SeaWorld Orlando Announces New Land and Two New Attractions

SeaWorld reps announced a new Antarctica themed land - formally titled Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin - this morning. Brian Morrow, a senior designer for SeaWorld, said that the new land's main attraction will be "considered Orlando's most thrilling family adventure."

According to an earlier report from the Orlando Sentinel, the park has been quietly preparing the old site of the Penguin Encounter for the new land, rumored to include a new dark ride. The new land will open Spring of 2013.

Promised to be SeaWorld Orlando's largest attraction to date and the area's coldest, visitors to the new land will "experience the mystery and wonder of life on the ice through the eyes of a penguin, sensing the beauty and drama of their sometimes-dangerous habitat."

"Antarctica – Empire of the Penguin combines closer-then-ever animal connections with state-of-the-art interactive ride technologies for adventures that are different each time."

Antarctica is a unique theme for the park, based on land locked under 9,000 feet of ice, featuring continually changing and dangerous weather, well below freezing temperatures, and other difficult conditions.  Still, Antarctica is the "empire of the penguin," who happily call it home.

Since the new land is pretty far off from opening, no more details have been released.  Park officials are promising more information as time goes by on the exciting development.

Until then, there is plenty of other activity in the works. Indeed, the park will build two new attractions -- TurtleTrek and Freshwater Oasis -- set to open Spring of 2012.

The sooner attraction, named TurtleTrek and located at SeaWorld Orlando, will feature a hybrid 3d show that starts out with guests passing by two habitats, a freshwater are with manatees and 1,500 saltwater fish and live sea turtles in a separate section.  Once guests enter the unique one-of-a-kind domed screening area, they will experience a film that showcases "a turtle's epic and astounding journey."

The latter attraction, the Freshwater Oasis attraction will be built in the resort's up-charge Discovery Cove park.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, "Guests will wade through a rainforest spring as small marmoset monkeys play in the canopy around them. They will then enter a faux sinkhole and wind up swimming alongside Asian river otters. The area will include secluded, private beaches and what appeared to be a swim-up lounge dubbed Flooded Terrace."

The waterways will be mostly be no more than waist deep, making this a family friendly attraction.  Guests can hold up on one of the area's adjacent Adirondack chairs should they prefer to bask in the Florida sun.

For more information, click over to the Official Sea World Blog, or the Orlando Sentinel.