Opinion: SeaWorld Orlando’s thrill focus is the best move for now

There’s a rumor that SeaWorld is working on a family coaster right now, and if true, that’s yet another coaster offering for the park. I think SeaWorld is trying to separate itself from Disney and Universal. It needs to be distinct in this market, and it appears the park is strategically positioning itself in a market that’s full of juggernauts.

SeaWorld Orlando’s Competition

Disney has an iron grip on family, fantasy, and service, even with complaints in recent years about Disney’s Park Pass Reservation system and a growing number of online complaints about a drop in service quality.

Universal’s dominance is demonstrated by Harry Potter and the Wizarding World (which I believe may be the greatest theme park IP land success of the past decade), as well as a recent major win, VelociCoaster. Universal also has the ever-growing Halloween Horror Nights, a world-wide name associated with quality horror offerings.

For budget trips, Fun Spot offers rides and games for a fraction of the price and their location at Old Town offers nearby entertainment, bars, car shows, and nightlife.

Legoland Florida is a bit farther away, but does really well for its regional area, and has done a surprisingly good job at continually adding new shows and rides to get repeat visitors. Their world-first Peppa Pig Theme Park was a major win as well.

SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

That takes us back to SeaWorld Orlando, as well as their sister park, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Busch Gardens, Epcot, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom did not suffer the same activist fate that SeaWorld Orlando endured with “Blackfish”. Even with SeaWorld’s hard work to disprove false claims and vastly improve living conditions for animals, they still get that heat sometimes. 

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has maintained a strong foothold of animal conservation, food events, live music, and amazing roller coasters. They don’t try to take on Disney or Universal, and they don’t need too. They know they are still one of the strongest park offerings in the United States, even if they seem smaller because their neighbors are monstrous. 

That’s where we come to SeaWorld Orlando, who appears to be taking advice from everyone, as well as pushing forward on their own path.

SeaWorld Orlando is adapting and making their own path

In the past five years, I’ve seen a stronger push for SeaWorld Orlando’s food festivals. In my opinion, they rival all the Florida theme parks for best-tasting food, as well as the best deals. I have also seen more religious and school offerings at SeaWorld than Disney or Universal. The American flag flies high at SeaWorld and they talk about veteran perks more than Universal or Disney (from what I have noticed). The Christian faith-based show, “O Wondrous Night” returned this year after fans continually asked for it.

In addition, SeaWorld has modified its animal shows in the years since Blackfish. My brain tells me they have a secret new animal offering or show waiting for the correct moment to offer another world-class animal experience.

Sesame Street Land was also a major success for SeaWorld Orlando, and I truly think it came at a perfect time. The land is almost always the busiest area of the park.

I think SeaWorld found a unique opportunity. In vague terms, Universal can have the teens, Disney can have the kids, but SeaWorld wants three distinct audiences: toddlers, thrill seekers, and animal enthusiasts. These are wildly different people, but look at their advertising.

SeaWorld Orlando’s ads target specific groups

Billboards, Instagram ads, passholder emails, and the yearly push for USA Today’s top spot. SeaWorld Orlando, like any company, has a target audience. While theme parks are open to everyone, the marketing money has to be specific.

When I think about SeaWorld Orlando’s advertising, I see three primary focuses. “New world-first roller coaster, visit today!” Or perhaps, “Kids visit free all year long with parent admission!” More specific targeted marketing involves, “Hey passholders, you can get a behind the scenes look at our animal experiences next month for free!”

1. Pipeline: The Surf Coaster was an ambitious endeavor, and I applaud SeaWorld for their work. They got a world-first, which is their’s to claim forever. They can use that to sell the park to thrill lovers, and then keep them with Mako, Manta, and the rest.
2. Convince families to come to Sesame Street Land, where SeaWorld Orlando offers rides and character experiences with a fraction of Disney’s wait times, and it’s cheaper to visit.
3. Use die-hard fans (Annual Passholders and influencers) to boost their reputation in the animal care world. I used to work for SeaWorld Orlando, I saw first-hand how hard they work for these animals, but to convince the public is difficult and will continue to take years and years. 

Focus on what works

For now, SeaWorld looks to focus on what works, and that has been major thrill rides and modified options of competitors’ offerings. Is Halloween Horror Nights too busy and expensive? Howl-O-Scream offers nighttime roller coaster rides, great shows, scare zones, and haunted houses. I actually wrote an article about why it is the perfect Halloween date night.

Is Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival busy and over-priced? Come to SeaWorld and get a lanyard, save money, and sample drinks and food. 

The next generation of SeaWorld Parks

I have no rumors or info to base this on, but I do hope the U.S.-based SeaWorld parks look at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi. I truly believe if SeaWorld Orlando could bring a realm like one of Abu Dhabi’s eight to life, it would be a game changer. SeaWorld Orlando desperately needs indoor offerings and a massive indoor animal exhibit could lead the way for animal conservation and more offerings. 

I went to the grand opening of SeaWorld Abu Dhabi and saw a version of SeaWorld that competed toe-to-toe with Disney and Universal standards. The theming was beyond my expectations, the animals exhibits were the best offerings I had ever witnessed, and the layout of the park was masterfully planned. This was a grand endeavor, and I don’t expect SeaWorld Orlando to demolish their park and rebuild this, but they can adapt certain aspects.

Ways for SeaWorld Orlando to create indoor realms

In a way, we already have realm options in Orlando. The Wild Arctic section is missing its ride, but the theming and animal habitats are well done. For example, the Belugas have numerous view points, which a key part of the SeaWorld Abu Dhabi design. In a perfect world, I would eliminate the ride space that isn’t being used year-round and add another highly-themed indoor space. Maybe a puffin exhibit (they were super popular in Abu Dhabi), with year-round snow and a kids tube slide. This would expand the arctic area with new animals and a kid-based attraction. They could even use this area for specialty events with an Ice Bar.

As we can see with construction (and the rumors circling around), the Antartica section is being re-done with a (possible) new family-style coaster, which could be another step towards a realm. SeaWorld could build a large roof structure over the area (even if it doesn’t fully covered the rumored coaster), and install specialty lighting to showcase the ice and rockwork. Plus, it would allow more shade and rain coverage.

I do think SeaWorld is positioning itself for a specific target audience. I think it has to carefully pick its budget, but even with constraints it’s been bold at times. I encourage SeaWorld Orlando to continue with its endeavors, and I hope great offerings will keep coming for years to come. Signed a 5+ year passholder who has NO plans of stopping my support anytime soon.