Kraken

Kraken (named for the fictional sea monster of the same name) is a steel floorless roller coaster located at SeaWorld Orlando in the United States. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the ride features a total of seven inversions including two vertical loops, a dive loop, a spiraling camelback (zero-g roll), a cobra roll and a flat spin Kraken opened on June 1, 2000. It is also the world's second longest floorless coaster elongating up to 4,177 feet (1,273 m). The coaster was refurbished and renamed to Kraken Unleashed. The refurbishment included Virtual Reality.
==History==
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 to 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 Marine World announced Medusa, Six Flags Ohio announced Batman: Knight Flight, 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.
==Characteristics==
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 of 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).
==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 flat spin. The ride concludes with a final brake run and a short path back to the station.
Category:SeaWorld Orlando
Category:Rollercoasters