ORLANDO, Fla. — SeaWorld Orlando’s Sesame Street land will open in spring 2019, the company has announced.
For the first time at SeaWorld Orlando, the park will have a daily parade that features Elmo and other characters. Children can visit re-created sets from the popular television show, including Mr. Hooper’s store, Big Bird’s nest and 123 stoop, as well as wet and dry play areas and go on rides.
“We are excited to transport our guests into the colorful and creative world of Sesame Street through immersive theming, character interactions and interactive play,” said SeaWorld Orlando President Jim Dean in a statement.
The company declined to provide cost estimates for the 6-acre land, an overhaul of Shamu’s Happy Harbor play area on the south end of the park. Details on new rides will be released in the ongoing months, a spokeswoman said.
SeaWorld first announced the new land was coming to Orlando in May 2017 with an opening date that could have been as late as 2022. The company has had a partnership with Sesame Workshop for decades.
The expansion makes sense, especially since “Shamu is not the face of the company anymore,” said Dennis Speigel, president of the Ohio-based International Theme Park Services consulting company.
The new land will appeal to children — the next generation of theme park fans who haven’t been affected by the bad publicity stemming from the “Blackfish” anti-whale captivity documentary, Speigel said.
It will likely go over well with investors, although it’s too early to know what effect Cookie Monster & Co. will have on attendance, he said.
“This is planting a seed. Seeds take a long time to sprout,” Speigel said. “People will wait to see the impact, but it will be positive.”
In 2017, the company’s park attendance fell to 20.8 million, a 5.5 percent drop from 2016, the Orlando-based SeaWorld Entertainment reported in February. Last year SeaWorld eliminated 350 positions — many in Orlando — in its efforts to hit $40 million in net savings through 2018.
Part of the company’s strategy to combat attendance declines is to spend more on new rides and attractions at its parks.
The company is also going through leadership changes after CEO Joel Manby departed in February. SeaWorld’s interim CEO is John T. Reill.
The opening of Sesame Street land will come amid formidable competition at Orlando’s theme parks that features a lineup of new attractions unprecedented historically, Speigel said.
Walt Disney World will open Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge sometime in 2019 at Hollywood Studios, and Universal Orlando Resort is planning to build a Nintendo-themed attraction in Orlando, although no opening date has been revealed.
“The next five or six years will be boom years,” Speigel said.
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