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Ever since SeaWorld Orlando closed its Empire of the Penguin ride in March 2020, the themed entertainment company has been deliberating internally about what to do with the space left behind, said Clint Brinker, vice president of design and engineering for SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment.

The result of those long discussions was Penguin Trek – a new coaster announced in September 2023 – as the attraction to succeed the space formerly inhabited by Empire of the Penguin. Penguin Trek was one of the attractions SeaWorld dreamed up before shutting down Empire of the Penguin.

The new ride incorporates viewing the penguin colony, one of SeaWorld's "most proud habitats" and a "key part of the experience," Brinker said.

During a construction tour of the project on Feb. 21, SeaWorld offered details about what visitors can expect, such as ride experience, retail, dining and the Antarctica refresh.

Experts point out that SeaWorld pivoting to a coaster could increase attendance because it is another ride and is in keeping with its move toward become a theme park.

Here's a behind-the-scene look of Penguin Trek.

View Slideshow 20 photos

Penguin Trek is under construction and SeaWorld Orlando has not yet revealed the date the ride will open, though it will be in 2024.

SeaWorld choosing to go with a family coaster makes sense, said John Gerner, managing director of Richmond, Virginia-based Leisure Business Advisors, a theme park consulting firm.

“Penguin Trek really broadens the appeal of SeaWorld,” he said. “It’s a family coaster, not a thrill ride. Even when you look at the promotional image, you see a mom and a young child in the front — not two teens. That tells you it’s something the whole family can enjoy together.”

The former Empire of the Penguin ride was relatively new for theme park standards — opening in 2013. Yet the shuttering of the attraction in 2020 left SeaWorld with prime real estate in the heart of the park without a major attraction.

CEO Dennis Speigel of International Theme Park Services said SeaWorld anticipated with Empire of the Penguin "that they would get a huge uplift in attendance because of the penguin habitat."

It didn't happen, he said, "because the storyline just didn’t deliver. Quite frankly, it was boring.”

“Our industry lives on repeat visitation, which is driven by new products,” continued Speigel. “It’s not unusual for a park to pull the plug on an attraction that isn’t performing or has outlived its purpose. But because everybody loves penguins, it made sense that SeaWorld would incorporate them into the new attraction."

Speigel said building on a site that formerly housed another ride is not a problem.

"It’s been done for years in our industry with rides, restaurants and other attractions — whether it’s about maintenance or marketing,” he said. “It's just about getting the concept correct and getting something that people really want because theme parks are limited by space.”

The ride's opening date still is unknown, but Gerner thinks it could be as early as Easter, a peak time in theme park traffic, or close to Memorial Day as a soft opening to the busy summer months.

The coaster is a product of Switzerland-based Bolliger & Mabillard, the company that made Kraken, the park’s floorless coaster that opened in 2000.

Gerner said Bolliger & Mabillard is a top-notch roller coaster manufacturer and generally considered an expensive one — “but they’re not necessarily looking for a bargain, so they'll go with a firm that'll give them a high-quality ride.”

The ride will be 144 seconds long. There will be three trains of nine cars each running at a time. The cars seat two people, so a train seats 18.

Penguin Trek will follow other recently opened SeaWorld attractions such as Pipeline: The Surf Coaster, which opened in May 2023.

Meanwhile, SeaWorld's ongoing transition from a marine life attraction solidifies its role in the theme park space, Gerner added.

“What SeaWorld has been doing is a good strategic move. They've been slowly transitioning and that gives them a whole lot of flexibility,” he said. “Now they're much more mainstream and they can rely less on the marine animals.”

Gerner noted that making changes has been essential ever since the 2010 death of trainer Dawn Brancheau.

While SeaWorld has continued to embrace its marine life theme, a visit to the park is less about seeing animals and more about experiences.

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When Shrek asks Universal Orlando Resort guests "what are you doing in my swamp?" they'll now have a pretty amazing answer, judging by all the new attraction details and concept artwork for experiences heading to Universal Studios' upcoming DreamWorks Land.

EW has the anticipated reveal for all of the new attractions heading to the Florida resort's newest themed destination, inspired by DreamWorks movies like Shrek, Puss in Boots, Trolls, and Kung Fu Panda.

Among the new attractions are a recreation of Shrek's Swamp and his iconic tree trunk cottage, as well as the Trolls Trollercoaster featuring franchise stars Poppy, Viva, Tiny Diamond, Satin, and Chenille. (Full details and concept artwork can be seen below.)

Other experiences outside the aforementioned areas include Imagination Celebration, a multi-sensory adventure combining pop songs, dancing, and technology for an immersive party atmosphere inside the DreamWorks Theater, as well as the Character Zone that's set to host meet-and-greets with DreamWorks characters.

Construction on Universal Studios' DreamWorks Land is currently underway at the Orlando park, right next door to DreamWorks co-founder Steven Spielberg's beloved E.T. Adventure ride.

Elsewhere, Universal is set to open Epic Universe — its fourth overall theme park — in 2025. A recent announcement teased immersive lands based on the worlds of Harry Potter; multiple Nintendo titles; the animated How to Train Your Dragon films; and classic Universal monsters, including Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolf Man.

DreamWorks Land opens summer 2024 at the Universal Studios park at Universal Orlando Resort. See EW's exclusive reveal of new concept art above, and read on for a full breakdown of the new attractions (with synopses provided by Universal) heading to the area.

DreamWorks Land attraction details

Shrek’s Swamp Meet: Guests can visit Shrek’s Swamp Meet to interact with beloved characters Shrek, Princess Fiona, and Donkey, the noble steed eager to joke around and converse with guests, just outside of Shrek’s cottage.

Shrek’s Swamp for Little Ogres: This ogre-sized play area features four fun slides, wet play areas, and a playground where guests can climb, bounce, and splash around as well as venture into Shrek’s outhouse.

Mama Luna Feline Fiesta: The blockbuster film Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish comes to life with this new interactive experience that takes place in Mama Luna’s retirement home for cats. Here, guests get to play with Mama Luna’s many cats on vivid interactive screens activated by buttons, bells, maracas, and levers. They might even spot the one and only Puss in Boots himself.

King Harold’s Swamp Symphony: Guests can create their own melodious masterpiece as they trigger a choir of ever-changing frog ribbits by continually stomping on an array of interactive lily pads.

Swamp Snacks: Families can feast like an ogre at this new kiosk, which will serve scrumptious snacks inspired by Shrek, including Shrekzel, Far Far A Waffle, Frozen Ogre, and more.

Trolls Trollercoaster: After strolling through a dazzling marquee starring cherished Trolls characters Poppy, Viva, Tiny Diamond, Satin, and Chenille, guests of all ages can take a ride on the iconic Caterbus, escaping evil spiders as they speed along a bright orange and yellow track aboard this family friendly rollercoaster.

Poppy’s Playground: Nestled under a giant, 20-foot mushroom is Poppy’s Playground – a shaded play area featuring colorful flowers and bugs with a bountiful array of fun bouncing and climbing structures for the youngest of trolls.

Trolls Treats: Poppy’s boombox from Trolls Band Together has been transformed into a playful kiosk that offers up brightly colored Trolls ice cream treats inspired by Poppy and Branch like the pink lemonade-flavored Poppy-licious Pink and huckleberry-flavored BroZone Berry.

High Five Hideaway: Cloud Guy hosts this all-new retail location featuring the latest merchandise, including apparel, plush, and accessories from Shrek, Trolls, Kung Fu Panda, Gabby’s Dollhouse, and more.

Po’s Kung Fu Training Camp: Inspired by the hit Kung Fu Panda films, this all-new play area brings the Panda Village to life like never before. Within both wet and dry play areas, guests have the opportunity to help the pandas wash and dry their laundry with enormous water cannons, dump buckets, giant fans, and more. Guests will also encounter fun elements throughout the experience, including an interactive gong; mischievous, giggling baby pandas; and oversized merry-go-round noodle bowls from Mr. Ping’s Noodle Shop.

Po Live!: This digital, interactive meet-and-greet experience gives guests the opportunity to interact with the famous Dragon Warrior himself as he teaches them cool Kung Fu moves, cooks some delicious stir fry, and babysits his little cousin, Ling Ling…all at the same time.

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ORLANDO — Though the Utah Jazz lost, 115-107, against the Orlando Magic on Thursday night, there was a lot of Jazz love in the Kia Center.

Rookies Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh are both Florida natives who grew up very close to where the Magic play their home games — Hendricks went to high school about a 30 minute drive from Orlando and played collegiately at UCF, and Sensabaugh went to high school about five minutes down the road — and they had a ton of family and friends in the building for a night that will be pretty memorable, despite the loss.

“It feels good, it’s always nice to play in Florida,” Hendricks said. “At the beginning of the season I would have never thought I’d be in this position, so it’s a blessing.”

Both players only recently started to get regular minutes with the Jazz after spending the majority of their time with the SLC Stars in the G League. For Hendricks, it’s been a wild few weeks. Following the trade deadline, Hendricks went from almost no playing time to huge minutes with the Jazz and then within just a couple of games he was thrust into the starting lineup.

“Like two years ago, I was in Markelle Fultz suite, because we have the same agent,” Hendricks said. “So I was in his suite, watching a Magic game, and two years later I’m here playing against him, so this was nice.”

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Sensabaugh’s family has had this game marked on the calendar since the schedule came out, but they weren’t sure whether he was even going to be with the Jazz since he’d spent so much time with the Stars.

“Being in the G having to go through that process, I didn’t even know if I was gonna be able to be here and play,” Sensabaugh said. “It’s definitely a blessing that I got to play in front of the people who helped me throughout and coached me, watched me, whatever it was. It was fun.”

Players always get a certain amount of comped tickets to give to friends and family, but that number isn’t infinite. Both players said the number of people that came to watch them went far beyond the number of tickets that were free.

“I only had like 10 tickets, but there was like 30 or 40 people here,” Sensabaugh said, noting that he was most excited for his parents to see him play. “My parents, they barely missed a game when I was growing up, so for them to be in the building now, no matter where it is ... it was really cool.”

Hendricks’ mother, Danielle, has been able to attend quite a few Stars and Jazz games this year, but Hendricks’ twin brother Tyler, who is still at UCF, and older brother Jamal Jones, as well as many others were able to be at the game on Thursday night.

Sensabaugh was also glad that the timing worked out so well for his family. His parents are relocating to Dallas in just a few days, which meant that they were able to see this game before they officially left Florida and will be able to be at the Jazz’s game against the Mavericks on March 21.

“For it to match up perfectly and for it to be their last week here and be able to catch this game, it was all really cool,” he said.

Universal Orlando Resort is revealing new images and info about its highly anticipated DreamWorks Land!

Opening this summer, the park addition will be located in the Universal Studios Florida park and is inspired by DreamWorks Animation’s characters from Shrek, Trolls and Kung Fu Panda.

The family-friendly area will have multiple interactive play areas, live entertainment, character meet and greets, and a roller coaster.

“As soon as guests step into the spectacular new land, the vivid world and imagination of DreamWorks Animation will surround them as they embark on exciting adventures," according to a press release shared with PEOPLE. Highlights will include Shrek's swamp — including his 35-foot-tall tree-stump cottage — as well a a Trolls rollercoaster, the "Trollercoaster," for kids of all ages.

Visitors can also interact with Po in the Chinese lantern-bedecked Panda Village and come face to face with Gabby from Gabby's Dollhouse.

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Minion Land at Universal Orlando Is Here! From Banana Popcorn to Blasting Villains, See What's in Store

At Shrek’s Swamp Meet, guests will be able to interact with their favorite ogres like Shrek, Princess Fiona as well as their beloved pal Donkey.

Younger children will also be able to enjoy the Shrek’s Swamp for Little Ogres play area, which will have four slides, wet play areas, a playground and Shrek’s outhouse.

Inspired by Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish allows visitors to use interactive screens to play with Mama Luna’s many cats.

The Voices of 'Shrek': Where Are They Now?

Elsewhere in the Shrek area, King Harold’s Swamp Symphony will enable park goers to create their own melodies with musical lily pads and Swamp Snacks will nourish the family with snacks that include the Frozen Ogre, Far Far A Waffle and Shrekzel.

Meanwhile, the Trolls experience will include the Trollercoaster, Poppy’s Playground, a Trolls Treats eatery and High Five Hideaway.

Kung Fu Panda will also allow guests to experience Po’s Kung Fu Training Camp, which features themed wet and dry areas, as well as Po Live! — an interactive character meet and greet.

Universal Studios Orlando first announced last July that it would be opening DreamWorks Land in 2024.

An even bigger project is also underway at the Orlando resort. Universal revealed new images and information in January for its all-new theme park, Epic Universe, which will open in 2025. They unveiled the central Celestial Park which will connect immersive worlds inspired by Harry Potter, Nintendo, How to Train Your Dragon and classic monsters.

Throughout the current legislative session, Florida’s House and Senate leaders have been brutally upfront about their intent to strip control of local government from local hands. Bills rushing toward the finish line would kneecap the ability of cities and counties to deal with problems such as homelessness, aggressive policing and the impact of deadly heat on local workers among myriad other issues. Some even want to limit the ability of voters to keep popular, trusted leaders on county commissions.

Lawmakers have stopped even trying to pretend: They’re going to grab every crumb of power they can snatch from local governments and lawmakers’ own constituents, tangling it up in Tallahassee bureaucracy and legislative horse-trading.

So when lawmakers start sneaking around to undercut their own constituents, they have to know they’re really crossing the line.

And that’s exactly what they are doing. This time, it’s a move intended to circumvent the right of voters — specifically, Orange County voters — to create rural boundaries that would discourage sprawl and promote redevelopment.

That would derail one of the most promising proposals moving forward in the Orange County Charter Review Commission, which would implement boundaries similar to those in Seminole County. Those growth guardrails have proven to be so wildly popular they are now considered to be near-sacred by Seminole leaders and residents. If the Orange board decides to put a similar measure on the ballot, it could come before voters this fall.

The proposal, approved by the charter board’s Sustainable Growth and Charter Cleanup Committee, is still a work in progress. Last week, the board sent the rural boundary language back to the committee for more study.

A sneaky attack

Somebody powerful wants to kill it before any further progress is made. Probably many somebodies: Rural boundary rules keep developers from snapping up cheap land in undeveloped areas, throwing hundreds of houses onto it and then leaving local communities to deal with the need for more roads, schools and other amenities the residents of those homes expect. It’s no wonder that deep-pocketed campaign contributors are pushing against tighter regulations.

But instead of standing up and making their argument, those forces opted to get an out-of-town lawmaker to slip an amendment into a much larger unrelated commerce bill. Nobody had seen the language before Tuesday, when Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, added it to SB 1420. Orange County is the obvious target: It’s the only place considering putting rural boundaries on the 2024 ballot.

Sen. Geraldine Thompson, D-Orlando, was the only lawmaker to vote against the larger bill. The other four of Orange County’s five senators — Victor Torres, Linda Stewart, Jason Brodeur and Dennis Baxley — voted for the bill with the amendment. They should explain why they thought it was a good idea to undercut their own constituents’ right to set sensible controls on growth.

That leaves it up to Orange County’s House delegation to fight with all their might to strip away this anti-voter language. We hope they do so, and fast: SB 1420 could be heard on the House floor today (Friday). If House members don’t make any amendments, the bill would go straight to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Orange County residents should take a minute to let them know their voices are needed. You’ll find legislators’ contact information on myfloridahouse.gov.

And all our local readers should also deliver this message: They’re tired of the Legislature’s brazen attacks, meant to weaken voters, cities and counties. Lawmakers have issues of statewide importance to consider. They need to respect their own boundaries.

The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. Contact us at insight@orlandosentinel.com