We are gearing up for a busy year of theme parks happenings in Orlando! Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens in Magic Kingdom on June 28th, 2024 and CommuniCore Hall & Plaza opens up on June 10th, 2024 in EPCOT. DreamWorks Land opens to everyone on June 14th at Universal Orlando, and even SeaWorld Orlando is getting in on the action. The SeaWorld parks are celebrating their 60th anniversary, and while SeaWorld Orlando has only been open for a little over 50 years, it is still getting in on the celebration. As part of the anniversary celebration, SeaWorld Orlando just debuted a brand-new show and a new parade. In addition, the Antarctica Realm has reopened and we are preparing for the opening of Penguin Trek.
Xceleration: Cirque Show Extreme
I stopped by last week to see all the festivities, and let me just say that SeaWorld knows how to do shows! The new show is called Xceleration: Cirque Show Extreme and it takes place in the Nautilus Theater (over by Mako). Which also means you get to enjoy some nice air conditioning while you are watching the show. That is pretty hard to beat when it feels like death outside.
This new show features a bunch of different performers. You will see BMX riders, roller skaters, aerialist, trampoline jumpers, and more. The show features a lot of high-energy dancing and some loud, jammin’ music. Fair warning here that the show is pretty loud. If you are sensitive to noise, I would recommend brining some earplugs for this one.
I was also really impressed with the lighting and just overall production value. Each act is on for about five minutes or so, then there is usually a dance number, followed by another act. Overall, I enjoyed this show. I would also say it is fairly family-friendly, however, the roller skaters were more sexual than what was needed. It was a lot of fun and there was a great variety of performers, and all of the performers were very talented! I am always amazed by some of the talent that SeaWorld Orlando can find and this show did not disappoint.
So Much More to SEA Parade
In addition to the new Xceleration: Cirque Show Extreme, you can now catch a brand-new SeaWorld parade. This is pretty special in my book as I have only ever seen a parade happen in the Sesame Street area since I have been going to SeaWorld. The new parade is called the “So Much More to SEA Parade” and takes a long path through the park. The parade begins over by the Shark Encounter space and travels past the Sea Lion and Otter Stadium and through Antarctica. We were there on the first day of the parade and it seems like they were still working a few kinks out. The parade definitely blocks off a lot of pathways and for the most part you will probably end up stuck while the parade is going through. However, it is a very short parade. There are only three floats total along with some dancers. It also came back around which meant the same area needed to be blocked off twice.
However, even with the bit of chaos from having a new parade, it was a lot of fun. Like I said before, it is definitely on the shorter side but it made me smile! There are three floats, each with a character on them. When we saw the parade the characters were a dolphin, orca, and sea lion. I would think they are usually the same, but I am not 100% sure. There are dancers before each float and they are sometimes pushing a set piece. The dancers were all great and were having lots of fun!
You don’t need to stake out a spot hours in advance for this parade. Just show up close to the start time and I am almost positive you will still get a good view. They do stop at various points throughout the parade route to do a bit of a longer performance. The front of the parade stopped right by the entrance to Sea Lion & Otter stadium when we were watching it.
Reopening of Antarctica Realm
When we stopped by SeaWorld Orlando to see the new parade and show, we also got to take a look at the newly reopened Antarctica Realm! This area was closed down for a bit for construction of the new Penguin Trek roller coaster. While it was closed down they also gave the area a bit of love. They repainted the rocks, and gave it some much needed cleaning
They also built a new store in what (I as assuming) will be the exit of the Penguin Trek ride. The new store is called Glacial Supply. There was lots of penguin-themed merchandise, although nothing specific to Penguin Trek yet.
The Expedition Cafe also got a bit of love, and they installed some fabulous sun shades over the seating area outside.
As well, there is a new place to get some drinks called South Pole Sips.
Plus, you can once again visit the penguins in their penguin habitat, and we are seeing the first signage getting put up for Penguin Trek! It is super exciting!
Check out a gallery of all the images of the new parade, show, and the reopening of the Antarctica Realm below:
SeaWorld Parks 60th Anniversary Celebration
You can find more information about showtimes on the SeaWorld Orlando’s calendar right here.
Have you see the new show yet? Let me know what you thought of it in the comments! Happy travels! ~Colette
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