SeaWorld has long been considering the use of fast-rising floors in its show pools to help alleviate safety concerns related to waterwork. Perhaps they are finally ready to proceed with the Florida installation:
“One Ocean,” SeaWorld Orlando‘s iconic killer-whale show, will be taking a break in early 2014.
The theme park will be doing routine maintenance on the main performing pool at Shamu Stadium, a SeaWorld official says. The work will begin in early January. “One Ocean” is currently on the park schedule posted on its website through Jan. 5.
The Dine With Shamu experience will also be suspended for the first part of next year.
During the closures, SeaWorld Orlando will offer “Shamu Up Close,” which will include above-water and underwater interactions and a look at training techniques. It will be held in the Dine With Shamu space and accommodate hundreds of guests at a time, a spokeswoman says.
“One Ocean” and Dine With Shamu will return sometime in the spring, SeaWorld says.
Shutting down the cash-gushing Shamu show for a period of months is not “routine maintenance.” I have no knowledge that a fast-rising floor is on its way (previous on SeaWorld’s fast-rising floor here). But if I was a betting man….
[Also worth noting: this will be a very interesting experiment in how important the Shamu show is to SeaWorld’s gate revenue].
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