Worlds of Discovery is the brand name for a decidedly eclectic group of ten theme parks and water parks, located in five states scattered across the North American continent. Five of the ten parks are located in central Florida and form the subject of this book.
Unlike Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, the Worlds of Discovery family of parks faces some unique marketing challenges, starting with its thematic and geographic diversity. Even in Florida, three of the parks are in Orlando, while the other two are an hour or so away in Tampa. The brand grew partly by acquisition of existing parks with existing names and more or less established brand identities and partly by internal expansion. So to the casual observer, there is no immediately apparent connection between SeaWorld in Orlando and Busch Gardens Africa in Tampa. Or even between SeaWorld and Discovery Cove.
The Florida outposts of Worlds of Discovery also do not have the advantage of large tracts of land on which to build its own, separate “world.” All of the parks in central Florida are surrounded by and separated by public roads and other businesses over which it has no control. So they can’t stage manage the visitor experience in the same way that Universal and Disney can. Nor can they offer the sort of on-property resort experience served up at the other megaparks, although, as we shall see, nearby posh resorts offer a terrific do-it-yourself alternative.
So what holds this all together? What makes SeaWorld and the other Worlds of Discovery parks in central Florida special and distinct from Disney and Universal? In a word: animals. At SeaWorld and the other Orlando parks, that means marine animals and the watery world they inhabit. Busch Gardens Africa, of course, means the magnificent beasts of the “Dark Continent.”
In other words, the Worlds of Discovery parks celebrate the natural world and preach a subtle message about preserving it. (Animal conservation is a major beneficiary of the company’s corporate philanthropy.) That’s not to say that they neglect the fun, fantasy, and thrills aspects of the theme park experience. The parks in this book offer some of the best thrill rides in the state, indeed in the entire Southeast. Yet is the animals and the imaginative, often unique ways in which they are displayed and celebrated that set the tone.
Another thing that binds these parks together is the Worlds of Discovery system of “Passports” that allow multi-day access to several or all of the central Florida parks and, as we shall see, offer very good value for the money.
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