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pianojohn What I do and who I am
Joined: 19 Feb 2005 Total posts: 689 |
 Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 8:43 am Post subject: Busch Gardens Announces Worlds of Discovery Resort in Dubai |
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Just got back from the BIG announcement! BEC will be building 4 parks in Dubai with the first phase set to open in 2012.
The entire project will be called Worlds of Discovery, and will consist of Sea World, Busch Gardens, Discovery Cove, and Aquatica. They are being constructed on one of the man made Palm islands. When the entire project is complete, it will resemble a giant killer whale. (See pics below!)
There were not a lot of details about the parks and what attractions would be in each one, but it looks all very exciting.
The official press release can be found here:
WORLDS OF DISCOVERY PLANNED FOR NAKHEEL’S THE PALM JEBEL ALI IN DUBAI
| Quote: | Busch Entertainment Corporation and Nakheel sign Memorandum of Understanding to develop four theme parks in the United Arab Emirates
Orlando, Fla. (Feb. 28, 2008) – Busch Entertainment Corporation (BEC), the family entertainment division of Anheuser-Busch Cos., today announced an agreement with Nakheel PJSC, one of the world’s largest property developers, to create the Worlds of Discovery – SeaWorld, Aquatica, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove – on The Palm Jebel Ali in Dubai.
Worlds of Discovery will occupy a section of The Palm Jebel Ali known as “the Crown,” which will resemble a giant killer whale when reclamation work is complete. Nakheel’s plans for The Palm Jebel Ali, currently the world’s largest man-made island, also call for the development of commercial, residential and shopping districts, as well as resort hotels and restaurants.
The Worlds of Discovery project will be phased and includes SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Discovery Cove and, the company’s newest theme park brand, Aquatica. Worlds of Discovery on The Palm Jebel Ali will also include a variety of other family activities, including resort hotels, spas, shops and restaurants.
In addition to SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, plans call for the construction of a Discovery Cove similar to the park adjacent to SeaWorld Orlando in Central Florida. Discovery Cove in Orlando is an all-inclusive, reservations only park that features a variety of animal interactions and resort experiences, most notably swimming with bottlenose dolphins, rays and exotic fish. The first Aquatica, SeaWorld’s waterpark, opened this week in Orlando.
Preliminary design work and site planning is underway, with the first phase expected to open in 2012. |
On to the pictures from today's event!
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| It's COLD here in Orlando, but I have my TPR shirt and I am ready to roll! |
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| Hmm....I may need to get a new one soon with that mileage! |
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| Had to get a pic of the Shamu bug. |
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| A couple of the local news stations were there too. |
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| My escort Melissa who showed me to my seat in the Shamu stadium. Thanks! |
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| They had the huge BELIEVE screens up and running for the big annoucement. |
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| Shamu and friend came out to get our attention! |
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| Several speakers from BEC were on hand. |
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| Nakheel is the property developer who is building the complex. They also included information about the company in the press packet. |
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| More speeches. I didn't want to put the wrong name with the wrong picture. The four speakers were Jim Atchinson and joe Couceiro from BEC, Chris O'Donnell from Nakheel, and Marwan Al Qamzi, Managing Director of The Palm Jebel Ali. |
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| The resort! This pic was taken of the big screens. The next one is from the press packet. |
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| Crowning Whale of Dubai - (Feb. 28, 2008) - Busch Entertainment Corporation (BEC), the family entertainment division of Anheuser-Busch Cos., today announced an agreement with Nakheel PJSC, one of the world’s largest property developers, to build the Worlds of Discovery – SeaWorld, Aquatica, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove – on The Palm Jebel Ali in Dubai. Worlds of Discovery will occupy a section of The Palm Jebel Ali known as “the Crown,” which will resemble a giant killer whale. |
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| Worlds of Discovery Whale-Shaped Island in Dubai – (Feb. 28, 2008) – Worlds of Discovery - SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Discovery Cove and Aquatica - will soon have a home on a whale-shaped island located on “the Crown” of The Palm Jebel Ali in Dubai. The announcement was made today by Busch Entertainment Corporation (BEC), the family entertainment division of Anheuser-Busch Cos. and Nakheel PJSC one of the world’s largest property developers. |
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| At the end, the three men came out for the finale. |
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| Desserts fit for an ACEr! |
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| On the way out, they had lots of animals for photo ops! This was was so cute! |
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| Hmm..a relation to Yeti ball? Meet Armadillo ball! |
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| Polly was about to bite my nose off! |
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| This little otter did not want to stand still for his picture! |
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_________________
John
COASTER COUNT: 423 (314 Steel, 109 Wooden) PARK COUNT: 106
Check out my music at www.cdbaby.com/dehaas2 or on iTunes!
Last edited by robbalvey on Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:41 am
Last edited by pianojohn on Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:39 am |
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| pianojohn What I do and who I am
Joined: 19 Feb 2005 Total posts: 689 |
| Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 8:45 am Post subject: |
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Some more pics from the Nakheel press packet. Like I said, there were not a lot of details provided about the BEC parks, but the whole project is immense.
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| You can get a sense of the scope of this project from this picture. |
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| The top of the palm is where Worlds of Discovery is going to be built. |
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| Another pic of the area where Worlds of Discovery will be constructed. |
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| Hmm....wonder if Kumba or Griffon will make it to the UAE? |
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_________________
John
COASTER COUNT: 423 (314 Steel, 109 Wooden) PARK COUNT: 106
Check out my music at www.cdbaby.com/dehaas2 or on iTunes!
Last edited by pianojohn on Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:43 am |
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| ginzo Bonafide Donkey Expert
Joined: 28 May 2006 Total posts: 3569 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Age: 32 Gender: Male |
| Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 8:52 am Post subject: |
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Of course they didn't answer the real question: will these parks have free beer?
Signs point to no. 
Nevertheless, a new Busch park is always a good thing.
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"Overall attendance at the park was lower than expected," |
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| OBXcoasterman I Guess Donkeys Are Okay Joined: 27 Nov 2005 Total posts: 22 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 8:58 am Post subject: |
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4 parks= yippee!
However, I'm having trouble getting over the irony of building a man made island, then putting sea creatures in tanks on that island in the ocean.
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| FeelTheFORCE Bonafide Donkey Expert
Joined: 15 Apr 2006 Total posts: 1943 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Age: 20 Gender: Male |
| Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:24 am Post subject: |
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Great Photo TR! Garmins are awesome, I have one too!
_________________
Favorite Steel: X (Six Flags Magic Mountain)
Favorite Wood: El Toro (Six Flags Great Adventure)
Last Coaster Ridden: Thunderbolt at Kennywood on August 10, 2009.
Next Park: Not until May of 2010.
Xbox Live Gamertag: Legend950 |
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| Top Thrill Dragster Bonafide Donkey Expert
Joined: 25 Dec 2005 Total posts: 1069 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:24 am Post subject: |
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I wonder what the theme for the Busch Gardens park will be.
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Apollos Chariot #1! |
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| BeemerBoy WDW Monorail Fanatic
Joined: 05 Apr 2006 Total posts: 4074 Location: North Georgia Age: 35 Gender: Male |
| Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:47 am Post subject: |
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Very nice work, John.
I'm trying really hard to be excited about this announcement, but until we hear the details about the BG park, it's all really "meh" to me. Sure, it's a bold move for BEC, and I'm sure it'll probably turn out well for 'em, but right now it just seems very "copy and paste." I hope I'm proven wrong, but I just see it as a third of what makes Central Florida unique and awesome will now also reside together in Dubai on a goofy looking man-made whale-shaped island. Yippie.
Time will tell, I guess.
_________________
The Sports Thread was updated on 9-13 by special guest larrygator, with The U.S. Open Tennis Championships, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
If loving Tom Brady and Sabermetrics is wrong, I don''t wanna be right. |
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| Hercules The Resident Vegetarian Hippie
Joined: 15 Jun 2005 Total posts: 2337 Location: Harleysville/Philadelphia, PA Age: 25 Gender: Male |
| Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:48 am Post subject: |
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| Top Thrill Dragster wrote: | | I wonder what the theme for the Busch Gardens park will be. |
Dubai?
Very nice work here. I love the pictures. I'm not too excited about the opening of this, but it is great for the company I'm sure!
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SharkTums Site Admin
Joined: 01 Feb 2005 Total posts: 15158 Location: Swimming in the Ocean Age: 28 Gender: Female |
| Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 11:06 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for covering this for us John! I love all the pics of you with the animals! And you drive an Echo!?! Robb is so proud!
I am really excited about this project. I just hope to get a better timeline at some point. When does Dubai run out of oil again? Maybe I should just wait for that year! It seems like amazing stuff is getting announced every day, yet nothing is actually done!
TPR Middle East Trip WILL happen! (unless the World ends in 2012 as being discussed on the Random board)
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| haux Donkeys are my way of life!
Joined: 07 Nov 2005 Total posts: 822 Location: Amarillo, Texas Age: 26 Gender: Male |
| Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 11:15 am Post subject: |
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Hopefully Dubai can actually sustain this park. It's growing faster than people are coming in.
_________________
I am out of ideas for what to write in this signature box.
Photo Trip Report -- More than 1,000 photos of me goofing off at amusement parks.
Voyage is the best coaster ever. |
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