Redkop
February 26th, 2003, 10:04
this from the orland sientenal
Waterfront Expansion
Planned opening: May 26 (Memorial Day)
Size: 5 acres
Location: Around the large lake in the middle of the theme park.
Design: Three seaside neighborhoods reflecting the atmosphere of historic harbor towns.
Entertainment: Dozens of street performers.
Food: Restaurants to include the Seafire Inn, Rico and Rosa's Family Feast, and Voyagers Wood-Fired Pizza.
SOURCE: SeaWorld Orlando
SeaWorld Orlando plans to hire hundreds of employees by Memorial Day to staff its new "Waterfront" dining, entertainment and shopping area, park officials said Monday.
The new hires will include dozens of street performers, expanding that kind of entertainment beyond the theme park's "Key West" area for the first time.
"We're really beefing up a lot," said Jim Atchison, the park's marketing vice president.
The Waterfront area, to open May 26, is designed to give visitors more reasons to spend longer days in the park, with stays extending into the evening -- beyond the last Shamu show, Atchison said. The 5-acre area, designed to resemble old harbor towns, will include several restaurants, a bar and some shops.
"We see it as a great area for people to meet, relax and have fun," Atchison said.
The new area and its street entertainment will also give SeaWorld a way to compete after dark with Universal Orlando's CityWalk and Walt Disney World's Pleasure Island.
"This is a way for SeaWorld to slide into the nighttime-entertainment segment without building infrastructure solely for that. It's part of the existing park, so it's an enhancement for people that are already there," said Dennis Spiegel, president of International Theme Park Services in Cincinnati, a theme-park consulting firm.
Indeed, the Waterfront will differ both from CityWalk, through which guests must walk before entering Universal's two theme parks, and from Pleasure Island, which is separate from Disney's parks and charges admission.
"This could be a really fresh idea for them," said Steve Baker, an Orlando entertainment consultant and former Disney World executive. "They will offer something new that they can tweak and refresh. It's less risky than adding a $70 million ride."
Recruiting to fill the new jobs will take place at separate job fairs: one with auditions for entertainers, for three days beginning Sunday; and another for everything from engineering to restaurant help, on March 22. Both full- and part-time workers are needed.
Atchison said that, in recruiting for Waterfront's street entertainment, "We'll look for musicians, magicians and jugglers, but also for talent that guests won't expect. . . . If we come across something really good that's different, we'll take it."
The hiring will be a boon for local entertainers looking for work, said Anthony Altino, vocalist for the Orlando rock group Madhouse, which occasionally plays at CityWalk events. "There are a lot of entertainers in Orlando who are primed and ready."
Robert Johnson can be reached at 407-420-5664 or rwjohnson@orlandosentinel.com.
Waterfront Expansion
Planned opening: May 26 (Memorial Day)
Size: 5 acres
Location: Around the large lake in the middle of the theme park.
Design: Three seaside neighborhoods reflecting the atmosphere of historic harbor towns.
Entertainment: Dozens of street performers.
Food: Restaurants to include the Seafire Inn, Rico and Rosa's Family Feast, and Voyagers Wood-Fired Pizza.
SOURCE: SeaWorld Orlando
SeaWorld Orlando plans to hire hundreds of employees by Memorial Day to staff its new "Waterfront" dining, entertainment and shopping area, park officials said Monday.
The new hires will include dozens of street performers, expanding that kind of entertainment beyond the theme park's "Key West" area for the first time.
"We're really beefing up a lot," said Jim Atchison, the park's marketing vice president.
The Waterfront area, to open May 26, is designed to give visitors more reasons to spend longer days in the park, with stays extending into the evening -- beyond the last Shamu show, Atchison said. The 5-acre area, designed to resemble old harbor towns, will include several restaurants, a bar and some shops.
"We see it as a great area for people to meet, relax and have fun," Atchison said.
The new area and its street entertainment will also give SeaWorld a way to compete after dark with Universal Orlando's CityWalk and Walt Disney World's Pleasure Island.
"This is a way for SeaWorld to slide into the nighttime-entertainment segment without building infrastructure solely for that. It's part of the existing park, so it's an enhancement for people that are already there," said Dennis Spiegel, president of International Theme Park Services in Cincinnati, a theme-park consulting firm.
Indeed, the Waterfront will differ both from CityWalk, through which guests must walk before entering Universal's two theme parks, and from Pleasure Island, which is separate from Disney's parks and charges admission.
"This could be a really fresh idea for them," said Steve Baker, an Orlando entertainment consultant and former Disney World executive. "They will offer something new that they can tweak and refresh. It's less risky than adding a $70 million ride."
Recruiting to fill the new jobs will take place at separate job fairs: one with auditions for entertainers, for three days beginning Sunday; and another for everything from engineering to restaurant help, on March 22. Both full- and part-time workers are needed.
Atchison said that, in recruiting for Waterfront's street entertainment, "We'll look for musicians, magicians and jugglers, but also for talent that guests won't expect. . . . If we come across something really good that's different, we'll take it."
The hiring will be a boon for local entertainers looking for work, said Anthony Altino, vocalist for the Orlando rock group Madhouse, which occasionally plays at CityWalk events. "There are a lot of entertainers in Orlando who are primed and ready."
Robert Johnson can be reached at 407-420-5664 or rwjohnson@orlandosentinel.com.