China's new 'Coaster in the Clouds'

Until now, I've posted news and videos on several new roller coasters that have made their debuts in 2016, such as Dollywood's Lightning Rod, Great Adventure's The Joker, and of course Cedar Point's wicked Valravn.   But the coasters I've shared on this blog all have one thing in common...they're all in the United States.  Theme parks and rides are not a uniquely American thing by any means, and there are some great parks, and coasters, all over the world.

One of the newest places to make a huge mark in the coaster world is China.  Yes, China and it territories have had some great roller coasters for years, but a developer by the name of Wang Jianlin has been aiming to steadily build an amusement park empire large enough to compete with Disney. The Wanda Group opened its first theme park in Nanchang, China this May and the massive Wanda Cultural Tourism City is only the first of a planned 15 new theme parks in China.

New to the lineup of worldwide roller coasters, located in the new park, is a fierce looking ride called Coaster in the Clouds.  This coaster, built by renowned coaster builders Intamin, is a hyper-coaster. That is, it is built for speed simply due to its construction with a lift hill of over 200 feet.  The lift hill on this monster is a whopping 242.8 feet, making it the tallest in China, and the drop comes not immediately upon the crest, but after a banked turn to the right.  Coaster in the Clouds reaches speeds of up to 84.5 miles per hour and it looks like a lot of fun!  Check it out...

We'll definitely be keeping an eye out on The Wanda Group to see where it goes next.  Who knows, it might make me finally have a desire to visit China.  Stay tuned. 

Sea World Orlando's New 'Mako' Hypercoaster

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Another cool addition in the world of roller coasters just happened in an unlikely place.  When Sea World, in Orlando, Florida, first opened more than 40 years ago, it was merely an amusement park-sized aquarium, with plenty of sea animal exhibits set in extraordinarily cool settings.  Over the past 20 years or so, the park has been adding more and more amusement rides, such as Shamu Express, Journey to Atlantis, and even coasters like the floorless Kraken and the flying Manta.  Well, now the park has added its third roller coaster, Mako, making it a bona fide destination for coaster enthusiasts who visit the Orlando area.

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Now hypercoasters are among my favorite types of rides.  These types of rides offer heights in excess of 200 feet and are built for speed and airtime, a favorite element of virtually any coaster lover. Sea World's newest measures exactly 200 feet on its first drop before careening into twists, turns, a unique 'Hammerhead' u-turn, and plenty of hills and airtime.  Mako reaches top speeds of about 73 mph as it traverses 4,700-plus feet of track in just under three minutes.  

The ride, with lead cars bearing the face of the well-known, fast-swimming shark that gave it its name, is located in the parks Shark Wreck Reef area and sits next to Kraken, the two coasters straddling a lake towards the back of the park.  The coaster debuted today and I am sure riders enjoyed the newest, tallest and fastest coaster in all of Orlando.  Here's your turn...