ORLANDO, Fla. – SeaWorld Orlando is taking guests back to the Arctic — and this time, things are heating up.
The theme park announced details of Expedition Odyssey: Fire & Ice, an all-new, story-driven upgrade to its popular indoor flying theater ride, set to debut later this spring.
The experience expands on the original Expedition Odyssey attraction — the park’s first-of-its-kind indoor flying theater ride — with a completely reimagined mission, new pre-show elements, and a high-definition cinematic adventure through some of the most extreme landscapes on Earth.
“We are introducing a brand-new entry experience, a themed pre-show, and an entirely new immersive, story-driven, high-definition attraction designed to deliver a visually compelling, transportive journey and leave them awestruck,” said Justin Newton, senior vice president of project delivery for United Parks & Resorts, SeaWorld’s parent company.
Passing through a refurbished hangar and active research station, guests are immersed in the tools, technology, and stories of those who venture into one of the world’s most extreme environments. Once inside the heart of the research station, they board a prototype research drone craft. A research scientist then delivers a final briefing before launch.
From there, the mission takes off. Guests soar over mountain peaks, glide across glaciers and icebergs, rush past rivers and waterfalls, and fly dangerously close to an erupting volcano — all while encountering iconic Arctic wildlife along the way.
Opened last year, the original Expedition Odyssey experience featured real Arctic footage captured by a SeaWorld team that spent a month stationed in the Arctic to produce the 4.5-minute film.
The ride system — a row of seats that creates a “flying” effect in front of a large theater screen — uses wind, mist, and motion effects to blur the line between simulation and reality. The minimum height requirement to ride is 39 inches.