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If you were pleasantly surprised by the pace at SeaWorld, believe it or not, you’ll find it’s even slower at Discovery Cove. Here your mission is to spend an entire day doing nothing but savoring a 32-acre tropical oasis. It’s a task made easier by an all-inclusive admission that covers all meals, towels, a wet suit, masks, sunscreen, and the option of springing for the highlight of the day: a unique swimming experience with a bottlenose dolphin.
Even without a dolphin encounter, you can have a great time splashing around coral reefs, swimming into a spacious aviary, floating down a quiet river, and lazing on a sandy beach beneath lovely palms. New in 2012, Freshwater Oasis is a tropical rain-forest environment of sparkling clear springs offering face-to-face encounters with playful otters and curious marmoset monkeys, while thanks to a special diving helmet, SeaVenture lets you walk underwater through a reef filled with tropical fish and rays that you can literally reach out and touch.
Planning
Getting Oriented
Thanks to Discovery Cove’s daily cap on crowds, it may seem as if you have the park to yourself. Navigating the grounds is simple; signs point to swimming areas, cabanas, or the free-flight aviary—aflutter with exotic birds and accessible via walkway or (even better) by swimming to it beneath a waterfall.
Touring Tip
In Discovery Cove make the aviary one of your first stops, since the 250-plus birds within will be more active in the morning. Remember that check-in starts at 7:30 am, and the waterways open around 9.
Park Amenities
Guest Services: You can get information on meals, cabanas, lockers, dolphin swims, merchandise, souvenir photos, and other aspects of the park at the Discovery Cove Check-In Lobby when you arrive, or at Guest Services (aka Guest Relations) just after you enter.
Lost People and Things: Lost kids and items are usually turned over to Discovery Cove attendants, who bring them to the attendants at the Check-In Lobby.
Animal Encounters
Trainer for a Day.
This opportunity (from $428, but often $500-plus) rivals SeaWorld’s Marine Mammal Keeper Experience. General admission includes meals, wet suit, and diving gear; this tour adds a gift bag, waterproof camera, trainer T-shirt, 30-minute dolphin swim, a private photo session with two dolphins, feeding fish in the Grand Reef, a meet and greet with tropical birds and small animals, and an almost exclusive (only eight guests in the entire lagoon) interaction that includes a “double-foot push” (two dolphins propel you across the lagoon by the soles of your feet). Ready for more? Shadow a trainer all day: head to the dolphin back area for a private tour and talk to trainers about how they teach and care for these amazing animals. Like other Discovery Cove admissions, this includes unlimited access to SeaWorld and Aquatica for 14 days. Call ahead to arrange a tour. | Discovery Cove | 407/351–3600, 877/557–7404 | www.discoverycove.com.