Soarin’ over SeaWorld? Arctic flying ride opens in 2025 in Orlando

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SeaWorld Orlando announces Arctic ride for 2025

Soarin’ to tower, we are ready for take-off. Wait, wrong park.

In spring 2025, SeaWorld Orlando in Florida will open a flying theater ride themed to Arctic habitats and animals. Riders will feel like they’re, well, soaring over icy vistas as a large screen displays aerial footage of whales, orcas, walruses, and other creatures.

Take a look behind the scenes at the making of SeaWorld’s upcoming Arctic ride:

SeaWorld Orlando announced the Arctic attraction on Sept. 19, 2024. At the time of this writing, the park has not revealed the attraction’s name or specific opening date. SeaWorld said an “award-winning” production team filmed the Arctic attraction’s custom footage.

Location of SeaWorld’s new Arctic ride

While SeaWorld Orlando didn’t name the location of the new Arctic ride within the park in its announcement, our best guess is the space formerly home to the Wild Arctic simulator and seasonal “Polar Express” experience. That ride’s real estate has been closed a few years and the new ride’s description fits the animals nearby.

Family-friendly attraction

The new Arctic theater ride at SeaWorld Orlando will have a height requirement of 39 inches. The attraction will last 4.5 minutes.

Though no concept art or construction photos were shared of the actual ride system, SeaWorld Orlando’s description of the Arctic ride sounds similar to Soarin’ Around the World at Disney theme parks and The Lego Movie Masters of Flight attraction at Legoland parks. Incidentally, both of those rides have a nearly identical height requirement as SeaWorld’s 2025 ride (39 inches for Soarin’, 40 inches for Lego) and a similar runtime.

“This indoor immersive flying theater experience reinforces our commitment to education, animal care, and research,” said Jon Peterson, president of SeaWorld Orlando. After riding, guests will get to see some of the animals featured in the film in person.

The new Arctic ride comes on the heels of another family-friendly attraction at SeaWorld Orlando. The park most recently opened Penguin Trek, self-described as a family coaster. Meanwhile, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay — a sister park of SeaWorld under the corporate umbrella of United Parks & Resorts — will also focus on a family-friendly addition in 2025, introducing the Wild Oasis realm with a miniature drop tower ride.

Free upgrade to a higher tier of SeaWorld annual pass

SeaWorld Orlando confirmed that annual pass members will get to experience the new Arctic ride before other guests.

SeaWorld is currently hosting a sale (through Sept. 22, 2024) in which guests who buy a 2025 annual pass can upgrade to the next tier for free. Passes start at $189.

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