SeaWorld Ride Apparently Abandoned, "Rotting Away"

Rumors are spreading as to why SeaWorld seemingly abandoned one of its most popular attractions.

Opened in 1973, SeaWorld Orlando has spent decades providing marine entertainment to Guests in Central Florida. While it’s moved away from its reliance on killer whales since the release of the controversial, anti-captivity documentary Blackfish (2013), it still weaves the world of animals and nature into its attraction offerings – including its Mako roller coaster (named after the world’s fastest species of shark) and Manta (which incorporates an aquarium featuring rays, sea dragons, and other species with a flying coaster).

Related: SeaWorld Posts Historic Quarterly Sales Despite Mounting Bottom-Line Losses

Until 2020, it took the blend of attractions and animals to another level with Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin. This saw Guests board a motion-based, trackless dark ride on an adventure to a penguinarium. They would then explore an immersive penguin habitat.

A first-of-its-kind attraction, it was the biggest ride (in terms of area) across all SeaWorld parks, beating out anything at SeaWorld San Diego or SeaWorld San Antonio. It won a Thea Award from the Themed Entertainment Association for its achievements and pulled in four-hour-long lines on its opening day.

However, when the rest of SeaWorld Orlando reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic, Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin remained closed. SeaWorld has never given an official reason as to why its penguin ride was suddenly shuttered but has removed it from its official attraction listings and instead rebranded it purely as an animal exhibit.

Explore the habitat of Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin, where you can see five species of penguins.

Get a glimpse of this penguin colony in cool extremes: bringing you above and below their icy world. See penguins waddle around in snowy environments or gliding gracefully under water in this expansive habitat.

Get cold easily? Bring a sweater or long sleeves, because these penguins prefer cooler temperatures.

Rumors have since spread online to explain its sudden closure. In a recent Reddit thread, users shared their insights. User TheDeezul noted that “people have found the vehicles rotting away outside” and revealed that they believed SeaWorld “didn’t keep the vehicle batteries charged during the long COVID closure and now they don’t work.”

Another popular theory is the ride’s high expense. As user User XYZ_476 explained, “Dark rides typically have a high average cost per rider, with Empire of the Penguin being no exception.” With the ride utilizing a new trackless system, it faced a lot of maintenance and downtime – resulting in low ridership.

“Compared to another attraction like Mako (which has low downtime, high ridership, and low average cost per rider), it is rational for the Park to remove high-cost attractions and reallocate the expenses,” they wrote.

Related: YouTuber Apprehended After Trying to Fish at SeaWorld in Resurfaced Viral Video

Maintenance issues seem to have played a big role in closing the Orlando attraction. User FlashCow1 claimed that “one employee told me she wasn’t sure, but thought it was prior operations cost and constant issues with the cars getting ‘lost’ on the ride. She said they would constantly go off track, and the computer would start playing bumper cars. No one got hurt, but there was potential.”

Whatever the reason, this ride is sorely missed at SeaWorld Orlando. It may have been the coldest theme park attraction ever, but it offered a nice, comfortable counterpoint to the park’s increasing collection of roller coasters. Here’s hoping for an equally family-friendly addition in the future.

Do you miss Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin at SeaWorld? Let us know in the comments!