Discovery Cove plans new saltwater reef attraction in Orlando

SeaWorld Orlando’s Discovery Cove is known as the place where you can swim with the dolphins, but starting in 2011, visitors will be able to swim among sharks, tropical fish and other sea life, as well.

The theme park has not made an official announcement about the reef, but it did confirm the project to the Orlando Business Journal.

The 875,000-gallon saltwater reef project will also include a nature trail, so that visitors can interact with sea life while on dry land, too. Construction permits show that material costs for the project have already exceeded $17 million.

Discovery Cove’s marquee experience is semi-private time to swim and interact with a dolphin. In addition, the Orlando, Florida, park offers an aviary, beaches, a tropical reef and a lazy river.

The price tag for a day at Discovery Cove starts at $199, and all tickets are all-inclusive, which means all your food and drink and other amenities, such as towels, lockers, sunscreen, snorkeling equipment and parking are included.

Only 1,000 guests per day are allowed in Discovery Cove, so it’s essential that you make a reservation in advance.

67 Days of Smiles Assignment Begins

Orlando’s “67 Days of Smiles Assignment” has begun. Kyle Post, a Broadway performer, and Stacey Doombos, a childcare worker in Harlem, have hit the ground and are getting ready to experience everything. The duo won the gig after competing against hundreds of applications from more than a dozen countries. Now, they will take on more than 100 attractions in a little over two months.

Their first assignment is to train animals at Discovery Cove, followed by VIP treatment at Hard Rock Live. Throughout the first week, they’ll wrestle alligators at Gatorland, take a tour of downtown Orlando (my favorite part of the city, to be honest – I hope they stop to visit Charley Keila at the City Arts Factory) and sit down with Mayor Buddy Dyer. They’ll also be among the first to ride Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit at Universal Studios.

“We’ve been counting down every day until we start our 67 day adventure in Orlando,” said Kyle Post. “The suspense of not knowing what we will be doing is killing us, but if Day One is any indication of our 67 Day experience, then we are two of the luckiest people in the world.”

During their stay in Orlando, Post and Doombos will crash in a two-bedroom condo downtown, not far from Lake Eola and chronicle their experiences by blogging and tweeting. I’m pretty excited to see how this turns out.

Check out their application video after the jump.