SeaWorld’s new Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin – Mixed Reactions

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My family was crazy enough to brave the crowds at SeaWorld on Memorial Day — and we even got in the two-and-half-hour line to experience the new Empire of the Penguin attraction in the new Antarctica section. Unfortunately, I was overly optimistic about what we would experience and what my kids would enjoy.

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A two-hour-plus queue winds back around Pacific Point Preserve, where the sea lions live. SeaWorld was prepared for the interest in its new attraction with lines roped off, large umbrellas offering ample shade from the Florida sun, and free cold water stations. Still, asking my 10-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter to stand in line that long was asking for trouble. So, I stayed in line and my husband took the kids to burn off some energy in Shamu’s Happy Harbor.

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With a bit of good timing, they rejoined me as we entered the ride building. Unfortunately, that’s where things fell apart during our experience. The ride had “technical difficulties” no fewer than five times, adding more than 30 minutes to our wait. And unlike at Walt Disney World, where cast members are efficient about informing and directing guests when something goes wrong, the SeaWorld team members that day didn’t do much of either.

Although the lack of information during an extended theme-park wait certainly is frustrating for anyone, it really put a damper on the experience for our family. My husband had another afternoon commitment, so he left before riding, and my cautious son was so leery of the ride after all its stops and starts that he refused to go on it at all. A team member did offer everyone in our ride vehicle a one-time front-of-the-line pass so we could experience Empire of the Penguin again without the frustrations.

Still, I can’t help but wonder why SeaWorld chose not to perform soft openings of the ride — as many theme parks do — to work out any bugs in the attraction. This would have been especially important before holiday weekend crowds converged there.

My daughter, who did ride Empire of the Penguin with me, enjoyed the tale of Puck the penguin and was mesmerized by the multi-colored icicles. She was not intimidated by the scene when the leopard seal chases Puck, and she seemed wowed by the reveal of the penguins in their habitat. She certainly would go again.

When we stepped off the ride, we met my son in front of the swimming penguins. A cast member led him to the habitat and even offered to stay to with my son, though I felt comfortable with him walking the short distance from the ride queue by himself. We all took a quick peek at the penguins — neither of my children were willing to stay in the 30-degree Fahrenheit temperature for more than a few minutes in their summer outfits!

My daughter mentioned she thinks SeaWorld should offer the use of heavy coats, as they do at Gaylord Palm’s ICE! each year. Visitors could bring their own hoodies or fleece jackets, but I think that’s a bit unrealistic at a Florida theme park in the nine hot months of the year. Of course, there is the underwater viewing area of the penguins in an adjacent room that is warmer.

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One interesting aspect of the penguin habitat was that the lighting was different from when I saw the exhibit at the media preview three days beforehand. A publicist explained that’s because SeaWorld simulates the levels of sunlight at Antarctica at various times of the day.

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After we exited Empire of the Penguin, we opted for an early dinner at Expedition Cafe, the new quick-service restaurant in the Antarctica area. My son and I sampled the Orange Chicken and brown rice from the Asian counter, and we both liked it. At the media event, Executive Chef and Director of Culinary Operations Hector Colon had explained that orange chicken is the top pick for kids at Asian restaurants, and we could understand why. My daughter tried the Shamu Kid’s Meal of a chicken wing and French fries at the Stateside counter and ate it all, though it wasn’t her favorite meal experienced in the park.

Afterward, we sampled the new drink from Coca-Cola, South Pole Chill, which is a SeaWorld exclusive. My children don’t drink much soda and weren’t sold on the flavor, which tastes like a light cream soda. However, as a Diet Coke addict, I really liked it! The nearby Glacial Collections store sells refillable cups that are like the penguin version of Mr. Potato Head, and these certainly appeal to kids, my own included.

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Children also might enjoy meeting the character Puck, who appears throughout the day across from Empire of the Penguin. And beginning this month, SeaWorld is offering a new Penguins Up Close tour, which allows guests to pet real penguins and have their photos taken with the birds. The price is $59 for adults and $39 for kids ages 3 to 9.

Maybe I was expecting too much from an untested attraction on one of the busiest theme-park days of the year. I hope that, once the mechanical issues are resolved, we can return again and perhaps both my kids will have a more engaging experience at this attraction like they’ve had repeatedly at the dolphin and Orca sites at SeaWorld. Until then, though, I imagine they will choose to chill at some of their other favorite attractions and shows in the park.

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2 Replies to “SeaWorld’s new Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin – Mixed Reactions”

  1. We waited in line for nearly two hours, in the rain, hearing that there were technical difficulties… hoping the rain would make the wait time shorter shorter and that the “brief delay” would actually be “brief.” When we finally got inside, and waited in a new line, the ride became closed again, due to yet more technical difficulties. No one would offer any reason why the ride had closed again… When it came time to get on the ride itself, they skipped our door opening and we watched as people who were pretty far behind us got into the small room first. Then, we watched a short movie about the baby penguin we had almost forgotten about, and as the wall turned to sparkle and the movie ended… we were in the small room… waiting… waiting… then last to launch into the ride itself and first to exit to the viewing area. The viewing area was awesome, and the expert answered a few of my questions with a friendly abundance of information… Overall, glad to be up close and personal with the penguins, but the wait, technical delays that seemed completely unfounded, and the letdown of the ride itself was not worth it at all!

  2. Hi Kristin,
    I enjoyed your honest opinion of this new attraction.
    I think us Disney fans are spoiled and expect all other attractions to be like the ones at Disney Parks.
    We were at Universal Studios in Orlando during the first summer it opened and there were so many attractions not opened because of problems. We were given passes to use on our next trip. I told them it might be a couple of years, and they said these passes will be honored. Sure enough, two years later these passes were honored, and we saw all the attractions that had been closed.