2012 - Turtles 4D & Happy Harbor Water Fortress - Rumor - (7/20/11) I’ve heard from a sharp eyed guest that construction has begun behind the current Manatee attraction area for the park’s 2012 attraction, which is said to be Turtles 4D, a edited down in-ark 4D theater version of this summer’s “Turtle: The Incredible Journey” film. (see below)
From what I’ve been led to understand the current Manatee attraction area will be revamped into a Florida wilflife themed area and serve as home to alligators, turtles, manatees and other local species, but allow for the tie-in with the new Turtles 4D attraction as well.
I’ve also been told we can look for some other improvements to come to Happy Harbor this year as well, as the large fake ship will be removed and replaced with a new Water Fortress style attraction. (No word on if they will have a huge dumping bucket of water or not…)
2013 - Dark Ride / New Penguin Home - Rumor - (7/20/11) A old rumor has returned once again with a full head of steam, as I’m told that the entire Penguin Plaza area is slated to be removed sometime in the early 2012 to make way for a major dark ride attraction for 2013. Don’t cry for the penguins however, as I’m told that a brand new and improved home for them will be built as part of the massive 2013 project. Going along with that, I can only assume that the dark ride may have some kind of Antarctica theme as well.
As for the dark ride itself… it’s been said that SeaWorld Orlando was eyeballed for a ton of different dark ride concept ideas following the introduction of Curse of DarKastle at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. If you’ve never been on DarKastle, it’s basicly a copy of the Spiderman style ride experience, themed within a haunted European castle full of ghosts, werewolves and other creatures of the night. In short… it’s an awesome alternative to Spiderman, and outside of the Orlando area, it really stands out in Williamsburg as a top notch E-Ticket attraction.
Curse of DarKastle opened way back in 2005 however, based on Spiderman’s basic concept from 1999. So by the time any new ride opens in 2013, one would expect to see some leaps forward in the technology department or even some changes in the overall concept as well. So while I can’t say that this will or wont be a copy of the same basic idea for sure, I have also heard a hint about ‘trackless cars’ being looked into for it as well. My only request is this… please do not make this themed to Happy Feet… ok?
The Future - Wild Arctic Replacement - Rumor - (7/20/11) We’ve talked a bit about rumored future projects said to be on the way for SeaWorld Orlando over the next couple of years, but what else may be on deck long term? Apparently the new management has come to terms with the fact that Wild Arctic just isn’t a big draw anymore and said to be pondering possible solutions to the problem.
Unlike any other simulator ride, it just isn’t as easy as reprogramming the ride itself to use a new movie because the ride exits into the massive Wild Arctic themed animal habitat area, so a new Arctic themed ride may be the only item to fit the bill. While I’m sure they could rework the flow of traffic through the building if necessary with some structural modifications to turn the structure into two separate attractions (New Ride and Animal Habitat) I’m not sure if they area ready to take the easy way out just yet. They also have to consider that whatever they do in Orlando, they will likely end up doing in California as well to the Wild Arctic attraction there, and find a way to make it work for both.
The one item still keeping Arctic the same for the next few years is the special deal the park signed to convert the ride into a Polar Express ride for the holiday season, which has been quiet a popular attraction with the guests, and likely a big reason behind the reason they are looking into new ideas for the future. I’m told that this winter is actually the last year for the Polar Express contract, though the holiday attraction is so popular, an extension is likely to be signed for keep it going for a few more years.
The main interesting thing to me is the dark ride part. I really like SWO, but they really could use some rides, especially dark rides (as well as more cool coasters), so hopefully this is true! =)
If this sounds familiar, it should... as I reported the possibility of a dark ride a year ago when there was construction around the old Clydesdale Hamlet, only to be disappointed to find out it was just a garden. However, the penguin rumor kind of took me by surprise. I was expecting them to build something from the ground up (as in the Clydesdale area), but now I see the possibility of the penguins being reused for this attraction. Funny thing though, when Cheetah Hunt was a rumor, I was expecting it to be a B&M Hypercoaster in the back of the park (in the Jungala section) all the way towards Kumba. I never thought it was possible to reuse the old monorail station for a coaster, or travel through the Veldt and into Rhino Rally's old wet portion. I also never thought they'd go with Intamin. So bottom line, when it comes to SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment (or any park chain for that matter)... don't rule ANYTHING out!
As for the Wild Arctic part, I guess I'm one of the people who like Wild Arctic and will probably miss it. But even then, it should be interesting what they do in its place!
It should be interesting to see how these rumors come out!
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