SeaWorld Orlando's Future Plans

[MakoMania]

Pavillions area seems like another obvious spot for a new coaster. They've got room yet, you really only need to have room for a station building and then you can go pretty much wherever you want to with the layout, over paths, under paths, over buildings, through other rides...... Just look at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

 

[GAcoaster]

I just don't see them adding a ride to the Bayside Pathway, They like to keep that area closed when it's not busy. Maybe they could move the bridge again and adjust the pathways.

 

[MakoMania]

I just don't see them adding a ride to the Bayside Pathway, They like to keep that area closed when it's not busy. Maybe they could move the bridge again and adjust the pathways.

The entrance doesn't have to be on the bayside pathway. It could either be over in the pavillions area by Wild Arctic or near to the park entrance.

 

[WAJAS]

Or build, over, don't you mean? Hmmmm.

Yea, I figured that'd be a hard place to squeeze it in. (Giggity)

I think a coaster back there is more likely than it seems. They can show of their rescue program, which is based back there, while people are on the ride. Building over the pathways and around the buildings shouldn’t be a huuuge problem.

 

[LikeMike]

Either way, they're going to need to start getting creative. I'm always impressed they stuck Manta smack dab in the middle of the park like that.

All day long. I remember hearing about the plans for Manta way back when and thinking ‘this must be wrong because a coaster simply can’t fit there’.

So I’ll forever have faith in Sea World using space wisely after that.

 

[SWBGFan]

There is plenty of space by the entrance. It's all about how effectively they can use the space and as others have pointed out, Manta feels like it was always part of the park, not something that was just built 10 years ago (can't believe its been that long!).

Also, I'm not entirely sure on this, but their new headquarters they're building may make way for some buildings to be removed where a possible coaster could live.

The Key West area of the park, is literally so quiet on nights of Electric Ocean and Christmas Celebration simply because past 5pm the only thing over there is pretty much Turtle Trek. A new attraction could really breathe some life into that section of the park.

I really hope they don't just plop this over the lake, Ignite and Winter Wonderland are beautiful shows that may be affected by development on the lake. I think creatively they can do better, and it really wouldn't fit in with the theme anywhere around the lake, at least in Key West it makes sense.

 

[P@n!K_Sw1tC#]

Makes more sense to use the spot past wild arctic

 

[Thatguyoverwhere]

Surprised they’ve gone with 3 coasters in a row in San Diego. They’re welcome additions but I hope they give dark rides another shot at some point. Plenty of aquatic source material out there. Equally surprised we haven’t see the addition of a few flat rides in Orlando.

While I really love the inclusion of all of the coasters and capital spending, I do really hope that SW incorporates some themeing into the attractions. I would say around 2010 was when SeaWorld was doing really cool things in terms of ride design and themeing, ie. Manta (SWO and SWSD), Verbolten, Cheetah Hunt. Great rides with great themes. For me, Mako was just okay in terms of themeing and Infinity Falls was great, but obviously had some budget cuts on the themeing.

There is just something organic about all of those rides that fit into the park so well, as opposed to just plopping down a coaster Six Flags style.

It's heartening to know that I'm not the only person on this forum who thinks SeaWorld shouldn't be filling the parks with a bunch of roller coasters and letting theming/dark rides/family attractions/overall quality fall by the wayside. Going the Six Flags/Cedar Fair route of 'nuthin but coasters' seems like such a cop-out when they have the potential to be so much better and already put so much time and effort into creating high-quality theme parks. If it were Disney or Universal making the same move, I think there would be a lot more people saying the same thing. I've always believed the parks should be focusing on quality, not just quantity, as the former is what brings repeat guests, even when there's nothing new to ride.

Let's take SeaWorld Orlando for instance. They haven't gone as coaster-crazy as some of the other parks, but they've been noticeably cutting back on things they consider superfluous, which are almost invariably themed elements or attractions. What they should be doing with the influx of revenue is bringing a theme and storyline back to Journey to Atlantis, doing something with Kraken to patch the very obvious narrative gap left by the removal of the VR aspect, bringing a non-seasonal show like A'lure back to Nautilus theater, adding a family dark ride to Sesame Street land, revamping Wild Arctic with a new pre-show and ride footage, and adding a non-seasonal nighttime lagoon show like Mystify. In my opinion, that would make the park just as high-quality as any other in Orlando. If they really want to explore the short-term results of building inexpensive attractions and seeing a slight boost in attendance for that year, they should save it for a hypothetical fourth Orlando gate, possibly in the plot they've just vacated across the street from the main parking lot.
More broadly, the SeaWorld Orlando complex could become a bona fide destination resort like Disney and Universal rather than a one-day side trip simply by adding an official on-site hotel or even just branding one or two of the existing 'partner' hotels as such; they already give their guests all the special perks anyway, all they'd need to do is tweak the name (e.g. Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld -> The SeaWorld Resort by Renaissance). I could go on for pages about things I think they should do with BGT, but that's a whole separate discussion for a separate thread.

 

[Alicia]

It's heartening to know that I'm not the only person on this forum who thinks SeaWorld shouldn't be filling the parks with a bunch of roller coasters and letting theming/dark rides/family attractions/overall quality fall by the wayside. Going the Six Flags/Cedar Fair route of 'nuthin but coasters' seems like such a cop-out when they have the potential to be so much better and already put so much time and effort into creating high-quality theme parks. If it were Disney or Universal making the same move, I think there would be a lot more people saying the same thing. I've always believed the parks should be focusing on quality, not just quantity, as the former is what brings repeat guests, even when there's nothing new to ride.

Let's take SeaWorld Orlando for instance. They haven't gone as coaster-crazy as some of the other parks, but they've been noticeably cutting back on things they consider superfluous, which are almost invariably themed elements or attractions. What they should be doing with the influx of revenue is bringing a theme and storyline back to Journey to Atlantis, doing something with Kraken to patch the very obvious narrative gap left by the removal of the VR aspect, bringing a non-seasonal show like A'lure back to Nautilus theater, adding a family dark ride to Sesame Street land, revamping Wild Arctic with a new pre-show and ride footage, and adding a non-seasonal nighttime lagoon show like Mystify. In my opinion, that would make the park just as high-quality as any other in Orlando. More broadly, the SeaWorld Orlando complex could become a bona fide destination resort like Disney and Universal rather than a one-day side trip simply by adding an official on-site hotel or even just branding one or two of the existing 'partner' hotels as such; they already give their guests all the special perks anyway, all they'd need to do is tweak the name (e.g. Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld -> The SeaWorld Resort by Renaissance). I could go on for pages about things I think they should do with BGT, but that's a whole separate discussion for a separate thread.

I agree with all of this. But I worry we can’t trust SeaWorld to get non-Coaster rides right anymore. At least their thrill rides have been hits lately. More than can be said of the rest, like Antarctica. Which looks pretty on the outside, and, well that’s it.

 

[P@n!K_Sw1tC#]

If they could stick to Manta level additions they'd be a very popular attraction in the area.

 

[cwgator]

The next logical additions to SWO after the 2020 coaster, would be some flat rides like SWSA is getting this year. It's the only SW park left that doesn't have any family flats for older children to enjoy. It seems to be the going trend for at least SWSA & BGW. BGT could also use a whole slew of thrilling and family flats added after RMC Gwazi. Back to SWO, hopefully more refurbishment of exhibits will occur as well (the just did Dolphin Cove), along with a new exhibit for the Pilot Whales.

 

[GAcoaster]

I fully expect they will add flat rides in the coming years. For now, a good coaster arsenal will bring guests in to the parks, and I think we'll see them continue to become less reliant on animal shows as "attractions" with more ride hardware installed in the future. It's really smart to diversify the offerings in the parks (and seems to be working), especially with the future of cetacean captivity being called into question. The 2020 elections could tip the scales to a nationwide ban on animal shows and they need to be prepared to roll with that kind of (pardon the pun) sea change.

 

[MakoMania]

I fully expect they will add flat rides in the coming years. For now, a good coaster arsenal will bring guests in to the parks, and I think we'll see them continue to become less reliant on animal shows as "attractions" with more ride hardware installed in the future. It's really smart to diversify the offerings in the parks (and seems to be working), especially with the future of cetacean captivity being called into question. The 2020 elections could tip the scales to a nationwide ban on animal shows and they need to be prepared to roll with that kind of (pardon the pun) sea change.

A complete ban would be very difficult, there are at least 34 facilities across the US with cetaceans (including ones operated by the US government), and more on the way. If anything is attempted it would more than likely be focused on Killer Whales only.

 

[Tobias]

I agree with all of this. But I worry we can’t trust SeaWorld to get non-Coaster rides right anymore. At least their thrill rides have been hits lately. More than can be said of the rest, like Antarctica. Which looks pretty on the outside, and, well that’s it.

Agreed, yes SeaWorld should also put in family attractions and whatnot. But I honestly don't know why people want them to try another darkride, they've never been SeaWorld's forte. Antarctica was a wake-up call to them as that was their big headliner for their land, and it was a whiff which didn't deliver the gains they were hoping for. As for San Diego, look at the Submarine ride...

 

[SWBGFan]

It's not impossible for them to fit a coaster near Bayside stadium, I just don't know if they're interested in that area for this attraction. The Wild Arctic, Shamu, Sesame area has always kind of been void of a cohesive theme, and I would imagine they would see that area as potential future for a Sesame expansion. Obviously we don't know the ride theme yet, but I doubt it is anything relevant to any of those attractions. Additionally that area doesn't really need a new ride at the moment, with Sesame, Infinity Falls, Wild Arctic, Shamu and Mako in close proximity, it's likely that it will be a popular section of the park for the coming years.

I posted something similar a few pages back, but there is plenty of space on the north side for a decent length launch coaster. Remove the clearance store and the hot dog stand and relocate a parking lot behind the scenes and you open up several acres for new development in what used to appear as a landlocked area.

This would make for a perfect area for a Wavebreaker launch coaster or anything relavant to Key West/Rescue area, heck could be a sea turtle themed ride akin to Crush in Finding Nemo. What's nice about this area is that it's very unobtrusive. Most of the ride would take place in areas not visible to the public, yet, the ride would be visible from several vantage points as you're approaching the park and near the entrance that could build excitement and anticipation!

The green area is where I believe the new headquarters may be so possible that some of those buildings may even be removed opening up more space. Also, this isn't a ride layout I've drawn up, more of a path that it could take!

Overall, I think it's awesome just how much has occurred at SeaWorld in the last 10 years. Manta, Mako, Infinity Falls, Antarctica, Turtle Trek, Sesame, not even mentioning all of the other minor additions and new shows. The park is almost unrecognizable if we were to go back! It's nice to see they have a commitment to new attractions and of all of the Orlando parks, I would argue has changed the most in the past decade.

 

[anihilnation]

^There's a 2020 coaster...not a 2019.

Sorry, for a moment I forgot 2019 is now lol.

I'm thinking the area by Dolphin Cove and Turtle Trek would be a great location if they could fit it.

 

[GAcoaster]

I posted something similar a few pages back, but there is plenty of space on the north side for a decent length launch coaster. Remove the clearance store and the hot dog stand and relocate a parking lot behind the scenes and you open up several acres for new development in what used to appear as a landlocked area.

Backstage areas at SeaWorld are already tight and got tighter with the addition of the new Admin building which is taking over the management parking lot. They can't afford to lose that backstage space at this point without MAJOR changes involving building new backstage facilities so the existing ones could be demolished. It's not impossible, just impractical and VERY expensive. The lake is an open area, makes a visually appealing ride, and is an easy choice for routing a coaster (especially after they just did the same at SWSA). Also, those trees are on a berm and create a visual break between the parking lot and backstage facilities. I wouldn't want them removed for a coaster that would travel through a backstage area.

 

[SWBGFan]

It's just an idea. I'd rather them not just plop down a coaster over the lake, I really didn't like the way it turned out aesthetically at SWSA. Whatever they build, they're going to have to get creative for space. If they were to never build a ride on the north side of the park again for purposes of space, than that would be disappointing considering how much that section could use a new attraction. Just my two cents.

 

[RollermanDan]

2019 coaster? Any thoughts on location? I was there yesterday but just did a few rides and did not look around much. Park was horribly understaffed yesterday. I also wonder if something was wrong with the locker system, since everyone brought their bags onto the rides.

The ride was "officially" given the go a few days ago and I would expect to see marking showing up in the next few months. I'm hearing Premier Skyrocket (1 or 3) for this coaster and I'm thinking it's going to go over by Bayside. If you look at the park, they've been adding attractions in a circle. Now this might not happen over there...but the track record is looking like it. 2020 coaster.

 

[WAJAS]

The ride was "officially" given the go a few days ago and I would expect to see marking showing up in the next few months. I'm hearing Premier Skyrocket (1 or 3) for this coaster and I'm thinking it's going to go over by Bayside. If you look at the park, they've been adding attractions in a circle. Now this might not happen over there...but the track record is looking like it. 2020 coaster.

The company even referenced this when they opened Infinity Falls. The backside of the part was getting really old, so the last few years were to update all of it to fit with the more modern front.

Also, the southern 6 on your map is more likely. It makes it so they don’t need to open the whole Bayside Pathway to access the ride.