Re: SeaWorld Orlando (SWO) Discussion Thread

Today Theme Park Review was invited to preview Kraken Unleashed, the new virtual reality experience taking over the classic Kraken B&M floorless coaster at SeaWorld Orlando. This new offering brings an added level of story to the otherwise straightforward coaster and manages to retcon the presence of Journey to Atlantis in the park to form a thematic corner in which the two attractions are now more closely connected. The coaster's queue structures have been lightly refreshed to take on a new theming; gone are the Mediterranean architectural influences and in their place are metal and futuristic design elements that indicate that this is a scientific research facility.
Once inside of the coaster station, the loading and dispatch process has been updated to reflect the updated restraints and most importantly, the securing of the VR headsets. Kraken Unleashed is not a mandatory experience, allowing riders to opt out of the virtual reality in favor of the more traditional coaster experience. At the end of each ride, ride attendants will clean each headset with a sanitation wipe before putting it in the secure box attached to the coaster restraints. It is one of the few VR coaster experiences around the world that does not have an age restriction, rather relying purely on the guest's height to determine if they are eligible to ride based on a 54 inches height restriction. The over the shoulder restraints have been modified to feature a new grip as well as metal bars that hold up the resting container for the VR headsets. At the beginning of each ride, the ride attendants assist riders with securing their headsets and adjusting the lens to ensure that riders get the most visual clarity out of their virtual reality experience. At the end of each ride, ride attendants will clean each headset with a sanitation wipe before putting it in the secure box attached to the coaster restraints.
Looking at these processes and the added work required to load, unload and dispatch trains certainly impacts the operation. Kraken has traditionally had multiple trains in operation and has had a solid hourly capacity, but now with the above-mentioned causes for delays, the dispatch times are significantly higher than what most past riders will remember. This will likely present a challenge for SeaWorld, especially during the busy Summer ahead. It has yet to be confirmed if the other trains used by Kraken previous have been/will be updated for this new experience but SeaWorld will be launching a new virtual queueing option with the grand opening of Kraken Unleashed, which will hopefully help the park in reducing wait time for this coaster.
From a detail and story standpoint, Kraken Unleashed succeeds in some unexpected ways. It was fitting that my first VR coaster would also be the first major roller coaster I rode as a child growing up. Kraken Unleashed brings a compelling and fast-paced story that synchronizes audio, motion and the maneuvers of the floorless coaster's track layout to bring together an immersive experience that caught me by surprise. There were few moments where the VR shown didn't pair perfectly with the train's movements (those moments came most towards the end of the coaster) but aside from that, the VR film managed to integrate a good number of the coaster's more uniquely-felt moments.
Kraken Unleashed ties together two of the park's thrill attractions, built in the heyday of SeaWorld Adventure Park when the focus was on thrill rides and not on theming. With this update, there's a slight increase in theming throughout the queue to help ground the new story. It manages to tell a new and exciting story that explains why Journey to Atlantis is present in the park. With the only other VR coaster experience currently offered in Orlando being Freedom Flyer VR at Fun Spot America, this new experience stands out as a quality plussing of a classic but in some ways tired coaster. If SeaWorld Orlando can nail down their operating procedures to focus on reducing dispatch times, I believe that this could be a big draw for the park, providing an influx of new and repeat guests eager to see the changes to this notable coaster.
Once inside of the coaster station, the loading and dispatch process has been updated to reflect the updated restraints and most importantly, the securing of the VR headsets. Kraken Unleashed is not a mandatory experience, allowing riders to opt out of the virtual reality in favor of the more traditional coaster experience. At the end of each ride, ride attendants will clean each headset with a sanitation wipe before putting it in the secure box attached to the coaster restraints. It is one of the few VR coaster experiences around the world that does not have an age restriction, rather relying purely on the guest's height to determine if they are eligible to ride based on a 54 inches height restriction. The over the shoulder restraints have been modified to feature a new grip as well as metal bars that hold up the resting container for the VR headsets. At the beginning of each ride, the ride attendants assist riders with securing their headsets and adjusting the lens to ensure that riders get the most visual clarity out of their virtual reality experience. At the end of each ride, ride attendants will clean each headset with a sanitation wipe before putting it in the secure box attached to the coaster restraints.
Looking at these processes and the added work required to load, unload and dispatch trains certainly impacts the operation. Kraken has traditionally had multiple trains in operation and has had a solid hourly capacity, but now with the above-mentioned causes for delays, the dispatch times are significantly higher than what most past riders will remember. This will likely present a challenge for SeaWorld, especially during the busy Summer ahead. It has yet to be confirmed if the other trains used by Kraken previous have been/will be updated for this new experience but SeaWorld will be launching a new virtual queueing option with the grand opening of Kraken Unleashed, which will hopefully help the park in reducing wait time for this coaster.
From a detail and story standpoint, Kraken Unleashed succeeds in some unexpected ways. It was fitting that my first VR coaster would also be the first major roller coaster I rode as a child growing up. Kraken Unleashed brings a compelling and fast-paced story that synchronizes audio, motion and the maneuvers of the floorless coaster's track layout to bring together an immersive experience that caught me by surprise. There were few moments where the VR shown didn't pair perfectly with the train's movements (those moments came most towards the end of the coaster) but aside from that, the VR film managed to integrate a good number of the coaster's more uniquely-felt moments.
Kraken Unleashed ties together two of the park's thrill attractions, built in the heyday of SeaWorld Adventure Park when the focus was on thrill rides and not on theming. With this update, there's a slight increase in theming throughout the queue to help ground the new story. It manages to tell a new and exciting story that explains why Journey to Atlantis is present in the park. With the only other VR coaster experience currently offered in Orlando being Freedom Flyer VR at Fun Spot America, this new experience stands out as a quality plussing of a classic but in some ways tired coaster. If SeaWorld Orlando can nail down their operating procedures to focus on reducing dispatch times, I believe that this could be a big draw for the park, providing an influx of new and repeat guests eager to see the changes to this notable coaster.