The theming being so barebones is disappointing, but I guess it was expected. I think they should have gotten rid of Wild Artic and used the post show as the queue for Ice breaker and have it launch out of the building.
Ideally this should have just been what the penguin encounter became instead of Empire, but I know the land is tight back there. They could have made it work with a different configuration and given the land some kinetic energy with a section of track that crossed the walk way. I was so optimistic after Manta debuted that they would continue to integrate exhibits into queues and theme just enough to be impressive while still moving toward more of an amusement park. Mako dashed those hopes. How amazing would it have been if they really committed to the ship theme? I get not building a new habit in that case and with fins and the walkthrough already there it would have been a challenge to integrate the two. No complaints about Infinity because it's not tied to any specific animal and is just generally gorgeous and vibrant (really reactivated the area).
I know not everything needs to be Everest or Velocicoaster, but I'd love to see SeaWorld still try to keep up with the Joneses just a bit. Hopefully there will be a lot more effort out into surf coaster if the new entrance stuff happens.