Discovery Cove: A Wonderful Alternative to the Orlando Parks
General Information
Discovery Cove is a one-of-a-kind water park that brings guests up close and personal with a variety of wildlife. It is not a typical water park though – think animal experiences in lieu of slides.
This is an all-inclusive day resort, so your purchase includes parking, food, snacks, and beverages. It even includes beer and wine for guests 21 and over. Additionally, it includes all gear such as snorkel stuff, wetsuits, chairs, lockers, towels, flotation devices, and anything else you need to have a fun and special day. There is even sunscreen throughout the park that is safe for their animals! It does not include hotel accommodations though.
Discovery Cove is affiliated with Sea World, so you can get packages that include Sea World, Aquatica, and Busch Gardens Tampa area, or you can just buy tickets for here.
Currently, base prices for just Discovery Cove cost $178.60 each excluding tax. Admission with the popular dolphin swim start at $211.50 each. These are dynamic prices, so the prices actually go much higher than that. The nice thing though is that when you add tickets to your cart, a calendar with all the prices pops up, so you can see which dates are cheaper than others. This is what I did. I then planned my trip around that date.
You also have the option to purchase add-ons such as the dolphin swim or shark snorkel which I’ll detail throughout. My suggestion though is to not overdo it with addons. Each one would give a specific time that you have to meet and listen to instructions before beginning. This would eat a lot into your day and make your day less flexible to roam as wanted.
Hours and Food
While the water areas are open from 9 to 5, it is suggested to arrive at some point between 7 and 8:30 a.m. Getting there early will also enable you to check-in towards the front of a long line and get assigned a time for any add-on packages you purchased since you can’t reserve times ahead of time. This gives you first dibs. It also allows you to finish eating breakfast by 9 which is when everything else opens.
Main Buffets at Discovery Cove
Breakfast is anytime from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Food items on the buffet include but are not limited to chicken and Belgian waffles, scrambled eggs, sausage links, breakfast potatoes, French toast sticks, fresh fruit, breakfast pastries, yogurt, dry cereal, orange juice, milk, and coffee.
Lunch is anytime from 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This is also a buffet and includes burgers, hot dogs, salmon, pork, steak, chicken, cold wraps, salads, French fries, macaroni and cheese, and different desserts.
Other Food Options at Discovery Cove
You can also grab food from the Hibiscus Hideaway which is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. They have a barbecue chicken flatbread pizza and a Margherita flat bread pizza both of which were delicious! They also have pineapple and vanilla soft serve ice cream. Additionally, they have chips, icees, fruit, and a full bar.
Finally, there is the Blue Bamboo Bar which has pretzels, fruit, chips, icees, chocolate chip cookies and another full bar. To access the selection of signature cocktails and a fully stocked liquor bar, you have to pay an additional premium alcohol package which starts at $45. Otherwise, you’re limited to beer and wine.
We ate the buffet at Laguna Grill for breakfast and lunch. Then right before closing, we enjoyed pizza to sneak in an early dinner since we were paying so much money! Throughout the day, we enjoyed, fruit, chips, ice cream, icees, cookies, and different drinks.
Cabanas and Day Beds
There are different types of cabanas ranging from private, to elite, to VIP with starting prices ranging from $299 to $899. There are also day beds for two that you can rent starting at $129 each.
I booked a day bed because I wanted to ensure we had somewhere covered from the sun to relax and maybe eat. I learned though that this was not needed for us. The park is pretty big and we were all over, so it wasn’t practical to go all the way back to our day bed most of the time. I do think it would be helpful with little kids or people who are actually going to just relax. There were also plenty of chairs everywhere in each main area.
Different Areas of Discovery Cove
Below, I will give details for each of the main areas at Discovery Cove. Here is a map for reference as well.
Aviary
This is the first place we went to after getting everything settled and eating breakfast. I recommend that this be the first place you go to as well. The birds haven’t been overfed yet, so they are still eager to come down and eat the food from the dish in your hand. I think this was actually my daughter’s favorite area! She just loved all the birds coming down to her to eat. I am not sure how successful you’d be later in the day, but first thing was fantastic experience.
There are a lot of different types of birds here. If they don’t come immediately, just keep walking around and standing still periodically. You can also hold out the food container you’re carrying towards the birds. At first, I was worried that no birds were going to come, but after about 5 minutes, we had multiple birds up until the point we left which was at least 30 minutes.
There are hundreds of birds, but if you don’t have food, I don’t think they’d come to you. Therefore, if someone in your group is tentative, you can ask one of the workers at this station. I did not see anyone have birds approach that was not holding food. In that case, I think you could just enjoy watching all of the birds fly around and walk on the ground.
The Grand Reef
Out of everywhere in Discovery Cove, we definitely spent the most time here. There were so many fish and sting rays (barbless) in this coral reef habitat. Snorkels are provided. We have snorkeled many places but never somewhere with so many beautiful fish all around us. My daughter loved this area. There is also a bridge you can cross to see sharks (not accessible from water) below or a glass area in the water that you can watch the sharks through. There are no sharks in the water with you though!
The only drawback to this area is the temperature of the water. This is one of the areas with very cold water because that is what the fish and stingray in this area require. There are wetsuits you can put on to help with this, but they are also somewhat of a pain to get on and off.
Dolphin Lagoon
This is the only other area in Discovery Cove that requires the very cold water. Anyone can relax at this area and watch the dolphins. If you want to swim with the dolphins, it is an extra fee. You also have to be at least 6 years old and 42 inches tall. We decided to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We got to touch the dolphins, kiss the dolphins, and hitch a ride with a dolphin across some of the water.
The water here was freezing – colder even than The Grand Reef. Even with my wetsuit, I was freezing. It was less noticeable when it was my or Ava’s turn because my mind was distracted, but it was very noticeable when I was just waiting for the other participants to take their turns. Although the water was cold, it was absolutely worth it! I wouldn’t do it again as I don’t feel the need.
To get in the water, you have to remove all jewelry, hair accessories, etc. This is to prevent the dolphins from noticing anything sparkling in the water. I guess this is the kind of attention you would not want from the dolphins! We went out with a guide and a photographer. The guide did an excellent job telling us all kinds of interesting things about the dolphin. He also led the different experiences. Buying the photos at the end was optional, and expensive, but I got them since we couldn’t take photos ourselves during the interaction.
Photos
I purchased the Discovery Photo Package which was on sale when I bought it. It included all digital photos, (8) 6×8 photos to put into a photo album, and a photo frame. The album also had other photo pages that were already a part of the book. The photos we chose went onto certain pages. I just had to choose which photos I wanted to include in those places. This package is currently $269 but is on sale for $219. There is one package more expensive. The cheapest package is currently $119 and includes (5) 6×8 photos.
Flamingo Point
This is a new, lush environment with Caribbean Flamingos. There are expert aviculturists on site to answer questions and share insight into these birds and conservation efforts as well.
Wind Away River
Discovery Cove has the most beautiful lazy river I’ve ever been in. There are waterfalls, caves, and spectacular, lush scenery everywhere you look. The water is also a lot warmer than the areas with animals. This river even goes through parts of the aviary. It winds through other swimming areas as well making it easy to enter or exit when you desire.
Serenity Bay
Serenity Bay is another area that has warm water. It is kept at 85 degrees. This is a tropical pool with natural rock scaping and landscaping on a beach front paradise. You can get pool noodles here and relax or play away in the sand and/or water. The lazy river goes through this area. You can also easily access the freshwater oasis from here.
Freshwater Oasis
This is in the same vicinity as the other warm water areas. You wade through and get to see Asian small-clawed otters, marmosets, and Cotton-top tamarins. To view the otters, there are windows above and below the water. There are also scheduled enrichment session times for the otters which are fun to watch. There are also ducks throughout.
Additional Addons for Discovery Cove
If you love meeting animals up close, you may want to consider paying extra for one of the 26 available spots on their Animal Trek. It is a 30 minute, behind-the-scenes tour with an opportunity to meet some birds and small mammals such as an anteater, armadillo, kinkajou, or sloth.
Smaller addon opportunities are also available. They have 20 spots of ray feeding each day, 24 spots to snorkel with the sharks each day, and 16 spots for a shark interaction program. There are also 126 spots to participate in SeaVenture. This experience includes walking on the ground underwater with a specialized dive helmet that you can easily breathe in. Finally, you can upgrade your ticket to include a Flamingo Mingle which gives you an opportunity to meet the flock up close and personal.
There is also a separate “Ultimate Animal Experience” with 16 available spots. This includes multiple private guided tours and meet and greets with animals. Finally, for $2000, you can have the ultimate VIP experience. It includes valet parking, elevated dining, exclusive animal encounters, customized itinerary, and a personal VIP ambassador to help you make the most of your day.
Changes, Cancellations, and Named Storm Policy
If your Discovery Cove date is impacted by a named tropical storm or hurricane (even if it’s just predicted), then Discovery Cove will either reschedule or refund your vacation package.
If you have to change your date for other reasons, you get one complimentary change of date. More than that will result in a $50 change fee.
If you decide to cancel or rebook your reservation within 30 days of your date, there is no refund. If you cancel more than 30 days ahead, you will receive a full 100% refund according to their policy here. *This is correct at the time of this writing.
Conclusion
We had a magical time at Discovery Cove! I would go back in a heartbeat, and I hope to do that soon! There are so many amazing things to do in Orlando, but there is nothing else like this, and it’s sure to make some everlasting memories.
We actually did this trip in the middle of a Disney World trip. If you’d like to learn how to have a successful Disney trip, please go to this post.
