SeaWorld Orlando shares more details about Penguin Trek coaster opening in 2024

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image courtesy SeaWorld

SeaWorld is gearing up for yet another year with a new roller coaster added to its skyline.

Arriving in spring 2024, Penguin Trek is set to be a family-friendly coaster, with snowmobile-style ride cars that take riders on an adventure through the Antarctic wilderness. The new coaster is under construction in the space previously occupied by the indoor trackless ride Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin.

Recently, the Orlando park shared more details and a first-look video of what the ride will look like when finished.

Prepare for Penguin Trek, an unforgettable family launch coaster adventure through the breathtaking vastness of Antarctica, coming spring 2024 🐧

Become an Annual Pass Member today to be among the first to ride in 2024! Learn more: https://t.co/k7FIoC2s29 #PenguinTrek pic.twitter.com/OnrOD8Ukd6

— SeaWorld (@SeaWorld) October 26, 2023

The coaster includes two launches and top speeds of 43 mph through more than 3,000 feet of track. There are also both indoor and outdoor scenes as part of a story that follows a penguin research mission.

The attraction doesn’t end when the ride is over, as guests complete their mission at SeaWorld’s iconic penguin habitat — similar to how Empire of the Penguin concluded.

With the closure of Empire of the Penguin and the opening of even more thrilling roller coasters, SeaWorld Orlando was in need of more rides that could be enjoyed by all ages. 

Penguin Trek will have a height requirement of 42 inches and accommodate up to 77 inches tall. It’s categorized as a “family thrill,” putting it somewhere between the kid-friendly Grover coaster in Sesame Street Land and the Ice Breaker coaster, which opened in 2022.

Based on those details and the teaser video, Penguin Trek is shaping up to be a great option for coaster scaredy-cats and kids who want a bit more thrill.

“The former ride was a full family ride where everybody could ride, basically, and even though this is a thrilling coaster, it’s for 42 inches to 77 inches, so even small children — say, about 5 years old — can ride with their parents. So, it’s a great family ride,” said Clint Brinker, vice president of design and engineering at SeaWorld Orlando, at a recent media event for Penguin Trek.

Penguin Trek is being built by Bolliger & Mabillard, the same company behind the park’s newest coaster, Pipeline: The Surf Coaster, which opened in May. 

With SeaWorld Entertainment parks around the country opening new coasters and attractions every year, rumors had been swirling about what would replace Empire of the Penguin, which closed in 2020.

Nearly two months after speculation reached its peak, SeaWorld finally confirmed most of the rumors about a partially indoor family-friendly coater to be true.