Linda Mac's Orlando Adventures

Aquatica, SeaWorld's Water Park will begin soft openings to the general public on March 1st. This brand new park with a South Pacific theme is a combination of standard water park attractions and elements found at SeaWorld's Orlando Adventure Park and Discovery Cove.

Aquatica will cover 59 acres of property at the corner of International Drive and Westwood Blvd, just behind the SeaWorld Orlando Adventure Park. The park will feature a high-speed river ride with rapids, 36 water slides, lush tropical landscaping, private cabanas ($150 a day), animal encounters with Commerson's dolphins and an 80,000-square-foot beach.

Here's how SeaWorld describes it's new water park. Aquatica is a whimsical, one of a kind water park that could only come from SeaWorld. Where one river flows you through an undersea world of colorful fish and another races you into rolling rapids. Slides that spin and soak you, and our incredible signature ride, two enclosed tube slides that send you speeding through a lively lagoon filled with playful Commerson's Dolphins. Delight in the serene to extreme waters in the gigantic double wave pool and soak in the sun (or the cooling shade) on the white sand beach.

Single day adult tickets for Aquatica will be $38.95 and for children ages 3 to 9 $32.95. Multi-park ticket packages that include Aquatica, SeaWorld Adventure Park, Discovery Cove and Busch Gardens in Tampa will also be available.

Busch Entertainment Corp (SeaWorld's parent company) will also be celebrating the April 4th opening of a new area at Busch Gardens in Tampa. Jungala, the 4-acre newly designed section will feature habitats for Orangutans, Bengal Tigers and other animals. We will save Jungala for another time. Sounds like I need a road trip to Tampa.

Aquatica Entry Sign

Coming Soon Signage on International Drive

Lake View From Outside the Park

Main Entry Road

Exit Road on South Side of the Park

Exit and Overhead Sign

SeaWorld Sign on International Drive and Westwood Blvd across the street from the Entry to Aquatica

View of SeaWorld's Kraken Roller Coaster and Journey to Atlantis Attraction

Aquatica Entry Sign Upclose

Aquatica, Seaworld's brand new water park, is Orlando's first new theme park to open in eight years. The waterpark features a dolphin plunge, lazy river rides, racing slides, interactive play areas and a total of 36 slides. Amenities include 3 restaurants (all counter service), private cabanas and specialty shops.

After spending a few hours there for the first day of the Passport Member's Preview and the entire afternoon on second day, I just have one thing to say. I Loved It!

The first day of the sneek peak, the weather was cool, gray and overcast when I left the house, not a great day for photographing a waterpark. Monday, the second day of the preview, was picture perfect with blue skies and white puffy clouds.

On Sunday, I was hoping the weather would keep the crowds to a minimum but that was not the case. Traffic was backed up on International Drive and it took about 15 minutes to reach the preferred parking lot. Since the park wasn't scheduled to open until 10 am everyone was waiting in line. The line reached all the way down to the "team member" parking lot. It took about 25 minutes to reach the entrance and receive my free Aquatica T-shirt. It was like day and night when I returned on Monday, I pratically had the waterpark to myself. As an Orlando resident, you could almost say I live for park days like this.

There was some confusion when it came time to enter the park. The preview days were for annual passholders only or as SeaWorld calls us "PassPort Members" and everyone had to have a reservation with a confirmation number to participate.

Most people were able to sign up online and print out a reservation confirmation to use at the gate. Apparently, I was not the only person that did not receive the mailed invitation and was not able to sign up online even though I upgraded my Platinum Pass to include the waterpark. I met a very nice couple while waiting in line who were in the same boat because we only had a handwritten number that was given to us when we RSVP'd by calling guest services.

An Aquatica team member, who seemed to be directing things, told my new friends to get in the guest services line since they did not follow directions and print out the reservation confirmation. Those were her exact words. Hmm....not a good way to start our first visit to a new park.

The guest service line looked like it would have added at least an hour's wait time before I could enter the park. I took a chance and went through the security bag search line and handed my pass to the smiling people at the turnstile and I was inside the park in few minutes. Hmm.....again. I jumped up and down and waived to my new friends til I caught their attention. When they realized I was waiving to them from "inside" the park, they quickly did the same thing I did.

Aquatica is beautifully landscaped and the design of the park flows well. It is easy to navigate and, for the most part, I knew where I was because of the signage. I was so excited on the way in that I forgot to pick up a map. I think they call my kind of touring, flying by the sit of your pants. One of the nicest things about Aquatica is how family friendly it is. There is something for everyone.

I was a bit surprised by the Australian theme and the odd names of some of the slides like Whanau Way, Walhalla Wave and Taumata Racer.

Aquatica's signature attractions are Dolphin Plunge for the more adventure some and Loggerhead Lane for the rest of us.

What makes these two attractions stand out? Both involve the black and white Commerson's Dolphins which are usually found in the shallow waters off the southern tip of South America. These dolphins look like mini versions of Shamu. As far as I know, Aquatica is the only waterpark to have dolphins of any type.

Dolphin Plunge sends you through the dolphin's lagoon in a clear tube as you reach the end of your ride. Loggerhead Lane is a small winding river-like attraction that you float down and around in air tubes passing the Fish Grotto and the Commerson's Dolphin Exhibit. For those not wishing to get wet (I know that sounds a little odd at a waterpark but not everyone goes into the water) you can stop by the underwater viewing area.

Commerson's Dolphins eat approximately 10% of their weight daily, so every few hours you can watch the trainers interacting with the dolphins. Just ask a team member at the lagoon area for that day's feeding schedule when you enter the park. Lauren, one the trainers, was such a good sport to hold up their lunch for me. Besides being a good sport, she was very friendly and knowledgeable about the dolphins.

The wave pools, that's right pools as in plural, Cutback Cove and Big Surf Shores will be popular places to cool off . From what the lifeguards told me, Big Surf Shores is the less intense wave pool between the two. You can also just relax in the hundreds of lounge chairs on the sandy beach area. Or find a spot to relax under the largest beach umbrellas I have ever seen.

I stopped by one of the sets of lockers to ask about the rental fee since I thought they were complimentary during this sneak peek. I was told they were not free which is odd because I was sure I had heard that anounced as I waited in line to enter the park. And the last thing my friends said to me once we were all inside Aquatica, was they were going to get a FREE lockers.

A small locker rents for $8 and a larger locker for $10. Included in the price is a $3 deposit which helps to ensure that the locker keys are returned. Unlike the Disney's waterparks, Aquatica will return your deposit in SeaWorld "dollars" or "credits" instead of cash. Same thing for $4 towel rental, you will get your $2 deposit back in park credits which can be used at SeaWorld or Aquatica. I don't agree with this policy and would prefer to have cash back since most people are leaving the park when they clear their lockers and return the key.

After taking photos of both the Taumata Racer Slides and Roa's Rapids, it was time for lunch. The same team member who I talked to about the lockers had told me that everyone was getting 10% off the all you can eat lunch at the Banana Beach Cookout. Well, it hit me later everyone was getting 10% off because we are passholders.

All you have to say to me is "all you can eat cheeseburgers" and I was sold on the cookout. There are two options, an all day pass for $19.95 for adults and $9.95 for children 3-9. Or a One Time Visit for $12.95 for adults and $7,95. The menu included burgers, hot dogs, baked chicken drumsticks (yummy), veggie burgers, mini corn on cob, potato salad, cole slaw, banana pudding and watermelon. Soft drinks are included. The food was good but not great. I will say that food was nice and hot for a buffet. If you have big eaters in your group this is the place where you will get the most bang for your buck.

Part 2 is online and covers the WaterStone Grill, Kata's Kookaburra Cove for toddlers, Mango Market and Walkabout Waters which is an interactive family play area and rest of the new park.

Walhalla Wave and HooRoo Run, both slides you ride down in tubes with 1 to 3 people, were closed on Sunday due to trouble with the conveyor belt that carries the tubes up to the top of the attraction. On Monday, both Walhalla Wave and HooRoo Run were up both up and running. But the Whanau Way slide was closed on Monday while adjustments were made to the water speed because the air tubes were flipping over when they reached the end of the slide and slasph pool.

Aquatica is a smoke-free park except for two designated smoking areas. One is next to the Taumata Racer and the other is next to the Narrabeen Cabanas and the Whanau Way slide.

Welcome back to a tour of Sea World's Aquatica. Since the first part of this blog appeared, the waterpark opened to the public on March 1st and I have make a few more visits. (SeaWorld's Water Aquatica - Part 1)

Our first stop is a water area designed for the youngest visitors, a "mini" water park within a water park called Kata's Kookaburra Cove . The "Cove" is named for the small Australian bird whose bird call sounds like laughter.

At Kata's Kookaburra Cove, there is a wide range of beginner's slides with cute names like Racer Chaser, Slippity Dippity and Zippity Zappity. There are even slides that look like water rafts for the toddlers. The Cove has plenty of room for just hanging out in the shallow water with the "spilly rides" and water spouts. Attractions in this area require guests to be no taller than 48" and wear a life jacket.

The park designers really had their "thinking caps" on when they decided to put the Mango Market directly next to Kata's Kookaburra Cove.

Mango Market is a quick service restaurant featuring wood-fired pizzas, chicken tenders, sandwiches and wraps. This shop has a large "grab and go" section with sandwiches and salads.

Another nice touch is the Gerber Baby Menu with 1st foods, 2nd foods, 3rd foods/graduates and juices. Banana Beach Cookout and the WaterStone Grill are the other dining options.

Walkabout Waters is an interactive family play area with water canons, slides, climbing areas and huge buckets of water that empty every few minutes. You will get soaked as the water from the buckets cascades if you don't pay attention to the warning bells. There is something here for every age group. Waterabout Waters covers a full 15,000 square feet.

For lunch on my second visit I tried the WaterStone Grill which serves hand-carved sandwiches, wraps and salads. Menus items included Cheese Steak Sandwiches, Cuban Sandwichs made with the pork cooked in open view fire grill, Southwest Wraps and Cobb Salads.

I wanted to get a Cuban Sandwich without mustard (due to my allergies). I was told this was not possible by both the woman at the carving station and another employee who checked with the kitchen. The Cuban Sandwiches are pre-made. It was about 2 pm and I was the only customer in the restaurant when I made my request, I would have thought they could have accomodated me. The lack of flexibility in the kitchen was the only negative thing I encountered in an otherwise wonderful place for lunch.

I ended up with the Cheese Steak Sandwich.

I will finish my tour of Aquatica soon with descriptions and photos of Tassie Twister, Loggerhead Lane, Walhalla Wave, Hooroo Run and Waunau Way. Now that the Cabanas have open, I will share photos and info about them too.

I would to thank everyone who has emailed me with their wonderful words about my Aquatica blog and photos. I am sorry for the delay in posting the second part of this blog but I was photographing ESPN the Weekend and took a short vacation on the Disney Wonder.

Happy Adventuring to all.

This was my kind of day! Orange County's Mayor Rich Crotty proclaimed Friday, April 4th "Permission to Play" Day in Orlando to coincide with the Grand Opening of SeaWorld's new waterpark Aquatica. Like I need anyone's permission to play, including the mayor's, but it is still nice to know he was behind me.

Celebrating the first new park to open in Orlando in eight years, Aquatica's dedication ceremony and media event began at 10 am at the beach in front of Cutback Cove.

Guests included Mayor Crotty, SeaWorld executives, Animal ambassadors, Aquatica animals and the Winners of the "most frazzled families in the U.S" contest, sponsored by Aquatica's corporate partner Southwest Airlines.

The Aquatica Drummers entertained us before the ceremony started and some the contest winners were dancing and playing the drums as well. Joining them was Chuck Cureau, Aquatica's "Ambassador of Splash" who later in the event had the honor of officially opening the park. Chuck has been with SeaWorld for over 20 years and is also an animal trainer and entertainer.

Dan Brown, General Manager and Executive VP of SeaWorld, Aquatica and Discovery Cove is an industry veteran with 32 years of theme park experience. He spoke about how Aquatica, the South Seas-inspired waterpark, features attractions from serene to extreme.

Aquatica joins sister parks SeaWorld and Discovery Cove to create a trio of immersive marine life adventures found nowhere else in the world. Mr. Brown said "We're eager to share this truly one-of-a-kind experience with our guests".

He went on to say that SeaWorld "is committed to keeping Orlando at the forefront of family vacations". With concern for guest comfort, "we will restrict the number of guests that we allow in here so those who are inside will have wonderful experience".

Dan Brown touched on the new mega-attraction set to open in 2009, "It will be the new generation of SeaWorld thrills, the attraction will combine up close animal encounters and an innovative coaster experience".

According to Joe Courceiro, Chief Marketing Officer of Busch Entertainment Corporation who I spoke with later in morning, we can expect more details on the new coaster to be announced mid-May. He also told me that Aquatica has left for expansion in the future.

Mayor Crotty took the stage next and his short speech made me proud to be an Orlando resident. He proudly said "the Jewel of SeaWorld, Aquatica is one more step in the success of making us (Orlando) the World's Playground.

Following a brief speech by Mayor Crotty, Chuck the ambassador of splash returned to the podeim and explained the story of what inspired Aquatica.

There is a legend that at one time all the oceans and seas were still much like waters here at Cutback Cove. But when children began to inhabit the world and play on their shores all that changed. As they played, they laughed and that laughter created ripples across the once still waters.

And the more they played, the more they laughed the more ripples were created. The oceans seemed to rise up as if they were saying "Hey I want to play with you too". My friends, today you can play in the ocean here at Aquatica. Now ladies and gentleman, boys and girls we invite you to lift your voices and your laughter and have some fun here today as the seas rise here at Aquatica.

Let it be known far and wide that as it has been decreed by Mayor Crotty that today April 4th be declared Permission to Play Day or as we say here at Aquatica -- KIORA.