Park notes: Ice Breaker construction / Citricos refresh / Epic Universe plans

Members of the media were given a glimpse of SeaWorld Orlando next roller coaster, Ice Breaker, months ahead of its official opening.

Orlando Rising was not invited to the hard hat tour, which showed off the nearly complete coaster. The ride will feature four launches, starting with a backwards launch up a 93-foot-tall spike, which is now easily visible to SeaWorld vistors at the site near Shamu Stadium.

“Each one of those hits on the launch will be a little more powerful as the air time goes. It will culminate into some airtime as guests crest up over our ‘top hat,’ which is an 84 foot tall element, and near vertical drop off it,” Brian Andrelczyk, vice president of design and engineering at SeaWorld, told WKMG. “Heading up in, you will get good air time in the front seat, and heading down, you will get good air time in the back seat.”

The entire ride experience will last 90 seconds, according to Theme Park Insider.

SeaWorld did not reveal any more specifics about the ride’s opening date other than the previously announced “spring 2020” window. It will be one of two coasters the SeaWorld chain will be adding in Central Florida this year, along with Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

Citrico’s restaurant at Disney’s Grand Floridian to be refurbished

Guests to Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort may find more limited options at its Citricos restaurant in the coming months.

The space will undergo a phased refurbishment, beginning with the closure of the bar in February. The restaurant’s bar service (and extensive wine list) will continue to be available in the dining room. Diners may notice a change in the menu as parts of the kitchen will also be redone beginning in February.

Work on the dining room itself will begin in phases in May. The restaurant will continue to accept reservations through the completion of the renovations, currently set for summer 2020.

Rumored site plans for Epic Universe’s ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ land

Alicia Stella, owner of Orlando Park Stop and one of the most trusted sources for scoops on Universal Orlando’s future plans, has uncovered site plans for one of the lands going into Universal’s Epic Universe theme park.

The land will be based on “How to Train Your Dragon,” the DreamWorks animation franchise spanning three films and eight seasons worth of television on Cartoon Network and Netflix.

Located in the southeast corner of Epic Universe, Stella says that based on these plans, the land could feature five attractions, including a roller coaster, stage show, a boat ride, and a possible flying theater attraction (à la Lego Move Masters of Flight or Avatar Flight of Passage).

You can read more about the site plans at Orlando Park Stop.

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