Riding the wave of new and expanded attractions and lands coming to Florida parks including the
Fantasyland Expansion at Walt Disney World and the new
Despicable Me ride and improved Spider-Man attraction at Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando has its own new goodies on tap. First up in 2012 will be TurtleTrek (what's up with SeaWorld's aversion to spaces between words?), an exhibit that will feature both real and virtual presentations of marine life via aquariums and a 3-D film shown in a 360-degree format. Sister park Discovery Cove will also be getting some new attraction love in 2012, while SeaWorld's penguin exhibit will be getting a major makeover for 2013.
TurtleTrek Quick Facts
- Type of attraction: 3-D film and marine life exhibit
- Location: SeaWorld Orlando
- Planned opening: Some time in 2012
High-Tech Trek
In typical SeaWorld fashion, the new exhibit will offer up-close viewings of animals. One of two habitats will include, of course, sea turtles along with fish of the saltwater persuasion. The other aquarium will put manatees, the huge mammals that are also known as sea cows, on display as well as other freshwater creatures. I'm not sure what manatees have to do with sea turtles, but the lumbering animals are intriguing to watch. Some of the exhibit's turtles and manatees will be animals rescued by SeaWorld.
The TurtleTrek film will be presented not just in 3-D (after all, where's the novelty in that these days?), but in 360-degree 3-D. The encompassing movie will be projected onto the ceiling and the entire circumference of the walls of a domed theater to provide an immersive, you-are-there experience. According to SeaWorld, the action will be presented from the perspective of a sea turtle navigating the ocean floor.
Disney pioneered the 360-degree theater with its "Circle-Vision" presentations that incorporate nine screens arranged in a circle. Epcot continues to show the in-the-round movies at its China and Canada pavilions. Universal Studios Hollywood introduced the goofy glasses to the experience when it added King Kong 360/3-D to its studio tour in 2010. Instead of a traditional theater, guests see the big ape while aboard the park's tour trams. While the trek of a turtle doesn't exactly pack the same punch as a freakishly enormous ape on the loose, the high praise that Kong has been getting bodes well for SeaWorld's 3-D attraction.
Freshwater Oasis Quick Facts
- Type of attraction: Interactive animal adventure
- Location: Discovery Cove
- Planned opening: Spring 2012
The boutique park, Discovery Cove, where the highlight is the swim-with-dolphins experience, will be getting a new animal interaction. Guests will be able hop into the water and sidle up to an otter. No barriers. Just you and the otters. I'm not sure how close I would want to get to an otter, but the implication would appear to be that it's an entirely safe proposition. Other animals in the new area will include mamoset monkeys. Freshwater Oasis comes on the heels of The Grand Reef, a snorkeling experience that opened in 2011 at Discovery Cove.
Antarctica - Empire of the Penguin Quick Facts
- Type of attraction: Ride-through animal exhibit
- Location: SeaWorld Orlando
- Planned opening: Spring 2013
Details are sparse for what SeaWorld is describing as its largest (read: most costly) expansion to date, but Antarctica is being called a ride. So get ready to board some vehicles and embark on a c-c-c-cold journey to the land of the penguins.
The cute birds, who have long been a staple at the park, are endlessly fascinating. And it's always been great to duck out of Orlando's oppressive heat and humidity into the penguin exhibit. If it's done well, the Antarctica ride should plus the experience by adding a story overlay. Wild Arctic, SeaWorld's polar bear and whale exhibit, deftly melds a motion simulator ride with a themed (and cold!) environment. I'd imagine the Antarctica pavilion will be similarly engaging.
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