Park Update
www.parkworld-online.com
“Understand this addition is more than just a family ride,” he continued.
“The entire realm is being redone. Everything – fresh paint, new colours, additional outdoor shade, even a cool bar - the entire area is getting updated and redone to coincide with Penguin Trek’s opening. This is a great example of how SeaWorld Orlando is once again intertwining rides and animals. In this way, we are ensuring our guests have an incredible experience while allowing us to help teach the importance of conservation so we can be sure our grandchildren will be able to enjoy these species of animals around the world.” Noting that SeaWorld’s penguins have always been a favourite habitat
for guests to visit, Peterson also said that while the penguins that reside in the Antarctica habitat are not currently accessible to guests, the magellanic penguins have been added to Wild Arctic area, shared with beluga whales and walruses. “The core of everything we have ever done has been to help our guests
get close to marine animals. We recognized our guests would miss seeing the penguins that reside in Antarctica due to the construction. So, we challenged ourselves to come up with a solution and that led to us adding penguins to the Wild Arctic for the first time ever.” Even with all the positivity and excitement surrounding the 60th
anniversary, a significant downside this year has been the rehabilitation of the park’s centrepiece Orca Stadium, and the beloved Orca Encounter presentation. The remodel, which has taken 63 days, meant the daily presentation has been on hiatus, everyone, especially Peterson, has been eagerly awaiting the reopening. Set to reopen in mid-April, enhancements include a wave-inspired wooden art piece across the stage, a resealed pool
for the orcas and even a completely new colour scheme that focuses on reducing glare for both the audience and the orcas themselves. Originally built in 1980, the stadium seats 5,500 people. “No one wants this stadium to reopen more than me,” stated Peterson.
“Well, maybe our patient whales, who have been in our back pools. This process has taken time because we wanted to get everything right. You also must remember how big this space is. For example, it took 49 hours to refill the 2½ million gallons (9½ million litres) of water we emptied to allow us to clean, refurbish and re-pebble the pool for our orcas.” Leading into the stadium are beautiful new orca-shaped formations.
Built for SeaWorld Orlando by Nassal, the wood-looking statues (they are fibreglass) are both art pieces and realistic depictions of the marine giants, setting the tone for the majestic Orca Encounter. The stadium fountain has also returned. Like all theme park celebrations, guests will also find new and exclusive
vintage merchandise, including reusable water bottles, plush animals, snow globes, backpacks, notebooks, blankets, t-shirts, and more at all three SeaWorld parks. The SeaWorld 60th celebration will continue through the end of 2024.
34
MARCH 2024
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
