Best Rides in Orlando - 2

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One of my favorite coasters since I was little is Space Mountain at Disney's Magic Kingdom. You start out going through a tunnel of strobe lights and colors and then through darkness past shooting stars and glowing planets. Because you’re in the dark, it always feels like you’re going a lot faster than 28 m.p.h.

Another coaster that might be good for kids 5 or 6 years old and up is Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which is pretty tame by my standards, but has an 80 foot drop and gets up to 50 m.p.h.

The tallest roller coaster in Orlando is Kraken at SeaWorld Orlando. It takes you up more than 140 feet, turns you upside down seven times and reaches speeds of 65 m.p.h.  Don’t wear flip-flops or sunglasses because they’ll go flying the second the ride cranks up and you suddenly find yourself upside down. Your feet dangle as you sit in open-air seats with nothing but shoulder restraints. What’s weird about Kraken is you’re not really ready for it. Most of the time, when you visit SeaWorld, you go see a whale or dolphin show first, so you’re pretty laid back. The next thing you know, you get on Kraken and everything goes bonkers.

• The Kraken soars higher than any other roller coaster in Orlando, flipping around and around as it speeds through the Florida sky.
• hyku

One coaster my dad has ridden that I haven’t is The Starliner at Cypress Gardens Adventure Park in Winter Haven, about 30 minutes west of Orlando. It’s a giant, old style, wooden roller coaster that was transported from the Miracle Strip Amusement Park in Panama City, Florida, which closed down a couple of years ago. My dad rode it up there when he was younger. “It’s one of the last great wooden roller coasters in the U.S.,” he says. “I just love that clickity-clack sound as you race up and down the tracks.” The Starliner tops out at 70 feet on the first hill. It then races down at speeds up to 70 mph, then skims a series of bunny hills and camel backs, providing plenty of negative-g’s. Created by master coaster designer John Allen, the Starliner is one of only eleven Allen coasters still in operation throughout the world.

Thanks pops, but I’m the expert here.

Enjoy Orlando’s stellar coasters!