Kraken Unleashed should translate to "How to ruin a perfectly good rollercoaster".
Kraken in it's original guise (since it opened in 2000) was a high capacity, smooth floorless rollercoaster. A great fun ride and IMO, probably the best coaster in Orlando, until Mako opened.
But SeaWorld had to jump onto the VR bandwagon and dabble with Kraken to create Kraken Unleashed. Oh dear. You can no longer just queue up for the ride - but you can save a place in line at the ride entrance & be given a return time. Return in the time band and you only have a short wait before you ride. SeaWorld was quiet today and at Noon the return times being given were +315 minutes (yes, over 5hrs away).
You can opt to ride without the VR headset if you wish, but you still have the long wait for your turn to ride. Dispatch times have gone through the floor - it's one train every 5 minutes or so now as all the VR headsets have to be cleaned with alcohol wipes after each use. So we have gone from up to 1500 riders per hour on the original Kraken to about 400 riders per hour on Kraken Unleashed. Progress? I think not.
We rode with the VR headsets on and did not feel that the VR added anything to the ride. Indeed, some riders will find the VR headsets uncomfortable / heavy.
We're in no hurry to ride Kraken Unleashed again - if we do, it'll be without the VR headsets for sure. We'll stick to Mako and Manta. I am worried about Manta though, as Alton Towers have added VR to their ride of the same genre... please SeaWorld - don't ruin Manta too!
Kraken in it's original guise (since it opened in 2000) was a high capacity, smooth floorless rollercoaster. A great fun ride and IMO, probably the best coaster in Orlando, until Mako opened.
But SeaWorld had to jump onto the VR bandwagon and dabble with Kraken to create Kraken Unleashed. Oh dear. You can no longer just queue up for the ride - but you can save a place in line at the ride entrance & be given a return time. Return in the time band and you only have a short wait before you ride. SeaWorld was quiet today and at Noon the return times being given were +315 minutes (yes, over 5hrs away).
You can opt to ride without the VR headset if you wish, but you still have the long wait for your turn to ride. Dispatch times have gone through the floor - it's one train every 5 minutes or so now as all the VR headsets have to be cleaned with alcohol wipes after each use. So we have gone from up to 1500 riders per hour on the original Kraken to about 400 riders per hour on Kraken Unleashed. Progress? I think not.
We rode with the VR headsets on and did not feel that the VR added anything to the ride. Indeed, some riders will find the VR headsets uncomfortable / heavy.
We're in no hurry to ride Kraken Unleashed again - if we do, it'll be without the VR headsets for sure. We'll stick to Mako and Manta. I am worried about Manta though, as Alton Towers have added VR to their ride of the same genre... please SeaWorld - don't ruin Manta too!