Aquatica will offer a South Seas decorative theme but also include animals and flora from tropical environments around the world. The park will offer 36 water slides, six pools and lagoons and an 80,000-square foot beach. The park's signature ride will be a 300-foot water slide, with a 42-foot drop, that will take riders in clear tubes through a Commerson's Dolphin habitat. (These are the black and white dolphins that SeaWorld San Diego includes in its Journey to Atlantis ride.)
More details from today's press event:
One of park's two river rides will take riders under the Commerson's Dolphin habitat and through an underwater grotto filled with tropical fish. The other river will be focused on thrills, and move four times faster than its sibling. The park's twin waves pools can be programmed, in tandem, to offer nine different wave patterns. The park's beach will offer waiters and private cabanas.
Atchison promised that the new park will have "the highest attraction capacity of any park in Florida," helping to minimize wait times.
Finally, kudos to SeaWorld for webcasting the event. Having attended many theme park press events in the past, I know that parks sink much time and money into producing these shows. Why not show them to their fans on the Web? At best, a park might get a few seconds from its event on a local evening newscast. But with Web fans around the world, especially those economically important out-of-market fans, can see the entire thing.
The waterslides that go under water look AWESOME. We probably won't try to go in the very beginning because I know it's going to be CRAZY! But knowing us, we might have to make a special trip out there just for that.
On another note, I see that Seaworld San Antonio is getting a new (and different) Journey to Atlantis Ride, and now Seaworld Orlando is getting an entire new park. I wonder when (IF) Sea World San Diego is going to add any additional attractions???
Thanks for the info.
It looks like it is going to be really incredible.
Otherwise, the park looks awesome, I have to agree. I've been pretty psyched ever since they announced that slide under the water, I must admit. Awesome, awesome, awesome. Should take some of the pressure off booking so early for Discovery Cove, too. (Well, hopefully. It could end up making it *more* popular.)
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