Spring 2009 sees the unveiling of two impressive new rollercoasters in Orlando, Florida, one at Seaworld and the other at Universal Studios.

The “Manta” at Seaworld, as its name suggests is a marine–life attraction with “flying” manta ray styled carriages.

The thrilling new ride will travel at speeds of 60mph with a maximum height of 140 ft and 4 inversions where riders will be face down and laid horizontally as they fly through the air, definitely not for the feint hearted.

Florida’s first flying rollercoaster will take you at great speed through the feeling of diving through the depths of the sea then flying up into the air and will have giant windows throughout the ride and also in the queuing area, housing over 300 rays and thousands of fish.

Its new rival is the equally incredible Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket at nearby Universal Studios, although with no official opening date, expectations are that it will be fully operational ready for the summer 2009 season.

This floorless rollercoaster will thrill adrenalin junkies with speeds of around 65mph, climb to a height of 17 storeys above the park, incorporate a “record breaking” loop and have no fewer than 6 “near miss” experiences.

The Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket is the first interactive rollercoaster and is based around a Hollywood film set located in the Production Central area, letting thrill seekers choose their own soundtrack for the ride, and then edit a video of themselves afterwards.

It gives a real sense of Orlando meeting Hollywood with Universal offering a “one of a kind” queuing system that they are still keeping a closely guarded secret.