SeaWorld Orlando confirms new roller coaster for 2024 – sort of

Clues indicate that SeaWorld Orlando will add a new roller coaster in 2024, expanding its claim of being the “coaster capital of Orlando.”

To go along with the current roller coaster line-up at SeaWorld Orlando, like their new Pipeline: the Surf Coaster, SeaWorld Orlando looks to continue pushing the thrills. Over the last decade, SeaWorld Orlando has faced undue concerns over care for animals. This criticism looks to have caused the SeaWorld theme parks to turn in a different direction, at least for now.

Toboggan

The trend of having more roller coasters at SeaWorld Orlando continues. Though at this point, we lack an official announcement from SeaWorld Orlando about a new rumored coaster they have hinted at it, and there is definitely construction work taking place in the Antarctica section of the park. Nonetheless, rumors of a new roller coaster with a potential codename of “Toboggan” have been floating in the theme park rumor mill for some time.

Still, speculation grew about a new coaster being planned for the 2024 opening even before Pipeline opened. With the Empire of the Penguin simulator attraction having been closed for a while at SeaWorld Orlando, this led to speculation that a new attraction, of some type, would be arriving in that location.

SeaWorld Orlando left a large clue recently for people to find on its social media accounts. SeaWorld Orlando joked about making a large purchase for Amazon Prime Day from Switzerland. This purchase shows new roller coaster track that can be seen on SeaWorld Orlando property.

Based on this and other evidence, speculation leans toward the new roller coaster using the former Empire of the Penguin ride area for a portion of the attraction. With a new roller coaster using some of this space, that leads to questions about how much of the coaster may be indoors.

Current construction walls block off a significant amount of area near this new rumored coaster. Based on that, this rumored coaster could involve a significant amount of track outdoors, maybe all of it.

We expect this new coaster to be a family-friendly ride. For attractions like Mako, Pipeline, Kraken, and Manta, thrill seekers already have many options at SeaWorld Orlando. We suspect this attraction will have a lower height limit than the last coaster added at SeaWorld Orlando.

Height Restrictions

The latest coaster, Pipeline: the Surf Coaster, requires participants to be 54 inches tall. That height requirement eliminates many guests. For SeaWorld to market to younger families, another family-friendly attraction would help. Though we have nothing official from SeaWorld Orlando, a more family-friendly coaster makes sense for that reason.

One rumor for this roller coaster revolves around a story-style coaster with some indoor show scenes. The potential indoor section for this rumored coaster provides a good spot for a show scene or two, just like the end of the the Empire of the Penguin had with live penguins.

Another straddle coaster at a SeaWorld Parks Location?

However, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment may have already left enough clues for us to know the make-up of this new coaster. In recent years, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment theme parks have been opening “straddle” coasters. Though defining a straddle coaster can be challenging, the common characteristic of a straddle coaster involves sitting on the vehicle with legs separated. This would be unlike a traditional coaster where you sit with your legs together in front of you. A popular example of this style of coaster is Hagrid’s Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure when you sit on the motorbike seat.

The SeaWorld and Busch Gardens theme parks have opened two straddle coasters recently. DarKoaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg opened earlier this year. In addition, a larger potential clue comes from SeaWorld San Diego.

In June, a new straddle coaster opened at SeaWorld San Diego called Arctic Rescue. It features a unique indoor launch station inside the Wild Arctic exhibit. The Wild Arctic area of SeaWorld San Diego shares many characteristics with the area at SeaWorld Orlando. This adds more circumstantial evidence to the rumored new coaster makeup. SeaWorld San Antonio was the first of the SeaWorld perks to get a straddle coaster with Wave Breaker:

SeaWorld Orlando game plan?

Does this show the game plan for the new roller coaster at SeaWorld Orlando? If Orlando gets a similar version to the new San Diego straddle coaster, then that would save some development money for the overall company, right?

DarKoaster, Wave Breaker, and Arctic Rescue are marketed as family-friendly roller coasters. Each presents guests with a 48-inch height requirement. Both recently opened straddle coasters also have multiple launches. Will we get that in Orlando also?

We hope for an official announcement from SeaWorld Orlando soon for this new attraction, no matter what it may be. What do you think this new attraction will be? Let us know in the comments below.