SeaWorld Orlando unveils Antarctica:Empire of the Penguin Attraction at IAAPA 2012
At the world’s largest theme park convention, the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions’ Expo 2012, SeaWorld Orlando this morning revealed the vehicle that will take guests on a first-of-its-kind ride to the frozen south in the park’s 2013 attraction and all-new realm, Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin.
There was much fanfare as the curtain dropped to reveal a circular simulator car that will carry up to eight passengers in a stadium style setting. SeaWorld said the ride will allow guests to “program” their ride vehicle prior to boarding with different intensity levels — “mild” to “wild” — putting riders in control of their own car’s motion.
“There’s nothing else like this in the world,” said Brian Morrow, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment creative director. “Next year, this is the vehicle that will take families on an epic adventure and allow them to experience and interact with the thrills, wonders and dangers of Antarctica, all through the eyes of a very special penguin. The vehicle combines a mobile simulator platform and a trackless navigation system and will slide like a penguin on ice on a trackless ride with different paths. Each time you ride this you actually will have no idea which path you’re going to get. It really allows us the flexibility and the unpredictability to create a ride that’s highly variable, which is really what we wanted.”
Terry Prather, SeaWorld Orlando’s president (pictured above) added: “That will up the repeatability factor of the ride and that’s one of the thrills of it. It will make you feel as if you’re dancing with the other vehicles. They’ll be interacting.”
Designers revealed a bit more about the vehicles’ unique role in the attraction.
The cars themselves are technological marvels. Each car is a mobile simulator, with movements that allow the riders to become one with the storyline as they follow and mimic a young penguin’s adventures. The combination of experiences – mobile, moving simulators and a completely trackless ride – are theme park firsts. Guests will choose one of two levels of adventure. Designers say each level has multiple variations for a feeling of unpredictability, just like the continent of Antarctica.
“When our little hero penguin learns to waddle and slide, we’ll feel what it’s like as the car moves and reacts to the storyline. When he takes his first swim or barely escapes danger, our guests will feel as if they’re right there with him” Morrow said.
Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin is the biggest expansion in company history and it is clear that Park executives consider the attraction an all-new “realm,” rather than a single attraction as they combine a state-of-the-art family adventure ride and closer-than-ever encounters with hundreds of penguins – kings, gentoos, Adelies and rockhoppers – to create Orlando’s must-see 2013 new attraction. Immersing guests in a colony of penguins means Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin will be the coldest theme park attraction in the world.
“We’ve taken our guests and fans on astounding journeys but no one has ever experienced what we’re bringing to Orlando in 2013. The first-of-its-kind ride, the cold, the wind, the thrills and danger of Antarctica and walking among penguins in a massive habitat is something only SeaWorld could do” remarked Prather.
Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin is scheduled to open next spring and we’ll bring you regular updates along the way. Here’s some video:
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