Opening at Discovery Cove this spring is Freshwater Oasis, an all-new attraction featuring wading adventures and face-to-face encounters with playful otters and curious marmosets. Designed with a rainforest canopy above and sparkling-clear springs below, Freshwater Oasis is a natural fit within Discovery Cove’s tropical atmosphere.… Read More »Discovery Cove’s Freshwater Oasis – A Sneak Peek
Yesterday SeaWorld Orlando announced it was stepping up to the plate with a desire to continue to compete with the big players in the Orlando attractions market. They’ve announced three new experiences. One at Discovery Cove and two at the main theme park. Nothing for Aquatica, however.
Construction at Discovery Cove is already underway with Freshwater Oasis scheduled for opening next year. The area, which replaces the old reef experience, features swimming and wading adventures and face-to-face encounters with playful otters and curious marmosets.
The construction at SeaWorld will include a large expansion of its current offerings. First to open in 2012 will be the TurtleTrek area that combines the Manatee exhibit with a new exhibit focused on sea turtles. Additionally there will be a new domed movie experience that sounds pretty amazing.
The last exhibit has the fewest details, but Antarctica – Empire of the Penguin is clearly SeaWorld’s attempt to say, “Hey we can do massive themed lands too.” This should open sometime in 2013.
Terry Prather, president of the company’s Orlando parks, SeaWorld, Discovery Cove and Aquatica, said, “With TurtleTrek at SeaWorld Orlando and Freshwater Oasis at Discovery Cove, travelers will have all new reasons to visit Orlando. What we’re creating will take you places you’ve never been before, places only SeaWorld can take you.”
We’ll have more details about each attraction soon, but in the meantime, follow below the jump for the press release.
Read More »SeaWorld Orlando Makes Waves With Big Announcement
SeaWorld fans mark November 8th on your calendar, the Orlando park has announced plans for new attractions. As you can see from the press invitation above, the plans appear to center around three islands. SeaWorld has also announced the return of the Florida Resident Fun Card for 2012. Although it doesn’t include parking, it’s basically a whole year of fun for one day’s admission, more than a year if you buy it in November or December of 2011.
More details on the Fun Card below, but first lets try and prognosticate about what these mystery announcements may be.
We know there is a new ‘island’ area being added to Discovery Cove. Construction is already underway and it will feature fresh water swimming area and various rainforest themed animal exhibits. Sort of like a zoo you float through.
So that’s one island. The other two islands are back across the street at SeaWorld. One will be a new turtle themed exhibit and movie. SeaWorld is known for its rescue and care of the Loggerhead Turtle, and yet it has none in the park. They’ll fix that with a version of the Turtle attraction at SeaWorld San Diego and a shortened version of the Turtle movie they just released.
The third island is a bit chillier, as you can see in the invite. The feeling is this will be an expanded Penguin attraction with a new ride-through experience. That’s definitely needed as the current facility is aging.
I am hoping that there is still an even bigger, still secret, announcement to be made. That’s because, as nice as these three ‘islands’ sound, none of them will convince the Jones Family from Kansas to add a day at SeaWorld if it means one less day at Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, or even Legoland. That’s the real need.
Okay, more details on the 8th. Remember more details about the Fun Card for Florida below the jump:
Read More »SeaWorld Orlando to Announce New Attractions, Offers Florida Resident Deal
Discovery Cove’s SeaVenture is a walking tour of a beautiful undersea landscape created to provide a once in a lifetime memory. Don’t miss it.
While SeaWorld’s boutique water park opened its newest area, The Grand Reef, back in June, the much anticipated SeaVenture add-on excursion has only been running in soft-opening phase until now. They finally have enough divers and personnel trained to operate at full capacity and invited some of the local media out to experience it first hand. I was happy to be included in that bunch. It’s a good thing that they’ve added capacity because I can tell you that SeaVenture is an experience everyone will remember for the rest of their lives.
The walk includes special up close encounters, like this fish feeding.
Okay, there’s one caveat. If you’ve been scuba diving, then you can think about passing on SeaVenture. However, the people I’ve spoken with who have done both say that SeaVenture is still a great experience as you get to just be there without having to worry about time or oxygen or a 60 pound weight on your back. The folks at Discovery Cove really worked hard to make this a natural effortless experience for the participant and that is the big success.
The whole walk happens in this area of the Grand Reef. But it’s a full 20-25 minutes plus another 20 minutes prep-time.
Follow below the jump for a video I filmed while under water and more photos. Plus advice on how to book SeaVenture for yourself:
Read More »SeaVenture Adds Upclose Undersea Marvels to Discovery Cove, SeaWorld
Why not treat yourself to an early Christmas gift and splurge a bit on an Central Florida experience you will cherish for a lifetime. SeaWorld Orlando’s Discovery Cove has brought back their special Florida resident rate available now through December 31, 2011. Yes, temperatures do drop a bit, but crowds are smaller, which makes a difference.
At Discovery Cove, guests experience a full day of exciting animal encounters in a 30-acre tropical oasis. Discovery Cove is a paradise of rocky lagoons surrounded by lush landscaping, coral reef, tropical river, and a resort-style pool complete with waterfalls and pristine, white sand beaches. We found our day at Discovery Cove to be so relaxing, we’re very much looking forward to a chance to return.
The Florida resident rate is $199 plus tax per person for Dolphin Swim Day Resort admission or $129 plus tax for Day Resort admission. Offer includes an unlimited admission pass (no 14-day restriction) to SeaWorld Orlando valid through January 31, 2012 (pass is only valid after Discovery Cove visit). That’s a special pass just for this deal, which makes the bargain even better. In fact, if you were planning on visiting SeaWorld and Aquatica between now and January 31st, you should consider Discovery Cove instead as the Discovery Cove admission includes food.
Update: All guests and employees have been released from care. Local news reports that 5 cast members and 3 guests were taken to the hospital after a lightning strike at SeaWorld Orlando’s Discovery Cove. Apparently the strike was near the Adventure Photo cabana, which is… Read More »Lightning Strike at Discovery Cove sends several to Hospital
This weekend marked the opening of a large expansion to SeaWorld Orlando’s neighbor park Discovery Cove. The Grand Reef improves upon the previous snorkeling experience by making the fish more accessible and by adding new experiences that improve the value of a day in the all-inclusive park. With the Grand Reef, Discovery Cove has achieved the perfect balance between adventure and relaxation, a fully immersive tropical escape, yours to discover, because you deserve the best.
Watch it in HD on Youtube
“The Grand Reef takes Discovery Cove’s world-class animal encounters to an all new level — several, actually,” said Stewart Clark, the park’s vice president. “It’s what our guests expect from us, unforgettable connections with the sea and making memories that will last forever. This could only be created by Discovery Cove.”
As a visitor at the new Grand Reef, you get to decide how much of the experience you want to enjoy. You can choose to just wet your feet or go deep among the fish. Step into tranquil, shallow waters to discover a below-the-surface world teeming with sea life, or snorkel in deeper waters as thousands of exotic fish and graceful rays swim around them. The zero-entry beach makes this part of the park enjoyable by everyone.
A few days ago, I was invited to take a tour of the construction site for SeaWorld Orlando Discovery Cove’s next big expansion – The Grand Reef. Scheduled to open in June 2011, The Grand Reef is 2.5 acres of total immersion in the world… Read More »Discovery Cove’s The Grand Reef- Construction Site Tour