South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
SeaWorld shows off Orca Stadium upgrades
SeaWorld Orlando’s remodeling of Orca Stadium is approaching completion, with a revamped stage, resealed pool and revised color scheme that aims to reduce glare and squinting.
“In all honesty, it’s been a long time since we’ve gotten in there and really done an all-over refresh,” Jon Peterson, park president, said during a walk through the park Thursday.
The popularity of the whales discouraged a longterm closure of the attraction, so much of the work on the 5,500-seat stadium was done in phases, roping off sections of the structure as they went, he said.
“Every day I’m closed, one more person is upset that they’re not getting to see Orca Encounter,” Peterson said.
“We blasted the structure, we cleaned the structure and we recoated the structure,” he said. Visual changes that visitors may notice include the roof being painted brown instead of white.
“If you go into our stadiums now, your eyes don’t hurt,” Peterson said. “That white in the sun and the reflection actually makes it really bright. … If we’re standing here right now and it’s white, I’d be squinting. So we softened it.”
Work on the stadium, a 63-day project, included the front pool, which was drained, pebble-blasted to remove the coating and resealed. There’s another color change there.
“There’s really no blue in the ocean. … There’s browns, there’s greens, there’s blacks. There’s really no blue,” Peterson said.
“But when you do the right colors, you get a beautiful blue water, you get that deep water blue, which has double effect,” he said. “One, it looks beautiful. … But, two, it also stops refraction in the sunlight. So for our animal’s eyes, it’s better.”
Peterson said it took 49 hours to refill the pool with water. During the tank work, the animals lived in backstage pools that weren’t drained. The front pool is in “really good condition,” Peterson said, noting that the structure was built 40 years ago. The fiberglass across the stage has been replaced with a wave-inspired wooden piece. An Orca Encounter sign will be added, too.
Other improvements include artistic whale statues at the entrances, a long mural underneath the seating and the return of the stadium fountain. There will also be enhancements to the concessions and retail areas.
The underwater viewing area will get “a full facelift” soon, Peterson said.
The Orca Stadium renovation comes on the heels of other SeaWorld Orlando physical enhancements, including work on the Sea Lion and Otter Stadium, Dolphin Stadium and SeaWorld’s Rescue Center. The park also added a coral-rescue facility that visitors can observe.
On the human side, a Dockside Pizza restaurant and Coaster Coffee Express kiosk have opened, and operational changes have been made at Altitude Burger eatery and elsewhere to cut wait times, Peterson said.
“When you’ve got 25,000 guests in the park, the speed of service is a huge deal,” he said. Nine restrooms have been renovated at SeaWorld, Peterson said.
Also on the enhancement list is the Antarctic realm surrounding the Penguin Trek roller coaster, which is scheduled to open this spring. There will be a refreshening there that includes additional shade and an updated menu, plus a new gift shop and bar.
The changes and additions come amid the launch of the celebration of the 60th birthday of SeaWorld parks. The first one opened in San Diego in 1964; SeaWorld Orlando debuted in late 1973.
The park celebrated Thursday with the return of costumed characters representing Shamu, Sydney the Shark, Coral the Dolphin and Puck the Penguin. On tap: a Cirque-style show this summer and a new parade. Photos and memorabilia from the past six decades will be displayed in the passholder lounge.
“When you talk about 60 years, you have no choice but to talk about the nostalgia of the company, what we’ve done over 60 years and where we’re going on the next 60 years,” Peterson said.