Kraken (roller coaster) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kraken |
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Kraken's corkscrew
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| Previously known as Kraken Unleashed (2017–2018) | |
| SeaWorld Orlando | |
| Park section | Sea of Legends |
| Coordinates | 28°24′40″N 81°27′30″W / 28.41111°N 81.45833°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Soft opening date | May 27, 2000 |
| Opening date | June 1, 2000 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Floorless Coaster |
| Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
| Model | Custom |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 153 ft (47 m) |
| Drop | 144 ft (44 m) |
| Length | 4,177 ft (1,273 m) |
| Speed | 65 mph (105 km/h) |
| Inversions | 7 |
| Duration | 2:02 |
| Capacity | 1500 riders per hour |
| G-force | 3.9 |
| Height restriction | 54 in (137 cm) |
| Trains | 3 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train. |
| Virtual queue |
Spot Saver available
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 Must transfer from wheelchair |
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| Kraken at RCDB Pictures of Kraken at RCDB |
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Kraken is a steel roller coaster located at SeaWorld Orlando in the United States. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the ride opened as the second longest floorless coaster in the world on June 1, 2000, with a track length measuring 4,177 feet (1,273 m). It features a total of seven inversions and reaches a maximum speed of 65 mph (105 km/h). The coaster was named after a fictional sea monster of the same name. In late 2016, Kraken underwent a refurbishment and reopened as Kraken Unleashed in June 2017. A virtual reality experience was added to the ride, but due to technical difficulties and extensive wait times, the feature was permanently removed the following year.
Contents
History
Kraken (2000–present)
In 1999, Six Flags Great Adventure spent $42 million on new attractions including a prototype Floorless Coaster by Bolliger & Mabillard, Medusa (later Bizarro). The immediate popularity of the ride led SeaWorld Orlando and three other amusement parks to announce plans to install Floorless Coasters in 2000; aside from the announcement of Kraken on May 6, 1999, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom announced Medusa, Geauga Lake announced Dominator, and Six Flags Fiesta Texas announced Superman: Krypton Coaster. Kraken was announced as costing approximately $18–20 million. Kraken's announcement more than one year out from its opening was an attempt by the park to drive international attendance.
Construction for the ride was well underway in January 2000. During construction, Superior Rigging & Erection was responsible for erecting the supports and track of the roller coaster.
On June 1, 2000, Kraken officially opened to the public. At the time of opening Kraken held the record for the tallest and longest roller coaster in the state of Florida. It held this record until 2006 when Disney's Animal Kingdom opened the 4,424-foot-long (1,348 m) Expedition Everest.
Kraken Unleashed (2017–2018)
On September 27, 2016, the park announced that the ride would undergo extensive refurbishment and reopen in 2017 with virtual reality headsets. It reopened as Kraken Unleashed on June 16, 2017. In early 2018, the virtual reality headsets were removed from the attraction’s ride vehicles and the ride went back to being Kraken due to technical difficulties. They returned to the ride in June 2018. Later that summer, the virtual reality was permanently removed due to slow dispatches and excessive wait times.
Characteristics
Statistics
The 4,177-foot-long (1,273 m) Kraken stands 153 feet (47 m) tall. With a top speed of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h), the ride was the fastest roller coaster at SeaWorld Orlando until the opening of Mako in summer 2016. The ride features seven inversions including two vertical loops, a dive loop, a spiraling camelback (zero-g roll), a cobra roll and a flat spin (corkscrew).
Trains
Kraken Unleashed operates with three floorless trains. Each train seats 32 riders in eight rows of four. This gives the ride a theoretical hourly capacity of 1500 riders per hour. The open-air trains feature seats which leave riders' legs dangling above the track. Riders are restrained with over-the-shoulder restraints. As the trains are floorless, the station has a retractable floor for safe boarding.
Theme
Kraken Unleashed is themed after the mythological sea monster of the same name, kept caged by Poseidon. Much of the ride is located above water, with three sections featuring subterranean dives. The ride's station and surrounding area are themed as Kraken's lair. Eels are said to be Kraken's young and therefore feature throughout the ride's queue. A SeaWorld Orlando spokesman stated "although it's a roller coaster, the theme of the ride brings it back to the sea, and to our (SeaWorld Orlando's) core".
Ride experience
After riders have boarded, the station floor is retracted and the front gates open. Kraken Unleashed departs with a right U-turn out of the station. This leads directly to the 153-foot-tall (47 m) chain lift hill. At the top, the train crests the lift hill and follows a fairly level turn to the right before dropping 144 feet (44 m) towards the ground. The ride then enters the first 128-foot-tall (39m) vertical loop followed by a diving loop, passing by Mako's lift hill. A spiraling camelback (zero-g roll), where riders experience a feeling of weightlessness, is followed by a cobra roll. A banked turn to the left leads into the mid-course brake run. The exit from the mid-course brake run drops down directly into the second vertical loop. A subterranean dive into Kraken's lair is followed by a corkscrew. The ride concludes with a final brake run and a short path back to the station.
