Gabrielle Russon
SeaWorld Orlando has playfully teased its landscaping projects on social media. You see a palm tree conspicuously next to something much bigger — presumably the park’s next big ride.
Late Friday afternoon, the park confirmed what’s officially coming next: A new roller coaster opening in 2023.
With the hashtag #HighSurfAdvisory, the park released a new video online that shows an ocean scene with waves rolling by and dolphins swimming.
“Feel the power,” the teaser video said. “SeaWorld Orlando’s 7th coaster. … Let the waves propel you.”
The trailer didn’t provide details on what style of coaster was coming other than it was “first of its kind.”
The park isn’t immediately releasing the new ride’s name either.
Recently, SeaWorld Orlando has been branding itself as “Coaster Capital of Orlando.” The park is home to Mako, Orlando’s tallest and fastest coaster that goes 73 miles per hour.
The company is on a roll in Florida. SeaWorld Orlando opened the Ice Breaker coaster in February followed by its sister park, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, debuting the Iron Gwazi coaster in March.
Both rides, which have previously been delayed by the pandemic, are helping the company’s theme parks attendance rebound this year from the pandemic. Attendance at the company’s theme parks hit 3.4 million visitors from January through March — the highest first-quarter attendance since 2013, the company announced last month during an earnings call.
SeaWorld Entertainment CEO Marc Swanson has previously said the company aims to open new rides every year to help draw in more visitors.
“We have an ambitious goal of creating something new and meaningful in every one of our parks,” he said in late 2021.
SeaWorld is beefing up its attractions at the same time its competitors are also adding new attractions. The arms race in the theme park world is good news for theme park fans eager for the next new E ticket attraction.
Universal is building Epic Universe, a new theme park set to open in 2025 near the Orange County Convention Center. Disney World has opened a string of rides in recent years, including attractions based on “Ratatouille” and “Guardians of the Galaxy.” The next ride to get a grand opening will be TRON Lightcyle Run at the Magic Kingdom although Disney has not announced an official opening date yet.
There's a high surf advisory on the horizon in 2023 🏄🌊 #HighSurfAdvisory pic.twitter.com/kKWv3fh5NP
— SeaWorld (@SeaWorld) June 3, 2022
