SeaWorld Orlando announced Friday that it is adding five temporary pools to help save manatees that are dying of starvation off the coast of Florida.

"The pools will enable existing manatees that are stabilized and ready for rehabilitation to be moved from critical care to the emergency pools, freeing up more space for new rescues," SeaWorld Orlando stated in a press release.

Construction on the pools is expected to be completed in the next two weeks.

As ocean waters warm because of climate change, the grass and seaweed the creatures eat are dying off. Because of that, many manatees are starving to death.

The theme park says it's the only rehabilitation facility in Florida currently able to take in critically ill manatees.

Since the start of October 2021, researchers have documented at least 1,000 manatee deaths. That’s more than any other year on record.

The theme park industry has quite a few attractions in the works that will debut next year.

Many were put on pause because of COVID-19, but 2022 is when they're scheduled to open.

Walt Disney World

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser

"It's a different opportunity to be totally immersed in the world of Star Wars,” theme park expert Ricky Brigante said.

Brigante says it’s more than a hotel. It’s a journey.

“It will be like checking into a hotel but in outer space. They will get an introduction. They will get acquainted with life in a luxury star cruiser,” Brigante said.

Guardians of the Galaxy (EPCOT)

This roller coaster will be fully enclosed.

“Disney is no stranger to roller coasters. They have Space Mountain which is a fully indoor roller coaster but this one will be quite unique. It'll use modern-day technology, the vehicles are gonna actually rotate around and move through show scenes,” Brigante said.

SeaWorld

Unnamed roller coaster

“It's going to have the steepest vertical drop in Florida... a 100-degree drop so it's going to be quite frightening. It also has four launches, both forward and backward, so it's going to be a multidirectional thrill ride,” Brigante said.

Legoland Florida Resort

Peppa Pig attraction

Legoland Florida Resort will open a new attraction featuring Peppa Pig, a popular British cartoon character.

“It will have rides and shows and character interactions... play areas... great for the little kids,” Brigante said.

Also intense, the competition for your entertainment dollars.

Watch the video above for the full story.

Walt Disney World Resort is ringing in its 50th anniversary Friday, as families vacation to the park and think ahead to holiday travel plans. 

"I'm very excited for the 50th," said Doris Stanley. 

Stanley is a self-proclaimed Disney enthusiast. She and her son are regulars at the park. Now the local family planned to visit for the celebration once more. 

"I have a 7-year-old son and it's really wonderful to watch him experience it. So you kind of get to experience it again through the eyes of a child," Stanley said. "We love going and it feels like we're home." 

From home to destinations, travel experts say thinking ahead is a must.

"We're expecting it to be incredibly busy. We're expecting about 2-2.5 times as many travelers as went through TSA checkpoints in 2020," said Adit Damodaran, an economist at Hopper.

Hopper's Holiday Travel Guide report says the number of people screened through TSA increased to about 80 percent of 2019 levels this summer and has tapered off at about 77 percent. It recommends booking holiday flights before Halloween.

"So definitely beach destinations seem quite popular but if you look at the ones that have trended up the most since 2019 in search popularity it seems like ski resorts might also be very popular here," said Damodaran.

The report finds the most booked destination for Thanksgiving and Christmas is Orlando. 

"Will the theme parks continue their sort of destination dominance this holiday season? It's likely but we just don't know yet," said AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross. 

Newsy turned to AAA to learn more. 

"We can't say with any certainty how many are going to be traveling but we can assume folks will be traveling and probably the vast majority of those folks will be traveling by car," said Gross.

Their survey found more than half of Americans are planning a vacation before the end of next year, with around one-third of travelers saying they're more likely to buy travel insurance for trips between now and the end of 2022. AAA recommends looking for policies that have a 'cancel at any time option' for more flexibility. The curveball is still COVID.

"Prepare and pack your patience number one," Gross said."Go to the websites and see what kinds of restrictions are in place see if there are opportunities to go at those off-hours when they might be a little less crowded."

The rules vary from place to place with cleaning and other measures. 

In Florida, SeaWorld Orlando and Universal Orlando Resort encourage face coverings indoors, Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland require them inside, while Universal Studios Hollywood mandates them outside, too.

"We're just cautious. We socially distance we wear our mask and we just try to do our part," said Rachelle Murphy.

Murphy planned to travel from Alabama to Disney with her son and family. 

"I'm really excited to experience that with him. So I'm most excited to do that with him and to always have those memories to be able to talk to him about it," said Murphy. 

Memories to hold on to for people near and far.

This story was first reported by Haley Bull on Newsy.com.

Related video above: Close-up footage of a baby orca

The youngest orca at SeaWorld San Diego died at the animal theme park from an illness, leaving those who cared for her heartbroken.

On Wednesday, Amaya, the 6-year-old orca, started showing signs of an illness so animal care specialists and veterinarians began treating her, SeaWorld said in a statement.

Almost 24 hours later, SeaWorld said, she died with her animal care specialists by her side.

"Despite her care team's efforts, Amaya's condition continued to decline rapidly. Her death was sudden and unexpected," SeaWorld said.

The name Amaya means "night rain," the website said, and credited the young whale with helping SeaWorld "gather and share critical information about calf development for researchers studying wild populations."

The exact cause of death is unknown but a post-mortem exam is being done and results may take several weeks, according to SeaWorld.

Amaya lived at SeaWorld with her mother and father — Kalia and Ulises, according to the theme park's website. She was said to be one of the most playful whales in the pod and loved interacting with her animal care specialists.

The death comes several years after SeaWorld announced it was ending its orca breeding program in 2016 amid criticism about how it treated the orcas in captivity. The 2013 CNN documentary film "Blackfish" highlighted the issue, telling the story of a SeaWorld trainer killed by the 12,000-pound orca Tilikum in 2010.

The orcas in SeaWorld's care are the last generation of the mammals to be enclosed at the water parks, the company said in 2016. SeaWorld said it was moving away from theatrical killer whale shows and moving toward educational programs.

SeaWorld San Diego now has nine orcas in its care. CNN has reached out to SeaWorld for more information on its captive orca program.