Cobra's Curse


Cobra's Curse is a steel spinning roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida, United States. The ride, opened in 2016, was manufactured by Mack Rides, features an elevator-style lift, and was the first new ride to open at the park since Falcon's Fury opened in 2014. Cobra's Curse presents a fictional story about the ancient Egyptian ruler the Snake King Venymyss and his curse upon his lost kingdom. The ride has a track length of, reaches a height of, and has a maximum speed of.
Cobra's Curse is located in the Egypt section of the park and features a snake statue that depicts King Venymyss, which is located in front of the elevator lift hill. The trains of the ride are able to lock and rotate in three stages; the trains face forward, backward, and then turn in to a free spin. The ride received mostly positive reviews from critics.

History

Development of the ride began in 2014 around the time of the completion of Falcon's Fury. In February 2015, Busch Gardens Tampa officials acknowledged a new ride would be constructed in the Egypt portion of the park but did not elaborate further. During the same month, permits filed through the Southwest Florida Water Management District that outlined a project titled "BGT 2016 Attraction" were uncovered. The permit detailed the removal of of concrete, specified the expansion of of an existing attraction space known as King Tut's Tomb, and the addition of another consisting of trenches and concrete paths. Construction for the new attraction in the Egypt area of the park began in March 2015. The park announced on March 17, 2015, that the Serengeti Railway would be temporarily closed for a new attraction that would be along its route in 2016.
SeaWorld Entertainment, the parent company of Busch Gardens Tampa, filed the trademark "Cobra's Curse" with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 8, 2015. On May 28, Busch Gardens Tampa officials revealed plans to build a new roller coaster that was manufactured by Mack Rides and would be called Cobra's Curse. The new ride was expected to open in 2016. Busch Gardens President Jim Dean said Cobra's Curse "complements the selection of thrill rides Busch Gardens offers, and we know it's an attraction that guests from across the globe will enjoy".
Throughout the construction of the ride, Jeff Hornick, the regional director of design and engineering at SeaWorld Entertainment, gave updates on the progression of the roller coaster's construction starting in July 2015. The ride was constructed by PCL Construction. Vertical construction of the roller coaster track began on October 9, 2015; construction began in the middle of the layout due to space constraints within that section of the park. During the November 2015 International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Convention in Orlando, Florida, Mack Rides revealed additional details and a scale model of Cobra's Curse.
Media outlets were given a tour of the ride's progress on February 17, 2016, during which the roller coaster's cars and further information on the ride's theme were revealed. On February 29, the headpiece of the ride's snake statue "King Venymyss" was installed. The final piece of track was installed on March 19, 2016; this was announced three days later. Busch Gardens Tampa released an on-ride point-of-view shot video of the attraction on May 11, 2016. On May 28, the walls surrounding the attraction were removed. The Orlando Sentinel reported that the ride was nearly completed by June 6; the park released a construction update and another POV video of the ride. On June 10, 2016, it was reported the official opening date would be a week later and on June 17, the ride officially opened to the public.

Ride experience

Theme

The ride features the fictional story of the Snake King Venymyss, an ancient Egyptian ruler who was once praised by his followers but became corrupt with power. The followers of the King were betrayed and turned against him, soon afterward destroying his statue from which his powers were granted. In the aftermath, the King placed a curse upon the subjects of anyone who would rebuild his statue. In the present, park officials discovered the remnants of the snake tomb and hired archaeologists from the fictional group Viper International Survey and Excavation to excavate the area.

Queue area

The ride's queue area is divided into different parts to display the narrative of the ride. The first area is an exterior queue titled the "Dig Team Living Quarters", where educational displays about different species of snake are displayed. In the interior space of the queue area, guests enter the first chamber, which features a enclosure with four species of live snakes; a Bitis nasicornis, a Gaboon viper, a Jameson's mamba, and a Python anchietae. After circumnavigating the hallways, guests proceed into the second chamber where projection mapping on a statue and wall depict the story of the ride, exhibiting three shows. Thereafter, guests enter the plaza of the ride's station and enter the train to be transported to the elevator lift.

Layout

Upon reaching the top of the ride's elevator lift, the train turns to the left and banks outward, taking riders closer to the statue of King Venymyss before continuing along the course. From there, the cart descends the drop, reaching a maximum speed of and banking right. The cart makes another banked turn over the mid-course brake run before circling back to it. From the mid-course brake run, the two separate vehicles on the train rotate backwards and King Venymyss can be heard saying, "Turn, turn, and face your fear". The cart then descends through a minor helix, which carries it to a wheel lift hill. From there, the cart descends another banked drop, causing the vehicles to spin freely. The cart goes through a series of overbanked turns, and changes in acceleration and velocity while spinning. The cart travels under the Serengeti Railway attraction before entering the final brake run and returning to the station.

Characteristics

Location

The Cobra's Curse roller coaster is located on of land in the Egypt section of the park. During construction of Cobra's Curse, the Serengeti Railway had to be rerouted, which took about two months to complete. The King Tut's Tomb exhibit was removed and re-purposed as part of the queue for Cobra's Curse, An additional market and food place were constructed for the area surrounding the ride. An acknowledgement to the former attraction can be seen in the restrooms near the ride; after pushing a "pharaoh" button under the mirror, a mask of King Tut will appear through the glass.

Statue

The ride's snake statue, King Venymyss, is tall and was installed as nine pieces stacked on top of one another. During construction, the pieces were installed with a steel spine to keep it in place and the exterior of the structure was created from fiberglass and foam. The headpiece has eyes and fangs. The completed structure weighs.

Trains

The roller coaster was made by Mack Rides, a German ride manufacturer that developed the trains for the ride with individual, spinning cars. Cobra's Curse features a traditional spinning roller coaster train; the individual cars are able to spin at a rate dependent upon the distribution of the rider's weight in each car. The trains are also able to individually lock in place and rotate while on the track using of a motor located under each car. Each train has a unique color scheme and has a lap bar restraint. The trains constantly traverse the layout and the station has a moving belt.

Track

The ride's tubular steel track, which was fabricated in Germany, is long. The ride's track of the ride is green and the supports lining the lift hill are red and yellow. The track was inspired by the 'S'-shaped curvature of the snake. The design of the track allowed for the use of headchopper elements from nearby structures, trenches, attractions, and pathways in the surrounding area. A switch-back track is located behind the station, allowing for easy access for riders who request such assistance.

Reception

Prior to the roller coaster's opening, Tampa Bay Times reported that animal activists were concerned with the prospective treatment of the snakes that would be housed in the queue because of their sensitivity to vibrations. Busch Gardens officials acknowledged these concerns to make the snakes comfortable, watching them and other animals for their reactions to the ride. The company stated that the reptiles would be used for educational purposes.
Upon opening, Cobra's Curse was received positively among critics and guests. Dewayne Bevil of the Orlando Sentinel compared the ride to nearby roller coaster Montu and other roller coasters at the park, finding Cobra's Curse less intense than them. Bevil also wrote that it "fits a nice need, giving thrill seekers a good time without screwing with their equilibrium too much". Alex Volland from the Tampa Bay Times stated the ride was "smooth and family-friendly" and that it "fills the park's need for attractions that parents and kids can experience together". Volland also stated that the queue area of the ride was an "experience of its own". Marjie Lambert of the Miami Herald wrote that the ride hit the mark for a family spinning roller coaster, crediting the park's creative and engineering teams for this and stating, "It’s just enough to add a little spice to a mostly tame ride". Lambert concluded that the ride, "With brief thrills, a little spin and a lot of fun, an apt label". Jeff Siegal of Theme Park Insider commented that the ride is "great for everyone" and that it has "a good amount of spin" that is not sickening and also has a "great amount of theming".