To the joy of many coaster enthusiasts in the area, Mine Blower, Florida’s only new coaster in 2017, recently opened at Fun Spot Kissimmee:
The eye-catcher for this ride is a Zero-G roll directly over the station. It is a visually impressive element.
An underrated aspect of Mine Blower is that its 80-foot drop is surprisingly steep at 65-degrees. This provides a nice shot of airtime from any seat, but especially the back.
Approaching the station, we were happy to see that the wait was only to the second landing of stairs. While I do think the lines will get longer, it was a nice surprise to be on the ride within 10 minutes.
Mine Blower features Timberliner trains. My only exposure to Timberliners was on Wooden Warrior at Quassy Amusement Park, so I was happy to see an installation of them down here in Florida.
One thing that differed from Wooden Warrior is that Mine Blower features seatbelts underneath the restraints. I’m sure this has something to do with the fact that it goes upside-down, but that was a bit of a surprise for me. Regardless, the trains were extremely comfortable. (EDIT: Supposedly the seatbelts have been removed over the past week? Trying to confirm.)
Another awesome feature of the Timberliner trains is its turning radius. The turn out of the station could not have had a radius of more than 10-feet, which is truly impressive for a wooden coaster train to navigate.
Riders beginning their ascent up the 84-foot tall lift.
Even the turn on the top of the lift has an impressively tight radius.
Plenty of airtime on this first air hill.
There have been claims that this is a “second” inversion. Yeah, well, it’s not…but it is fun! It also appears as though there will eventually be a tunnel covering the second half of it.
There is plenty of twisty track in this extremely compact layout.
So my personal opinion of Mine Blower is that it’s a phenomenal fit to Fun Spot Kissimmee. It’s fun, intense, and offers some great forces. However, I still prefer White Lightning at Fun Spot Orlando. Mine Blower is not “rough” by any means, but it does shuffle in spots throughout the ride. For me, it does not offer the same re-rideability that White Lightning does.
As per usual with Florida, a storm was rolling in when we were leaving.
Regardless, Mine Blower is absolutely worth taking a lap or two on if you are in the area. I personally preferred the back row from my experience if you only want to pay the $9 for a single ride.
I am a huge travel and roller coaster enthusiast. I have ridden 504 unique coasters across the world and do not plan on stopping anytime soon. I graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and am now working with a creative firm in Orlando, Florida. 
