SeaWorld Orlando has started a new pricing system in 2016 in order to simplify its pricing structure. According to this article in the Orlando Sentinel, SeaWorld is now charging $79 for online tickets that can be used 7 days a week. SeaWorld Orlando previously charged $70 for advance purchased tickets for use on weekdays, and $89 for advance purchased tickets for use on weekends. SeaWorld Orlando one-day price for tickets at the gate will remain at $99.
Additionally, visitors purchasing advance tickets online can pay an additional $20 ($99 total) and get a 2nd visit to any of SeaWorld’s Florida parks, including SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa, and Adventure Island Tampa. For an additional $10 ($109 total), you can add a 3rd visit to any of the four aforementioned parks. To top it all off, for $139 you can get unlimited visits plus free parking over a 14-day period to any of SeaWorld’s four parks in the Central Florida.
The price of annual passes at SeaWorld Orlando have also gone up, from $156 ($13 a month) to $168 ($14 a month). The park has offered new monthly perks for annual pass holders, which include discounts, ticket offers, and complimentary gifts.
Finally, SeaWorld is bringing back its Preschool Pass for 2016, which allows kids ages 5 and younger unlimited admission to SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa through December 31. The offer is only valid for Florida residents. The Preschool Pass must be registered online and redeemed by May 27.
2016 is setting up to be an exciting year at SeaWorld for coaster enthusiasts, with Mako, Florida’s first hyper coaster, set to open this summer. Mako will stand as the tallest roller coaster in Orlando at 200 ft, reaching speeds up to 73 mph.
I’m incredibly excited to finally have a hyper coaster in Central Florida! For all the world-class roller coasters here in the region, there is a surprising lack of airtime to be had. The only airtime hills on steel coasters in the area are on Cheetah Hunt at Busch Gardens Tampa, and the Chinese Fireball at Universal Islands of Adventure, with both rides only having mild to moderate airtime. However, Mako will be a B&M “airtime machine” with nine airtime hills.
While I was at SeaWorld in December for SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration (which you can read about here), I took a ride on the Sky Tower to get an aerial view of Mako’s construction.
As you can see here, the lift hill has gone up, and wow does it look steep!
It also looks like the ride’s loading station is being erected. (Apologies for the glare in this picture, I recently bought a new camera and was still getting accustomed to using it.)
Mako is being constructed next to Shark Encounter and Sharks Underwater Grill, which will all be part of the new Sharks Realm area of the park. There’s currently a construction wall up in between Shark Encounter and Nautilus Theater, so it’s difficult to get a close up look at the construction area. However, SeaWorld did put up a bunch of teaser posters to get park goers excited for the new attraction.
In early January, SeaWorld released their own update of the construction progress of Mako, and even sent us some pictures of the final piece of the lift hill being added!
If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s a narrated POV video of Mako.
I can’t wait for the grand opening of Mako. I will finally have a world-class coaster here in the Orlando area to marathon ride on! While the looping coasters here are great, I can ride them only a few times in a row before my body can’t take anymore. Mako, on the other hand, will be smooth, B&M, airtime bliss! Have you been on a hyper coaster before? If so, what’s your favorite one? Do you think Mako will top it? Feel free to add to the Mako hype train discussion below!
I’m excited for mako even though I probably won’t make it over the pond until next year but if this is anything like shambala which is my closest b&m hyper coaster it should be smooth floaty goodness .
I can’t wait for Mako! I grew up outside Six Flags Great America and was lucky enough to be one of the first people to ever ride Raging Bull and have that as my home park until I left to move down to Orlando in 1999. I’ve been waiting 17 years for a hyper coaster here in Orlando. I expect Mako to be great but don’t expect it to beat my top two B&M hypers (Goliath at SFoG and Intimidator at Carowinds). I’m hoping it’s better than Diamondback but am not convinced by the video I’ve seen. I do expect it to be better than Raging Bull as there isn’t a ton of airtime on that ride. Its still in my top 10 though.
Hello my name is Jed and I’m from Florida and I have season passes to seaworld Orlando and I was wondering why mako is having 7 cars but other hyper coaster have 8 or 9 cars per train. and im coming in june some time to see the new coaster and ride it im so happy to see the train ride the track when will it open
I have been following every update on Mako, and I’m so ready to ride the 200 foot coaster when it opens this summer but I will be maybe taking my friend along with me so she can get the feeling of air time hills but I’m so happy that its almost done.