ORLANDO, Fla. – SeaWorld Orlando has given many of its popular attractions some new looks all ahead of the busy Summer season.
Over the past several months, leaders said they have put in one of the largest investments on park enhancements that the guests will notice even before they enter the theme park. This includes fresh looks to the park’s entrance signage, Manta, Sky Tower and Kraken.
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“2022 is going to be an exciting year for SeaWorld Orlando. SeaWorld was voted the number one theme park in the USA because guests love our year-round event calendar, one-of-a kind thrill rides and our amazing up-close animal experiences,” SeaWorld Orlando Park President Kyle Miller said. “We are always working to enhance the guest experience, as demonstrated by the recent park updates, to continue to provide the world-class experience that our guests expect.”
Back in February, the theme park debuted its all-new roller coaster, Ice Breaker.
The bright orange coaster stands out along the shores of SeaWorld’s large central lake near Bayside Stadium. The ride feature four launches — both backward and forward — culminating with a reverse launch into the steepest vertical drop in Florida, a 93 foot tall spike with a 100 degree angle.
One of the first changes guests will notice at the theme park can be seen on the drive in.
The former SeaWorld entrance sign that sported three killer whales has since been torn down and a new sign with the park logo has been installed.
This is the latest move by the company as it slowly phases out Shamu branding across its parks. At the start of 2020, SeaWorld phased out its “One Ocean” show featuring orca performances and replaced it with an educational performance called “Orca Encounter.” The theme park also removed branding for the “Shamu Stadium” nearby.
Other changes inside the park include a number of attractions getting some updates, including paint jobs.
One of those updates happened 400 feet up in the air above the park at the SeaWorld Orlando Sky Tower.
Over the past several months, officials were in the process of refreshing the attraction that had been closed to guests since the start of the pandemic. The attraction has since reopened, and is now sporting a coral reef image on the outside of it.
Another attraction recently roared back to life after getting a new, monstrous look: Kraken.
The attraction themed after the massive, mythological underwater beast unleashed from the depths of the sea was painted over the holidays, and now stands out strong against the Florida sky. The coaster track is now a seafoam green color, and its supports are a dark ocean blue.
This is the first major color change for the coaster that has been at the theme park since 2000.
In addition to the new paint job, SeaWorld removed signage of the former Kraken Unleashed logo. The “unleashed” version of the coaster was put in place when the park added an on-board virtual reality experience to the ride in 2017. The special experience was later removed in 2018.
Some other changes include a fresh coat of paint on the Manta roller coaster and a new updated look to the Dolphin Nursery near the front of the park.
No word of any enhancements coming soon to Mako, or if Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin ride will reopen to guests in the future.
SeaWorld Orlando will bring back its popular Summer event, Electric Ocean, beginning May 27.
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