SeaWorld Orlando's Future Plans

[SWBGFan]

Antarctica definitely is the best themed area out of the entire chain. It's very impressively done and is a work of art! The ride is fine for what it is, and for most of the GP as soon as they see the real penguins at the end, it makes up for the short ride time. Sesame Street similarly is done really well! I think they'll wait another year or two before they invest in that dark ride, just so they can revitalize it once some of the excitement wears off.

I really do hope they find a way to have both the Sesame Street ride and finally redo Wild Arctic to have that flying theater. I know the focus is on coasters now, but if they do in fact build another coaster next year, they're really going to have to re balance their attraction line up. Not everyone likes coasters! Turtle Trek was a really cool attraction and now it no longer has the 3D effect, an experience I believe the GP looks for in Orlando.

I definitely agree about Brian Morrow, it's pretty clear that he had no hand in IB, and it shows. One has to wonder what types of attractions were in the vault for their parks under his lead.

Overall, I would say if next years new attraction is a coaster, I hope that it is heavily themed because essentially they would be creating a new area of the park as currently festival pathway is themed to whichever event is over there. I wouldn't mind an area like Ocean Explorer, which overall I thought was a cute themed area of SWSD, obviously the flagship ride wasn't great, but SWO could use some more flats.

 

[shiekra38]

Definitely. I know they want short-term results to appease shareholders, but it's coming at the cost of the perceived (and actual) quality of the parks. I remember genuine hype surrounding the opening of Antarctica--it was one of those things you'd overhear people talking about. "Have you been to the new Antarctica land at SeaWorld? Yeah, I'm taking the whole family when it opens. I hear it's supposed to be like that Harry Potter world, but, like, with penguins!"
People get excited about big, immersive, story-telling experiences... I don't really see a whole lot of people making travel plans to ride Ice Breaker. In fact, I think Antarctica was the last time I witnessed any excitement from the general public about a new addition at SeaWorld (maybe Sesame Street generated some too, but I'm neither a small child nor a parent of a small child). I can't even remember the last time that happened for Busch Gardens; it probably would've been Rhino Rally, or maybe Jungala. If each park would even just open one new ride every other year, that would double their budget. Just do with SWO and BGT what Universal does and alternate which park gets a new major ride each year, and bundle the two parks together as a single destination so people will visit both (there's already a shuttle between the two).

Also, I think they should bring Brian Morrow back. I get the impression he was the closest thing to an Imagineer the company had (or at least the only one they listened to) and it's been very obvious which projects he had a hand in and which ones were conceived after his departure.

Unfortunately Antarctica was the point where Sea World Orlando's attendance started to drop and Antarctica under performed. People may have been saying " it's supposed to be like that Harry Potter world" but nobody showed up.

The current flood of one of a kind coasters is a positive trend for two reasons:
1) Orlando is in desperate need of a "thrill park"
2) Sea World can't compete with dark rides like Universal and Disney. Therefore, they need to provide one of a kind experiences people want while not risking a financial flop like Antarctica. Coasters like Mako, Ice Breaker, etc fill that void.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Antarctica definitely is the best themed area out of the entire chain. It's very impressively done and is a work of art! The ride is fine for what it is, and for most of the GP as soon as they see the real penguins at the end, it makes up for the short ride time.

Antarctica is bad. It's not art. They were correct in letting the designers behind it go. It doesn't make up for the short ride time, and in fact removing the ride and just having the penguin exhibit would improve the experience. The only people who "like" Antarctica have user names like SWBGFan or SWOrocks, work for the company in some capacity, and/or have tastes so bad they're not worth listening to.

"Well that's your opinion man," yes it is it's also the majority opinion otherwise SeaWorld Orlando wouldn't have cut hours on the attraction already. Can we stop with this revisionist BS?

 

[ParkRumors]

Hahaha, I almost posted a long-winded reply to Thatguyoverwhere yesterday about how Antarctica may have been hyped up before opening but it totally fell flat afterwards, but your post puts it so much more succinctly.

At the end of the day, SeaWorld has changed strategy, and it's working. They're no longer competing to be a destination driver for out of town tourists. Instead they're focusing on locals by filling their calendar with events. And instead of letting the parks get stale and only adding a large themed attraction every 2-3 years they're getting yearly additions that fill a void in the Orlando market. Sure, it sucks for some to lose the immersive theming and animal exhibits, but clearly that strategy wasn't working anymore.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Hahaha, I almost posted a long-winded reply to Thatguyoverwhere yesterday about how Antarctica may have been hyped up before opening but it totally fell flat afterwards, but your post puts it so much more succinctly.

At the end of the day, SeaWorld has changed strategy, and it's working. They're no longer competing to be a destination driver for out of town tourists. Instead they're focusing on locals by filling their calendar with events. And instead of letting the parks get stale and only adding a large themed attraction every 2-3 years they're getting yearly additions that fill a void in the Orlando market. Sure, it sucks for some to lose the immersive theming and animal exhibits, but clearly that strategy wasn't working anymore.

Brian Morrow should stop posting under his alt. No one has ever said "Have you been to the new Antarctica land at SeaWorld? Yeah, I'm taking the whole family when it opens," this is the fever dream of people still in denial.

Also there's a reason why Epcot didn't fix anything about the park for decades, it had more and more festivals with longer and longer run times. SeaWorld can execute a cheaper, better run festival for locals and do perfectly fine.

 

[HandsomePete]

I’ll be even more succinct - Antarctica is off the shelf trash. They would have been better off building a bar with the penguins still behind glass so you could watch them while you drink.

The person above is 100% right - SW has settled on its strategy and it’s actually working. The reality is that it’s a third tier Orlando attraction. First is Disney alone. Second is Universal alone (spare me any indignation, until Uni puts 15M people through an Orlando park in a year just forget it). When you’re in the same bracket as a Cedar Point/Six Flags, you need 1) locals and 2) something to put on a billboard every season. IB is cheap, squeezes an experience into unused space, and will be on every digital billboard in Orlando with RIDE ORLANDO’S FASTEST LAUNCH COASTER come April. Is it amazeballs, no, but I’d have gone on it at close instead of Kraken two hours ago.

I’m going to preface this last point by saying that I’m sure he’s a nice/hardworking/smart guy (and while I don’t know him, I know people who know him), but Morrow was at the helm for some unmitigated disasters. Kraken Unleashed is a case study in what NOT to do at a theme park. I wish him the best at his business, but it’s best that both continue to go their separate ways.

No one has ever said "Have you been to the new Antarctica land at SeaWorld? Yeah, I'm taking the whole family when it opens," this is the fever dream of people still in denial.

I almost called that out as nonsense and posted a link to the Antarctica thread at the point the feedback started rolling in, but.... yeah.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

First is Disney alone. Second is Universal alone (spare me any indignation, until Uni puts 15M people through an Orlando park in a year just forget it)

A quick comment on this, Universal parks just cannot accommodate that many people a year. Universal sees diminishing returns on having guests counts over 10m a year in each park.

 

[gabe3235]

Maybe Antarctica has the most theming.... but it's far from good. Or even decent for that matter

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

LOL at claiming "no one's been excited for anything at BG since Jungle/Rhino Rally." There's a little something opening in a few months that would beg to differ.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I’m going to preface this last point by saying that I’m sure he’s a nice/hardworking/smart guy (and while I don’t know him, I know people who know him), but Morrow was at the helm for some unmitigated disasters. Kraken Unleashed is a case study in what NOT to do at a theme park. I wish him the best at his business, but it’s best that both continue to go their separate ways.

One more thing to add to this, Brain and his company does good work post SW.

 

[Thatguyoverwhere]

I don't know about y'all, but I'm having a good time over here reading this page of responses

I’ll be even more succinct - Antarctica is off the shelf trash.

That's an interesting take on a ~$50 million prototype attraction that, unless I've missed something, has yet to be implemented in any other park on this hemisphere. But Antarctica provides an excellent themed experience and I distinctly remember hearing people talk excitedly about their plans to see it when it opened, something I haven't witnessed since for that park.

LOL at claiming "no one's been excited for anything at BG since Jungle/Rhino Rally." There's a little something opening in a few months that would beg to differ.

Well, you're sort of right. Iron Gwazi is definitely the talk of the town... among roller coaster enthusiasts online. But out in the world, I haven't heard one person mention it except myself. Not even in Tampa, where I work, 20 minutes down the road from Busch Gardens. Maybe that will change in the coming months, but so far it seems pretty much below the radar of the general public, even among locals. The last time I can remember any unprompted discussion of new rides at Busch Gardens at all was Cheetah Hunt, but it was more of an "Oh yeah, you're going to Busch Gardens? I think they've got a new ride, it's like, Cheetah Chase or something." and less of an "I really wish I could go to Busch Gardens, that new Cheetah Hunt roller coaster looks sick!" In fact, at the time, I remember the initial response being lukewarm; people expected it to be more thrilling, and people like myself were left to defend it as still being a fun ride. Personally I thought Cobra's Curse and the Pantopia additions were solid, but they were completely overshadowed by Skull Island and Diagon Alley, which is exactly my point.

I'm unfortunately not Brian Morrow (I wish I had that much influence), and I'm not pulling "revisionist nonsense" out of my arse. In addition to providing my personal opinion, I'm relaying the overwhelming consensus from the general public on their opinions about this park (at least those who have given it, either to me directly or by posting on the internet) in an attempt to give perspective to some on this forum who seem to have lost sight of what non-coaster enthusiasts are actually interested in from theme parks. I apologize if I have gotten under anyone's skin with my optimism, and I know the notion that SeaWorld ought to strive to be more than just a third-rate amusement park that caters to theme park forumgoers is not entirely popular on a forum created for fans of Universal Parks and Resorts. But what's the purpose of this thread, if not to speculate and give opinions about what we'd like to see at this park?
Like many people, I don't have the money to afford frequent trips to Disney and Universal because they've priced out the very crowds that theme parks were invented to cater to. So I'd like to be able to get a complete "theme park experience" from somewhere else. I'd also like to be able to bring my family with me to the parks, but right now they usually refuse to go, either because "it's just a bunch of boring roller coasters and problematic shows" or because "sweetie, your father and I are just too old to ride those kinds of rides anymore." Maybe those are selfish reasons to want a more diverse lineup of attractions at a park, but I have a feeling I'm far from the only person in that situation. Not everyone can or will ride roller coasters, and not everyone can simply go to Disney or Universal when they want anything else.

Just my two cents.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

I don't know about y'all, but I'm having a good time over here reading this page of responses


That's an interesting take on a ~$50 million prototype attraction that, unless I've missed something, has yet to be implemented in any other park on this hemisphere. But Antarctica provides an excellent themed experience and I distinctly remember hearing people talk excitedly about their plans to see it when it opened, something I haven't witnessed since for that park.


Well, you're sort of right. Iron Gwazi is definitely the talk of the town... among roller coaster enthusiasts online. But out in the world, I haven't heard one person mention it except myself. Not even in Tampa, where I work, 20 minutes down the road from Busch Gardens. Maybe that will change in the coming months, but so far it seems pretty much below the radar of the general public, even among locals. The last time I can remember any unprompted discussion of new rides at Busch Gardens at all was Cheetah Hunt, but it was more of an "Oh yeah, you're going to Busch Gardens? I think they've got a new ride, it's like, Cheetah Chase or something." and less of an "I really wish I could go to Busch Gardens, that new Cheetah Hunt roller coaster looks sick!" In fact, at the time, I remember the initial response being lukewarm; people expected it to be more thrilling, and people like myself were left to defend it as still being a fun ride. Personally I thought Cobra's Curse and the Pantopia additions were solid, but they were completely overshadowed by Skull Island and Diagon Alley, which is exactly my point.

I'm unfortunately not Brian Morrow (I wish I had that much influence), and I'm not pulling "revisionist nonsense" out of my arse. In addition to providing my personal opinion, I'm relaying the overwhelming consensus from the general public on their opinions about this park (at least those who have given it, either to me directly or by posting on the internet) in an attempt to give perspective to some on this forum who seem to have lost sight of what non-coaster enthusiasts are actually interested in from theme parks. I apologize if I have gotten under anyone's skin with my optimism, and I know the notion that SeaWorld ought to strive to be more than just a third-rate amusement park that caters to theme park forumgoers is not entirely popular on a forum created for fans of Universal Parks and Resorts. But what's the purpose of this thread, if not to speculate and give opinions about what we'd like to see at this park?
Like many people, I don't have the money to afford frequent trips to Disney and Universal because they've priced out the very crowds that theme parks were invented to cater to. So I'd like to be able to get a complete "theme park experience" from somewhere else. I'd also like to be able to bring my family with me to the parks, but right now they usually refuse to go, either because "it's just a bunch of boring roller coasters and problematic shows" or because "sweetie, your father and I are just too old to ride those kinds of rides anymore." Maybe those are selfish reasons to want a more diverse lineup of attractions at a park, but I have a feeling I'm far from the only person in that situation. Not everyone can or will ride roller coasters, and not everyone can simply go to Disney or Universal when they want anything else.

Just my two cents.

This is why I still hold such a fondness for OG Islands. While still an excellent park today, I feel like it balanced the type of attractions you clamor for with plenty for coaster enthusiasts (OG Dragons).

I can understand your last point, but the reality is that FL needs a place for coaster enthusiasts, with Disney having never been that and with Universal moving decidedly away from that.

And yeah, Antarctica had hype...before it opened. IMMEDIATELY when it opened, like, in the span of one page, the talk turned extremely negative. And fair or not, this was when SW’s fortunes really went into the commode. You can argue that...ahem, you-know-what had more to do with it, but I’d argue that Antarctica’s failure can easily be associated with that. So it’s a completely understandable and justifiable decision on their behalf.

 

[SWBGFan]

A forum is a place for discussion of ideas, there's really no room for attacking others because they feel differently from you.

I was referring to the area itself, not the ride. I never even said the ride was good? lol. The Antarctica area is very good and has high quality rock work done by Nassal, something that's never really seen before in a SW park. Agree to disagree.

I don't think anyone is denying that their "strategy" is working. Which I still do question how anyone would be able to tell whether or not it's successful considering attendance has only been up after Infinity Falls and Sesame Street, two attractions that are NOT coasters. Really only SWSD is their only park with viable evidence to support that coasters are improving attendance, a park in a completely different market.

Nobody is disagreeing that there could be short term benefits to adding a plethora of attractions at all of their parks each year. However, just a remember why parks like Six Flags are perceived as being lesser than others even among the GP. As someone who pays close attention to how the GP behaves/thinks, it doesn't seem to me like plopping down another coaster is exactly necessary. It's easy for us to be overly critical of parks, but realistically, the GP isn't comparing a ride like Antarctica to ROTR or Forbidden Journey. They're just looking to have a positive, enjoyable experience.

The fact is that, people keep claiming that FL needs a place for "coaster enthusiasts" yet, the theme park market here has thrived without one for so long? And BG is only an hour and a half away from Orlando and arguably is about to have one of the best coaster lineups in the world.

 

[shiekra38]

LOL at claiming "no one's been excited for anything at BG since Jungle/Rhino Rally." There's a little something opening in a few months that would beg to differ.

Yeah, there was an expansion in between these two attractions that is very near and dear to a lot of people...especially me


I'm talking, of course, about Haunted Lighthouse 4D

 

[HandsomePete]

That's an interesting take on a ~$50 million prototype attraction that, unless I've missed something, has yet to be implemented in any other park on this hemisphere.

Here’s the shelf.

 

[UNIrd]

Yeah, there was an expansion in between these two attractions that is very near and dear to a lot of people...especially me

I'm talking, of course, about Haunted Lighthouse 4D

Lol! You took me back. This was short-lived considering how hyped it was at the time.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

The fact is that, people keep claiming that FL needs a place for "coaster enthusiasts" yet, the theme park market here has thrived without one for so long? And BG is only an hour and a half away from Orlando and arguably is about to have one of the best coaster lineups in the world.

Your second sentence contradicts your first. I agree that even before IG Busch has a wonderful lineup of coasters. My point is that back in the day Islands was kind of a coaster park as well. Maybe my outlook is skewed by my love of OG Dragons, of course, but Universal was disparaged as being like Six Flags by (a vocal, rabid, highly close-minded subgroup of) Disney fans.

Intentionally or unintentionally, Universal threw SWE a life preserver when they closed Dragons.

 

[shiekra38]

The fact is that, people keep claiming that FL needs a place for "coaster enthusiasts" yet, the theme park market here has thrived without one for so long? And BG is only an hour and a half away from Orlando and arguably is about to have one of the best coaster lineups in the world.

It's an open niche available for Sea World to capitalize on....And, an hour and a half is more separation than you think

I think Sea World and Busch are far far away from being perceived as Six Flag just because they build coasters

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

It's an open niche available for Sea World to capitalize on....And, an hour and a half is more separation than you think

I think Sea World and Busch are far far away from being perceived as Six Flag just because they build coasters

I heard a great analogy somewhere (can't remember where):
Disney = Neiman Marcus
Universal = Bloomingdale's
SW/BG = Macy's
Six Flags = Walmart
(God knows what that would make Cedar Fair.)

 

[Magic Feather]

I heard a great analogy somewhere (can't remember where):
Disney = Neiman Marcus
Universal = Bloomingdale's
SW/BG = Macy's
Six Flags = Walmart
(God knows what that would make Cedar Fair.)

By that, I’d say Cedar Fair is Target.