Journey to Atlantis - Sea World - Orlando, Florida

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• published: 19 Apr 2015
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Journey to Atlantis is the name shared by three water roller coasters located at SeaWorld theme parks. These attractions, while different from one another, tell a similar story of a trip to the mythical land of Atlantis. Each one combines roller coaster elements, such as chain lift hills and steep drops, with boat-based attraction elements, such as splash-down landings. All three attractions were designed by MACK Rides of Germany. The original Journey to Atlantis made its debut in 1999 at SeaWorld Orlando, and was the first roller coaster to be installed at the park. It was the park's only thrill ride until the arrival of Kraken in 2000. Journey to Atlantis features a small aquarium exhibit, "Jewels of the Sea", in its gift shop exit area. Inside, guests will find aquaria built into the floor and the ceiling of the exhibit, along with more traditional aquaria. The ride vehicles on Journey to Atlantis are actually boats with wheels on the bottom and on the sides. Each boat carries eight passengers, arranged into four rows with two passengers each. Two lap bars secure both passengers in the row. Journey to Atlantis begins as the boat is propelled via friction drives into a water flume meant to resemble an underwater canal. A siren beckons the boat closer until the mythical realm of Atlantis comes into view. The boat enters the city and all appears well, but soon the siren's true form is revealed, and the boat is carried up and out of the temple on a roller coaster chain lift hill. After a left-hand U-turn the boat starts up a second lift hill, entering a dry flume at the top of the hill that carries the boat to the large splash-down drop. The attraction's on-ride camera captures the boat's photograph as it slides down to the water below. The boat makes a right-hand U-turn leading to a short drop and a final lift hill that leads back into the temple for one final encounter with the siren. At the top of this lift hill, the boat is now on a roller-coaster-type track. The boat escapes from the siren into the darkness, down a spiraling drop to the left before swooping up and landing in a final splash-down pool. The boat makes one final U-turn to the right before returning to the station. - wikipedia.org