Posted on

KareKare Curl Update

Hey Thrill Seekers,

We’ve got new attractions and updates coming out of our ears at the moment! But we’re not complaining!!

***UPDATE***
KareKare Curl is opening on the 12th April 2019!

It looks as though Aquatica’s newest raft ride is going to be open soon enough! Aquatica have posted some pics showing that KareKare Curl slide pieces have arrived and the new slide is starting to really come together. 😀

“KareKare” means “waves”, here at Aquatica and when combined with “Curl” meaning in a curved shape – this new ride could be described as a “curve shaped wave” which riders will experience when climbing the vertical wave wall. “


KareKare Curl is a 2 person raft ride which will have a weightless feel about it.

Let’s take a look at how its all starting to take shape..


Aquatica was recently voted the top water park in the U.S. via a national poll and with last years introduction of Ray Rush and now the plans for KareKare you can see why!

Can’t wait to try this one out.

Smiles Included,

Abby

Posted on

Teresa’s day at Aquatica

Hey Thrill Seekers,

During her recent trip to Orlando to visit everything SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment has to offer in Orlando Teresa done a daily blog, check out this one from her day at Aquatica which was recently voted as the best Water Park in a national poll!

Find out how her experiences were different both times she rode Ray Rush – Aquaticas newest slide, how she nearly lost her contact lenses and have a giggle at her trying to pronounce some of the slides. 😉

Teresa has also just confirmed to me that because of this miserable weather we’re having, she’s wishing more than ever that she was back chilling at Aquatica. Me too!

Smiles Included,

Jess

Posted on

Aquatica Confirms New KareKare Curl Attraction

Hey Thrill Seekers,

SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment are on a bit of a tear at the moment, not only have the officially launch Infinity Falls today but they’ve also announced a new trill ride is heading to Aquatica in 2019.

KareKare Curl is a 2 person raft ride which will have a weightless feel about it.

Here’s what SeaWorld said;

In 2019, Aquatica will become the most thrilling waterpark in Florida with the opening of new thrill slide: KareKare Curl. Holding two passengers per raft, this new slide delivers a high-adrenaline, weightless adventure. The addition of KareKare Curl will make Aquatica Orlando the thrill leader among Florida waterparks, with more high-thrill rides than any other.

Aquatica was recently voted the top water park in the U.S. via a national poll and with this years introduction of Ray Rush and now the plans for KareKare you can see why!

2019 looks like its going to be a great year to visit Orlando!

Smiles included…

Jamie

Posted on

What can we expect from the SeaWorld parks in the next couple of years?

Hey Thrill Seekers,

Lets take a look at all of the confirmed and rumoured attractions coming to the SeaWorld parks (SeaWorld, Aquatica and Busch Gardens) in the next few years!

What? Infinity Falls Where? SeaWorld When? 2018

This was supposed to open in summer this year however we are still patiently awaiting the chance to be able to ride this awesome raft attraction! It’s going to feature the worlds tallest river rapid drop of 40ft!

What? Tigris Where? Busch Gardens Tampa When? 2019

We cannot wait for this new coaster!  It’s going to be Florida’s tallest launch coaster and will feature a TRIPLE LAUNCH with both forward and backward motions.

What? Sesame Street Land Where? SeaWorld When? 2019

Sesame Street is set to transport  guests into the colourful and creative world of Sesame Street through immersive theming, character interactions and interactive play.

What? new coaster Where? SeaWorld When? 2020 (rumour)

There are lots of rumours flying around that SeaWorld’s next big attraction is going to be a coaster (first once since Mako which opened in 2016) the coaster is rumoured to be similar to Wave Breaker Coaster at San Antonios SeaWorld! If this one is true then i’m all for it!

What? Gwazi revamp Where? Busch Gardens Tampa When? 2020

When Busch Gardens announced Tigris the other day they also let slip a little secret which is that Gwazi is going to be revamped into a ride that will make you want to ‘hold on to your seats’ Yippeeee!

What? water coaster Where? Aquatica When? 2020

Water Country USA Williamsburg is building a brand new water coaster for 2019 called Cutback. Behind The Thrills have said that the slide is said to be making it’s way to Orlando, with a much tighter and quicker footprint. Instead of huge sprawling track, it will double on itself and be located in between the two wave pools. :O

SeaWorld really know how to bounce back don’t they! I hope the rumours are true too!

Smiles Included,

Abby

Posted on

Construction of Ray Rush is in Full Swing

Hey Thrill Seekers,

I’m extremely excited about Ray Rush which is opening in the Spring of 2018 and yesterday Aquatica uploaded some construction pics, lets take a look..

As we can all see, the primary colours of the slide are blues and greens – sticking with the ocean animal theme of rays.

Lots of parts ready and waiting to become a piece of Ray Rush!

I can see parts that look like pizza slices in the right side of this photo, I wonder what part of the slide they will be home too…     I’m  not sure if the guy on the right is taking the photo or scratching his head as to say ‘I’ve left the instructions at home Dave’

Here we can see that Hooroo Run is no more so that we can make way for Ray Rush which will now be next to Walhalla Wave on the left hand side of the photo and is closed until Ray Rush opens in Spring.

Who’s excited for this to open?! If you can’t remember what Ray Rush is going to look like then see below..

Triple your fun with the three-in-one thrills of Ray Rush, new at Aquatica Orlando. Ray Rush is the fully-loaded water adventure with three ways to slide, splash and soar like never before. First, water jets launch your raft from zero to awesome in just seconds. Your adventure takes a twisting turn as you spin inside a colossal water sphere. Finally, dive into the giant manta wings, swooping up and down a different path each time. Fill your raft with family and friends for three times the thrills on the exciting Ray Rush at Aquatica, SeaWorld’s waterpark.

It looks and sounds awesome!

Smiles Included,

Abby

Posted on

New Ray Rush Ride To Open At Aquatica Orlando

Hey Thrill Seekers,

We’ve previously speculated on OAT Live about a new ride coming to Aquatica and this morning SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment have confirmed that we were spot on.

The new ride will be called Ray Rush and will be a family raft ride where visitors will travel through tubes and transparent spheres before encountering an open-air half pipe shaped like a manta ray.

Ray Rush will be the only water ride in Florida to offer a water jet propel system which will launch riders (4 at a time) at 33 feet per second. It will have a height requirement of 42”.

“Ray Rush will offer a ride experience you won’t be able to get anywhere else in Florida. Aquatica will be the first waterpark in the state to combine these three unique elements into one attraction” said Cathy Valeriano, Aquatica Orlando vice president. “Ray Rush is the perfect addition to our attraction portfolio, complementing what is already one of the most family-friendly waterslide lineups in Orlando.”

Ray Rush will replace HooRoo Run which will close permanently Oct. 31. The new ride will take off from the same existing tower as Walhalla Wave, which will shut down temporarily after Oct. 31. It will reopen with the launch of Ray Rush.

Aquatica are confident that Ray Rush will open Spring 2018.

Smiles included…

Jamie

Posted on

Abby’s Pre-Orlando Adventure

Hey Thrill Seekers,

Its nearly time…….

If you watch our bi-weekly Facebook Lives you’re bound to know that i’m due to go on a ‘Super Fam’ trip and in particular, how excited I am about it! Well it’s time and i’m finally leaving tomorrow to embark on what is sure to be the best trip EVER.

If you follow our Facebook or Instagram accounts you’ll be seeing loads of videos and photos from yours truly over the next week including all things Disney, Universal and SeaWorld. Before I start packing (yes I know I’ve left it very last minute) I thought I would give you guys a run-down of what my trip is going to involve.

Soooo.. I arrive in Orlando at 5pm -ish on Sunday and by 9.30pm i’ll be at Universals Halloween Horror Nights!! Nothing like throwing us in at the deep end aye?! I’m absolutely terrified but also mega, mega excited for this (I do feel sorry for the people who are going to have to keep picking me up off the floor in the houses though) The house i’m most excited for is SAW: The Games of Jigsaw, SAW hasn’t featured at HHN for 8 years now and i’m pretty eager to see what’s going to be involved this time around.

For the first few days i’m going to be staying at Universals Cabana Bay Beach Resort which I’ve heard is very nice indeed. 😛 On my first full day i’ll be visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley, Hogsmede Village and Universal Studios. I’m absolutely buzzing to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – I’ve heard so many amazing things about it and I just can’t wait to see it all for myself and i’m especially excited for  Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts™.

On to the next day.. On this day I will be visiting Volcano Bay in the morning and Universals Islands of Adventure in the afternoon, woooo!!! I can’t wait to ride Krakatau™ Aqua Coaster and teeny bit scared to do Ko’okiri Body Plunge™ I feel like this is going to be a fantastic morning and I can’t wait to get loads of snaps of the Volcano! For Islands of Adventure I’ve been warned not to wear white tops or any denim and this is because i’m bound to get ABSOLUTELY SOAKED on the water rides.. Hopefully it’s a warm day (oh I forgot to mention, the weather forecast for next week is BEAUTIFUL.) Oh i’m also very eager to ride The Incredible Hulk Coaster We have a surprise evening with Universal on this day and i’m super excited to see what this is going to be, of course, i’ll keep you updated!

Day 4 is the day i’m most excited about… anyone who knows me will understand why. Ever since I can remember, I’ve wanted to swim with a dolphin and now i’m lucky enough to have the opportunity to do it YAY!!! If you haven’t guessed already, i’ll be visiting Discovery Cove in the morning. I’m not going to lie there will probably be some tears buy hey, who cares it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity! After Discovery Cove i’ll be travelling over to Busch Gardens where I cannot wait to ride all the big coasters and ALL of the pressure is on me to ride Falcons Fury.. i’ve got this!

On day 5 i’ll be visiting SeaWorld in the Morning , Aquatica in the afternoon and back to SeaWorld for the evening! 😉 Very excited to ride Manta and Mako at SeaWorld as everyone in the offices always raves about how good they are. Especially excited to be lucky enough to ride them in the dark also! Psyching myself up for Ihu’s breakaway falls at Aquatica!

I’ll be staying over night at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, ready for day 6.. On day 6 i’ll be visiting EPCOT in the morning and Animal Kingdom in the afternoon. Can’t wait to visit all of the different countries at EPCOT and i’m so buzzing for Pandora – The World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom, the reviews i’ve read about Avatar – Flight of Passage have all been great so I cannot wait to experience it for myself too.

On the 7th Day i’ll be off to Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom, I am really looking forward to seeing Cinderella’s Castle, meeting all of the characters and getting to experience the iconic rides and attractions such as The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. I also hope I get to watch Happily Ever After, could possibly shed a tear or two here as well!

On my last day I get to go SHOPPING at the Orlando International Premium Outlets and the Florida Mall, I’ve got all my pennies saved up for this I’m just hoping i’ll have enough room in my suitcase!! After that it’s home time 🙁 🙁

Only 1 more sleep to go and i’ll finally be off!! If you would like to follow my action packed week make sure you keep checking our Facebook and Instagram as i’ll be trying to post as much and as often as possible.

See you all soon!!

Smiles Included,

Abby

 

Posted on

Do You Really Mean All The Parks?

Hey Thrill Seekers,

A lot of our customers ask for a ticket that includes ‘all of the parks’ without realising how many parks there actually are. Ticket purchasing can become quite complicated when you aren’t aware of all the parks and attractions, especially if you’re a first timer. We have ‘The Big Three’, Disney, Universal and SeaWorld but there is so much more!

Let’s take a look at the big three first.

Walt Disney World actually consists of 6 parks in total, 4 theme parks, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and 2 water parks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. All of our Disney tickets include all 6 of these parks, we do not offer single day or single park tickets.

Disney’s Magic Kingdom is the park to explore lands of endless enchantment, where your fantasy becomes a reality. 

Disney’s Epcot allows you to travel around the globe, under the sea, into outer space…and beyond!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will amaze you, behold the magic of nature with rare animals and world-class entertainment.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios puts you smack bang in the middle of the action, take center stage in the world of movies, television, music and theater.

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon is a storm ravaged tropical bay while Disney’s Blizzard Beach is a melting ski resort.

Disney

Moving onto Universal now with their 2 theme parks, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. These 2 parks are joint together using The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the Hogwarts Express. You must have a hopper ticket to ride the Hogwarts Express, which is of course, what we offer! 🙂

Tip: Ride the Hogwarts Express both ways to encounter two completely different experiences. 😉

Universal Studios is where you can jump into the action of your favourite movies and TV shows’. At the back of the park you will find yourself in Diagon Alley.

Universal’s Islands of Adventure is where you can live the adventure. Towards the back of this park you will be in Hogsmeade.

Universal’s Volcano Bay is the newest park which is due to open on the 1st June 2017. Water is life. Life is joy. 

universal

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment have a total of 4 parks including SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Discovery Cove.

SeaWorld Orlando has a mixture of thrill rides, family rides and animal interactions. SeaWorld rescue a lot of animals from the wild to treat them and then release them back into the wild.

Aquatica is SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment’s water park which is themed to the Southern Pacific and features Australian and New Zealand mascots that you can spot relating to each attraction.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is about an hour out of Orlando but so worth the journey! The 19th century African themed park is also, like SeaWorld, a mixture of the thrill and family rides as well as the animal encounters. All of the SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is suitable for all the family.

Tip: We offer these parks at an amazing 3 parks for the price of 2 offer which entails free parking!

Discovery Cove is an amusement park where guests can completely relax with an all inclusive day and have the choice to ‘talk, touch, play and swim with bottlenose dolphins’.

There are 2 Discovery Cove packages available, 1 including 14 days into SeaWorld and Aquatica and our Ultimate package including 14 days into SeaWorld, Aquatica and Busch Gardens.

Tip: You can make the most of the free parking with our Ultimate Package as well. 😉

SW

LEGOLAND Florida & Merlin Attractions is next up. LEGOLAND Florida has their theme park and their water park – great fun for all the family. As well as Legoland, Merlin also have I-Drive 360 which is made up of The Orlando Eye, Madame Tussauds and SEALIFE Orlando.

lego

We offer a number of different ticket options for these attractions, so if you don’t necessarily want to visit all of them, you can take your pick!

If you’re looking to visit some of Florida’s more alternative attractions, you won’t be at a loose end as there are so many options!

Kennedy Space Center

Fun Spot

Gatorland

Boggy Creek – 30 minute

Boggy Creek – 1 hour

WonderWorks

Orlando Magic

So if you were stuck for ideas, I hope you’re not anymore! All of these attractions are available on our website and any questions you have, you can contact us to find out more!

Smiles Included…

Louise

banner-oat-new (00000002)

Posted on

SeaWorld And Aquatica Introduce New Photo Entry System

Hey Thrill Seekers,

You stroll up, you scan your Orlando Attraction Tickets gate ready ticket, you pop your finger in the biometric scanner and in you go…

Well not anymore, in a move to speed up the admission process and eliminate the potential for theft by protecting the ticket from being used by another person SeaWorld and Aquatica are introducing a new photo entry system.

This will involve guests having their picture taken at the entry gates and it, in turn being linked to the unique barcode on their admission ticket. The photo will then appear on all following visits to the parks upon presenting their ticket for entry. This will replace the finger print scan previously used.

seaworld entry

Why the change to a new process?
This new process will allow our Ambassadors to focus  more on our guests’ arrival experience by speeding up  the entry time into the park. A smoother process and
shorter wait equals more time for our guests to enjoy  the park.

How does this new process work?
You will start to see our front gate Ambassadors using new handheld devices to scan tickets and Passes. Upon  the guest’s fist visit, a photo will be taken and stored
for future visits. We request no hats or sunglasses be  worn for accurate identification. This new entry system  will replace the process that required use of the guest’s  index finger.

Which tickets or Passes require the photo?
Photos are required for all Annual Passes, Fun Cards,  and multi-day tickets. Photos are not currently required  for single-day tickets.

Why is a photo required?
The photo is used to verify the guest with their ticket  product, which will eliminate the potential for theft by  protecting your Annual Pass or ticket from being used  by another person.

Does my child need to have their photo taken?
Parent permission is needed for our team to take your  child’s photo. Your child’s photo would be stored locally  and retrieved only upon park entry. If you do not wish to  have your child’s photo taken please inform our team.

What if I decline having my photo taken?
You can choose to bypass having your photo taken.  Instead, you would need to show a photo ID each time  you enter the park. Guests under the age of 14 do not  need to present a photo ID.

Will the photo be printed on my Pass?
No. The photo will be used for internal use only and is  designed to verify the Pass Member or multi-day ticket  holder when they enter the park. It will not require a  new Pass or ticket to be printed.

When will this change take place?
The transition will occur late 2016 through early 2017.

Smiles included…

Jamie

banner-oat-new (00000002)

Posted on

Aquatica’s Top Attractions 2016

Hey Thrill Seekers,

I’m going to be taking a look into what you guys have voted as your favourite attraction of 2016 for each individual park. Starting with Aquatica.

Drum roll please….

Its the worlds longest drop tower multi-slide.. Ihu’s Breakaway Falls! The 80 ft tall, vertical slide doesn’t seem to have phased any of you thrill seekers as it has been voted as the favourite attraction in Aquatica.

ihu's

This attraction boasts 4 different slides each with its own steep and very very high 360 degree spiral. You will need to prepare to be unprepared as once you step foot into of of the ‘breakaway boxes’ you have accepted your fate and will not know when you are going to drop vertically at a rate of 20 – 24 feet per second! If the fear of the unknown is too much for you to handle then you will always have to option to choose the fourth slide which will allow you to choose exactly when you drop – I think I would find it more difficult trying to force myself to push the button!

Second Place: Roa’s Rapids – four times faster than your average river rapids this definitely isn’t a ‘lazy’ river. Look out for the geysers and waterfalls!

Third Place: Dolphin Plunge – This 250 foot Slide consists of clear tubes immersed in a Commerson’s dolphin habitat where you can race with the dolphins as you whizz through the slide!

aquatica_dolphin_plunge_2dolphins_rgb-2-

Fourth Place: Hooroo Run & Walhalla Wave – This 6 storey triple drop water slide is 7 foot wide and 250 foot high! This slide is sure to be a thrilling experience.

Fifth Place: Walk About Waters – Absolutely perfect for the kiddies! With plenty of water cannons, slides and rides your kids will be entertained for hours.

I can see why Ihu’s Breakaway Falls would be the favourite slide at Aquatica due to the extremely high thrill factor and the sense of achievement you feel once your wobbly legs carry you out of the ‘landing area.’ Good choice guys!

Smiles Included..

Jess
banner-oat-new (00000002)