New rides & experiences for Orlando, Florida!

With a host of exhilarating new rides and awe-inspiring experiences, and not forgetting the most anticipated arrival of the most exciting experience ever in Orlando....The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (due to open end of 2009/ early 2010 at Universal Orlando), there’s never been a better time to holiday in the theme park capital of the world.

Have a read of the best new rides and experiences of 2008 and 2009:

Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit
(Universal Orlando Resort – opening spring ‘09)

Lights.....Camera.....Coaster!! Adrenaline pumping and music thumping, you find yourself heading straight toward the sky. Suddenly, you are doing 65 mph, 17 stories over Universal Studios. Gasping with excitement, you rock out to a song you picked before strapping in. And, it’s all on video. Once the adventure is over, you edit the video to send to your friends.

This is true high-tech, multi-sensory entertainment at its very best! Scheduled to open in spring 2009, Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit will stake its claim as the most technologically advanced roller coaster in the world. The superb Universal Creative team are combining music and special effects engineering, sophisticated on- and off-board video and one-of-a-kind guest personalisation to create a roller coaster experience unlike any other. Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit touts six near-miss moments and first-ever thrills including a record-breaking loop.

Customise your ride experience by choosing what song will play while you’re on the roller coaster. LED boards in the queue lines will display song options from five genres (classic rock, rap, country, pop and disco). Once on-board, choose your song or let the coaster’s digital sound system choose for you. When the ride is over, you will be able to customise footage from your experience and compile it into a take-home music video.

Manta (SeaWorld Orlando – opening summer ‘09)

Said to be the most graceful flying coaster ever created, Manta, is SeaWorld’s new roller coaster is due to open next summer.

Swooping over water and sky, Manta will show you underwater animal habitats, then soar you face-down aboard a manta-inspired flying coaster, donned in hues of dark purple, ultramarine blue, and cobalt. You will travel face-down, in a horizontal position, underneath the belly of a coaster train shaped as a giant manta, with a wing span of 12 feet. Manta will cover four acres and will reach a height of 140 feet.

The coaster cars were designed to give riders the sensation of gliding, swooping and diving up to nearly 60 mph, through four inversions on 3,000 feet of track, moving from sky to water, so close at times that the Manta's wings skim the waves.

The attraction will begin when you enter a mythical village filled with artisan-created engravings and artwork that celebrate ray legend and lore. In the queue line, you will wind through caverns adorned with ray-inspired art in marble, jewels, and mosaics, all hand-created.

Whether you choose to ride the coaster or not, SeaWorld pledges that Manta still will offer an attraction. Floor-to-ceiling windows will provide encounters with 300 rays, as well as thousands of fish and other creatures native to oceans all over the world. Shark rays, spotted eagles rays, leopard rays and river rays float past you with fluidity and grace in a view new to SeaWorld.

The Simpsons Ride (Universal Studios Orlando – already open)

America’s favourite animated family has arrived in Orlando – with their very own mega-attraction. The new attraction will plant you smack in the middle of a brand-new Simpsons adventure – a ride adventure so big, so funny and so thrilling it’s no surprise it took years to make.

Based on the animated television series The Simpsons, The Simpsons Ride is a state-of-the-art simulator ride! The ride at Universal Studios Florida opened on April 2008.

The attraction is larger than life – from the 28-foot-tall Krusty the Clown at the entrance (you walk through Krusty’s mouth on his extended tongue) to the giant wrap-around cinematic experience created for this great new adventure. You will soar through Krustyland and Springfield on a ride that features the world’s first-ever cork screw that’s animated!

The Simpsons Ride is already a massive hit and is most definitely a must for all Universal Studios visitors!

ICEBAR Orlando (International Drive – already open)

Located on International Drive, Orlando is the new and exhilarating ICEBAR, the first ice bar in America! Nothing works up a thirst quite like an Antarctic winter deep in the heart of Florida. Enjoy a drink surrounded by more than 50 tons of carved ice. Everything within Icebar Orlando is made of ice – from the bar to lean against, the couch to lounge on, even the glass you drink from!

State-of-the-art lighting sets the tone, and exquisitely carved ice sculptures provide the cool decor. All the while you are wrapped up snug in thermal capes and gloves that we provide. While they keep you warm on the outside, the signature Grey Goose cocktail in a glass of ice will warm you inside. The Icebar is an experience that will literally take your breath away!