Orlando theme parks brace themselves for SeaWorld's new Antarctica attraction
Skift Take
A single themed ride is no longer enough to drive a family to Orlando so parks are rolling out entire lands that generate buzz and ultimately increase visitors at all friendly-family attractions in the region.
Three years ago, Harry Potter loosened Mickey Mouse's grip on Orlando's theme-park market.
Now, Puck the Penguin is ready to try pulling Mickey's fingers even farther apart.
After more than a year of construction, SeaWorld Orlando this week will open Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin, a nearly 4-acre, multiattraction "land" built to look like the icy continent and starring an animated gentoo penguin named Puck.
Orlando-based SeaWorld Entertainment Inc., which just completed a $700 million public stock offering, has enormous expectations for Antarctica, the largest expansion in SeaWorld history. Company President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Atchison calls the project "a real game-changer for us."
But beyond simply boosting SeaWorld's fortunes, industry analysts say Antarctica has the potential to alter the Orlando market, which historically has been dominated by Walt Disney World.
During the past decade, Disney World's central growth strategy has been to persuade travelers to spend their full vacations on its property, lured by programs such as sliding-scale ticket prices and a free airport shuttle. But that model has been challenged recently
