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Details of SeaWorld Orlando expansion
include new ride, 3D movie, and rainforest experience
November 8, 2011
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SeaWorld Orlando has announced plans for an expansion of its theme parks during
2012 and 2013, adding three new attractions with themes that span the globe.
While Discovery Cove will receive a new “flooded” rainforest area, the SeaWorld
Orlando park itself will feature a new “hyperreal’ 3D movie as well as a whole
new area and ride inspired by the frozen climates of Antarctica.
Turtle Trek
Turtle
Trek, a new 3D movie set to debut at the park in Spring 2012, located at the
existing manatee rescue facility. SeaWorld will utilize new technology,
projecting the 3D film on a dome that guests step into, allowing lifelike images
to appear not only around but also above viewers, who will don 3D glasses and
stand (with optional lean rails) throughout the experience. The movie itself,
which represents the life journey of the sea turtle, will feature
“hyperrealistic” computer generated imagery, offering saturated visuals shown at
13 times HD resolution. Behind the scenes, the six-minute movie will be shown
via 34 projectors that seamlessly join images together using 368,000 lumens of
light. A 3D sound system will bring surround sound to a new level, placing sound
effects throughout the room using 22 discrete audio channels played back at
32,00 watts. But in the end, guests won’t see the technology behind it all,
instead witnessing an immersive surround 3D movie experience like no other in
Orlando. But the movie itself is only part of the Turtle Trek experience, which
begins with up-close encounters with manatees and sea turtles and ends with an
interactive retail area, where purchases will trigger special effects within the
store. From beginning to end, the whole experience will last around 18 minutes.
Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin
Stepping beyond the stage in the round, press attending today’s announcement
were surprised by an indoor icy environment, introduced by a frigid tunnel. And
on the other side sat SeaWorld Animal Ambassador Julie Scardina, playing with a
group of penguins. Inside, the biggest announcement of the day was made as the
major expansion of SeaWorld Orlando with a new area called Antarctica: Empire of
the Penguin. This new “realm” (other area parks often call them “lands” or
“islands”) is said to be an expansion on the scale and scope of the Wizarding
World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando or New Fantasyland at Walt Disney
World’s Magic Kingdom. Few specifics are released about SeaWorld Orlando’s
Antarctica yet. It will open in 2013 and take the place of the existing penguin
encounter, offering a much more complete and modern experience in its place.
SeaWorld feels the stories of Antarctica are largely untold and the warm climate
of Florida is a perfect place to offer guests an escape from the heat into an
encompassing frozen region. And they say they have plenty of land to work with
to help tell those stories, on the existing penguin encounter site as well as
surrounding areas currently unused. With icy peaks stretching as high as 55 feet
in the air, guests entering into Antarctica are meant to feel as if they have
stepped out of SeaWorld and have arrived at the south pole. Amidst the sparkling
terrain will be shops, dining, and a new ride - but SeaWorld isn’t saying much
about the ride just yet. Guests will sit down and ride through what is being
described as the world’s coldest theme park attraction. They decline to say just
how cold it will be, but guests should get an authentic feeling of what it’s to
be in Antarctica. And penguins will be involved, somehow. The ride will be
thrilling, but also family-friendly, and will use state-of-the-art interactive
ride technologies that haven’t been detailed yet. More information is promised
as 2013 draws nearer.
Freshwater Oasis
Down
the street from SeaWorld Orlando park, the Discovery Cove water park / day
resort is also receiving another new attraction. When the Grand Reef recently
opened , the park’s former saltwater reef closed to make way for what was today
announced to be the Freshwater Oasis. Themed as a flooded rainforest trail,
guests will wade and swim through the Freshwater Oasis, encountering creatures
along the way. Though Discovery Cove features an elaborate aviary, this will be
the first time the park combines land animals with a water experience. Asian
otters will swim side-by-side with guests, with the ability to “pop up” in
surprising places, though still safely separated. Marmoset monkeys will swing
through the trees that create an overhead canopy above the waters. In addition,
an in-water “relaxation station” will offer refreshments and a chance to rest in
the sun.
Under
the banner of “Waves of the Future,” over the course of 2012 and 2013, major
changes are coming to SeaWorld Orlando and Discovery Cove, offering new
experiences unlike anything else in Orlando’s many theme parks. Signs of
construction will begin to appear as soon as January, with opening dates for
Turtle Trek and Freshwater Oasis scheduled for Spring 2012. More Antarctica
details are soon to follow, with no opening timeframe offered other than some
time in 2013.
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