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SeaWorld Orlando
Discovery Cove and Aquatica
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
---- THE LATEST NEWS ----
(11/20/2024) 2025's Flying Theater Coming From Mack Rides
(11/8/2024) SeaWorld Orlando & Aquatica Start Black Friday Pre-Sale
(10/12/2024) SeaWorld Orlando is Bringing Back Halloween Events Today
(9/19/2024) SeaWorld Orlando To Open Arctic Themed Flying Theater in 2025
(9/3/2024) Sad News From Discovery Cove Orlando
Ride Rehabs - The following information is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate, refurbishments are subject to change.
Nothing is known to be planned at this time…
 Park News - (11/8/2024) Just a heads up, but SeaWorld Orlando and Aquatica Orlando are offering a limited-time Black Friday Pre-Sale on park Tickets, Fun-Cards and Annual Passes (up to 65% off) now through this Sunday, November 10th. For all the details, visit either park’s official website.
(10/12/2024) SeaWorld Orlando has confirmed that the park will resume the Spooktacular day-time activities today, as well as the return of Howl-O-Scream tonight.
(9/3/2024) Sad news from Discovery Cove this week, as the local news reports than a 60 year old man was found unresponsive in the water at the park on August 31st. He was taken to a nearby hospital where it was announced later that he had died. An investigation by the Sheriff's Office is still taking place to follow-up as to what happened.
(8/30/2024) Aquatica Orlando is now offering a special deal where for the price of a one day admission, you can get an Aquatica Orlando Fun Card that will give you free admission to the waterpark for the rest of 2024 and all of 2025. (Visit the Official Website for all the details)
Meanwhile, the park is also kicking off another series of Saturday Night Movies in the park every Saturday Night from October 26 to Dec. 21 where you can enjoy popcorn, food and all your favorite snacks on the beach from the comfort of your lounger while you watch the movie. The lineup of films will be revealed in the near future.
(7/5/2024) Aquatica Orlando has added a few more nights to their extra-ticket night-party event, Aquaglow. New dates have been added for July 24th and July 30th and capacity is limited at these special events, so tickets may sell out if you wait too long. Purchase in advance on the official website.
(6/13/2024) A quick update by various news agencies regarding the drowning of a 13-year old girl at Discovery Cove now state that the incident is under further investigation and review. Following the girl’s death the medical examiner suspects that the incident may have been due to the girl suffering from a massive epileptic seizure while swimming.
Meanwhile, apparently yesterday was not a good day to be at Aquatica as the park was shut down and put on lock-down after a brawl with a lot of hair pulling between park guests broke out. Fortunately the event was broke-up by security very quickly, but more concerning was the huge mob of onlookers, all with cameras out to film the melee from every angle, that made it difficult to settle things down.
While unrelated, the two incidents do not paint the park in a good light, especially while they are trying to launch their new afterdark AquaGlow party events, which is a shame since Aquatica is a really nice waterpark. Hopefully this fight was just a single isolated event and not a sign of things to come. Previously almost unheard of at Orlando’s big theme parks, hot temperatures mixed with just poor modern behavior by some guests have erupted into epic brawls caught on camera even at the Disney parks over the past few years, resulting in lifetime bans.
(6/10/2024) The first ever resort suite themed to SeaWorld will be coming to Orlando this summer at Club Wyndham. Taking design queues from the reopened Antarctica realm of the park, and the soon to open Penguin Trek roller coaster, “the Club Wyndham SeaWorld
Suite brings the majesty of the Antarctic to life inside a spacious one-bedroom deluxe suite for stays August 1 - September 8. Chilling behind a carved-out ice façade at the front door are all the amenities Club Wyndham is known for, such as fully equipped kitchens (perfect for snow cone making) and separate living and dining areas (for spreading out under a dazzling icicle ceiling). With plenty of Antarctic-themed games, a life-size plush penguin to cuddle with, and projections of snow flurries and reflective water effects across the walls, these unique accommodations are full of cool surprises.”
Booking the new SeaWorld Suite “also includes four park admissions, a penguin
encounter, delicious all-day dining, reserved seating, one-time Quick Queue access, and photo memories for the ultimate SeaWorld experience!”
(6/5/2024) Things are going to get colorful after dark at Aquatica Orlando with the arrivial of th e AquaGlow Experience. The only twist is that AquaGlow will be a special extra-ticket / limited-capacity experience.
“Starting June 7, every Friday and select Saturdays all summer, guests can delight in the all-new AquaGlow, an electrifying nighttime swim party experience that will transform the whole park into a neon paradise. Under the starlit sky, guests will be immersed in an ocean of vibrant colors and pulsating rhythms. From the mesmerizing NEW Electric Tides laser show dancing over the iconic wave pool to an illuminated lazy river where even the tubes light up, every moment will be an Instagram-worthy spectacle. This separately ticketed event promises to be an amazing evening with refreshing complimentary soft drinks, a commemorative event wristband, and an overall enhanced experience with limited-capacity and shorter wait times for popular attractions.”
(5/31/2024) Sad news at Discovery Cove this week, as the local news reports that a 13-year old girl was found unresponsive in the water at the park on Tuesday. She was removed from the water in critical condition and quickly transported to a local hospital for treatment. Unfortunately, she was later pronounced as being deceased. The “death has been established as accidental with cause listed as drowning”, though there is still an active investigation taking place.
(5/26/2024) We’ve got a few news updates to share today about SeaWorld Orlando. The first bit of news is sure to cause a bit of a polarized reaction, but it has been confirmed that the park is preparing to open an official Chick-fil-A location somewhere on-site. This was confirmed by the posting of job openings for the site on the official company Career Opportunities page for “Front of House Team Member, CFA” positions as of May 25th.
The staff in these positions will be “working directly for an independent Owner/Operator” and just as you might expect from any Chick-fil-A location anywhere in the world, it will be closed on Sundays. This shouldn’t be too much of a shock, as sister park, Busch Gardens Tampa, opened Florida’s first theme park Chick-fil-A location back in late 2021. The exact location of the new restaurant within SeaWorld Orlando has not been confirmed yet however, but I might suspect it could be located somewhere near the Penguin Trek area. The Seaport Pizza restaurant located right between Manta and Penguin Trek is a likely location, as it has lots of outdoor seating space and is actually no longer listed as being open on the park website.
Meanwhile a new video posted by Kingdakev shows off a lot of action around the park this week. This includes a ride on the Skytower where all the seats have now been replaced with a more comfortable looking padded seat. Then it’s off to Antarctica, which has now finally been reopened to guests, so they no longer have to detour around it to get from one side of the park to the other. This also allows for some up-close access near the Penguin Trek launch track. Guests are also allowed back into the building and themed queue space to enter the Penguin Exhibit, but there are also still work-walls in place to keep things separated from the Penguin Trek attraction space.
As for the coaster itself, an army of workers with scaffolding were seen working in the launch tunnel rebuilding the fake rock-work along the roofline. I’m not sure if there may have been some clearance issues here or if this is just finishing up work that had not been entirely finished before. As previously mentioned, there was obviously no testing taking place, but no one has reported seeing testing for quite some time.
Unfortunately, not a lot to see over at the former Wild Arctic simulator space, other than some new work walls and signs that some activity is taking place there.
(5/7/2024) Free beer is back for guests at SeaWorld Orlando for a limited time this summer. Guests aged 21+ can get one free 7-oz beer by stopping by the Waterway Grill Patio between 11am and up until 1 hour before park closing.
SeaWorld has also confirmed that Howl-O-Scream will return this fall and they’re offering a ‘Mayhem sale’ offer if you buy tickets in advance. When purchased in pairs, tickets are only $38.99 each, and these can be used any night of the event (no blackouts). The parks are not yet ready to announce the lineup of haunts, scare zones and shows for this year, so stay tuned throughout the summer as these details manifest.
Howl-O-Scream 2024 - (8/8/2024) New details were released within a press release for this year’s Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld Orlando. This includes details about the haunts and other special new and returning experiences at this year’s event, which will take place on select nights from Sept. 6 through to Nov. 2.
New Spine-Chilling Houses and Sinister Scare Zones
Guests will enter a high-stakes wager in "The Ultimate Gamble," where the casino's life-or-death stakes risk turning each step into a trap, making them ghostly patrons forever caught in the eternal game. Dare to seek the remnants of promised serenity at the "Water’s Edge Wellness Center." Experience the horrors of eternal mystery and dark secrets within its haunted halls, where the living and dead collide. Should you escape this spectral house, venture to the sunken city in "Atlantis – Journey Below." Descend into an eerie underwater kingdom where anticipation thickens the air, and sinister sea creature whispers echo on every wave. If the depths drive you back to land, "Farm 51" awaits to devour your soul. The air here is heavy with dread, broken only by the eerie rustling of cornfields, revealing you're not alone. Alongside these bone-chilling additions is the returning fan favorite, "D3LER1UM666 Laboratories."
Guests will also be lured to confront untold fears and spine-chilling specters in three new scare zones. A once-idyllic roadside haven turns nightmarish in "Paradise Palms," where guests may check in but might never check out of this weathered abode with a chilling history. Survive this and face the madness of "Cannibal Harbor." This once-thriving port is now a place of primal fear, where cannibalistic mariners hunt fresh prey. Escaping their banquet doesn’t guarantee safety as the mystic forest beckons in "Seeds of the Coven." Test divine protections against witches’ curses in this ominous environment. Among these spooky nightmares are four returning favorites: "Blood Light District," "Toxic Turmoil," "Terrors of the Deep," and "Carnevil Pier."
Returning Fan Favorite Shows and Macabre Bars with Terrifying Treats
The Howl-O-Scream experience is further enhanced with SeaWorld’s darkly entertaining, heart-pounding shows like the haunting "Siren’s Song." Guests can enter the tale of the fabled and legendary sirens, who allure even the bravest adventurers. Attendees can also be spellbound by an adrenaline-fueled musical showcase starring the notorious Jack the Ripper in the renowned "Monster Stomp."
No Howl-O-Scream adventure is complete without spectacular bites and drinks to fuel guests as they face their deepest fears. Quench your unearthly thirst and otherworldly hunger at the park’s newest bars, "Sacrificial Spirits" and "Space Gate 3." Returning for the event is the "Longshoremen Tavern," where the longshoremen are dying to entertain those who enter. "Tormented" is also back to haunt, offering refuge from the wintry wasteland as you brave the horrors beneath the ice. Sinfully sweet treats await at "CarnEvil Curiosities," along with a variety of specialty frightening food offerings.
Visit the official website for all the details and the chance to purchase tickets in advance for up to 70% off.
(7/12/2024) SeaWorld Orlando has confirmed that the “D3LER1UM666” haunted house from last year will return to Howl-O-Scream this season once again, but with some “new and revamped spaces and scares.”
“This is the headquarters of an elite mercenary squad, established by the government in response to attacks by sirens and other terrifying sea creatures. You’ve been invited to tour the facility and learn about the cause, but you soon discover you’re not alone.”
The official HOS website has also confirmed a new names, or code names perhaps, for three more all new Haunted Houses, with details yet to come. The names listed for each on the website are: Atlantis Journey Below, Water’s Edge Wellness Center and Ultimate Gamble.
The site also mentions Paradise Palms, Cannibal Harbor as two more new Scare Zones we can expect, along with the returning Blood Light District, Toxic Turmoil, Terrors of the deep and CarnEvil Pier.
Howl-O-Scream is known for themed bars as well, with CarnEvil Curiosities, Longshoremen Tavern and Tormented listed as returning favorites along with two new bars: Space Gate 3 and Sacrificial Spirits.
(7/1/2024) SeaWorld Orlando has announced a new themed scare zone for this falls Howl-O-Scream event called “Seeds of the Coven”. Tread the fine line between nature and nightmare as you step through a “place that has turned against humanity, twisted by the dark arts into a dominion of fear.” Escape the clutches of the witches and their creations… or become part of the harvest.
On a more humorous side, I’m anticipating some jollies as some of the guests visiting may fail to read the logo properly, thinking this attraction may be something else entirely. Due to the “rune” style font chosen for the logo, just wait and see if some guests refer to this one as “Jeeps of the Coven” instead of Seeds and are expecting some kind of off-road adventure.
(6/21/2024) SeaWorld Orlando has announced the details of the first of four new haunts coming to this year’s Howl-O-Scream, called FARM51.
“Picture this: You stumble on an abandoned farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. The air is thick with dread, and the silence is broken only by the eerie rustling of the cornfields. Suddenly, you realize you're not alone. The chilling whispers of extraterrestrial visitors echo in the darkness. They've crash-landed, and they're not friendly.”
“This spine-tingling haunted house is not for the faint of heart. Gather your bravest friends and test your courage at Howl-O-Scream's Farm51. Will you make it out alive or be the next to disappear without a trace?”
(6/14/2024) Some early details have been released about the return of Howl-O-Scream to SeaWorld Orlando this fall. The fourth year of the event is being teased as potentially “The Sirens’ Last Call”, “Their song may be fading, but Hex has joined the call with a hunger to fill her swampy domain with fresh victims.”
This year’s HOS will feature four new haunted houses, three new scare zones, 2 new themed bars and the return of the popular Monster Stomp show.
2024 - Pengiun Trek - (7/2/2024) Penguin Trek has opened at SeaWorld Orlando, and you can catch a couple videos of the action below, with a POV from Midway Mayhem and below that a reverse-POV of the action from the back row from Coaster Studios.
From what I can see the ice cavern themeing of the dark ride portion of the action, prior to the launch outside looks fantastic, with some very well done three dimensional work created alongside the track, blended in with a screen of penguins at one point. As someone who grew up in California, I was getting some top of the lift-hill Matterhorn ice cavern vibes from watching the video clips. So check it out and enjoy SeaWorld’s latest family creation, which also serves as B&M’s first venture into the realm of family sit-down roller coasters.
Oh, a quick note… there is an official Test Seat outside of the attraction entrance, though I haven’t heard anything about if the restraint is difficult for larger riders to fit or not. As a family coaster, I would hope that the restraint system used is good for the majority of riders.
(6/22/2024) SeaWorld Orlando has posted a POV video showcasing the outdoor portion of their new Penguin Trek roller coaster opening on July 7th. Check it out below!
Note: there may be a chance it could open to the public on July 4th. While the official website for the new attraction clearly says July 7th, the text description of their YouTube POV video says “That’s right Penguin Trek is officially opening July 4! Platinum pass members will be FIRST to ride July 2. Stay tuned for more updates!” So, is this a typo or a slip about when the ride could possibly soft-open to regular guests attending on the holiday on July 4th?
(6/21/2024) SeaWorld Orlando has confirmed that their new Penguin Trek family launched coaster will open to the public on July 7th. Located within the park’s Antarctica realm, the family coaster will combine both thrill and dark ride elements, and end with the riders at the entrance to the park’s Penguin exhibit.
If you are a passholder however, you will be given early access to ride Penguin Trek starting on July 2 and special times during the day. Guests opting to purchase an Annual Pass Membership right now can also be amongst the first to ride.
For a preview of what to expect, our friends at Orlando Experience stopped by the park this week and spotted Penguin Trek testing all three trains non-stop for a time and captured some great footage.
(6/2/2024) Midway Mayhem has posted a new video from SeaWorld Orlando shot a few days ago where they were able to shoot footage of Penguin Trek testing once again. According to the report the coaster seemed to be testing well, and at what appears to be a proper speed. He also noted that it sounded like the train was running quieter now than it was before.
If testing goes well, this definitely bodes well for having the coaster possibly able to open in the early part of the summer, maybe by the end of the month, but this also depends on how things are going with the construction inside the ride building.
(5/14/2024) A new video shot at SeaWorld Orlando this week shows off the Penguin Trek construction site, sitting quiet with no testing going on. Meanwhile they also went over to check on the former Wild Arctic building and discovered a wide open door into the attraction’s former loading room, which now appears to have been stripped down to the bare walls ahead of whatever the park has planned for their next new attraction.
(5/11/2024) Has anyone seen Penguin Trek testing at SeaWorld Orlando lately? Rumor has it that testing may have stopped early in May, or at least any testing taking place during park operational hours. Construction work around the site is still taking place, as they finish up the landscaping, pathways and such, but no sign of the coaster being as active as it was at first when testing started in late April.
I did hear a line of thought, based on how slow the train was moving during those early test runs, that there may have been an issue with achieving the required operational launch speed, so Penguin Trek may have stopped testing to address this potential issue.
Previous rumors suggested that the park may have been hoping for a Memorial Day Weekend grand opening, but those plans may have been scrapped. Instead, assuming any final issues can be taken care of quickly, they may be hoping to get it open in late June if at all possible.
In the meantime, enjoy a great batch of photos of the Penguin Trek site posed by by Midway Mayhem the other day.
(4/28/2024) Penguin Trek at SeaWorld Orlando was spotted making some slower speed test launches onto the outdoor track area this weekend.
(4/13/2024) A fun construction update showcasing what’s going on at SeaWorld Orlando can be seen in the video below from KingDaKev. This includes a great aerial view of the Penguin Trek coaster site as seen from the Skytower and then later up-close on foot. In the close-up footage you can see crews hauling out metal framework from inside the building, which I can only assume means they are removing any temporary scaffolding they had set up inside to work on the theming. This is a good sign in terms of progress and means they’re removing all the obstacles from out of the coaster’s pathway in order to begin testing in the near future.
Later in the video, he heads over to the former Wild Arctic building, as there are rumors that work may be gearing up here for the park’s 2025 project. A few barriers are in place to keep guests out of the area of the old Wild Arctic ride building side, though no visible work can be seen.
(3/20/2024) A new construction update for SeaWorld’s Penguin Trek attraction has been posted by Orlando Experience. With the ride fully in place, most of the pathways have reopened and landscaping is being completed. If I had to guess, it is the internal theming that will take the longest to complete, but the way things are going, Penguin Trek will likely be ready to open between Memorial Day weekend and late June. This is assuming that all the testing goes well, but this is a B&M coaster, so you rarely ever have to worry about that.
(2/23/2024) An update about the progress on the new Penguin Trek coaster at SeaWorld Orlando, it is mentioned that while they haven’t set an opening date for the park’s latest roller coaster, it is on track to open sometime this Spring. Some great boots on the ground photos from a construction tour can also be seen over at OrlandoParksNews, including some close-ups of the plans, showing off detailed layouts of the queue and indoor track segments.
(2/2/2024) Orlando Experience has posted a new Penguin Trek construction video this week,which you can check out below! The official word from the park is that track installation is now 100% complete.
(1/27/2024) SeaWorld Orlando has posted a video showing off the construction progress on Penguin Trek this week.
(1/22/2024) A great aerial video clip of SeaWorld’s new Penguin Trek family launched coaster has been posted by one of the local news stations. Check it out below.
(1/14/2024) A great new construction update for SeaWorld Penguin Trek family coaster has been posted by Orlando Experience this week They report that an estimated 75% of the track has now been installed, and they believe the remainder could be in place by next week. Assuming all of the indoor track is also installed, I’d guess that we could potentially see some testing begin by the end of February is all goes as planned.
Of course, there will still be work to do indoor to finish up whatever indoor / dark-ride style scenes will take place at the start and finish of the layout, but otherwise it looks like things are moving ahead smoothly for the project. Of course, as a B&M project, this is all as it should be. The one interesting switch here is that this new family coaster is actually a B&M coaster. Previously B&M was known for producing quality and very reliable high-thrill roller coasters, and yet now we are seeing B&M take their expertise in a new direction by creating whole new lines of family fun coasters, which will also include the new Phoenix Rising inverted coaster opening later in 2024 at sister park, Busch Gardens Tampa.
(12/22/2023) Some fantastic new images of the Penguin Trek coaster under construction at SeaWorld Orlando have been posted by Midway Mayhem! Check them out below!
(12/17/2023) A great set of new construction pictures of SeaWorld’s new Penguin Trek coaster can be found on IG from MidwayMayhem this week.
(11/21/2023) A quick look at the progress on Penguin Trek at SeaWorld Orlando can be found on Twitter this week.
(11/10/2023) A video construction update from SeaWorld Orlando showing off the placement of new roller coaster track for Penguin Trek has been posted by the park, along with our first peek at the inside of the attraction building as it looks today.
(10/28/2023) SeaWorld Orlando has finally released an official animation preview of their new Penguin Trek family launched roller coaster coming in 2024. It will have a 42” height requirement, over 3000 feet of track and feature two launches along your journey. In an unusual move for a B&M made roller coaster, the animation reconfirms that the trains will only seat 2-across, instead of the typical 4-across seating B&M is known for.
(9/29/2023) SeaWorld Orlando has announced the the details about their new family launched coaster, Penguin Trek. They are referring to this snowmobile themed ride as the ‘ultimate family launched coaster experience” that will feature a layout that runs indoors and outdoors, offering a journey through ‘the breathtaking vastness of Antarctica”. As already revealed when the track started to arrive, the coaster will be the second launched coaster from B&M at SeaWorld Orlando, featuring two launches and hitting a top speed of 43 mph along the 3,020 feet of track.
According to the brief description, the first half of the ride will see you navigate around the “icy expanse” before “narrowly escaping an ice cave’s clutches” before you burst out onto the wild outdoor track section, going through two launch moments “and a maze of twists and turns”.
Just when you think your Penguin Trek experience is over, the coaster will come to a stop inside SeaWorld Orlando’s actual penguin habitat, where you will be able to exit and experience the wonder of these amazing animals first hand. SeaWorld says that Penguin Trek will accommodate riders as small as 42 inches tall, and up to 77”.
(8/19/2023) A fun little clip posted by SeaWorld Orlando on National Roller Coaster days is hinting towards the park’s next big coaster project by placing a roller coaster height check sign (a 42” one, indicating a family friendly sized ride) inside of the Penguin exhibit. There is also a link to a page where you can sign up to be the first to hear about the news at a “Project Penguin” web address.
(7/22/2023) According to pictures posted to Instagram, it appears the first track sections for the new SeaWorld Orlando coaster (Antarctica replacement) have arrived, also being referred to as Project Toboggan. The pieces, which clearly appear to be from B&M, were spotted sitting on the back of a truck in the grassy area between the Taco Bell and Discovery Cove parking lot. Based on the photos, these are likely indoor station or maintenance track pieces, as the spine on some of it isn’t as thick and the pieces include motorized drive-tires.
Or course SeaWorld wasn’t to be outdone, and posted a funny picture of the track as well, claiming that their Prime Day shopping spree got a little out of hand with a special delivery from Switzerland.
(7/5/2023) ParkFans got their hands on the plans for the SeaWorld Orlando 2024 coaster layout and have posted some drawings of what the coaster design might look like when completed align with an analysis of who might be behind this family launched coaster project. No way to know for sure, but based on comparing the design concepts from various manufacturers to what they are seeing, they believe this could be another first from B&M.
B&M has made a family coaster before, but it was an inverted one, but their website does mention they are able to make Family Coasters “with vehicles running above or below the track”, so anything is possible. You can check out an animated rendering of what this “Project Toboggan” experience might be like below as well.
(4/20/2023) A great new video from Midway Mayhem has been posted giving us a look at Pipeline testing, but also at all the ground clearing that has taken place around Antarctica for the park’s next roller coaster project. What’s interesting is that the clearing isn’t just taking place between Antarctica and the Sea Lion habitat, but they’ve also cleared out the entire green space behind the Expedition Cafe, all the way from the Manta track area (Preztle Loop and swooping turn) down towards the pathway that runs alongside the SeaPort Theater then turning, L-shaped to the clearing we knew would happen running from here to Pacific Point. Guests looking to access Pacific Point are actually being taken through a temporary pathway through the backstage area behind Kraken to get to Pacific Point.
So the area involved for this new attraction seems even larger than we had first anticipated.
(4/11/2023) Full speed land clearing and work have now begun on SeaWorld Orlando’s next rumored roller coaster project just outside of the Antarctica building. As we’ve mentioned before, the former indoor dark-ride space and nearby land outside is expected to be used for a new launched family roller coaster experience.
(2/26/2023) Construction walls and fences are now up all around the Pacific Point sea-lion exhibit at SeaWorld Orlando as the park looks to be preparing to begin construction on their next roller coaster that is expected to make sure of the former Antarctica dark ride space as a station.
(1/8/2023) Remember how I mentioned the proposed launched coaster coming to the former Antarctica / Pacific Point area could launch out into the back area and make a run over the pond between Kraken and Mako in similar fashion to how a similar coaster runs at the Texas park? While I don’t think this is leaked art of any kind, a fun drawing showing off exactly how this could possibly work can be seen as the second picture in this Instagram post.
You can compare this to SeaWorld San Antonio’s Wave Breaker in an aerial image here and see a video of Wave Breaker also added below.
(1/1/2023) We don’t know exactly who may supply the new launched coaster being planned for SeaWorld Orlando as a replacement for the closed Antarctica dark ride. Previous speculation has mostly been that it might be Intamin, as they are supplying the hardware for both of the 2023 “straddle” coasters coming to the San Diego and Williamsburg parks, as well as having built the one in Texas. However… the concept for the new coaster may still be out for others to bid on, as we received word from an insider claiming that reps from Mack Rides were also previously seen touring the site several weeks ago. Mack Rides was behind San Diego’s very popular launched Manta roller coaster, which provides for a thrilling multi-launch coaster experience with a layout that remains very close to the ground.
(12/29/2022) Would you believe that SeaWorld Orlando is preparing for another new roller coaster for 2024 or 2025? I’ve been sitting on this news for a bit as some elements were said to be a bit up in the air, but as I’ve pointed out before the park’s former Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin dark ride is kaput… dead… gone and buried. How did a perfectly good dark ride die so quickly? I’m not going to go into details, but from what I’ve heard let’s just say that when the entire park was shut down in 2020 at the start of the pandemic, the old ride system was not left in a state meant for long-term storage. Even when the park opened a few months later, they had no intention of opening the enclosed dark ride just yet, so it just sat idle for far too long.
So what’s next for SeaWorld? Well, the situation here is a bit more tricky, but if you look at what they’ve been building at their other parks you can probably make some good guesses as to what may be planned here… a new enclosed or semi-enclosed family-friendly roller coaster ride. A number of possibilities have been looked at as to just how they are going to do it, which is one reason I was sitting on this news for awhile.
Essentially SeaWorld was looking at options here similar to what they have under construction in SeaWorld San Diego (Arctic Rescue) and Busch Gardens Williamsburg (DarKoaster). However the repurposing of this particular structure is a bit more tricky as unlike those other projects, the former dark ride was integrated much more closely with the existing and still operational penguin habitat.
Well, it’s time to spill the beans on this project because construction work is now starting. Midway Mayhem’s latest video from SeaWorld (see below) mentions the rumor of putting a new coaster in there, and then goes over to discover construction fences have gone up between the pathway to the Pacific Point SeaLion exhibit and the backside of the former dark ride building, which is exactly where the new coaster project is going.
No major heavy lifting, clearing or deep digging just yet of course, but from what Screamscape was told we can expect the entrance to the new coaster to actually be where these new work walls are, and the old dark ride entrance area will be exclusively used for the ongoing use of the penguin exhibit. I don’t know the theme of the ride yet, but it is possible that the shift of the entrance out of the arctic themed section could possibly indicate a theme with a warner climate. I guess it depends on just how much of the coaster will take place inside the enclosed former dark ride structure and how much will be outdoors.
This leads to the question of ride style, which again, I’m not sure if this will be another “straddle” coaster with a Wave Runner or Snow Mobile theme like the Arctic Rescue coming to San Diego, or the previous Wave Breaker that opened in Texas. If so then that style would require a bit more outdoor track sections due to the launch concept, but then again they were said to be looking at smaller concepts like the fully enclosed DarKoaster project going into Williamsburg right now as well. Like all things, it was going to come down to cost, and how much of the old building area they felt they could re-use for the coaster and how much they were going to have to give up to the operations of the Penguin exhibit, along with the cost factor of adding any new buildings in the space available vs just building an open air coaster layout like they are doing in San Diego.
A quick aerial look at the site will reveal that there is very little open space back there, as the back of the Penguin building bumps up against the backside of the Kraken queue and station, with only a narrow but necessary access road between Kraken and Pacific Point that leads out towards Kraken’s Cobra Roll and trenches. With all that in mind, if I had to guess, the best thing we’re going to get for the coaster station to be enclosed in the dark ride building with maybe a short dark ride room or two before the launch that will probably sent the train out and around the backside of Pacific Point and back, and maybe through some of Kraken’s cobra roll area if need be. There is just very little undeveloped land out there to use unless they take some inspiration from the Texas coaster and feature some low-level twists and turns over the retention pond between Kraken and Mako before returning back to the station.
Just keep in mind that the majority of the backstage end of the Penguin building is the oldest section that was originally the Penguin Encounter exhibit, and the former Antarctica dark ride sections were added to the front side of that original structure. Stay tuned and keep your eyes open when visiting the park, as this project is just getting started.
(5/7/22) According to a new rumor, SeaWorld Orlando may finally be making early plans to create some kind of replacement attraction for the closed Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin trackless dark ride.
We really have no details other than that, other than that this should be an entirely new attraction. From what we’ve been told, the former trackless dark ride vehicles are dead and gone.
2024 - Tassie's Underwater Twist at Aquatica - (3/24/2024) Screamscape was able to send someone out to give the new Tassie’s Underwater Twist waterslide at Aquatica Orlando a test run, and I have to say that I’m impressed. While on the surface this is an upgrade to an existing park attraction, boy does it really change the entire game here through the addition of a soundtrack and projection effects that surround you in every direction. Just watch the video below to get a look for yourself at what they’ve managed to create inside these Bowl style waterslides, and I think you might agree that this may quickly become a trend we will likely see more parks embrace going forward.
(3/7/2024) Aquatica Orlando has announced that their new Tassie’s Underwater Twist slides will be ready to open on March 15th. They’ve also posted an animated teaser video showing off what we can expect from the new special effects added to the saucer-sections.
(12/10/2023) Aquatica Orlando has announced Tassie’s Underwater Twist is coming to the waterpark for the 2024 season. If this sounds kind of familiar, it should, as the park already features Tassie’s Twisters, a pair of side-by-side Bowl shaped tube-slides. For the 2024 season these are getting an upgrade that will see the bowls enclosed, and the bowl inside will be upgraded to feature video projections and a musical soundtrack to enhance the experience, along with some educational elements about seagrass meadows, sharks and more.
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2025 - Flying Theater Attraction - (11/20/2024) SeaWorld Orlando and Mack Rides have announced that the new Flying Theater attraction coming to SeaWorld Orlando in 2025 will be a Mack Rides AIRIFIC Flying Theater. Mack and their Tacumeon Rides division first unveiled the AIRIFIC concept three years ago, bringing their own unique twist to the Flying Theater concept.
Passengers load onto the the AIRIFIC’s Flying Theater seats on different floors within the ride building, btu helping to increase capacity far beyond what we typically see from a Flying Theater, there are actually two sets of seats on each floor. Passengers are loaded and a large turntable rotates the rows 180º into the theater dome to enjoy their ride, meanwhile the second bench of seats becomes available for unloading/loading for the next group of passengers.
To date, I believe there is one AIRIFIC in operation, opening at the VinWonders Nha Trang theme park in Vietnam in Summer 2023, so the SeaWorld Orlando attraction will be a first of its kind in North America.
(9/19/2024) As Screamscape had previously posted as a rumor, SeaWorld Orlando has now confirmed that in Spring 2025 they will open the ‘World’s First Fully Immersive Arctic Flying Theater” attraction where the former Wild Arctic attraction once stood. The new attraction is said to be a “one-of-a-kind immersive flight theater” that will take riders on a ‘dynamic adventure through the Arctic”. This will still be a family friendly attraction however, with only a 39-inch height requirement within the attraction’s two mutli-level theaters (for extra capacity).
“This new experience invites families to soar over icy landscapes, dive beneath frozen waters and come face-to-face with some of the planet’s most magnificent creatures. From majestic beluga whales to awe-inspiring orcas and walruses, this adventure puts riders right in the middle of the action. It’s also all indoors, so rain or shine, this attraction guarantees a cool, thrilling escape for the entire family all year round.” SeaWorld sent us a video clip showing off some of the amazing real-world footage their crew has captured on site in the arctic. So nice to know that this will be a real adventure and not something computer animated, so check it out below!
(10/29/2023) We’ve heard this rumor quietly mentioned a few times over the past few years, but then nothing ever happened as the park opted to focus for adding back-to-back-to-back roller coasters instead for a time. With that out of the way apparently SeaWorld Orlando is now ready to move forward again with those rumored plans to build their own Flying Theater style attraction as a replacement for the closed Wild Arctic simulator ride. While I don’t have a timeline on this yet, the park is currently very busy working on the new Penguin Trek coaster for the 2024 season. I can only assume that the Flying Theater project wouldn’t be ready until 2025 or 2026, depending on when construction starts.
In the meantime, keep an eye on this area of the park to see if any kind of survey markings can be spotted over the next few months as an indication that work may be preparing to start.
2026/2027 - Project Starboard / Hotel Resort - (12/17/2023) SeaWorld’s Project Starboard has been revealed as a plan to build a 15-story tall, 504-room hotel on the site of a nearly 30-acre back-stage plot at the corner of Central Florida and International Drive that is normally used for employee parking, as well as landscaping and general storage. The hotel is expected to feature a parking deck as well as an elevated pathway that will lead to an exclusive park-entrance for the resort guests located between the Nautilus Theater and the former Clydesdale Barn structure (some of which will be removed to make room). I’m guessing all the employees who used to park here will be forced to move to the employee parking on the other side of the park.
From the look of things, the curved shaped building will offer a roof-top lounge that has viewing into the park, as well as be designed over a lush pool area with extensive landscaping and what appears to be a lazy river and two large pools. What is a bit odd is that some extended non-pool areas will be built over the top of what is currently a water drainage canal, with the elevated pathway going over this as well as a small backstage park road that currently runs along the perimeter that will have to remain. According to the plans, it looks like the main entrance into the new resort space will be on the International Drive side of the plot.
During a previous announcement at an earnings call, SeaWorld did mention they were working on plans to design and open their first on-property hotels (plural) with the first expected to open in 2026.
A second smaller project also seems to be in development, known as Project Canopy, which appears to be located next to the backside of Discovery Cove, in a green space that runs between the road off Central Florida that goes to OC Fire Station 54 and a back-stage road that runs around Discovery Cove.
(7/9/2023) Something new besides the new roller coaster may be in planning for SeaWorld Orlando. According to a post on IG, something called Project Starboard is planned to take over an approximately 14 acre piece of property at the corner of Central Florida Parkway and International Drive. The majority of the site highlighted for the project has been used as employee parking for those who work in departments and locations on that side of the park. The loss of this parking area may be cause for some operational disruption within the park if it goes forward.
???? - Project Canopy / Second Resort - (1/15/2024) New information has been discovered about SeaWorld Orlando’s second planned hotel project, aka: Project Canopy, which is intended to service Discovery Cove. It turns out the land earmarked behind the park isn’t for the hotel itself, but appears to be a new employee parking lot that will likely serve as a replacement for the one being lost to build Project Starboard. Meanwhile the new Project Canopy hotel is actually planned as a 6-story 250-room hotel to be built just south of the entrance of Discovery Cove, along with an expansion to the parking lot there so it can serve both the mini aquatic park as well as the hotel guests.
(12/17/2023) A second smaller project also seems to be in development, known as Project Canopy, which appears to be located next to the backside of Discovery Cove, in a green space that runs between the road off Central Florida that goes to OC Fire Station 54 and a back-stage road that runs around Discovery Cove.
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