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By Jayne Clark, USA TODAY
As Orlando's theme parks and hotels rev up for summer with a crop of new attractions, advance bookings are slower than usual, tourism officials say.
"It's a little nerve-racking for them," says Gary Sain, president of Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau. "But we're cautiously optimistic because of our position as a value destination." Orlando touts itself as the nation's most visited city, with about 48 million tourists a year, although the number of leisure travelers dropped by almost 5% in 2006.
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Though some U.S. travelers may be sidelined by economic uncertainties and high gas prices, it's a buyer's market for many foreigners, particularly Europeans. And officials are hopeful those tourists, drawn by the buying power of the euro and propelled by new trans-Atlantic air service, will pick up any slack in the market. Meanwhile, the megaparks have added attractions designed to lure the been-there, done-that crowd. A snapshot of what's new: • The SeaWorld-affiliated Aquatica water park has its grand opening today. The 59-acre venue features the usual water slides, rivers and lagoons but adds a twist with wildlife encounters. The Dolphin Plunge, for instance, consists of clear, 250-foot-long tubes that visitors slide down while Commerson's dolphins ply the water around them. Also, two side-by-side wave pools can operate together or independently, and a 15,000-square-foot interactive water playground is billed as one of the world's largest. Admission: $38.95 adults; $32.95; 888-800-5447; aquaticabyseaworld.com. • A Westin hotel opened Thursday, one in a string of upscale lodgings taking shape over the next few years. Located across from the Orange County Convention Center, the Westin Imagine Orlando is the first element in a proposed 29-acre pedestrian-friendly development dubbed the Village of Imagine. Timetables and financing are still iffy for the project developed by Intrawest, North America's largest ski resort operator. Rates start at about $249 a night. 888-625-5144; westin.com. • Toy Story Mania! opens in late May at Walt Disney World Resort. People are armed with spring-action shooters on a ride inspired by carnival midway games. Characters from animated Pixar films appear in 3-D, including a 5-foot Mr. Potato Head, billed as the first "attraction-based audio-animatronics figure who can engage guests in a two-way conversation." Also new since February is Block Party Bash, a Pixar-themed traveling show on Hollywood Boulevard featuring song-and-dance performances. Admission: $71 adults; $60 children. 407-934-7639; disneyworld.com. • At Universal Studios Florida, a new ride based on The Simpsons promises to reveal a "side of Springfield previously unexplored," as envisioned by the irascible Krusty the Klown. It opens May 15. Admission: $71 adults; $60 children. (407) 363-8000; universalstudios.com.
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