The entire family will thrill to numerous NEW adventures launching this year at SeaWorld Orlando.
From Sesame Street characters
turned pirates, to three new sea-themed family rides and an expanded,
four-acre Shamu's Happy Harbor playground, families will enjoy a line-up
of new experiences that could only come from SeaWorld. The fun
continues even after the sun sets with a new high-energy Shamu Rocks
concert featuring an urban beat and colossal effects. Vacation moments
become lifelong memories as the shows, and even the rides, are designed
to be enjoyed together as a family.
Not wanting to be left out of
a whole year of family activities, the Shamu family of killer whales
also welcomed a new calf on March 12.
ELMO AND THE BOOKANEERS, April 2 through Labor Day Weekend
Learning to read has never
been as fun as Elmo and his Sesame Street friends combine singing and
dancing in an all-new swashbuckling pirate adventure that can only be
seen at SeaWorld Orlando.
Featuring an original musical
score, special effects and live-action performances, this 20-minute
show is sure to delight the whole family. Stars of the show include
Elmo, Bert, Ernie, Rosita, Telly Monster, Cookie Monster and Abby
Cadabby - the first new female Muppet to join Sesame Street in more than
13 years.
SHAMU'S HAPPY HARBOR EXPANSION AND RIDES, Open Memorial Day Weekend
Shamu's Happy Harbor is the
ultimate play destination for kids. This May, it doubles in size to four
acres as it launches three new family rides -- Ocean Commotion, Flying
Fiddler and Sea Carousel -- joining the three new rides added last fall.
Ocean Commotion, a
fanta-"sea" themed enormous 19-foot tug boat, will take 24 riders at a
time on a swinging boat ride, gently rocking back-and-forth and whirling
side-to-side
The Flying Fiddler, a giant,
bright-red fiddler crab with illuminated eyes that move, fills its belly
with 12 children and adults and lifts them to more than 20 feet in the
air. At the height of the moment, the Flying Fiddler begins jumping in a
vertical descent in a quick series of short drops, sure to bring elated
faces of surprise and delight.
Adding a classic element to
Shamu's Happy Harbor is an elaborate Sea Carousel - a marine-themed
masterpiece topped by a behemoth 45-foot-wide pink octopus. Riders board
a colorful collection of 65 sea creatures including giant exotic fish,
sea lions, otters, sharks and dolphins, and "float" up and down as the
carousel revolves to the sounds of the sea.
This new seaside paradise joins the 2006 new
additions to Shamu's Happy Harbor - the Shamu Express, a killer
whale-themed roller coaster; Jazzy Jellies, a jellyfish-themed samba
tower ride; and Swishy Fishies, a waterspout-themed teacup ride - as
well as four stories of nets and tunnels, a huge sand box, and a playful
pirate ship.
SHAMU ROCKS, Opens Memorial Day Weekend
Shamu Rocks is a rock n' roll
concert of unprecedented proportions combining improvisational
movements of killer whales with music remixed by some of the hottest
rock stars in the industry including Savage Garden, Cold Play, Jennifer
Lopez, Rascal Flats and Shakira.
Driven by an urban beat and
colossal effects, Shamu and a team of skilled trainers take center stage
as killer whale performances transform the arena into joyous frenzy.
Pushing the limits of a stadium performance through technical magnitude,
animal feats and creative prowess, Shamu Rocks provides guests with a
one-of-a-kind experience only SeaWorld could create.
Taking the performance to
dynamic magnitude, a 3-story tail fluke flanked by four, 20-foot-wide
rotating LED screens dominates the scene and showcases abstract visuals
that can be combined to create an 80-foot-long panoramic screen, setting
the stage for a colossal multimedia presentation. Topping that off,
nearly 100 speakers throughout the stadium, provide an optimal rock n'
roll surround-sound experience.
NEW BABY KILLER WHALE, Born March 12
Spring sprang early at
SeaWorld Orlando as the park welcomed a new baby killer whale to the
Shamu family on the 12th of March 2007. The calf's mother, Taima, gave
birth to the 6-foot-long, 350-pound newborn at 4:48 p.m. in SeaWorld
Orlando's multimillion-gallon research and breeding facility, Shamu
Stadium.
One of the most photographed
killer whales in the Shamu family, Taima is also the mother of two other
killer whales. She is 18 feet long and weighs 6,500 pounds.
SeaWorld animal care
specialists remain cautiously optimistic about the progress of the baby
and its mother. The sex of the calf is yet to be determined.
The birth of this new whale
brings the Orlando pod to nine whales, ranging in size from this
350-pound baby to a 12,000-pound male. SeaWorld's killer whale breeding
program is the most successful in the world. This calf is the 15th
killer whale born at SeaWorld Orlando and the 23rd to be born and
successfully raised throughout all three SeaWorld parks.
SeaWorld Orlando takes
families below the surface, above the waves and beyond their
expectations. More than 200 acres of up-close animal encounters,
thrilling attractions and lavish performances immerse guests in the
mysteries of the sea. Whether coming face-to-face with Shamu, petting
dolphins, counting the teeth on a shark or feeding seals and sea lions,
vacation adventures become lifelong memories at SeaWorld Orlando.
ORLANDO, Fla., March 26, 2007 /PRNewswire/ --