Cobra's Curse is a steel spinning roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida, United States. The roller coaster, 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 roller coaster 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 roller coaster are able to lock and rotate in three stages; the trains face forward, backward, and then turn in to a free spin. The roller coaster received mostly positive reviews from critics.
History
Development of the new attraction—which would become Cobra's Curse—began in 2014 around the time of the completion of Falcon's Fury. In February 2015, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay officials acknowledged a new attraction 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 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 Bay, filed the trademark "Cobra's Curse" with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 8, 2015. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay officials revealed plans to build a new roller coaster that was manufactured by Mack Rides and would be called Cobra's Curse on May 28, 2015, which was expected to open in 2016. Busch Gardens President Jim Dean commented that Cobra's Curse would be a complement to "the selection of thrill rides Busch Gardens offers."
Throughout the construction of the roller coaster, 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 general construction of the roller coaster was handled by PCL Construction. Vertical construction of the roller coaster track began on October 9, 2015 in the middle of the layout due to space constraints within the section of the park. During the November 2015 International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) 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 roller coaster's progress on February 17, 2016, during which the roller coaster's trains and further information on the ride's theme were revealed. On February 29, 2016, the headpiece of the roller coaster's snake statue "King Venymyss" was installed. The final piece of track was installed on March 19, 2016, which was announced three days later. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay released an on-ride point-of-view video of the attraction on May 11, 2016. On May 28, 2016, the construction walls surrounding the attraction were removed. The Orlando Sentinel reported that the Cobra's Curse was nearly completed by June 6, 2016 when the park released a construction update and another POV video of the roller coaster. On June 10, 2016, it was reported the official opening date would be a week later and on June 17, 2016, the roller coaster officially opened to the public.
Ride experience
Theme
The roller coaster features the fictional story of the Snake King Venymyss, a fictional ancient Egyptian ruler who was once praised by his subjects but became corrupt with power. The subjects of the King turned against him, and destroyed 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, the story follows the park discovering the remnants of the snake tomb and hired archaeologists from the fictional group Viper International Survey and Excavation (VISE) to excavate the area.