Discovery Cove
 

Is anyone planning to go to Discovery Cove in Orlando?? I want to go so bad, but have to wait until my son is a little older so that we can both swim with the dolphins!

We have made reservations for Discovery cove for June 30th of 2000. We are so excited! We have 2 children 8 & 10. Initially, I thought the $179+ price was out of our league- but when you consider it is a once in a lifetime experience plus includes seven day passes to Sea World - it made the price a little more pallatable! From the info I have gotten, you pick a date and choose between an AM or PM Dolphin swim. You also receive lunch, although I do not know what that will consist of. I am attempting to ascertain exactly the actual duration of the Dolphin swim is and video taping of the event. I will gladly post our experiences after our visit!

I have also booked a visit to Discovery cove for 5th October. The swim with the dolphins will be fantastic but as your son isn't old enough yet you can still book a visit but without the dolphin swim. This will be quite a bit cheaper and there is still a lot that you can do. Such as swimming in their coral reef. You will still get all the other benifits, the free meal, the free lockers etc. I think it will be a fantastic day out!

Wanted to bring this back to the top to see if there is an update. We're considering booking for next spring but wanted some first-hand information before doing so. How was it?

I too would like to know if anyone out there has been to this park. <BR>My specific question, is it worth it to pay an additional $100 to swim with the dolphins? (I believe that it cost about $189 for full access to the park, including the dolphin swim, but you can get in for about $89 if you skip the dolphin swim)I absolutely LOVE dolphins, but if they only let you 'swim' with them for 30 minutes or maybe an hour, is it worth the extra money?

Just wondering if Shari could share her expierences from her June trip to Discovery Cove....or if anyone else out there has been. <BR>How long is the dolphin swim? What is served for lunch and is it good? Any thing else you liked or don't like about the park?

i haven't been yet but i read an article in the local paper (orlando sentinel) about d. cove. the writer of the article gave it a fairly high rating although he/she said the dolphin swim only lasted a couple of minutes......most of the "experience" was prep for the swim...watching a video etc. the lunch provided is supposed to be very good also......not your typical theme park lunch. again, this is NOT my opinion as i have not been to d. cove yet.

.....oh yeah.....they also said you get a free pass to sea world. you have to use it within 1 week of your visit to d. cove.

Just checking to see if anyone has been to Discovery Cove yet. We have reservation for 10/26.

My family and I have recently returned from an 11 day vacation of which was spent mostly in the Disney World area. We did break up the down and back drive from our Charlotte area home with a few days spent in Savannah, GA and Ponte Vedra Beach, FL respectively. One of the highlights, albeit the more expensive of our excursions, was Discovery Cove. A pseudo-tropical melange of sandy beaches, fresh and saltwater lagoons, palm trees and a 20-25 foot wide river-like section that meanders around two of the lagoons. <BR>Discovery Cove is an all-day affair. We arrived at 8:45am and stood in line outside their main doors until 9am at which time we (and 1,000 people throughout the day) were lead into a cavernous room with about 8 small reception counters around its perimeter. Here we had our pictures taken for our ID badges with neckstring to be worn all day. After standing in another line we entered the actual park area about 9:30am. In groups of about 8 at a time we were led by an employee who walked us through a lush tropical plant-lined wood and mortar pathway past some small waterfalls, parrots, jungle sounds from speakers and the like. Her job was to explain what was where and all the rules. After passing some small gift shops she pointed towards a thatched hut (everything is thatched) where we obtained our torso conforming neoprene swim vests (which must be worn at all times while swimming), mask, snorkel and fins. Use of which is included in the price of admission. <BR>Discovery Cove asks that you use their specially formulated sunscreen (25 spf) which is fish, dolphin and stingray friendly. However, it is located at the counter where you get your vests and there is only one large pump container of it for everyone to hover around. So bring a cup with you to fill with this sunscreen and apply it at your chosen homebase for the day. This way you can easily reapply it as needed throughout the day. <BR>

Part 2 <BR>There are three lagoons at Discovery Cove. The largest is where the Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphins live and where you will swim with them. More on that later. The second largest lagoon is freshwater (non-chlorine) and is where most of the visitors swim for the day. This is a wonderful area. My two and a half year old son (with additional life vest) loved it as well (noodles are here for your use). You walk into the lagoon from a white sand beach and slowly reach a water level of about 4 feet. This area is not pool-like but rather more like a cove (get it?) with big rocks to swim around, little jetties to hide behind from your parents and a few 15 ft. waterfalls to sit under. Palm trees and tropical plants abound. There is a handicapped-accessible ramp for entry into this swim area. From this lagoon you can enter a river-like slow-current flow of water. The first 150 feet or so of it wiggles through a cave. Claustrophobics do not fear because you can constantly see the lagoons you are actually swimming around. The rocky river walls rise about 12 feet (like being in a very small gorge) and the water depth reaches around 7 feet after the cave at which time you soon swim under a ten foot waterfall and into the aviary. This bird sanctuary is seen by climbing some steps out of the water into a densely landscaped area to view, feed and fend off exotic birds. Cut up fruit, seed and live grubs are available in a wooden box for you to feed to the birds. (Free of course) They will surround you. A few miniature deer also reside here and can be petted. You can exit and enter this area by a few doors which lead back to the beach or you can jump back in the water and swim through the next waterfall and continue around the park in this river. The two waterfalls and a large fish net over the aviary contain the birds. The aviary, though small, was very neat to be in and was staffed by knowledgeable people to answer any bird questions. The river then dumps out at the other end of the fresh water lagoon. Total swim time about 10 minutes.

Part 3 <BR>The third lagoon (and smallest) is saltwater and is home to many tropical fish and some stingrays which have been rendered sting-safe by surgical methods. Here is where your snorkel equipment is needed. You can’t feed the fish (park employees do that every so often to make it interesting) but you can reach out and touch the stingrays as they swim by you or rest on the 12 ft deep bottom. Underwater you can view barracudas and small sharks that are encased behind glass barriers for your and their protection. Though the coral is fake it is still very sharp. Fins or water shoes are recommended as I did get a few scrapes on my feet and hands. Swim noodles and the like are not allowed here (fish might nibble on them) so little kids shouldn’t venture beyond the two foot deep level. All the snorkelers were bumping into each other but it was very, very fun. <BR>My wife opted for the dolphin swim. This entailed a predetermined time at a specific thatched hut with other swimmers. Here you hear dolphins facts and such for about 25 minutes. They then walk you 100 feet away to the sands of the dolphin lagoon. People are separated into groups of about 8 with each group having a trained dolphin person. After wading waist high in water a dolphin does some tricks within arms length of you and jumps about in the deeper water. Then one at a time each person swims out about 20 feet with the trainer and has a 2 minute personal moment with the dolphin. Hugging and kissing the dolphin as well as a "dolphin pulling you along for 15 feet" swim is about all you get. Total time in water as a group is about 30 minutes. All the while your personal encounter with the dolphin is photographed by an employee. So you are then escorted to another hut where your digital pictures are displayed on multiple computer screens. Select some poses with the dolphin and pay about $15 each to put it on a key chain, in a snowglobe or a 5x7 print. We chose two 5x7 pics, one hugging and one kissing, so I can scan them in my computer back home and do what I want with them. You pick up your souvenirs at a photohut a few steps away in about 30 minutes. By the way, when you first enter the park your family picture is taken and can be picked up here as well. This 5x7 pic is free. During the dolphin swim the entire encounter is viewable by other family members (and anyone who wants to watch) standing ankle deep 20 feet away in the sandy bottomed water. I videotaped my wife’s swim while by son splashed about me. <BR>

Part 4 <BR>A very nice lunch is included in the ticket price and is served at a cafeteria style thatched roof ( is there a theme here?) restaurant. Outdoor covered seating is here and the food was good, plentiful and varied. Grilled salmon, fajitas, burgers, salads, desserts, vegetable dishes and drinks of all kinds. However, they don’t have straws so bring your own for the little ones who can’t manage not dousing themselves with milk from cartons or sodas. When asked, a restaurant employee told me that straws are an endangerment to the animals. When I asked whether the bottled water screwcaps and the plastic forks and knives they provided were dangerous I got a "You’re from up north, aren’t you?" look from her. She said the straws were hard to see. I said buy red straws. She said "next in line please!". The park allows smoking too. I guess strewn cigarette butts aren’t dangerous to the animals. <BR>The cost of my wife’s day at Discovery Cove with dolphin swim was $179 plus 6% tax. My non-swim admission price was $79 plus tax. My son, being under 3, was free and he got lunch too. Total outlay was $284.08. This did not include the pics or stuff from the gift shop. However, included with admission is a 7 day pass to SeaWorld across the street. A one day SeaWorld pass is about $44 normally. Being that a decent lunch is included the overall cost seemed fair. No more than a day at Disney World. I understand that a typical dolphin swim at other places cost about $120. <BR>Though just recently opened the park was well run. It was very clean and had a definite tropical beach feel to it. All the lagoons are separated by a white sand beach where you can park yourself on a lounge chair under an umbrella or palm tree. Lockers are nearby. Bathrooms have showers with soap and shampoo and a changing area. Very clean. Beach towels are provided. The park closes at 5:30pm It was a very nice day. You can swim all day if you care or sit and watch or visit the few gift shops.

Part 5 <BR>There are no waterslides or anything like Blizzard Beach or Typhoon lagoon. This is very laid back and the park is rather small. Standing in the middle of it you can see everything within the park. Maybe a four minute stroll from the entrance to the back of the park. Discovery Cove says that each $79 non-dolphin swim admission sold must be accompanied by a $179 dolphin-swim admission. But we met a couple who had just decided to go there a few days before. They were on standby for a dolphin swim but were sold two non-swim tickets. I guess money talks louder than published policy. Discovery Cove limits the amount of guests each day so lines for anything did not exist. Though there isn’t much to stand in line for except lunch. If you don’t like crowds and don’t wish to be on waterslides like at Typhoon Lagoon and will visit SeaWorld then this is for you. Especially if you want to "swim with a dolphin". But for some people the hotel pool will do just find. <BR> <BR>Sorry I had to break my post into 5 parts, but it was the only way to get Fodor's site to accept my rather lengthy write-up.

Thank you, Teej for the detailed report. <BR>We have been trying to decide whether or not to go the day before we go a cruise where we will be snorkeling in <BR>the Bahama's. I still don't know if we should. We were at Sea World at California and were told the straws get in the blow holes and that's why there were none. Though I'm suprised Discovery Cove wasn't smoke free or at least with a desiginated smoking area.

teej <BR>thanks for all the info on discovery cove / i think we were expecting a litte more time on the dolphin swim / but this lets us know what to expect

Tell me about Ponte Vedra Beach. Thinking about going there in Oct.

Ponte Vedra Beach is just south of Jacksonville, FL. Very upscale area. Low key. No kid stuff around expect for the beach which is wonderful. No crowds and some good restaurants on the beach too. Try 1st Street grill at Jacksonville Beach. We stayed at Ponte Vedra Inn and Club presidential suite RIGHT ON the beach. Smallish but well appointed. This is an older, well established resort with great golf course. Really more for the leisurely crowd. <BR>We did a day trip to St. Augustine based on recommendation from posts on this site. But we were rather disappointed. I guess I was expe

Why didn't you like St. Augustine? I was going to visit there in Oct.

Just sending this to the top so my father-in-law can find it easily. Hey Frank!