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Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin

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Coordinates: 28°24′42.8″N 81°27′35.5″W / 28.411889°N 81.459861°W / 28.411889; -81.459861
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Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin
Entrance
SeaWorld Orlando
AreaSea of Ice
Coordinates28°24′42.8″N 81°27′35.5″W / 28.411889°N 81.459861°W / 28.411889; -81.459861
StatusRemoved
Opening dateMay 24, 2013 (2013-05-24)
Closing dateMarch 16, 2020 (2020-03-16)
ReplacedPenguin Encounter, Friends of the Wild, and Antarctic Market Restaurant
Replaced byPenguin Trek
Ride statistics
Attraction typeMotion-based AGV/trackless dark ride
ManufacturerOceaneering
DesignerSeaWorld Orlando
ThemeAntarctica
Music"Antarctica: One World, One Family" by Lauren Alaina
Vehicle typeAGV/Trackless
Riders per vehicle8
Rows2
Riders per row4
Height restriction42 in (107 cm)
Disabled access Wheelchair accessible

Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin was a motion-based, trackless dark ride[1] at SeaWorld Orlando. There is a penguinarium that served as the ride's post-show.

Announced in 2011, Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin opened on May 24, 2013.[2] At the time it was the largest attraction at any United Parks & Resorts theme park.[3] As part of a campaign to promote the attraction, SeaWorld released a promotional video in July 2012. The area was generally well received by critics and the public at its opening. The ride was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 and was replaced by the Penguin Trek roller coaster.

History

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Rumors and announcement

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In August and September 2011, SeaWorld Entertainment filed trademarks for "Antarctica" to be used for a theme area, and "Empire of the Penguins" to be used for an amusement ride.[4][5] This led to rumors that SeaWorld Orlando would replace its "Penguin Encounter" exhibit (which opened in 1987) with a dark ride. A report by the Orlando Sentinel in October 2011 confirmed these plans, citing "government filings and interviews with people familiar with various elements". At the time, SeaWorld Orlando would not publicly reveal its plans.[6]

On November 8, 2011, SeaWorld announced a multi-year expansion plan featuring the opening of Turtle Trek in 2012 and "Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin" in 2013. Although details of the ride were not released, creative director Brian Morrow said that it would be the coldest attraction in the world and would follow the journey of a tiny penguin.[7] On April 24, 2012, the park revealed further details about the attraction: guests would ride in eight-person vehicles, choosing among two levels of intensity ("Mild" or "Wild"). The surrounding area would also feature a new penguin habitat, restaurant and store.[8]

Construction & opening

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The Penguin Encounter, Friends of the Wild and Antarctic Market Restaurant closed on January 3, 2012.[9] They were demolished during the first half of 2012, with vertical construction beginning in July.[10] Construction continued into 2013, with construction walls coming down one week before the attraction's opening.[11] The attraction cost over $40 million.[12]

On February 19, 2013, SeaWorld Orlando announced that "Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin" would open on May 24.[13] Unlike many attractions, the ride had no soft opening period; instead, it was open to a select number of employees and their families, travel media and bloggers before its public opening.[14]

On May 24, 2013, SeaWorld Orlando opened the attraction to the public. The opening drew thousands of guests to the ride, with some waiting more than four hours to board.[2][15][16]

Closure

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On March 15, 2020, SeaWorld Orlando temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the state of Florida.[17] When the park reopened in June of that year, the exhibit reopened, but the ride remained closed.[18] Guests still watched the pre-show, but were taken into the non-rider pre-show room that gives access to the penguin exhibit instead of taking the path to the loading area.

In late 2023, SeaWorld announced Penguin Trek, a launched indoor/outdoor roller coaster that will replace the dark ride.[19] The coaster named Penguin Trek opened in July 2024.

Ride experience and exhibit

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Guests enter the queue from the Antarctica-themed area of the park. Large groups of riders and non-riders are admitted into a pre-show room, where projections of an Antarctic landscape are blended with 3D exhibits. In a narrated video, guests are introduced to a gentoo penguin colony in Antarctica featuring a newborn penguin named Puck. After the pre-show guests follow a path to a junction. Non-riders watch another pre-show before entering the penguin exhibit. Riders choose a "mild" or "wild" ride. They are then divided into groups of eight to board a ride vehicle at one of four stations. Riders are seated in two rows of four, and restrained by seat belts.[1][20]

The vehicle traveled around an indoor Antarctic environment, spinning to view a variety of scenery and projection screens. The story which began in the pre-show continues, with Puck venturing out into the sea. When he is underwater, Puck is chased by a leopard seal before resurfacing on land. The ride's theme song – "Antarctica: One World, One Family" by Lauren Alaina[21] – is then played as guests watch a live penguin habitat behind glass before the vehicle returns to a four-platform unloading station.[20][22]

Guests disembark in an open-air penguin habitat with an air temperature of approximately 32 °F (0 °C). This exhibit has minimal barriers between guests and inhabitants, and is designed so guests can hear sounds made by the penguins.[1][23]

Penguins standing on a rocky shelf
Penguin exhibit at the Empire of the Penguin ride's conclusion

A total of 245 penguins and alcids live in the exhibit; species include gentoo, king, Adélie and rockhopper penguins, as well as their Arctic counterparts, the puffins, and the murres.[24] The park can change the lighting to control the penguins' seasons.[23] A 20-foot (6.1 m) glass window allows guests to see them in their 45 °F (7 °C) pool from an underwater viewing area.[1] The entire experience takes about 25 minutes.[25] To minimize odors in the open-air environment, staff clean the exhibit several times daily and replace the 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg) of snow each day.[23]

Themed area

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The Antarctica-themed area is spread across 4 acres (1.6 ha) inside SeaWorld Orlando.[2] A 50-foot-high (15 m) entrance archway is adjacent to the Sea Lion & Otter Theater, and a smaller entrance is near the Journey to Atlantis ride.[26] In addition to the Empire of the Penguin, the theme area is home to several other attractions. A looping 45-minute soundtrack is played throughout the area.[25] A "South Pole" is in the center of the area, and penguin carvings decorate the surrounding walls.[26] The Expedition Cafe, South Pole Beverages and Glacial Collections sell food, drinks and souvenirs.[1][25][26]

Production

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Blue-and-white, eight-passenger ride car
Empire of the Penguin Ride vehicle docked at a station

Ride system

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Audience in the Empire of the Penguin Ride's Rainbow Room
Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin Ride at SeaWorld

Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin featured a prototype, motion-based, trackless dark-ride system by Oceaneering International, producer of ride systems for The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Transformers: The Ride, and Curse of DarKastle.[27][28][29] The ride was the first of its kind in the world.[1][16]

When the attraction was announced in November 2011, Oceaneering had already developed a working prototype of the ride vehicle.[7] The first concept art for the attraction was released in April 2012: a circular ride vehicle, seating eight riders in two rows of four.[8][30] On May 11, 2012, Oceaneering filed a patent application for the ride's technology.[31] At the November 2012 IAAPA Attractions Expo, SeaWorld Orlando and Oceaneering International revealed the trackless, motion simulator-based ride vehicle to the public.[27][29]

Each battery-powered vehicle, or AGV, is made up of two platforms. Riders sit on the upper platform, which provides three degrees of freedom. A lower platform provides omnidirectional lateral movement. Unlike previous ride designs, the trackless system and the wheel and motor configurations allow movements diagonal to a rider's perspective. The vehicle uses a dead reckoning system developed by Frog AGV[32] to navigate, and can cross another's path. The vehicle's on-board controller communicates wirelessly with a central ride-system controller. Movement commands are issued by the ride-system controller, and executed by the vehicle's controller. A specially-designed system allows the vehicle battery to be quickly charged while docked at the loading and unloading platforms.[31]

Marketing

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SeaWorld Orlando announced Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin as part of the park's largest expansion thus far.[7] With 18 months between its announcement and its opening, the park wished to generate demand for the ride.[14] As part of this campaign, SeaWorld released a promotional video in July 2012[33] and a series of videos (Behind the Freeze) featuring creative director Brian Morrow.[34]

Reception

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Dewayne Bevil of the Orlando Sentinel said that "the hottest attraction in Central Florida theme parks this week is also the coldest." Bevil interviewed several park guests; comments included "I thought it [the ride] was really cool" and "it's beautiful", and some described it as better than the attractions it replaced.[2] Barbara Nefer of Examiner.com said that guests would love Puck, the ride's central character. She preferred the wild version of the ride, describing it as "actually still very family friendly" and saying that the exhibit was a "huge highlight" of the attraction.[35] Robert Niles of Theme Park Insider agreed that the highlight of the attraction was the penguin exhibit. Niles described the dispatch procedure as crucial to the ride: "if SeaWorld can dispatch a quartet of ride vehicles every minute or so, as designed, fans will find this a fun ride".[36] In a later article Niles highlighted some guests' criticisms of the ride, describing it as "lacking an engaging story and not delivering enough on-ride views of the attraction's stars — SeaWorld's penguins". However, he argues that SeaWorld's promotions were too photorealistic creating "expectations for an experience that the ride did not deliver, perhaps setting up many of those visitors for disappointment".[37]

Lawrence Goldsmith of the Daily Mirror shared the sentiment of other reviewers: the penguins are the stars of the show.[38] Goldsmith said that the ride options (mild or wild) allowed everyone, from children to thrill-seekers, to "enjoy the experience equally".[38] Arthur Levine of About.com gave the ride three out of five stars, saying he felt conflicted: the animations themselves were good, but the overall storyline was sparse; the ride system was intriguing, yet it was underutilised. He concluded by applauding "SeaWorld for taking the bold initiative to build a major-league attraction", but stated "the ride feels rushed and too short".[39]

From a commercial perspective, the opening day of the area saw guests waiting in line for more than four hours to experience the flagship attraction;[2] SeaWorld had estimated queues of approximately half that time. Dennis Speigel of consulting firm International Theme Park Services expected attendance to increase between five and ten percent. Speigel speculated that this rise would be higher than if a single attraction were unveiled; however, it would be less than the 36-percent increase for Islands of Adventure after the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.[40]

In November 2013, Oceaneering won a Thea Award from the Themed Entertainment Association for "Outstanding Themed Entertainment & Experience Design" for the trackless ride system.[41][42]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Bevil, Dewayne (May 23, 2013). "SeaWorld's Antarctica: Cool location designed for warm welcome". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e Bevil, Dewayne (May 24, 2013). "SeaWorld Orlando's Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin opens". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on May 27, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  3. ^ "SeaWorld reveals plans for Antarctica". Park World Magazine. April 25, 2012. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  4. ^ Antarctica, United States Patent and Trademark Office, August 9, 2011
  5. ^ Empire of the Penguins, United States Patent and Trademark Office, September 1, 2011
  6. ^ Garcia, Jason (October 7, 2011). "SeaWorld Orlando quietly working on 'major' expansion". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on October 23, 2011. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  7. ^ a b c Bevil, Dewayne; Garcia, Jason (November 8, 2011). "SeaWorld Orlando announces details for massive expansion including themed land Antarctica". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  8. ^ a b Garcia, Jason (April 24, 2012). "SeaWorld's Antarctica 'realm' to include ride, penguin habitat, restaurant, shop". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on June 10, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  9. ^ "Theme Park Hours and Show Schedules". SeaWorld Orlando. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  10. ^ "Antarctica Update: Huge Steel Structure Going Up". Orlando Theme Park News. July 1, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  11. ^ Bevil, Dewayne (May 19, 2013). "SeaWorld Orlando: Antarctica construction walls down". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on July 10, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  12. ^ Ruben, Paul (June 2013). "Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin". Park World Magazine: 32–34.
  13. ^ Bevil, Dewayne (February 19, 2013). "SeaWorld's Antarctica to open May 24". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  14. ^ a b Garcia, Jason (May 23, 2013). "SeaWorld hopes new ride ready for the spotlight". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on June 3, 2013.
  15. ^ Banks, Jennifer (May 28, 2013). "Caught on video: Penguin jumps over barrier at Orlando exhibit". CBS Atlanta. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
  16. ^ a b "Penguins Я Us". Park World Magazine: 6. July 2013.
  17. ^ White, Tharin (March 13, 2020). "SeaWorld Orlando re-opens with loose rules and limited rides". Orlando Sentubek. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  18. ^ White, Tharin (June 11, 2020). "SeaWorld Orlando re-opens with loose rules and limited rides". Attractions Magazine. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  19. ^ White, Tharin (September 28, 2023). "SeaWorld Orlando re-opens with loose rules and limited rides". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  20. ^ a b "Full Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin ride with queue, pre-show, and habitat at SeaWorld Orlando". Inside the Magic. YouTube. May 23, 2013. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  21. ^ Bevil, Dewayne (May 9, 2013). "SeaWorld Orlando: 'American Idol' alum Lauren Alaina to sing Antarctica's theme song". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on June 17, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  22. ^ Bevil, Dewayne (May 22, 2013). "Little Puck steals show in SeaWorld's new wild ride to Antarctica". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on June 3, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  23. ^ a b c Bevil, Dewayne (May 23, 2013). "SeaWorld's Antarctica: Does it pass the sniff test?". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on May 29, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  24. ^ Sekula, Sarah (May 19, 2013). "The march of the penguins brings them to SeaWorld". Poughkeepsie Journal. Gannett Company. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  25. ^ a b c "SeaWorld's Antarctica by the numbers". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. May 23, 2013. Archived from the original on June 3, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  26. ^ a b c Bevil, Dewayne (May 21, 2013). "SeaWorld Orlando: 5 tips for traveling to new Antarctica". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on June 3, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  27. ^ a b "Show Daily – Update from Orlando". International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. November 2012. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  28. ^ "Transformers The Ride". Park World Magazine. Datateam Business Media Limited. December 23, 2011. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  29. ^ a b "Antarctica comes to Orlando". Park World Magazine: 7. December 2012 – January 2013.
  30. ^ "Pictures: SeaWorld Orlando Antarctica expansion". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. April 24, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  31. ^ a b WO patent 2012155120, "Trackless dark ride vehicle, system and method", published November 15, 2012, assigned to Oceaneering International 
  32. ^ Fassbender, Melissa (May 19, 2014). "After Jaws, a Ride Designers Dream". Product Design & Development. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  33. ^ SeaWorld (July 19, 2012). "SeaWorld Orlando's Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 20, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  34. ^ "Behind the Freeze – Making of Antarctica". SeaWorld. Archived from the original on May 16, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  35. ^ Nefer, Barbara (May 23, 2013). "Review: You'll love Puck in SeaWorld Antarctica ride and get close to penguins". Examiner.com.
  36. ^ Niles, Robert (May 23, 2013). "Ride review – Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin at SeaWorld Orlando". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  37. ^ Niles, Robert (May 28, 2013). "Could SeaWorld's concept art for Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin have set up visitors for disappointment?". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  38. ^ a b Goldsmith, Lawrence (June 15, 2013). "Thrills and chills at 'Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin' SeaWorld Orlando Florida's icy new show stopper". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  39. ^ Levine, Arthur (July 2013). "Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin". About.com. New York Times Company. Archived from the original on March 24, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  40. ^ Thurston, Susan (May 24, 2013). "SeaWorld Orlando makes icy splash with new Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin". Tampa Bay Times. Times Publishing Company. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  41. ^ Bevil, Dewayne (November 19, 2013). "Thea Awards: Disney's Enchanted Tales with Belle nabs award". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on November 26, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  42. ^ "Thea Awards". Themed Entertainment Association. Archived from the original on August 6, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
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