SeaWorld's new flying theater ride now has a name - Expedition Odyssey.
The Mack Rides Airific theater will open later this spring in the old Wild Arctic space at the Orlando theme park. The seats offer four degrees of freedom (heave, pitch, roll, and yaw), "allowing guests to soar, dive, twist and glide with the fluidity of ocean currents," SeaWorld said.
SeaWorld also is promoting the authenticity of the film it will show in the Expedition Odyssey theater. "This isn't CGI or animation—every glacier, every wave, every incredible animal interaction is real," the park said. (Take that, Soarin' Around the World.)
"With Expedition Odyssey, we are delivering an experience that is truly unmatched—one that combines breathtaking adventure with powerful, real-world encounters," SeaWorld Orlando President Jon Peterson said. "This attraction embodies SeaWorld's ongoing commitment to innovation, conservation, and creating awe-inspiring moments that stay with our guests long after they leave."
Film crews traveled to the arctic for the production, which captured images of orcas, beluga and humpback whales, and polar bears in their natural habitats. Visitors will get to see some of these species in real life at the conclusion of the ride, which exits into SeaWorld Orlando's arctic habitats.
The minimum height to ride Expedition Odyssey will be 39 inches, making the ride accessible to all but the youngest children.
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Soarin is extremely dated. If Disney wanted to borrow my $300 drone and film a new one I'd let them. I wouldnt even follow up with them to make sure they returned it. Sea World is entitled to do a ride better than the mouse down the street. Again anything that can soak up crowds on a rainy day makes sense. I think the realism works great and will prove to be timeless. Im hoping this is open next month during my central florida trip. Maybe Soujah Boy is going to debut it. Is this emptying in the same spot as penguin trek? Is the forced exit into the penguin habitat only because this wasnt open yet.
I really appreciate the fact that SWO is creating a new attraction that isn’t a coaster but, almost like everything SWO does apart from their coasters, this seems like it’ll fall flat. I really hope that it’s a great ride but come on… it’s SeaWorld lol.
Another capacity nightmare too, I can already see the long lines.
I feel like ive left not having done everything everytime i visit sea world. Whereas ALL other central florida theme parks have a checklist of 5 or 6 things and if wasnt for the sunk cost fallacy (which i absolutely dont abide to) I could leave most parks after the checklist is complete. I want to do EVERYTHING at sea world and animals and their caretakers never gets old. I think poo pooing on sea world is old hat and kind of like buying your hallowen candy the day after... i hope it rots your teeth x10.
I hope they pay tribute to Co-Pilot Norm "Snowman" Miller somewhere in the new attraction
Well said Puckpilgrim. I've loved my visits to Seaworld. It might not be the most cutting-edge and I'm aware of all the ways in which it isn't Universal or Disney. But there's just something about the place that, if you let it, creeps on you. And honestly, who doesn't love a flying theatre ride? I don't complain because there's 'another coaster down the street', so why set different standards for a flying theatre ride?
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I think this is a good attraction for Sea World, but do feel that flying theater attractions are getting so ubiquitous that they really don't belong in a proper theme park anymore. Disney started the trend with Soarin', and by no means should they shut down or stop making improvements to their version of the attraction, but I do think it's tricky for a major destination area theme park to market a flying theater, particularly when there's already one down the street.
Personally, there's nothing like Soarin's ride system that whisks gusts into the domed theater, but of the Mack versions I've ridden, they are all excellent even without that "liftoff" feature. I particularly liked the Voletarium at Europa Park.
While I trust that SW will stay true to their word in keeping the new film free of CGI, I hope that they also refrained from shooting the footage in high frame rate (HRF), which is what they did with Europe in the Air (BGW) that had that uber-real look that seemed fake. Maybe it's just me, but whenever I've watched something shown at HFR, it just doesn't look right (most notably Avatar The Way of Water).