DISCOVERY COVE FLORIDA
by Paula Hughes Court
There’s two things you need to know about Discovery Cove Orlando.
One, it’s expensive at $229 per person for the all-inclusive package,
and two, it’s worth every penny. The park limits attendance to 1,000
guests per day so there are no lines or crowds. Discovery Cove
takes the thrill of interacting with animals to a new level, allowing
guests to play in paradise with dolphins, hand-feed exotic birds,
snorkel with thousands of colorful tropical fish, and swim with
stingrays.
DISCOVERY COVE FLORIDA TICKETS
If you want to visit Discovery Cove in the summer, call the park
months in advance to make a reservation. Since the park’s
attendance is limited, reservations can be difficult to get. Also be
aware that Discovery Cove is very popular with guests from the
United Kingdom so even off-season dates for U.S. schools (for
instance mid-October) can be sold out.
NOT AN ORDINARY ORLANDO THEME PARK
Once you arrive at Discovery Cove Orlando, you’ll be checked-in at a
reception desk, photographed for your I.D., handed a bag full of
snorkel equipment, sunscreen and towels, given a reserved time for
your dolphin, photographed again for your free 5 x 7 portrait, and
taken on a short private tour. After the tour is over, the fun begins and
you’re faced with the most difficult decision. What to do first? If you’re
visiting with very small children or an elderly person, grab a shaded
cabana for the day. Otherwise, there is an ample supply of lounge
chairs around all areas of the park.
TROPICAL RIVER LAGOON
A heated tropical river flows through most of Discovery Cove. The
river meanders through caves, under waterfalls and past the aviary.
Be forewarned: by the time the signs warn you of the sudden depth
drop-off a few yards past the cave, the fast current of the water
catches you up and it’s difficult to get out. Even though all guests are
required to wear a flotation vest at all times, small children should
always take a flotation pole with them through the tropical river. The
majority of the river is very deep and there are limited spots to climb
out. It can be exhausting for small children (and adults!) to swim
around the entire lagoon.
CORAL REEF
Experience some of the best snorkeling of your life at Discovery
Cove’s coral reef. You’ll see thousands of colorful tropical fish as
you swim among huge, though gentle, stingrays. Children enjoy the
thrill of staring down dangerous barracudas and sharks inches
away through invisible plexiglass walls.
FREE FLIGHT AVIARY
This area is a dream come true for bird lovers. The aviary houses
over 200 tropical birds, including a giant Toucan, Kookaburras, and
the crowd favorite, gorgeous Sun Conures. If you want to feed the
birds, head here first while they’re still hungry.
STINGRAY LAGOON
Here you can wade into the water to pet and feed gentle stingrays.
Don’t worry their barbs have been trimmed so they’re harmless.
When you feed them, remember to keep your palms flat so they won’
t grab one of your fingers by mistake.
DOLPHIN ENCOUNTER AT DISCOVERY COVE FLORIDA
The highlight of everyone’s visit is the dolphin encounter. First you’ll
meet at your assigned cabana for instructions. Then you’ll head to
the water with at least two trainers and a group of less than 8 other
guests. After learning how trainers use hand signals and meeting
the dolphin, each guest will have an opportunity to swim out into
deep water for the most exciting part of the day-being towed back to
shore by a 450-lb bottlenose dolphin. This is what Discovery Cove is
all about, and it’s worth the money for a once-in-a-lifetime
experience. Note: the water in the dolphin lagoon is chilly, when they
say temperature-controlled, they mean it's kept cool for the dolphins.
After the encounter, you'll be ushered straight to a cabana to view
photos and a videotape of your swim. This is the only negative I
found at Discovery Cove. We were shivering from cold (we visited in
late October) and it would have been nice to towel off and warm up
first. In any case, we came home with the video and several photos.
LUNCH
Lunch is included in your admission price. The restaurant serves a
variety of surprisingly good freshly-cooked meals and desserts,
such as fajitas, hamburgers, chicken fingers, etc.
PHOTOS
Be sure to pick up any photos before the end of the day when the
lines can get quite long. You're given a locker at the beginning of the
day to store items.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact Discovery Cove at www.discoverycove.com or 1-877-4-
DISCOVERY.
The $229 all-inclusive package includes parking, lunch, use of wet
suits, vests and masks, a complimentary snorkel, showers, lockers,
animal-safe sun screen, a quality 5X7 photo of your family and
admission to SeaWorld or Busch Gardens Tampa Bay for 7
consecutive days. The non-dolphin swim package is $129 per
person. The minimum age for the dolphin swim is six.
REVIEW OF SEAWORLD
REVIEW OF DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM
REVIEW OF DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE RESORT
by Paula Hughes Court
There’s two things you need to know about Discovery Cove Orlando.
One, it’s expensive at $229 per person for the all-inclusive package,
and two, it’s worth every penny. The park limits attendance to 1,000
guests per day so there are no lines or crowds. Discovery Cove
takes the thrill of interacting with animals to a new level, allowing
guests to play in paradise with dolphins, hand-feed exotic birds,
snorkel with thousands of colorful tropical fish, and swim with
stingrays.
DISCOVERY COVE FLORIDA TICKETS
If you want to visit Discovery Cove in the summer, call the park
months in advance to make a reservation. Since the park’s
attendance is limited, reservations can be difficult to get. Also be
aware that Discovery Cove is very popular with guests from the
United Kingdom so even off-season dates for U.S. schools (for
instance mid-October) can be sold out.
NOT AN ORDINARY ORLANDO THEME PARK
Once you arrive at Discovery Cove Orlando, you’ll be checked-in at a
reception desk, photographed for your I.D., handed a bag full of
snorkel equipment, sunscreen and towels, given a reserved time for
your dolphin, photographed again for your free 5 x 7 portrait, and
taken on a short private tour. After the tour is over, the fun begins and
you’re faced with the most difficult decision. What to do first? If you’re
visiting with very small children or an elderly person, grab a shaded
cabana for the day. Otherwise, there is an ample supply of lounge
chairs around all areas of the park.
TROPICAL RIVER LAGOON
A heated tropical river flows through most of Discovery Cove. The
river meanders through caves, under waterfalls and past the aviary.
Be forewarned: by the time the signs warn you of the sudden depth
drop-off a few yards past the cave, the fast current of the water
catches you up and it’s difficult to get out. Even though all guests are
required to wear a flotation vest at all times, small children should
always take a flotation pole with them through the tropical river. The
majority of the river is very deep and there are limited spots to climb
out. It can be exhausting for small children (and adults!) to swim
around the entire lagoon.
CORAL REEF
Experience some of the best snorkeling of your life at Discovery
Cove’s coral reef. You’ll see thousands of colorful tropical fish as
you swim among huge, though gentle, stingrays. Children enjoy the
thrill of staring down dangerous barracudas and sharks inches
away through invisible plexiglass walls.
FREE FLIGHT AVIARY
This area is a dream come true for bird lovers. The aviary houses
over 200 tropical birds, including a giant Toucan, Kookaburras, and
the crowd favorite, gorgeous Sun Conures. If you want to feed the
birds, head here first while they’re still hungry.
STINGRAY LAGOON
Here you can wade into the water to pet and feed gentle stingrays.
Don’t worry their barbs have been trimmed so they’re harmless.
When you feed them, remember to keep your palms flat so they won’
t grab one of your fingers by mistake.
DOLPHIN ENCOUNTER AT DISCOVERY COVE FLORIDA
The highlight of everyone’s visit is the dolphin encounter. First you’ll
meet at your assigned cabana for instructions. Then you’ll head to
the water with at least two trainers and a group of less than 8 other
guests. After learning how trainers use hand signals and meeting
the dolphin, each guest will have an opportunity to swim out into
deep water for the most exciting part of the day-being towed back to
shore by a 450-lb bottlenose dolphin. This is what Discovery Cove is
all about, and it’s worth the money for a once-in-a-lifetime
experience. Note: the water in the dolphin lagoon is chilly, when they
say temperature-controlled, they mean it's kept cool for the dolphins.
After the encounter, you'll be ushered straight to a cabana to view
photos and a videotape of your swim. This is the only negative I
found at Discovery Cove. We were shivering from cold (we visited in
late October) and it would have been nice to towel off and warm up
first. In any case, we came home with the video and several photos.
LUNCH
Lunch is included in your admission price. The restaurant serves a
variety of surprisingly good freshly-cooked meals and desserts,
such as fajitas, hamburgers, chicken fingers, etc.
PHOTOS
Be sure to pick up any photos before the end of the day when the
lines can get quite long. You're given a locker at the beginning of the
day to store items.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact Discovery Cove at www.discoverycove.com or 1-877-4-
DISCOVERY.
The $229 all-inclusive package includes parking, lunch, use of wet
suits, vests and masks, a complimentary snorkel, showers, lockers,
animal-safe sun screen, a quality 5X7 photo of your family and
admission to SeaWorld or Busch Gardens Tampa Bay for 7
consecutive days. The non-dolphin swim package is $129 per
person. The minimum age for the dolphin swim is six.
REVIEW OF SEAWORLD
REVIEW OF DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM
REVIEW OF DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE RESORT
FAMILY TRAVEL FUN
DISCOVERY COVE FLORIDA
DISCOVERY COVE FLORIDA
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