The next generation of SeaWorld theme parks opens May 23 in Abu Dhabi. Located next to Warner Bros. World and Ferrari World, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi will be the third major indoor park on the Yas Island Resort, which also is home to Formula 1's season-ending race track, Yas Marina Circuit.
This will be the fifth SeaWorld park, the fourth remaining, and the first to debut since SeaWorld San Antonio opened in 1988. (SeaWorld Ohio closed in 2000.) But as an indoor park without orcas, this will be a SeaWorld unlike any other.
Yas Island owner Miral built the park under license from SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, and the park will be operated by Miral Experiences, which runs the other parks on Yas Island. In addition to the park's attractions, the facility will house Yas SeaWorld Research & Rescue, a marine science and marine life conservation facility serving the Gulf region. [See First look at the new state of animal care at SeaWorld.]
For visitors, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi will offers its attractions across eight themed "realms," instead of lands, because, well, it doesn't make sense to have lands in a Sea World does it?
Here is an overview of the new SeaWorld Abu Dhabi.
Think of this as Main Street, U.A.E. This is the first SeaWorld park since the San Diego original to be built near the ocean, and the Yas Island park leans into Abu Dhabi's history with the ocean in this realm.
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This is the park's hub, with the One Ocean Globe at its center.
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Head around the world from the Gulf to the U.S. Pacific Northwest for this realm of sea lions and seals. Like many of the park's realms, it features SeaWorld's Advanced Animal Lighting System that recreates seasonal night and day cycles for the animals living there.
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The park's children's area, where "small is big." So to get in, you've got to get small. Thus...
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The world's largest single-tank multi-species marine life aquarium, containing 6.6 million gallons of water and more than 68,000 marine animals. For comparison, The Seas with Nemo & Friends at Walt Disney World's tank is 5.7 million gallons.
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The park's Arctic and Antarctic realms are grouped together within Polar Ocean, which includes The Armillary, a domed room that explains differences between the regions and the historic navigation systems that led explorers there.
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Update: Here is our review of the park: In Abu Dhabi, SeaWorld finds its heart again.
Along with our interview with Miral CEO Mohamed Al Zaabi: Meet the man behind the biggest new attraction of the year
For tickets to the Yas Island theme parks, please visit our partner's Abu Dhabi theme parks page.
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There doesn't seem to be many rides, just the one adult coaster and the kids rides in the microocean. Is this accurate?
I'm sure it will be beautiful, but will the lack of tourism to the UAE be enough to support the park long term?
I really hope for this park's sake that the staff is well-prepared to deal with animals. The American parks already get an unfair rep from activists, the last thing this chain needs is for stories to come out from a region that may not get held to the same welfare standards we have.
This looks to be a good complement to the other attractions on Yaz Island, because by itself, this park looks to be no more than a 3-4 hour experience. Considering the lack of crowds that currently visit WB and Ferrari World, I don't anticipate very long lines to view the various animal exhibits. Added with the 2 other parks, you've probably got 2 days worth of stuff to experience at most.
I've been excited about this development ever since it was announced. I'm a fan of the Sea World brand so a new, indoor park has me excited. But... I am concerned about the lack of rides. They originally had mentioned three. Two coasters and a mysterious one without much detail. Seems like only one made the final cut. Hope they plan out future expansion.
they're also charging just over $100 USD for admission, which... is a bit steep.
While I do like some aspects of this one, I'm not really sold on it as a whole. It looks like there's about a third as much to do here as the US parks, yet they're asking for more than even SeaWorld Orlando. I suppose if you're doing a trip to the area it might be worth spending up to a half day here, but I don't think it's going to sway anyone into a trip that wasn't already considering it before.
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are you planning on going, Robert? I'd be curious to see an on-the-ground report.