ICON Park is known for having a variety of fun attractions to try in Orlando. While we have previously experienced a ride on The Wheel, we had never gotten up the nerve to try the more thrilling ride on property: The Orlando StarFlyer. Last month two brand new thrill rides opened to guests as well: the Orlando FreeFall™ and Orlando SlingShot™. We went on assignment to try the Ultimate Triple Shot challenge: riding all three thrill rides. In a row. Read on to see if we successfully complete the challenge…
1. The Orlando StarFlyer
The Orlando StarFlyer is the world’s tallest swing ride attraction measuring in at 450 feet high and sends riders 45 miles per hour through the air. It features double person seats and has no age limit, no weight limit (you must be able to fit the seat safely and fasten the seat belt/lap belt properly), and the minimum height for the ride is 50 inches which makes this a unique attraction that appeals to the young and old. (If you need some liquid courage before your trip you can also visit the StarBar right next door!)
Cost: $12 (you can also save by purchasing a multi-attraction pass)
Our ride experience:
We have seen this attraction on visits to ICON Park in the past and always marveled at the riders way up in the air. We started with this ride as we figured it was the best to warm up with. When it was our turn we were directed to a double seat and instructed to put all loose items in a basket. These seats were more secure than your typical amusement park swing with metal divider between your legs and a belt at the waist. The ride felt pretty gentle in the beginning, slowly climbing and rotating. It was cool to see the surrounding area from above as we climber. As the ride got higher it seemed to pick up speed and we could really feel the wind in the air too. It was a pretty neat feeling to essentially be flying above the ground. Julie loved it! Andrew felt a little nervous and did start to get a little dizzy. We recommend looking ahead instead of trying to look around at things. You could really feel the speed of the ride as we came back down after a few minutes. All in all a cool experience, and we think it would be cool to try at night too! Ok first ride down, now we really had to find some bravery…
A view of the StarFLyer taking flight.
Us in our seat, ready to fly!
2. The Orlando FreeFall
The Orlando FreeFall is the world’s tallest free-standing drop tower at 430 feet. Riders will board a ride vehicle that takes them to the top of the tower. Once at the top, riders will be tilted 30 degrees toward the ground before falling at speeds of up to 75 mph, breaking at about 45 feet above the ground.
Cost: $12 (you can also save by purchasing a multi-attraction pass)
Our ride experience:
It took us a couple times watching the drop tower to finally get the nerve to get in line. We happened to be the only two to board as we added our belongings to baskets at our feet. The seats were similar to a roller coaster with over the shoulder harnesses. We were strapped in and then started to climb. As we got higher and higher our palms got sweatier and our hearts beat faster anticipating that epic drop. It felt like we kept climbing forever, and while the ride rotated a bit to see the views, we were too nervous to truly enjoy them. Once at the top the ride kept rotating for what felt like awhile (it probably wasn’t). And then the ride tilted forward. Not much but just enough to have you really process how far up you are. We waited. And then we dropped. Screaming all the way down. The drop actually was over faster than we anticipated as the break brought us to a gentle stop at the bottom. We looked at each other smiling, it was way more scary thinking about the drop than actually experiencing it. We would totally do that again. With new found confidence we were ready to tackle ride #3…
It’s hard to capture how tall this looks in real life.
Smiling to keep from freaking out…
3. The Orlando SlingShot
The Orlando Slingshot is the tallest ride of its kind, standing at 300 feet. The two-tower attraction launches riders (two at a time) out of a “volcano,” sending them 450 feet into the air in a matter of seconds with speeds up to 100 mph.
Cost: $30 (you can also save by purchasing a multi-attraction pass)
Our ride experience:
This was the one we were most scared to try at first, but with out new found confidence we were ready. The two of us were strapped into the somewhat bouncy ride vehicle (it’s attached to cables on both sides). And then we were lowered below the platform into the “volcano.” There is a camera attached to capture the whole ride as well. (The video on USB can be purchased for $20). We were a little caught off guard as we suddenly were hurled into the sky. It felt like we were flying straight up for awhile, all at the same time being very quick. We bounced back up and down a few times while the vehicle made some rotations too. We would say the initial launch was the scariest but within a few seconds we were laughing as we went up and down several times. Eventually the ride slows and the cables bring you back down to the ground. We LOVED this ride and would absolutely do it again. You can check out our full ride video here: https://youtu.be/b0QjFMdUGIA (DISCLAIMER: there is plenty of screaming and expletives…)
It’s crazy to be just the two of you up in the sky.
Thinking about the ride we are about to take…
Well we survived. And were braver than we thought (and had a blast!) Do you think you would try any of these rides? What about the Ultimate Triple Shot?
