My name is Amy, and I am a mother to two beautiful girls - Sophia (age 5) and Nora (age 3). I live in Orlando, FL with my husband, Shawn. I’m a full time working mama, so life is usually chaos in our household. Sometimes, I just want to be lost… hiding or invisible. Just to be quiet. That sounds divine.
In early April of 2008 I was invited to experience the Grand Opening one of Orlando’s newest attractions, Aquatica by Sea World. Living in Orlando, I am entrenched in the theme park culture and local happenings, and had watched the creation of the park progress for months as we drove through the tourist Mecca of Orlando. We’d heard great things about what was to come, though not being much for water parks, I didn’t know what to expect. When the invitation came through, I was excited to be a part of it to say the least. Part of the Grand Opening weekend involved entry into the other Busch theme parks in the area; Sea World, Discovery Cove and Jungala in Tampa. My family and I have held season passes to Sea World since our kids were born, and we’ve visited Busch Gardens in the past. Both parks always impressed me with their lush landscaping, and being a Busch owned company, my hubby always enjoyed the libations (free – woot!). I’d always wanted to go to Discovery Cove, but we never seemed to have the money or opportunity, until now that is. I arrived early in the day at Discovery Cove and was already impressed with the landscaping and foliage I could see from the parking lot. Being in the tropics here in Orlando, lots of fascinating plants grow freely, but the way the landscape grew up around the walkways and cut out the noise of the traffic throughout the area was beautiful and relaxing. There were also speakers transmitting lovely, peaceful ambient sounds of a tropical haven as you walked down the shaded paths. The park is pretty small and cozy, not typical for the “pack ‘em in” culture of our town. I felt like the attention given to me at the front desk was very personal and inviting, and not just because I was a VIP visitor.
The first thing my little group saw when we entered was a small hut with unusual animals. I touched a tiny ball of an armadillo there – didn’t actually see its face, but I could tell he was pretty cute. There was also a beautiful owl perched in the shaded area behind the hut. I love owls, so I was sure to get some pictures of him. 
We were then shown to the restrooms where we changed into wetsuits provided by the park. We could have chosen vests instead, but I wanted to keep the sun off and the wetsuit fit the bill. Everything was exceptionally clean and well appointed. Fresh towels were provided as well as large private changing areas. They also gave us “eco-friendly” sunscreen which stunk and made us all pasty white, but it was fine. Glad to do my part for the environment.
I had a few hours to kill before my dolphin swim, so I checked out some of the sites. My favorite part was their version of the lazy river, the tropical river swim. Usually, lazy rivers seem anything but lazy with the splashing and bumping into other revelers. This was so quiet and peaceful that I went through it twice. It flowed through the aviary so there were tons of colorful birds swooping through the air overhead. I didn’t want to leave. I also really enjoyed the coral reef area where you could snorkel with tropical fish and huge, scary looking sting rays (with their barbs removed, thank you). It is a bit intimidating if you aren’t a strong swimmer as it gets very deep in areas and you can’t touch down. But, I loved feeling like I was safe and sound while snorkeling and not having to look around for things that could eat me!
My little group then decided to have some lunch and went to visit the Laguna Grill. The food was anything but typical park-fare. I had delicious roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, sautéed veggies and salad. One of my companions had a vegetarian pasta dish, and the other enjoyed chicken fingers and fries. All of the food and drinks are complimentary, which makes the cost of the day in the park a little easier to swallow. Even beer and ice cream are free to all. Very nice.
My dolphin swim was next, and while it was kind of short, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I got up close and personal with two dolphins and got to touch, kiss and even take a ride on one as it dragged me across the little lagoon by its dorsal fin. Being a former nursing mom, I was fascinated to learn how dolphins nurse babies under water, and the trainer was really helpful in answering our questions, no matter how weird.
The aviary was very cool. I saw birds I had never seen before in my life. They were trained to come and land on your hand for a snack, and I managed to lure a few my way.
I would have loved to spend a little more time in there. I’ll never have an experience like that again, and I would highly recommend taking the trip to anyone coming to the area.The one thing I do not particularly enjoy is the cost of the adventure. Non-Florida residents pay $269 - $289 per person for the day depending on the time of year. Florida residents save $80. This price includes everything;
But, it seems pretty cost-prohibitive for the average visitor. It does serve to keep the riff-raff out though, which meant a nice and calm experience for the rest of us. Again, go if you can. It’s a great experience.
The next park I visited was Aquatica which is a brand new water slide park down the street from Sea World. The day we attended was their official Grand Opening, and it was crowded. They had a big media event with dancers and drummers, and even the mayor of Orlando. It was all very grand and exciting.
We made the mistake of choosing their main attraction, the dolphin plunge, as our first slide of the day. Due to the crowds, we ended up waiting over an hour for the 12 second ride. You are supposed to see dolphins as you slide through the see-through tubing, but I didn’t. Not the best way to start the day. But, I am happy to say that it got much better from there.
We loved the Whanau Way slides, and rode them about 5 times throughout the day. The wait time there was really short. The wave pool was fun, but my hubby isn’t a strong swimmer so we stuck to the shallow parts. Their lazy river was entertaining, but chaotic, fast moving and very un-lazy. We walked through the kids’ area, and this seemed like a perfect spot for our kids. Lots of colorful, moving parts with slides, spraying water fountains and climbing areas everywhere. We didn’t have the kids with us, but I knew we’d have never gotten them out of there. I think that area was the most impressive of all of the things we saw there. They even had little kid-friendly slides for the very little ones. Perhaps that is what sets this park apart from the rest?
Food there was pretty typical theme park food. We had hot dogs and cheeseburgers. Nothing spectacular, but it did the job. There were also tons of chairs on the beach area, but due to it being opening day we still couldn’t find one. We weren’t really into sitting still anyway.
I hadn’t been to a water slide park since I was twelve, and therefore couldn’t really compare it to any of the other bazillion water parks in town. It was fun, but it fell short of extraordinary in my opinion. Maybe it’s just not my thing though. I think we’ll wait to bring the kids there until they are both old enough to venture off by themselves and swim well without supervision. I’d go again though. Admission was fairly reasonable - $38.95 for adults, $32.95 for children aged 3-9. You could get deals if you bought your tickets along with a regular Sea World or Busch Gardens admission.
All in all, it was a fun day for my hubby and me. Should have been more vigilant about the sun screen though!
Others in my group went to visit the new park in Tampa, FL called Jungala. I wasn’t able to make the trip, but it sounded like a pretty great place. Lots of animals and nature to see. We’ll definitely make the trip out there sometime soon. I love the fact that Florida residents can pay for one day and get a season pass for the rest of the year. Kudos to the Busch companies for taking care of the locals! Admission to Jungala is $64.95 for adults, $54.95 for kids 3-9.
I really want to thank Sea World and Kristin from New Media Strategies for allowing me the pleasure of visiting their parks and for all of the VIP treatment I received. They did a wonderful job making sure I enjoyed myself, and it worked. Also, my thanks to ParentingClub.com, and Dee Dee and Rod for sending them my way. If you have any questions about my experience, or want further info on the area, I’d be happy to answer them.
