SeaWorld has encountered another setback in its efforts to attract visitors.
The Florida theme park has invested heavily in new attractions in recent years, opening Pipeline: The Surf Coaster in 2023, Penguin Trek in 2024, and Expedition Odyssey in 2025. These additions form part of a broader effort to reinvent SeaWorld as a destination for rides and family entertainment.
That transformation began after the 2013 documentary Blackfish sparked widespread criticism of SeaWorld’s treatment of killer whales. In 2016, the company announced that it would end its orca breeding program and move away from theatrical whale performances.
Competition in Orlando has also intensified. Walt Disney World Resort continues to invest in new attractions, while Universal Orlando Resort opened its third theme park, Epic Universe, in May 2025.
SeaWorld has responded by expanding its own attraction lineup, including plans for a new indoor ride unlike anything currently operating at the park.
Unfortunately, those plans have now been pushed back.
SeaWorld Pushes Orlando Expansion Into 2027
SeaWorld Orlando has confirmed that SEAQuest: Legends of the Deep will no longer open in 2026.
The new attraction, which was originally announced in September 2025, is now scheduled to debut sometime in 2027. The park has not provided an exact opening date or explained the reason for the delay.
Speaking to Attractions Magazine on October 31, a SeaWorld representative confirmed the change, stating, “We are saying 2027.”
The postponement was later acknowledged in United Parks & Resorts’ November 5 financial report, which listed SEAQuest among the company’s upcoming attractions for 2027.
SEAQuest is being developed by Dutch ride manufacturer Vekoma and will become SeaWorld Orlando’s first suspended dark ride. Unlike the park’s outdoor roller coasters, the attraction will operate entirely indoors.
Guests will board submarine-inspired vehicles suspended above elaborate underwater environments. The ride will feature glowing marine ecosystems, shipwrecks, and unusual sea creatures, with vehicles designed to swing and rotate through the scenes.
SeaWorld unveiled the ride vehicles at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando in November 2025. The yellow and blue vehicles feature onboard audio, while the attraction’s ride system has already received an IAAPA Brass Ring Award for Best New Product.
The attraction is planned for a newly expanded area of SeaWorld Orlando. Its indoor setting will also provide another option for guests during Florida’s frequent thunderstorms and summer downpours.
However, anyone who purchased admission expecting to experience SEAQuest in 2026 will now have to wait until next year.
The delay also leaves SeaWorld without the major new dark ride it had originally planned to promote this year.
While the company has continued adding attractions, these investments haven’t prevented visitor numbers from falling across its theme park portfolio.
Attendance Falls Again Across SeaWorld’s Parks
SeaWorld’s latest attendance figures make for disappointing reading.
On November 5, parent company United Parks & Resorts revealed that attendance had fallen by 4.7% during the third quarter of 2026.
Approximately 6.47 million guests visited its parks between July and September, compared to 6.79 million during the same period in 2025.
That represents a loss of around 320,000 visitors in three months.
United Parks operates several attractions across the United States, including SeaWorld Orlando, SeaWorld San Diego, SeaWorld San Antonio, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Aquatica, Discovery Cove, and Sesame Place.
The latest figures cover the entire company, rather than SeaWorld Orlando alone.
However, the decline continues a troubling pattern. Attendance previously dropped by 5% in the first quarter of 2026 and 2.9% in the second.
Across the first nine months of the year, United Parks welcomed approximately 670,000 fewer visitors than during the same period in 2025.
Revenue has also suffered. Third-quarter revenue dropped by 1.1% to $506.5 million, while net income declined by 10.5% to $80 million.
Interestingly, guests who visited the parks spent more money than last year. Average in-park spending increased by 4.4% to a record $37.39 per visitor.
United Parks CEO Marc Swanson attributed the attendance decline to unfavorable weather, calendar changes, and a reduction in international tourists.
According to Swanson, those factors accounted for approximately 325,000 lost visits. A deliberate reduction in promotional admissions also contributed to the lower attendance figures.
There are some encouraging developments. Pass sales increased by nearly 8% during the quarter, while the company’s customer base for 2027-specific passes was more than 15% higher as of October 31.
United Parks is also preparing new attractions at other locations, including Return to Corkscrew Hill at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 2027.
For SeaWorld Orlando, SEAQuest remains one of its most significant upcoming projects. The attraction will bring a different kind of ride experience to a park that has spent years investing in roller coasters.
However, its delayed opening means SeaWorld will have to wait another year to deliver that addition.
With attendance already falling, the company will be hoping SEAQuest gives visitors another reason to return in 2027.
