Family, travel, mom blog | Theme Park Mom (Leigh Caldwell)

The CoCo Key Hotel and Water Resort opened this week in Orlando, and my family and I went to check it out. While we were there, the folks organizing the grand opening asked the Theme Park Kid to help cut the ribbon. She got to go down the pink slide.

When she got out of the water, she immediately ran up and asked, “Mom, did I win?” She thought the ribbon meant it was a race!

Though the new resort is miles away from Cinderella Castle, this property played a significant role in Disney history. I wrote a guest post about it over at The Disney Blog:

• CoCo Key Water Resort now open in Orlando

At Traveling Mamas, I shared more information on the new Sesame Street children’s area at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Have you planned your summer visit yet?

• Visit Elmo, Big Bird and Cookie Monster at Sesame Street Safari of Fun

And at Gadling:

• Are Disney’s buses dangerous?
• Walt Disney World offers free tickets for stranded European travelers
• Rare find: Cheap, tasty hotel food in Orlando
• Southwest Airlines introduces Florida-themed plane and a Florida fare sale

It’s a busy travel week for me. I will be in Lexington, Louisville, Orlando, Tampa and Austin between today and Saturday. Whew! The best way to see if I survive is to follow me on Twitter.

If you are planning an Orlando theme park vacation this spring, here are two new hotel offers that might save you some money.

CoCo Key Hotel and Water Resort

I am so excited about the April 15 opening of the new CoCo Key Hotel and Water Resort in Orlando. Today, CoCo Key is announcing a special rate of $89 for mid-week stays at the brand-new hotel, from April 15 through May 31. Standard room rates run $99-$129 per night.

As the hotel’s name shows, CoCo Key is more than a hotel. It has its own 54,000-square-foot water park with 14 water slides and play areas for children and teens. Unlimited water park access costs $19 per room, per day for hotel guests.

CoCo Key is right in between the Universal and SeaWorld theme parks on International Drive, and the hotel offers free transportation to and from these parks.

You can book a room at the special rate for Coco Key in Orlando online.

Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort

During the month of May, you can book a special package at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin to celebrate Mother’s Day.

The hotels are offering a special rate of $159 per night. If you book a stay at the special rate during any weekend in May, you will be entered to win a private, catered cruise aboard the Fan-ta-sea. One of these cruises will be given away to a lucky family each weekend.

The Swan and Dolphin hotels are in Epcot Resort Area at Walt Disney World, and guests get free transportation throughout the Walt Disney World resort, as well as other privileges such as Extra Magic Hours.

To book this “Mother May I” special, call 800-227-1500 and ask for rate code “MOTHER2.”

You can now book a room at the brand-new Coco Key Water Resort in Orlando, which opens April 15.

The resort has 386 rooms and is built for families, with dozens of options such as two-bedroom suites and rooms that connect side-to-side or back-to-back. Larger families that book adjoining rooms will get a $30 price break over the cost of two individual rooms.

And then there’s the water park! CoCo Key Water Resort will have 8 water slides, children’s play areas, a teen area and a quiet pool zone, all under a canopy.

There’s also a full-service restaurant, food court and grab and go market on the property, so plenty of options for eating.

Here’s how the pricing works: You book your hotel rooms (rates range from $99 to $149 per night), and then pay an additional $19 per day, per room resort fee, which covers unlimited access to the water park for up to four people, as well as your in-room Internet and other children’s activities at the hotel.

This new hotel and water park is centrally located on International Drive in Orlando. Coco Key will offer free transportation to and from Universal Studios Orlando, Islands of Adventure, SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica and Wet n’ Wild. It’s about a 20-minute drive away from Walt Disney World.