Before we wade into SeaWorld and its sister parks, let’s get our toes wet with some Orlando theme park history: Orlando’s transformation into a tourist mecca began with the arrival of Walt Disney World, which opened near Orlando in 1971 as a new, improved version of California’s Disneyland. With the luxury of 43 square miles in which to expand, the new park quickly eclipsed its West Coast namesake. Three more theme parks followed the Magic Kingdom — Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. For good measure, Disney threw in a couple of water parks, a slew of themed resorts, and a sprawling shopping and entertainment district.
In 1990, Universal Studios opened Universal Studios Florida. Like Disney World, it was an outpost of a California original. It quickly became Orlando’s number-two attraction. In 1999, Universal Studios Florida almost literally exploded, adding another theme park, a nighttime entertainment district and three superb resort hotels; in the process, it was renamed Universal Orlando. For the first time, Walt Disney World had competition worthy of the name and Orlando had its second multi-park, multi-resort, multi-activity, all-in-one, never-need-to-leave-the-property vacation destination.
Now something similar is happening with a trio of water-themed Orlando parks — SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, and Aquatica — that are part of the Worlds of Discovery family of theme parks. These are not all new parks, of course. SeaWorld opened in 1973, Discovery Cove in 2000, and Aquatica debuted in 2008. What is new is a growing awareness by the traveling public that these parks, along with another Worlds of Discovery park, Busch Gardens Africa in nearby Tampa, offer yet another opportunity for a multi-park, themed vacation experience. Each park is different, each has its own particular allure, yet all of them fit comfortably within the same “brand personality.” Consumers see “Disney” and “Universal” as single brands comprising multiple parts; they are looking at Worlds of Discovery in much the same way.
Worlds of Discovery has encouraged this trend by offering multi-park ticket options (park hoppers, if you will) to encourage visitors to spend more time with their family of parks. This guidebook hopes to provide further encouragement by showcasing the special attractions of these parks to a wider audience.
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