SeaWorld Orlando is building its 8th roller coaster, Penguin Trek. This family friendly multi-launch roller coaster will be located in the Antartica section of the park (also known as Sea of Ice). Thanks to aerial photos by @Bioreconstruct on Twitter (X), we can get a look at this 2024 addition to Orlando.
This family friendly roller coaster, being built by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) will have a height requirement of 42 inches. It will take riders both indoors and outdoors, and end with an immersive view inside of SeaWorld’s penguin exhibit. This coaster will feature multiple launches, reaching speeds of 43 miles per hour. SeaWorld Orlando also claims that this will be their most immersive roller coaster yet.
Making more for the family
The SeaWorld Orlando skyline is full of roller coaster options. There is Orlando’s tallest coaster, Mako, which reaches speeds of 73 miles per hour. The new Pipeline: The Surf Coaster is a world first surf coaster style vehicle, with a 60 mile per hour launch and numerous airtime moments. There is also the unique and extreme, Manta, the only steel flying coaster in Florida.
While many of these coasters are amazing for thrill fans, younger kids can be too short or scared to enjoy them. This is where Penguin Trek comes in. Penguin Trek will have a 42 inch height requirement, this is shorter than Walt Disney World’s Space Mountain or Expedition Everest and shorter than Universal Orlando’s Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure or Happy Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
This will allow more families to go on more rides together. Outside of Sesame Street, SeaWorld Orlando doesn’t have a ton of kid focused rides. This will be a welcome addition to a side of the park that is surrounded by major thrill offerings.
Lots of dirt and potential
Currently we are looking out over a lot of dirt. Concrete footers have been placed and this has led some to build up their proposed version of what exactly SeaWorld and B&M are creating. We are still waiting for SeaWorld Orlando to confirm more ride information, which should happen at this year’s IAAPA Expo in Orlando.
The IAAPA Expo in Orlando is a yearly hot spot for companies like SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Cedar Point and more to announce new rides, ride stats and company collaborations. We expect to learn a lot more about this upcoming attraction when the event happens in November.
SeaWorld Orlando Penguin Trek roller coaster concept art
SeaWorld has given us a sneak peek at what is to come. The Penguin Trek roller coaster will be an indoor and outdoor roller coaster, with themed elements throughout. From this view we can pretty safely assume there will nine rows to each train, each with the design showcased above.
This elegant sled style coaster train appears to feature a lot of design elements. It is assumed that this is row one, with a protruding front design made to emulate a sled. The other nine rows will probably be doubled up, with limited front and rear decorative elements, allowing for more guests and a shorter wait time.
As you can see, the construction site is creating a crescent shape around the Antartica area of the park. While certainly taking up a lot of space, this coaster will be a bit dwarfed by its colossal neighbor coasters.
Might be fun to share aerials from Saturday of the @SeaWorld roller coaster site and track staging.
Some of the black and white track is shy, and hiding under trees. pic.twitter.com/jVFBCb97Yh
— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) September 28, 2023
Bioreconstruct was able to get shots of coaster track as well, showing off both white and black track. It is assumed all indoor track is black and all outdoor track will be white. While not confirmed, we are hoping that SeaWorld themes some of the outdoor ground as well, making guests appear to sled past ice sculptures or ice mounds outdoors.
Seen above are hypothetical themed elements that could appear in the outdoor section of this coaster. We also expect to see a building expansion for the white and blue building on the bottom right as SeaWorld builds the queue, load and unload area for Penguin Trek.
What we can confirm is that SeaWorld does have a lot of work ahead of them for their spring 2024 opening date. We have seen the B&M coaster team’s speed in the past, so it is certainly possible. This will make for a lot of new coaster track installation and update articles along the way.
With the above showcased concrete footers, there is going to be a lot of overlapping track on the right side of this image. With the possibility of numerous coasters on the track at once, this could allow for fly-by moments with guests. Theoretically this coaster should be able to be seen from four distinct areas of the park.
This will mark SeaWorld Orlando’s 8th roller coaster, part of their continually growing list of offerings. Their self-proclaimed Coaster Capital of Orlando title may one day be capital of Florida. This 8th roller coaster will make SeaWorld Orlando tied for the B&M coaster capital of the world, according to Coaster101.
Seen above, Peaceful_Thrill_Seeker on Instagram got drone footage flying over SeaWorld Orlando’s impressive thrill ride lineup. More thrills and chills are on the way to SeaWorld Orlando with Penguin Trek – opening spring 2024.
We previously reported on this coaster when it was first announced by SeaWorld Orlando. SeaWorld began work on Penguin Trek before they even fully opened their current newest coaster, Pipeline: The Surf Coaster.
