InPark editor Judith Rubin and Orlando correspondent Rona Gindin attended SeaWorld’s hardhat press tour of Ice Breaker, the new, custom roller coaster under construction near the park’s Wild Arctic attraction. It is set to open in spring 2020. The coaster manufacturer is Premier Rides.
Appropriately enough to the icy, Arctic theme of the new ride, the weather was unseasonably chilly for Orlando in January due to Arctic air funneling into Central Florida. Bundled-up journalists and bloggers toured the site in the company of Brian Andrelczyk, head of the design & engineering department at SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica Orlando, and Discovery Cove.
Conceptual artwork courtesy SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment:
Ice Breaker will feature four airtime filled launches – backwards and forwards – culminating in a reverse launch into a super-steep vertical drop – a 93-foot tall spike with 100 degree angle. The thrills continue as riders fly over a near-vertical tophat maneuver into a series of thrilling twists, turns, and airtime hills. We could see these key features taking shape on the compact, hilly site.
SLIDESHOW (photos by Judith Rubin and Rona Gindin):
According to Andrelczyk, the total ride length is 2,750 feet and the ride time will be about 60 seconds. The educational component of the Ice Breaker experience will be in the queue interactives, reflecting SeaWorld’s partnership with Alaska SeaLife Center, which specializes in rescue, rehabilitation, education and research, aligning with SeaWorld’s own conservation activities and educational mission.
The queueing area is being built in the former dining area for Mango Joe’s and a new entrance is being built, reopening in time for SeaWorld’s Seven Seas Food Festival starting February 7. The Wild Arctic simulator itself is undergoing a refresh, with something new promised for 2021.
Ice Breaker joins SeaWorld’s expanding ride portfolio which includes Mako, Manta and Kraken, Infinity Falls and Journey to Atlantis.