Discovery Cove: Swim It Or Sink It?

[Ride Warrior]

In the future, I'm thinking about going to the Busch Gardens company's seascape "theme park". It's located across from Sea World, Orlando. All of the attractions are located in recreated ocean aquatic habitats. Here, you can swim with dolphins in a lavish setting, explore a coral reef, and snorkel among a vast array of tropical fish. Has anybody One can also discover what it's like to swim in waters filled with exotic rays, and enjoy an aviary of colorful birds - including parrots and peacocks.

Has anybody at MiceChat been to Discovery Cove or known anyone that has? If so, I would like to know if it is worth the price of admission.

If you have not, I am including a link to the site. Short videos of each area are included. After visiting the site, tell me if the park interests you, or not.

http://www.discoverycove.com/ex_featattract.aspx

[jimmay]

Originally Posted by Ride Warrior

In the future, I'm thinking about going to the Busch Gardens company's seascape "theme park". It's located across from Sea World, Orlando. All of the attractions are located in recreated ocean aquatic habitats. Here, you can swim with dolphins in a lavish setting, explore a coral reef, and snorkel among a vast array of tropical fish. Has anybody One can also discover what it's like to swim in waters filled with exotic sharks, and enjoy an aviary of colorful birds - including parrots and peacocks.

Has anybody at MiceChat been to Discovery Cove or known anyone that has? If so, I would like to know if it is worth the price of admission.

If you have not, I am including a link to the site. Short videos of each area are included. After visiting the site, tell me if the park interests you, or not.

http://www.discoverycove.com/ex_featattract.aspx

Might be kind of cool. I would urge caution on the dolphins, though. I hear they're a randy lot, and get "excited" fairly easily.

[Melonballer]

Originally Posted by Ride Warrior

Has anybody at MiceChat been to Discovery Cove or known anyone that has? If so, I would like to know if it is worth the price of admission.

A friend of mine did some research into the part where you swim with the dolphins and apparently it is very short (at least the part with the animals is). She decided not to spend the money.

[Ride Warrior]

Originally Posted by Melonballer

A friend of mine did some research into the part where you swim with the dolphins and apparently it is very short (at least the part with the animals is). She decided not to spend the money.

Discovery Cove bills this attraction as "Dolphin Swim". If the swim is a short and minor part, I would consider this a form of false advertising. Plus, the dolphins are the main "E-Ticket" of the park. Before going, I think it would be wise to chech things out further. Thanks, Melonballer.

[Ride Warrior]

Originally Posted by jimmay

Might be kind of cool. I would urge caution on the dolphins, though. I hear they're a randy lot, and get "excited" fairly easily.

What do you mean, a dolphin might come up from behind and root me?

[SpookyBear]

Ok, I worked at Discovery Cove for three years, so I do know a bit about the park.

First of all, the Dolphin Swim is only about 30 - 45 minutes long, but everyone who I talked to raved about it. I also did it myself and I enjoyed it. I'm not as big a fan of dolphins so I wasn't overwhelmed, but for people who love Dolphins it is quite an experience. You are seperated into groups of about 6-10 people so you do get a lot of face time with the dolphins and even get to ride to shore on the back of one. Even if you are not an experienced swimmer like my mom who doesn't even know how to swim it's still quite fun. I must add though that you have to be at least 6 years old to be able to do the Dolphin Swim. I got my whole family in and they loved it. Not only because of the Dolphin swim but because of all the other things that the park offers:

There is a coral reef lagoon that is just amazing to snorkel in and that you can go in and out of at your leisure. There are thousands of differents of kinds of fish and if you look towards to bottom you may see a giant stingray. Also in the middle of the reef there is a shark tank in which you can snorkel up to and look through, so it seems like you are swimming right with the sharks.

There is a very nice and most importantly, HEATED lazy river which is a welcome change from the other pools which are quite cold. It's pretty long and there are little artifacts and stones scattered along the bottom which make it great to snorkel in and just relax.

There is also a seperate smaller lagoon just for the stingrays, and various times throughout the day there are ray feedings that you can take part in. It's really interesting because the rays will "climb" right up on you to see if you have any food. lol.

Lastly there is an huge avairy (sp?) which houses hundreds of birds. It's quite beautiful and lush and there are employees in there who will give you food to feed the birds as well as identify any that you may have questions about. Also since the birds are very comfortable around people they will often land on your head or hands which make for some great photos.

When I worked at Discovery Cove many people commented that they often ended up liking it better than WDW or any of the other parks that they had experienced. Not only because of the atmosphere which feels like a secluded island, but because of the fact that there were no lines and that the park is limited to 1,000 people a day (so you need to make sure to make reservations before you go). Also the customer service is excellent which is something that people commented on. You don't need to bring much with you since you are provided with a wetsuit or vest, snorkel, mask, towels, and sunscreen (which is environmentally safe for the animals, although I admit they don't give you much). Also if you do a Dolphin Swim lunch is included which is a main dish, one side, a dessert and a drink.

So I say if you have the extra money you should give it a try, even if you don't do the Dolphin Swim. It's a vacation within a vacation!

Just wanted to add also with your ticket to Discovery Cove you get seven days at Busch Gardens or Sea World.

[Ride Warrior]

Originally Posted by SpookyBear

Ok, I worked at Discovery Cove for three years, so I do know a bit about the park.

When I worked at Discovery Cove many people commented that they often ended up liking it better than WDW or any of the other parks that they had experienced. Not only because of the atmosphere which feels like a secluded island, but because of the fact that there were no lines and that the park is limited to 1,000 people a day (so you need to make sure to make reservations before you go). Also the customer service is excellent which is something that people commented on. You don't need to bring much with you since you are provided with a wetsuit or vest, snorkel, mask, towels, and sunscreen (which is environmentally safe for the animals, although I admit they don't give you much). Also if you do a Dolphin Swim lunch is included which is a main dish, one side, a dessert and a drink.

So I say if you have the extra money you should give it a try, even if you don't do the Dolphin Swim. It's a vacation within a vacation!

Just wanted to add also with your ticket to Discovery Cove you get seven days at Busch Gardens or Sea World.

How interesting actually working there must have been, Spookybear. Heated lazy river among lush surroundings... I'm definitely warming up to the idea of experiencing this retreat again. Your discription of the Dolphin Swim is everything and more than I had envisioned. Plus, how can you beat seven complementary days at Busch Gardesns or Sea World! Thanks for your descriptice synopsis.

[aimster]

I'd really like to go there sometime but it's quite expensive so I need to win the lotto first.