exciting trick track and a high turn over the station the ride is coming to a close. You make a left turn and hit the incredibly smooth magnetic brakes. The train is coming into the station and your still spinning. The motors inside the station turn your car back so it is facing the way it was when you originally departed from the station. The lap bar rises, you unbuckle your seatbelt and you exit the station. You have just taken a ride on the wild side with Sierra Sidewinder.

Check out the all of the pictures in the Sierra Sidewinder gallery. Special thanks to Jake for the pictures and the review.

It’s the red and yellow monstrosity that graces the Cedar Point skyline. It stands at 420 feet tall and races at 120 miles per hour. This behemoth of a roller coaster is Top Thrill Dragster. Top Thrill Dragster opened to the public in 2003, and shocked the world smashing both the speed and height records, and definitely lives up to that reputation.

As you enter the park you can see Top Thrill Dragster from virtually anywhere, if you hadn’t already seen it miles down the road. The sheer size of the ride cannot be truly appreciated until you’re standing directly beneath the 420 foot tower. The theme is also very unique to the ride. As one of the few, but best themed rides in the park, Top Thrill Dragster is designed to resemble a real life top fuel dragster. When the ride opened, the trains even featured a wing and large racing tires attached to the back to fit the theme. These were later removed for safety, capacity, and weight issues. The uniquely themed coaster also greets you with a “Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!” spiel giving the queue a race track-like feel. To top it all off, the launch sequence is led by a “Christmas tree” setup on both the tower, and right in front of the train. There are also black and white checkered buildings and a real model dragster out in front of the ride.

I bet everyone’s wondering how the actual ride is? The actual ride itself is truly incredible, an experience everyone should try at least once. As you make your way though the queue, the walls the divide the queue from transfer track area are lined with real stats on actual dragsters, and how those compare to Top Thrill Dragster’s stats. As you get even closer to the station, you have to choose one of two paths, to the first or second train in the station. This decision alone changes the experience. Choosing the second train is a fun way to go. This introduces you to the Christmas tree experience.

As the train in front of you, no more than 5 feet away, gets the countdown from the lights, it feels as if your train is about to take off, a nerve racking experience. Back in the fairly crowded and poorly organized station, you decide where to sit. Any seat is a good seat on this ride. As you sit down, you are stapled into your seat with the “t-bar” lap-bar and a seatbelt. Seconds later, your train begins to roll out to the launch platform, and your heart by now is racing wildly, no matter how avid of a coaster enthusiast you may be. You hear the “Keep arms down, head back, and hold on!” spiel as you roll up.

As you wait a little more, the catch-car attaches to the train, the train rolls backwards slightly, and the copper brake fins along the track drop. This is it. This is what you’ve been waiting for. As you see the first yellow set of lights light up you want to cry, and before you can even see green, you’re racing down the red and white launch track at 120 miles per hour in just four seconds. This is not only one of the most intense launches, but one of the smoothest launches any person may experience. No more than halfway down the launch section, everything becomes a blur. You finally come to the tower, curve up, and you’re looking straight up into the sky. The train banks ninety degrees to the right, and crests the hill at an amazing 420 feet. This is the sight any coaster enthusiast would die for; looking down on the former ten world record breaker, Millennium Force.

You then begin your descent down the 400 foot drop. Looking straight down at the lagoon below you is quite an exhilarating scene, but take it in quick, you suddenly make a quick snap to the right, spiraling down the drop on a 270 degree spiral. The spiral is another thriller with giant steel beams and “head choppers” all around you. Just a quick seventeen seconds after the amazing launch, you hit the brakes, which bring you to a smooth, but quick halt, and you’re left in your seat amazed at the experience you just had.

Top Thrill Dragster is a one-of-a-kind experience. The super-fast, intense launch is worth the wait alone. Not only is the ride excellent, but the entire experience with the theming is excellently well done. As said before, Top Thrill Dragster is an experience, everyone should try at least once in their lifetime, especially for any avid coaster enthusiast.

I didn’t get to take too many photos, and you’ll find out why in the April 11th Podcast.  What I did take, was photos of Chiller testing, with the new hump, and as you can see, the Batman track is still missing.  Also seen below, a random Batman The Ride photo that I took.

I recently returned from a week-long trip in Florida. We decided to take a break from Disney for one day and travel over to Tampa to check out what Busch Gardens Africa had to offer.

As you approach the park, SheiKra, Kumba, and Montu rise high above the rest of the park, preparing you for what all you’re going to be conquering that day. As you enter the gates, SheiKra is out of sight, due to the massive trees around. But as you approach the Stanleyville section, SheiKra’s dark red track and blue supports become more prominent.

SheiKra is a show in itself, I could’ve easily stood on the plaza below and watched guests plunge vertically all day. It’s a scene. To add to that, Busch thought it would be great to get water involved, so everyone (except the riders) has a chance to get drenched. Now onto the actual ride.

You enter under the immelman in a queue that zig-zags near the station before heading up in a more enclosed queue. I knew I had been at Disney World to long when I thought, “this queue sucks.” Disney can get to you after a while. Since the crowds weren’t bad, we were fortunate enough to be able to pick our seat - the front seat. I sat on the very left edge. The train rolls out of the station, and onto the lift. The view is worth it alone, Tampa, and the surrounding area can be seen. But that doesn’t last for long, as you make a 180 to the holding brake - the most antagonizing part of the ride.

When I saw pictures and videos of SheiKra, I didn’t how far you were held. But you were, I had to put my feet on the rail in front of me (you won’t be able to do that much longer), so I was practically standing, looking straight down. What’s maybe 10 seconds feels like an hour.

The train plunges down, you feel like gravity has been lost, until you near the bottom of the drop, where the g’s come into play. The train soars through the immelman, which also provides great forces. You then enter the “turning carousel” element I think is what they call it. This leads up to the second drop. They give us a break by not holding us again, as you plunge vertically yet again but this time underground, then into an over-banked turn which then leads to the water element. Two funnels attached to the back of the train create two huge rooster tails of water, which slam down onto the onlookers below. Riders stay bone dry. The ride then circles back around to the brake run.

SheiKra is a powerful, unique ride that gives a smooth, intense experience. I highly recommend making the trip to Busch Gardens Africa to take a spin on it for yourself.