A Fun Day at Discovery Cove

Discovery Cove is an all-inclusive family resort found in Orlando, FL.  You and your family can spend a day relaxing on the beach, enjoying animal encounters, and swimming in a safe environment.  A day at Discovery Cove can easily be added on to any Florida vacation and provides a nice break from hectic theme parks and crowds. 

Discovery Cove All-Inclusive

Discovery Cove is an all-inclusive day resort which means most everything is included in the price of admission. When you book a day at Discovery Cove your food, snacks, and non-alcoholic drinks are unlimited throughout the day.  You can start your day off with a breakfast buffet at Laguna Grill, add in a mid-morning snack at one of the multiple refreshment stands, then enjoy a gourmet lunch back at Laguna Grill. 

There is something for everyone at Laguna Grill.  For breakfast you can enjoy scrambled eggs, sausage, French toast sticks, hash browns, fresh fruit, pastries, and cereal.  During lunch you can enjoy cold salads and sandwich wraps, burgers, salmon, Caribbean jerk chicken, Grilled Churrasco Steak, pasta marinara, and more.  The kids can enjoy a hot dog, chicken tenders and fries, mac & cheese, or pasta. Fresh desserts include pina colada cupcakes, chocolate cake, cheesecake, carrot cake, and fresh fruit. Coke products, bottled water, coffee, and tea are also included at no extra charge.

Unlimited snacks throughout the day are also served at the refreshment shacks.  Warm pretzels, assorted bagged chips, slushies, and sugar-free cookies are served all day long and are included in the price of admission.  That means you can go and get a slushie anytime you want!

Other things that are included in the cost of admission include reef safe sunscreen, wet suits, life jackets, beach chairs, lockers, snorkel gear, towels, and most experiences.  Dolphin swims, photo packages, flamingo mingle, swim with sharks, ray feeding, Sea Venture, cabanas, and day beds are not included in general admission, but can easily be added on to your day.

Relaxing at Discovery Cove

Discovery Cove limits their number of visitors on a daily basis therefore it is not as crowded as most amusement parks around.  However, we suggest that you arrive early in order to schedule your added on tours such as the dolphin swim or sting ray feeding.  We also recommend grabbing a shaded chair ASAP because once people eat breakfast the shaded areas fill up quickly.  Another way to relax at Discovery Cove is by reserving a cabana or day beds.  These amenities fill up quickly so you will want to book these in advance. 

The lazy river is also relaxing during your day.  Just grab a floatie or put on a life jacket and you are ready to float around the park.  There are several stops along the route so you can get out and see different parts of the park during your float.  If you don’t want to get your hair wet beware of the waterfalls that you must go through on your way.

Animal Encounters at Discovery Cove

There are many different ways to enjoy the animals at Discovery Cove.  You can get up close by adding on a dolphin swim, feeding the birds in the aviary, meeting an animal during a scheduled encounter, or snorkeling at the Great Reef.

Dolphin Swim

During the dolphin swim you will start out by watching an informative video about dolphins and learn how to safely interact with them.  Next you will go in a small group with a trainer to the Dolphin Lagoon.  We recommend wearing a wet suit as the water is colder in this section.  You will also want to leave any jewelry and cameras behind (either in a locker or with a non-participant) as these items are not allowed near the dolphins. 

Once in the dolphin lagoon you will get to work with your trainer to do a few tricks with the dolphin and pet it.  You will then get to take pictures while posing with the dolphin and you can even swim with it. Discovery Cove has their own photographer in the water with you, so you won’t miss out on taking home a picture of your memories.

Explorer’s Aviary

In the explorer’s aviary you can get up close to many kinds of birds.  You are given food and instructions from a trainer upon your arrival to the aviary.  There are three aviaries available to explore. The birds are used to visitors so they will often land on your arm to get a bite to eat. Some of the larger birds are heavy when they land so be cautious with younger kids.

Animal Connections

Throughout the day Discovery Cove offers several opportunities to meet and learn about different small animals.  They will also inform you about their global conservation efforts.  The Discovery Cove app has a daily schedule for meeting these animals.  One of the animals you can meet is an armadillo.

Swimming at Discovery Cove

One of the best areas at Discovery Cove is the Grand Reef.  Here is where you can snorkel in a safe environment.  It is a great area for kids to learn in.  Snorkel gear is included in the price of admission.

While snorkeling you can see thousands of beautiful fish, coral reefs, rays, and reef sharks.  The water varies in depth, but lifejackets are allowed and are provided.  On the beach you can also pick up a fish identification chart to use while snorkeling. 

For those of you not wanting to be around fish while swimming you can check out the freshwater oasis.  This is a warmer pool of water to swim in and is part of the winding river.  It has a waterfall and a beach that is fun for the kids to play in.

Final Thoughts

We highly recommend a day at Discovery Cove.  There is something for everyone to enjoy here: relaxing, swimming, or encountering the many animals that live here.  Discovery cove is a family friendly, all-inclusive day resort where you can relax and have fun in a safe environment.  The trainers at Discovery Cove are excellent for teaching about global conservation efforts taking place here. 

A Discovery Cove one day-ticket can be added onto any Orlando vacation or purchased as its own package with hotel.  If purchased as a package, admission to Sea World Orlando and Aquatica are also included for the length of stay.  This is a great way to try several Sea World parks in one vacation.  Ready to swim with the dolphins? Contact us to start planning your Discovery Cove vacation today, and remember… Life’s Short… Take the Trip!