Mako (roller coaster)

Mako is a steel roller coaster located at SeaWorld Orlando in Orlando, Florida, United States. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the hypercoaster model opened to the public on June 10, 2016. Mako is named after the mako shark and is located in the Sea of Mystery section of the park. It reaches a height of 200 feet (61 m), a maximum speed of 73 mph (117 km/h), and features a track length of 4,760 feet (1,450 m).

Mako
Lift hill of Mako
SeaWorld Orlando
LocationSeaWorld Orlando
Park sectionSea of Mystery
Coordinates28.40955°N 81.45915°W / 28.40955; -81.45915
StatusOperating
Soft opening dateJune 2, 2016 (2016-06-02)
Opening dateJune 10, 2016 (2016-06-10)
General statistics
TypeSteel
ManufacturerBolliger & Mabillard
ModelHyper Coaster
Track layoutOut and back
Lift/launch systemChain
Height200 ft (61 m)
Drop200 ft (61 m)
Length4,760 ft (1,450 m)
Speed73 mph (117 km/h)
Inversions0
Height restriction54[1] in (137 cm)
Trains3 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 28 riders per train.
MusicRick McKee
Quick Queue available
Mako at RCDB
Video

The roller coaster was marketed as the tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster in Orlando and has been well-received, ranking every year since its opening in the top 50 of the annual Golden Ticket Awards publication from Amusement Today. It attained its highest ranking of 15 in 2019. The ride is one of six roller coasters at SeaWorld Orlando and was the first since Manta opened in 2009.

History

In April 2015, SeaWorld officials began teasing an upcoming announcement of a new thrill ride for their flagship park in Orlando, Florida.[2] At the time, the only detail revealed was that the roller coaster would be 200 feet in height and would become the longest, tallest, and fastest roller coaster in the city.[2] A month later on May 13, 2015, SeaWorld filed a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the name "Mako" along with "Reef Hunter".[3][4] On May 27, 2015, SeaWorld officially announced the construction of Mako, which was named after the mako shark. The mako has been identified as the fastest species of shark in the ocean.[5][6] During the time of announcement, a simulated point-of-view shot was released depicting the ride's intended route along the park's lagoon.[7]

On August 17, 2015, the first pieces of track began to ship from Ohio to Orlando,[8] and started to arrive on site two days later.[9] On January 6, 2016, the roller coaster's lift hill was topped-out.[10][11] The first car of the train was shipped and revealed on February 16, 2016, with the car design exhibiting the face of a mako shark.[12][13] On March 15, 2016, the last piece of track was put into place.[14][15]

In April 2016, SeaWorld began showing a presentation called "Mako Rising" previewing the upcoming roller coaster in their Nautilis Theater,[16][17] and later testing began on the ride with the park releasing an on-ride POV.[18][19] Mako's soft opening was on June 2, 2016,[20][21] with the official media day to introduce the roller coaster being hosted on June 9, 2016.[22] A day after, its official opening to the public was on June 10, 2016.[23] In addition to the ride's opening, a summer-dedicated event named "Summer of Mako" was hosted from June to August 2016 throughout the park and its sister water-park Aquatica Orlando.[24]

Ride experience

Entrance and queue area

The roller coaster is themed to the mako shark. Similarly the 2-acre (0.81 ha) park area around it, entitled "Shark Wreck Reef", is themed to sharks. The area features recycled art, a mural created by Guy Harvey,[25] and educational pieces about human and shark interactions.[26][27]

As guests go through the queue area, various educational displays and an additional Guy Harvey exhibit can be seen.[28] The queue of the ride consists of a wooden pier, where the riders are situated under while waiting.[29] During the queue, guests take on the point of view of a mako shark as it traverses through preying grounds.[28] The theme of Mako's station is a shipwreck.[26] Different sections of an original musical score is played throughout the queue and loading station, as well as the plaza area beneath the coaster's climactic loop.[30] SeaWorld commissioned the 32-minute score, which was composed and produced by Rick McKee.[30] Before the ride's train dispatches, a panel located above the riders shows scenes of shadowy figures consisting of a group of sharks migrating forward with accommodating visuals and sound.[29]

Layout

After leaving the station, the train makes a small right turn to a 200-foot (61 m) lift hill (which is right next to Kraken's dive loop) to begin its ascent.[31] After reaching the top, it enters a 200-foot (61 m) drop, in which the train reaches at a top speed of 73 miles per hour (117 km/h).[31] Then, the train makes a tall, overbanked turn, hugging the side of the lake, before an airtime hill. After the hill, the track reverses direction via a Hammerhead turn. Traveling over another camelback hill, there is a series of airtime hills as the track travels back along the lake before hitting the mid-course brake run. Off the mid-course brakes, the track makes a small left turn under the lift hill and goes into another airtime hill. After it makes a banked turn to the right, the track goes into another banked turn to the left over a part of the park's lagoon and then hits the final brake run.[31]

Characteristics

Track
Mako's train as it traverses through the final turn over water.

The steel box track of Mako is 4,760 feet (1,450 m) long and the lift is approximately 200 feet (61 m) high.[31] The track pieces were shipped on flatbed trucks from Clermont Steel Fabricators in Batavia, Ohio to Orlando, Florida where they were assembled.[26] The track of the roller coaster is purple with the supports colored blue.[26] The roller coaster was designed to have nine airtime moments and a third of the layout traverses over water.[5][26]

Trains

Mako operates with lead and fiberglass trains each containing seven cars.[12][31] Every seat has its own lap bar restraint[26] and each car seats four riders in a single row for a total of 28 riders per train.[31] The trains were designed with the physiology of a mako with gills on either side of the train,[26] and feature polyurethane wheels that help to reduce friction on the track.[32] They were manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard in Switzerland.[26]

Reception
View of Mako from across park's lake showing the lift hill and end of layout.

Mako has been positively received among guests and critics. Dewayne Bevil from the Orlando Sentinel described the ride as "breathtaking" and stated "SeaWorld has delivered on its marketing promise with the fastest, tallest, longest coaster in the Orlando market".[33] Marjie Lambert from the Miami Herald commented that the ride was like a "retro coaster" and mentioned "its design is reminiscent of old wooden coasters where the track couldn’t be shaped into the pretzels and upside down loops that are so popular in today’s steel coasters".[34] Sharon Wynne from the Tampa Bay Times suggested "it will likely to take two or three more trips on this coaster to appreciate all its tricks" and coaster enthusiast Jim Terry attending the soft opening had acclaimed it was the best roller coaster in Florida.[35]

Arthur Levine of USA Today remarked that "it's more than enough to get pulses racing and senses heightened, but not so much as to cause tunnel vision, grayouts, or other unpleasant side effects".[36] Elle Gordon of the Irish Independent likened the "weightless airtime" as a highlight of her park visit and added it was well worth a night time ride.[37] Russell Meyer of Theme Park Insider observed the themeing of the roller coaster and its surrounding area was "excellently done" with the accommodating effects and music a "nice touch".[38]

Awards
Golden Ticket Awards: Best New Ride for 2016
Ranking
3[39]
Golden Ticket Awards: Top steel Roller Coasters
Year2016201720182019202120222023
Ranking 35[40]31[41]17[42]15[43]17[44]16[45]17[46]

See also

References
  1. Bevil, Dewayne (February 25, 2016). "Making SeaWorld's Mako Into a shark–smooth roller coaster". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Newspapers. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  2. Bevil, Dewayne (April 24, 2015). "SeaWorld: New roller coaster coming in 2016". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Newspapers. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  3. "Mako". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  4. Bilbao, Richard (May 21, 2015). "Here's how SeaWorld's new roller coaster may be themed". Orlando Business Journal. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  5. Bevil, Dewayne (May 27, 2015). "SeaWorld Orlando: Mako roller coaster to hit 73 mph". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Newspapers. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  6. "Isurus oxyrinchus". Florida Museum of Natural History. May 9, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  7. Niles, Robert (May 27, 2015). "SeaWorld Orlando Announces New Coaster, Mako". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  8. Niles, Robert (August 17, 2015). "SeaWorld's Mako Makes its Move to Orlando". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  9. Mauney, Matt (August 15, 2015). "SeaWorld ships in first track piece of new 'Mako' coaster". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Newspapers. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  10. Bevil, Dewayne (January 6, 2016). "SeaWorld Orlando: Mako roller coaster topped out". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Newspapers. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  11. Busdeker, Jon (January 7, 2016). "SeaWorld's Mako taking shape before summer opening date". WESH. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  12. Bevil, Dewayne (February 16, 2016). "First look: SeaWorld shows off Mako roller coaster's car". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Newspapers. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  13. Batchelor, Amanda (February 16, 2016). "SeaWorld Orlando unveils new Mako roller-coaster car". WPLG. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  14. "Final piece of Mako roller coaster in place". KTTV. March 15, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2017 – via WOFL.
  15. Mauney, Matt (March 16, 2016). "SeaWorld completes footprint of Mako coaster". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Newspapers. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  16. Bevil, Dewayne (April 4, 2016). "SeaWorld: Mako roller coaster opens June 10". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Newspapers. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  17. Sangalang, Jennifer (April 4, 2016). "SeaWorld's Mako roller coaster opens in June". Florida Today. USA Today. Archived from the original on September 9, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  18. Lambert, Marjie (April 15, 2016). "Get a sneak peek at SeaWorld's Mako roller coaster". Miami Herald. The McClatchy Company. Archived from the original on September 9, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  19. Bevil, Dewayne (April 15, 2017). "SeaWorld: Mako roller coaster now in testing mode". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Newspapers. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  20. Bevil, Dewayne (June 2, 2016). "First ride: SeaWorld's Mako coaster delivers on air time". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Newspapers. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  21. Kubersky, Seth (June 2, 2016). "Summer of Mako event starts June 10 at SeaWorld Orlando". Attractions Magazine. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  22. "SeaWorld introduces hyper coaster 'Mako'". WFTV. June 9, 2016. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  23. Kubersky, Seth (June 10, 2016). "Mako now open at SeaWorld Orlando". Attractions Magazine. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  24. Kubersky, Seth (June 2, 2016). "Summer of Mako event starts June 10 at SeaWorld Orlando". Attractions Magazine. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  25. Pedicini, Sandra (April 27, 2016). "SeaWorld, Guy Harvey team up". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Newspapers. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  26. Lambert, Marjie (July 8, 2016). "The making of a roller coaster: SeaWorld's Mako". Miami Herald. The McClatchy Company. Archived from the original on September 9, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  27. Wooldridge, Jane (April 27, 2016). "SeaWorld's Mako coaster to feature art, exhibits by Guy Harvey". Miami Herald. The McClatchy Company. Archived from the original on September 9, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  28. Winningham, Cathleigh (May 10, 2016). "News 6 gets inside look at new SeaWorld roller coaster". WKMG. Archived from the original on May 11, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  29. Bevil, Dewayne (May 10, 2016). "First look: Behind the fence at SeaWorld's Mako coaster". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Newspapers. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  30. Bevil, Dewayne (2019). "Mako soundtrack tells 'musical story' of sharks". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  31. Marden, Duane. "Mako – SeaWorld Orlando  (Orlando, Florida, USA)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  32. Veness, Simon; Veness, Susan (February 18, 2016). "Florida's biggest, fastest and longest rollercoaster". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  33. Bevil, Dewayne (June 2, 2017). "First ride: SeaWorld's Mako coaster delivers on air time". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Newspapers. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  34. Lambert, Marjie (July 8, 2017). "Screaming all the way down on SeaWorld's new roller coaster". Miami Herald. The McClatchy Company. Archived from the original on September 9, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  35. Wynne, Sharon Kennedy (June 9, 2016). "Review: SeaWorld's Mako, open Friday, full of high speeds and weightlessness". Tampa Bay Times. Times Publishing Company. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  36. Levine, Arthur (June 6, 2016). "Exclusive: Pre-opening ride of Mako, Orlando's fastest coaster". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  37. Gordon, Elle (August 15, 2016). "Orlando: Terror and ecstasy on the roller-coaster". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  38. Meyer, Russell. "Mako at SeaWorld Orlando". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  39. "Amusement Today – Golden Ticket Awards 2016" (PDF). Amusement Today. 20 (6.2): 8. September 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  40. "2016 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016.
  41. "2017 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017.
  42. "2018 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018.
  43. "2019 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019.
  44. "2021 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2021. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021.
  45. "2022 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2022. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022.
  46. "2023 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Amusement Today. 27 (6.2): 66–70. September 2023. Archived from the original on September 10, 2023.
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