We’re a tad late with this report as we also just went to Disneyland Paris. We were kindly invited by SeaWorld San Diego to take a construction tour of the park’s new coaster, Emperor! Let’s take a look:
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Derek: SeaWorld San Diego in invited The Coaster Kings to check out the construction process of their B&M floorless dive coaster, Emperor!
The ride looks fantastic as all the track is now in place.
Currently working on electrical components, SeaWorld hopes to begin testing of the coaster trains in the next couple weeks and if all goes as planned, we should see Emperor soaring with guests soon after that.
Moving the “Summer 2020” opening to “Spring 2020” has amped up the excitement of this coaster even more.
Mike Denninger, Vice President of Attractions at SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, was on hand to talk about the attraction and answer any questions.
Named for the world’s largest penguin, Emperor will be the tallest, fastest and longest dive coaster in California, as well as the only floorless dive coaster in the state. Climbing to 153 feet, there will be a terrific view as the train makes the slow turnaround. Riders will be suspended on a 45-degree angle at the crown of the ride before plunging down a 143 foot vertical drop accelerating to more than 60 miles per hour!
Two floorless trains each able to hold 18 passengers in three, six-person rows were unveiled. Capacity will be about 800 riders per hour.
Guests will enter the area through the Journey to Atlantis courtyard and there will be a large Emperor sign proudly displayed in front of the ride providing a great photo opportunity.
There will be a shared pathway to the right split for general ride entry on the left side of the path and the ride exit, Quick Queue and ADA access on the right side. 
The ride entry will snake under the steep lift hill and lead up to the loading platform.
Along the route, there will be signage to learn about Emperor Penguins and the great conservation work that SeaWorld does to protect the Earth and its inhabitants.
Riders exiting will unload on the parking lot side of the station and take a ramp down toward Journey to Atlantis leading to the on-ride photo booth.
SeaWorld San Diego is the only place in North America to see the amazing Emperor Penguin and the park will be the only place in North America to ride a six abreast floorless dive coaster train.
Coaster riders from around the world will soon be flocking to San Diego for the new king of coasters at the park!
Thank you for checking out this Emperor report! Check out our new Coaster Kings Radio episode and All 5 Space Mountains Ranked article!