The next big ride at SeaWorld Orlando will go under the name Expedition Odysey, which will open this spring, without the Arctic theme, the sense of flying, and artificial intelligence.
The attraction’s name was revealed on a construction site hard hat tour for media members on Wednesday.
The Expedition Odyssey offers a “flying theater” type ride with seated passengers hanging in front of a curved screen, 50 feet in diameter. The images they see feature Arctic animals photographed during three two-week excursions over the course of a year.
“We’re looking forward to seeing you in the future,” said Conner Car, corporate manager of rides and engineering at Seaworld’s parent company, United Parks & Resorts.
It’s not a computer-generated experience.
“Everything that guests see during the ride experience is 100% real,” Kerr said. “Every animal, every landscape, every adventure is really real.”
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The ride comes with two stacked rows of 15 seats facing the theatre screen. While 30 passengers watch the 4.5 minute movie, another 30 people are loaded into consecutive seats in a row intended for action. There is soundproofing between groups.
At the end of the ride, the entire seating mechanism unloads one group and rotates to manipulate the other groups towards the screen for the next presentation.
Furthermore, there is also the same theater next door, and it operates independently.
“We are not only showing you the Arctic Circle, but we also take you through multiple special effects, including scent, fog, wind, light, and more, in addition to dynamic movements,” Kerr said.
Over a dozen speakers are installed across the big screen, with onboard speakers behind each rider, Kerr said. There is also a subwoofer tower that you would not only hear but will feel comfortable riding.
SeaWorld Orlando worked with German company Mack Rides to work with Flying Theatre, a style known as Airific. In this film, I worked for the UK-based Mousetrap Media and Norway-based Polarx.
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Central Florida attractions with flying theatre-style vehicles include Soarin in Epcot, Lego Bey Master of Flight at Legoland Florida, and Deep Space Launch Complex at Gateway: Kennedy Space Center.
SeaWorld is narrowing down to this spring, but the exact date for the opening of the new ride has not been announced. That height requirement is 39 inches in the family-friendly category with a 43-inch height requirement for Penguin Trek, a roller coaster that opened at SeaWorld last year.
Expedition Odyssey takes over a building that houses the wild Arctic Circle, a simulator ride that operated at SeaWorld from 1995 to 2020. The park was closed during the pandemic shutdown and did not reopen. The new dual theater has a tight fit.
“The gondola is as close to the screen as possible,” Kerr said. “We haven’t shown you the Arctic movie. We’re taking you to the Arctic and immersed in the Arctic.”
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Just as riders did after the wild Arctic Circle, passengers on the expedition Odyssey appear on animal displays. The space has been renovated, similar to the next gift shop. It features a beluga whale and a walrus.
“We’re refreshing,” said Park President John Peterson. “We draw some things, take something specific, adjust some areas that we believe can be retrieved a bit and repatched in another way. …We’re also refreshing everything our guests see.”
Before that, the tank drained 500,000 gallons of water and placed it in a backstage basin. The animals are also behind the scenes in the process.
Contractors work at an accelerated pace, Peterson said.
“My goal is to have the least amount of time to affect animals. That’s the company’s goal,” he said.
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Original issue: March 12, 2025, 4:30pm EDT
