Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin Now Open at SeaWorld Orlando

We were invited as media to Seaworld Orlando for a 2-day experience of the new Antarctica attraction.

Now open, Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin is the single largest attraction expansion ever at SeaWorld Orlando and the coldest theme park attraction in Orlando. A combination of innovative technology and up-close encounters with penguins in their 30-degree world makes Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin an all-new realm and a thrilling, chilling adventure of a lifetime.

Guests can enjoy the Expedition Café Marketplace featuring American, Asian and Italian cuisine, three major signatories of the original Antarctic Treaty. I had an opportunity to taste a delicious American meal of grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and a biscuit. It was deeeelicious!!

Glacial Collections gift shop offers everything for the penguin lover. The retail shop’s color scheme of black, bright yellows, oranges and whites, and the penguin-shaped displays welcome guests to browse the cache of splendid penguin-related items.

The Cup That Cares^TM

• Conservation-minded guests will love the new Cup that Cares^TM program. These souvenir cups are embedded with a programmable chip that can be personalized to the guest.
  • Every time a guest refills the cup at Antarctica’s South Pole Chill, a personalized greeting is delivered thanking the guest for using the refillable cup and reducing their carbon footprint.
• A portion of the proceeds from each Cup That Cares purchase will be donated to the non-profit SeaWorld & Busch Gardens^® Conservation Fund.

I had so much fun creating my Cup That Cares! It reminded me of Mr. Potato Head: you get to choose the penguin cup’s body color, feet, and accessories like a Shamu ice cream bar, bags, bow ties, etc. I then had my first experience using a Coca-Cola Freestyle Machine, which has over 100+ flavors!

Next we were guided to the Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin ride. Below you can see a picture of fellow blogger Jenn and myself at the ride entrance.

Here’s some facts about the ride:

The Amazing Ride That Takes You On An Epic Voyage

• Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin combines state-of-the-art interactive ride technologies and up-close animal encounters for adventures that are different each time.
• The first-of-its-kind ride propels guests on a trackless, mobile simulator, using advanced magnetic technology. Guests are transported into the storyline as they travel on an adventure through the eyes of our special penguin host, Puck.
• Guests can choose how much motion they want during the journey to see the penguins. The Wild Expedition has a ride height minimum of 42” (under 48” with adult supervision). Mild Expedition riders need to be able sit up on their own, meaning that even seated toddlers can enjoy the experience (no children on laps).
• In the queue and throughout the attraction, the common theme of family is evident. Penguins are only able to survive in one of the harshest places on earth because of the strength of their colony. They cannot survive alone. Guests discover the mirror connection of penguin families to human families … that we, too, are stronger together.

Guests are immersed in temps as low as 30 degrees during their traverse throughout the realm, making this the coldest theme park attraction in Orlando. At various stages during the adventure – and before the guests join the penguins in their world – SeaWorld designers lower both temperature and humidity, priming explorers to enter the penguin habitat.

Want to find out what you can experience on the ride? Watch my video:

The Antartica: Empire of the Penguin ride is an amazing experience, and definitely a journey for the entire family to enjoy! I returned the following day for the official Grand Opening of the ride, including a live performance from #Idol’s Lauren Alaina! Watch that performance below.

Award-winning county music artist, Lauren Alaina, sings the Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin theme song, Antarctica: One World, One Family:

Fun Facts about Antarctica:

• 12 flags represent the countries in the 1959 Antarctica treaty, featured at the Expedition Cafe.
• 45 degrees is the water temperature for the penguins
• 250 penguins in the habitat at the end of the ride
• 2,500 acrylic icicles
• 20,000 pounds of snow that fall each day in Seaworld’s Antarctica

Seaworld Orlando is located at 7007 SeaWorld Drive Orlando, FL 32821. Tickets can be purchased online, in person, or by phone at 1-888-800-5447.

Disclosure: All opinions are my own and may differ from yours. No other compensation was received.