Penguin exhibit, March 2015

Photo taken on the 26th March 2015.

@devilfish: what did you think of the penguin complex at SeaWorld? Also, how much was admission to the theme park? Did you get a deal?

Hi snowleopard,
I'd visited the park in 2001 and had hazy memories of the old penguin exhibit (Penguin Encounter) which I'd always thought was one of the best I've seen. I really liked this new exhibit. Although the ride is nothing special (maybe that's because I went on the 'mild' version, or perhaps because I'm a grown man), the exhibit at the end is very well done. It's nice to see the four species (King, rockhopper, gentoo & Adelie) active together, and the barriers are pleasantly subtle in some places. I also liked the opportunities for underwater viewing, which was not only available at waist height, but there's also a large viewing window for deeper parts of the pool - it's very impressive to watch several species zoom past each other and occasionally porpoise out of the water. I tend to prefer this immersive (and photo-friendly) approach over the glass-fronted showcase used at some other collections. The illusion of being in Antarctica is not even remotely convincing, but as a way for members of the public to view these animals it's a very nice enclosure.
A downside is perhaps that the penguin enclosure is the only live animal exhibit in the complex. (I think I remember being entertained by puffins last time.)

Admission would have been about $97 for SeaWorld alone. Although we weren't too organised in buying tickets, by purchasing tickets the morning of the visit from our local WalMart we paid $94 for a combi-pass to SeaWorld and Aquatica. It wouldn't have cost much more to add a third park to the ticket. With all the combi passes, discount tokens and a bit of luck, I don't think we paid full price for a single collection during this trip.

Am i missing a barrier here, what is preventing an over eager visitor from going up and petting a penguin?

Is it very cold in there?

Nothing. They are within reach if they so choose

SeaWorld Orlando, Saint Louis Zoo and Calgary Zoo are a trio of North American zoos that all have Antarctic penguin exhibits with very little in the way of visitor barriers. In Calgary the average temperature is kept at 7 degrees Celsius (45 Fahrenheit) and having visited in the peak of summer I can attest to the fact that visitors don't stay very long due to their shorts and t-shirt suddenly leaving them feeling cold. I can recall having a penguin splash me with water less than a foot from my face in Calgary and the Saint Louis penguin complex is just as impressive. The main obstacle to more zoos building these fantastic exhibits is cost as Calgary's Penguin Plunge opened in 2012 to the tune of $25 million. The SeaWorld Orlando penguin complex opened in 2013 and it has a footprint of 4 acres and probably cost even more money! One positive from SeaWorld is that since 1990 the park has produced more than 450 penguin chicks.

This link has a lot of information on the SeaWorld exhibit:

SeaWorld Orlando brings Antarctica's penguins to Florida

Yes, a sign says that the temperature is kept around 0 celsius.

Not much but from the visitor's side it seemed a little bit more substantial than some barriers in UK zoos.
Shortly after opening, a penguin managed to cross the barrier into the viewing area. I don't know if this has happened again since.

Apparently the entire complex (including ride) cost between 40 and 50 million dollars.