SEAWORLD – SeaWorld Orlando unveiled its revamped roller-coaster, the Kraken Unleashed, Thursday.
The coaster is one of the wildlife theme parks oldest thrill rides, and is now the first in Orlando to include a new virtual reality concept. Thrill-seekers can now ride the coaster with a fully immersive, 360 degree, ultra HD headset that catapults you into the deep sea, while riding through the loops and turns of Kraken Unleashed.
SeaWorld's Brian Morrow explained the excitement around the big reveal.
"Everything looks beautiful and amazing, and then you get sucked into this crack in the bottom of the ocean you go back in time to sea creatures for a face to face battle with this awesome Kraken," he said.
This reinvention of rides and addition of new attractions in the next few years is part of SeaWorld's move away from relying on animals for entertainment. The company announced last year that the park will no longer breed killer whales.
“We're always going to be this animal-based experience and we love our animals, and guests are going to come here and get connected with animals, but every now and then it's time for a little fun," Morrow said.
Riders will have the option to wear the new V-R headsets, or ride it traditionally. The ride opens to the public on Friday.