One of the most unique and intriguing theme park experiences in Orlando is the opportunity to swim with dolphins at SeaWorld’s Discovery Cove. Now the park offers a different kind of interactive animal experience with its Grand Reef SeaVenture attraction.

Guests are invited to wear a wet suit and put on a dive helmet to experience a scuba dive type experience to get up close and personal with 8,000 marine animals.

Following a quick training session, you’ll follow a Discovery Cove guide down a ladder and into the Grand Reef waters, kept at a chilly 77 degrees. While the compressed air helmet keeps water out and provides oxygen to breath, you’ll soon find yourself in an underwater world full of colorful fish.

Lead along the underwater handrail, guests can view sharks behind a large, clear window while the guide writes on an erasable board the different breeds of shark. Another glassed off area is filled with poisonous fish.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Grand Reef is teeming with tropical fish and other creatures such as pin-cushion sea urchins and hermit crabs. The underwater adventure lasts nearly a half hour and is open to ages 10 and older.

A limited-admission park, Discovery Cove plays host to a maximum of about 1,000 guests per day. Visitors enjoy a scenic, tropical setting with options like snorkeling, swimming, and interacting with birds in an aviary in addition to the park’s signature dolphin swim.

For more information about Grand Reef and Discovery Cove, go to http://www.discoverycove.com/. Or visit http://www.westgatereservations.com/ for details on discount Orlando vacation packages and theme park tickets.

SeaWorld Orlando’s sister park, Discovery Cove, will enjoy its first expansion when the new Grand Reef opens to the public on June 10. The new 2.5-acre artificial reef represents the first new attraction at Discover Cove since the park opened in 2000.

Guests will be able to swim and snorkel amidst about 125 species of sea life including rays, sharks and urchins - and nearly 10,000 animals in all. 

A limited-admission park, Discovery Cove plays host to a maximum of about 1,000 guests per day. Visitors enjoy a scenic, tropical setting with options like snorkeling, swimming, interacting with birds in an aviary and the park’s signature dolphin swim.

Sometime later this summer, Grand Reef will add an underwater walking tour called SeaVenture, allowing guests to wear diving helmets and enjoy up close adventures with some of the sea life. SeaVenture will cost an extra $59 per person in addition to the regular admission. For more information about Grand Reef and Discovery Cove, go to www.discoverycove.com. Or visit www.westgatereservations.com for details on discount Orlando family vacation packages and theme park tickets.

Orlando’s Discovery Cove theme park is getting ready to open an exciting new attraction in early June. The new million-gallon saltwater reef called Grand Reef” will be the first expansion at the SeaWorld Orlando sister park since its initial opening in 2000.

The 2.5-acre artificial reef will be filled with approximately 125 species of sea life, including fish, rays, sharks and urchins. Guests will be allowed to enter the reef to walk, swim and snorkel amongst the sea life.

The highlight is an underwater walking tour or “SeaVenture.” Guests wearing a 75-pound dive helmet (which weighs just 15 pounds when underwater), can follow a themed trail through the reef, encountering schools of fish.

The SeaVenture experience will be limited to guests age 10 or older and groups of no more than six people at a time. However, the attraction also comes at a cost of $59 per person in addition to regular park admission.

The Grand Reef lagoon will offer an area to view approximately 60 lion fish. The venomous lion fish is native to the Pacific Ocean; however, the Discovery Cove lion fish were collected and removed from the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico where they are considered an invasive species.

Discovery Cove maintains a limited capacity of approximately 1,000 each day, so reservations are recommended. Other park features include pristine beaches, lazy river, snorkeling with rays and tropical fish, a free-flight aviary, and at an added cost, the park’s signature dolphin swim experience. Guests also enjoy lockers, snorkel gear, breakfast, lunch, plus unlimited snacks, drinks and select alcoholic beverages.

For more information on Discovery Cove and discount tickets to Orlando’s other theme parks and attractions, go to www.westgatereservations.com.

Central Florida theme parks continue to announce new attractions. While the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is still grabbing plenty of attention at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment has announced planned new additions for two of its Florida parks.Busch Gardens Tampa will be adding a launch-style roller coaster called “Cheetah Hunt” in spring 2011. The new thrill ride will propel riders from zero to 60 mph and the 4,429-foot track will include a 130-foot drop. A mid-ride parabola will offer riders a three second sensation of weightlessness.

As part of the expansion, Busch Gardens will also add a new animal encounter named “Cheetah Run.” This unique cheetah habitat will be built alongside the coaster and provide up-close views of the animals thanks to oversized windows. The exhibit will also feature touch screen computer terminals providing cheetah information. Meanwhile, animal trainers will host sprints with the cheetahs on a daily basis, showing off their speed. As the world’s fastest land animals, cheetahs can run up to 70 mph.

Another SeaWorld Park - Discovery Cove in Orlando - is adding a new saltwater environment to its high end environment that offers up personal dolphin swim encounters.

Slated to open June 2011, the new addition, called “Grand Reef” is an interactive exhibit with a white sand beach, palm-lined island and a series of underwater grottos filled with moray eels, reef sharks and tropical fish. Guests will be able to snorkel with eagle rays and cross a rope bridge over a lagoon filled with sharks.

Another component that will be added is an underwater walking tour called “SeaVenture.” For an added cost, and wearing special dive helmets, guests can walk submerged paths with views of lion fish and sharks, visible through panoramic windows.

For more information on Discovery Cove, Busch Gardens and other Orlando attractions, visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com. Or go to www.WestgateReservations for details on discount theme park tickets and Orlando vacation packages.

As the theme park capital of the world, Orlando is home to the likes of Mickey Mouse, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Shamu. But one Orlando theme park is very different from the rest - Discovery Cove.SeaWorld’s sister park, Discovery Cove offers up an once-in-a-lifetime experience. And it’s all part of a serene and beautiful park setting that provides the utmost in relaxation.

While the crowds can be overwhelming at many theme parks, Discovery Cove limits its number of guests each day in a park that offers everything from sandy beaches and tropical bird aviaries to snorkeling and a lazy river. A Discovery Cove visit also includes breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks throughout the day.

But a day at Discovery Cove also offers up something else; an opportunity to experience a one-on-one dolphin encounter. Accompanied by a trainer, groups of six to eight guests wade into shallow water and become acquainted with their dolphin through hugs, kisses and rubdowns. Then, taking the adventure one step further, guests interact with their dolphin in deeper water for an exciting dorsal fin tow ride back to shore.

This amazing dolphin experience is now part of an amazing Orlando weekend getaway package also featuring a personal concierge, VIP welcome party, Arabian Nights Dinner show, a full day at SeaWorld Orlando OR Aquatica by SeaWorld water park, and a four-night stay in a spacious two-bedroom villa at the luxurious Westgate Lakes Resort & Spa.

Ideally located just minutes from Orlando’s best theme parks and attractions, Westgate Lakes is a lush tropical paradise that boasts a scenic lakefront setting, luxuriously appointed villas, full-service health spa, the Smokehouse Grill restaurant, eight swimming pools and a full schedule of family activities.

For more information on this discount Orlando getaway and the dolphin interaction at Discovery Cove, please visit http://www.ownerevents.com/.