http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-seaworld-new-rides-20111108,0,2965294.story
SeaWorld Orlando is expected to announce today what park officials call the biggest expansion in the resort's history, with three new attractions to be built over the next two years.
The plans include two additions scheduled to debut next spring: TurtleTrek, a manatee and sea-turtle habitat that will include a first-of-its-kind, three-dimensional and 360-degree movie experience; and Freshwater Oasis, a new area in SeaWorld's limited-admission park Discovery Cove. Oasis guests will be able to swim, wade and hike through a rainforest-themed environment that will include encounters with Asian otters and small monkeys known as marmosets.
Those two projects will be followed a year later by the biggest addition of all: Antarctica — Empire of the Penguin, an area within the main park themed to the snowy continent that will include a new attraction that SeaWorld says will feature never-before-used ride technology.
Although company officials did not disclose a price tag, SeaWorld Orlando President Terry Prather said the additions, taken together, represent the largest expansion in the marine park's 38-year history, both in terms of cost and footprint.
With the expansion — which has been urged by SeaWorld's corporate owner, the private-equity firm Blackstone Group — SeaWorld hopes to win back some of the ground it has lost during the past two years to Walt Disney World and, particularly, to Universal Orlando, which in June 2010 opened its wildly popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
SeaWorld Orlando attendance fell an estimated 12 percent in 2010, even as the number of visitors overall to Orlando soared above 50 million for the first time.
Company officials say SeaWorld Orlando attendance has improved this year and that Discovery Cove, which this summer opened a new attraction dubbed the Grand Reef, is in the midst of a record year. The company's three Orlando parks, which also include the water park Aquatica, account for roughly 40 percent of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment's total operating income, according to industry analysts.
Prather said the timing of the expansion is ideal.
"When you look at last year, doing 51 million visitors to Orlando, and then look around the country, look around the world at some of these [other] destinations, … it's crystal clear around the world that Orlando is the No. 1 family destination," Prather said. "Our owners see that as a big plus."
Importantly, SeaWorld said, all three additions will be suitable for visitors of all ages.
Guests at TurtleTrek, for instance, will first walk through a pair of massive aquariums, one filled with hundreds of freshwater fish and manatees, the other with more than 1,500 saltwater fish and more than a dozen sea turtles. They will then enter a domed theater, where a 3-D film about the life journey of a sea turtle will be projected all around them — even above them. The entire experience will last about 18 minutes.
"Content will be all around you," said Brian Morrow, SeaWorld Orlando's chief designer.
The attraction, which will use space most recently occupied by SeaWorld's Manatee Rescue pavilion, will include an explicit conservation theme urging guests to become "everyday heroes" in wildlife protection. A post-show gift shop will include physical and environmental effects triggered whenever guests purchase items from which a portion of proceeds will be donated to a company-founded conservation fund.
Freshwater Oasis at Discovery Cove will be designed with a rainforest canopy above freshwater springs. SeaWorld said guests will be free to explore at their own pace, wading and hiking through flooded trails that will take them through habitats with otters and marmosets — animals that SeaWorld said were chosen because they are small, kid-friendly and active. The oasis will replace a now-closed saltwater reef that had been leaking into the area's underground aquifer.
In contrast to Grand Reef — a deeper, saltwater pool that includes an underwater experience — SeaWorld said Freshwater Oasis will be shallower and accessible to all guests. "Ensuring that everybody gets to participate is key to our brand," Morrow said.
SeaWorld discussed fewer details in advance about Antarctica — Empire of the Penguin, which company officials said will be the park's biggest-yet single-attraction expansion.
Replacing the park's 24-year-old Penguin Encounter habitat, the new attraction's central experience will be a "family adventure attraction," suitable for people of all ages, in which guests will experience life in Antarctica through the eyes of a penguin. Morrow said the attraction will be "a new species of ride," with an innovative system that allows different adventures to occur during each ride. The experience will also include close interactions with penguins.
SeaWorld said the Antarctica-themed expansion will be a more-immersive experience than just a single ride.
"It will be a new world within the park," Prather said. "It's a new realm that we're building."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-seaworld-new-rides-20111108,0,2965294.story
Theme Park Review also posted some facts from the press announcement (and got some photos from the event):
http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42837&start=2370#p1109445
SeaWorld released some concept art for the additions:
Freshwater Oasis:
TurtleTrek:
Antarctica - Empire of the Penguin:
The rumor mill on the Antarctica area has been getting quite interesting lately too:
2013 - Antarctica - Empire of the Penguin - (11/11/11) In 2013 SeaWorld will open one of their biggest projects to date, Antarctica – Empire of the Penguin. This huge new highly themed area will take the place of the current Penguin Encounter plaza and allow guests to “Explore the frozen wildernesses of the Antarctica through the eyes of the world’s most loved bird - the penguin.
Antarctica - Empire of the Penguin will take guests on a journey like no other to the coldest and most barren place on earth with a state-of-the-art interactive ride combined with an animal attraction. More details to follow.... for now it’s on ice.”
(10/10/11) The Orlando Sentinel has posted their own report on the various new projects SeaWorld has in the works right now. The park has now filed the necessary paperwork with the county confirming plans to replace the current Penguin Encounter attraction area with something new for 2013. The current exhibit will close in December to begin the 18 month long construction project, starting with the demolition of the existing structure. The park has also trademarked the names ‘Antarctica” and “Empire of the Penguins”, possibly for use here.
(9/2/11) Screamscape sources have reconfirmed that plans are still in the works to bring a dark ride to the new Penguin Encounter revamp project area, in addition to a new Penguin attraction and a restaurant. No word on what kind of ride it will be, but we can expect to see demolition begin on the current area buildings in early 2012.
(8/29/11) While the rumors of a total redevelopment of the Penguin Plaza area are still alive, I have not heard a peep about that rumored dark ride concept in some time, which is unfortunate for Dark Ride and attraction fans in general. In addition, the rumor of somehow connecting the new Penguin replacement exhibit to a large new restaurant has also come to light. However… anyone who has visited any Penguin exhibit at any park or zoo anywhere can attest the cute buggers rank a bit towards the top on the Stink-O-Meter… maybe a level or two below Skunks and Roadkill. So I’ve got to question to wisdom of attaching a Penguin exhibit of any kind with any kind of establishment meant to serve food… unless they’re going to go the extra mile to make the exhibit run as it’s own air-tight eco-system to keep the noxious fumes in place.
In related news, SeaWorld Parks has filed for a couple of interesting trademarks this month: “Snowworld” and “Antarctica”, both of which could possibly be connected to the rumored Penguin replacement project.
TurtleTrek started construction in September, with the closure of the Manatee exhibit. Antarctica will start in the next few months.
This seems like a very nice addition to SeaWorld. The intriguing part IMO is the ride that they say "will feature never-before-used ride technology." Something tells me this isn't a standard dark ride system, and I doubt it's a Spider-Man type system either. We may be seeing something very unique here.
Hopefully more attractions come to SeaWorld in the future. It is a wonderful park, but it needs more rides. I think this is the start of something awesome for SWO! =D
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