A dazzling dose of virtual reality
GRAN CANARIA: ■
A four-night B&B stay at three-star, adults-only Idyll Suites in Playa del Cura is £529. Leaves Gatwick on Saturday. See lastminute.com for more.
NO-FLY MINI
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CRUISE: Five-night cruise on board P&O Cruises’ Azura is £499. Sail from Southampton on August 28. Stop offs in Amsterdam and Le Havre. Check out planetcruise.co.uk.
LONDON
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THEATRE: Get a top price ticket to Motown the Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre and one night’s stay at the three-star Tavistock Hotel in Bloomsbury for
£137. Arrive September
1. See superbreak.com or call 0800 042 0288.
IBIZA: Snap up a ■
week on half-board at the three-star Puchet Hotel in San Antonio for
£382. Depart Manchester on September 29. Visit loveholidays.com.
I AM 153 feet above ground and rocketing through the air at 65mph.
But at the same time I’m deep under water, in a submarine, being chased by a sea monster.
Kraken, one of SeaWorld’s oldest rollercoasters, has had a makeover. The result is Kraken Unleashed, the first-of-its-kind virtual reality rollercoaster in the States, with fully integrated headsets bringing all the action to life.
With multiple inversions and breakneck speeds, the original ride – which has been an imposing part of SeaWorld’s line-up for 17 years – was already a big draw among thrillseekers.
But now it’s half-reality, halfvirtual reality…and the results are out of this world.
One moment I’m seeing the Florida skyline in front of me. Then I strap on the headset and I’m deep under the ocean.
This brand new personal and immersive adrenaline fix is the best in the business.
That’s some accolade, too, given that SeaWorld has Mako – the tallest, fastest and longest rollercoaster in Orlando – along with Manta, a high-thrills, head-first ride.
When you’re not upside down at SeaWorld, there’s the One Ocean killer whale show and the brilliant Dolphin Days to enjoy.
Or you can board Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin, where you’ll take in the majestic grandeur of the South Pole through the eyes of a penguin named Puck before seeing all the real-life penguins in action.
At night, SeaWorld offers the new Electric Ocean show, where guests are transported to an exotic world of light and sound complete with fantastical dancers, glowing sea creatures and high-energy DJ entertainment.
SeaWorld is one of the company’s four Florida theme parks and you don’t have to pay over the odds to get there. Norwegian Airlines are offering flights starting from just £159 one-way in economy on their Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Premium is a reasonably-priced £499 one-way, and you’ll get 46 inches of legroom.
While SeaWorld may give you a Kraken time, there are more thrill rides at sister park Busch Gardens, an hour away in Tampa. Busch Gardens is an Africanthemed mix of fast and furious coasters, coupled with a safari park. The 60-acre site is home to more than 2,500 animals, including giraffes which you can hand feed and take pictures with – perfect to get easy likes on Instagram. While giraffes take you to new heights, the rides go that little bit further in the sky. Spin-coaster Cobra’s Curse, which opened last summer, is one of them. If hurtling around at 40mph down 2,100 feet of snaking track, while travelling backwards, forwards and then spinning freely is your thing, this is the ride for you. Add the high-octane SheiKra, Cheetah Hunter, Montu and Falcon’s Fury – North America’s tallest free-standing drop tower – into the mix and you’ll have a truly unforgettable day. When Florida’s summer temperatures rise, cool off at SeaWorld’s sister water park