Discovery Cove calls themselves a theme park, but I wouldn’t really call it that. What this
place feels like is an all-inclusive tropical resort that also has some
animals. It has such a different feel than all the other parks in Orlando. For some,
that’s a good thing. For others, not so much. Find out if this place is for you in this review!
Discovery Cove opened in 2000. It’s conveniently located across the street from SeaWorld Orlando
and also owned by them too. This part is key if you’re a Platinum Pass holder.
I’ll bury the hatchet now. The worst part about this place by far is the cost. It is extremely
expensive. The base ticket starts at $200 per person per day. You will only get this rate on
off-peak days if you buy well in-advance. Tickets can cost as much as $300 during busier periods.
Thankfully there are discounts. Florida residents get 20% off and more notably,
SeaWorld Platinum Pass holders get 50% off!
What is included in this ticket? A lot of stuff you’d expect at a fancy resort.
Here is the full list: - Unlimited food and drinks.
That even includes alcohol. - Lockers
- Towels - Sunscreen
- Wetsuits - Lifejackets
- Snorkeling gear, including prescription goggles if you have bad vision like me
What’s not included are some of the more iconic animal encounters. These will cost you mightily.
The most famous is the dolphin swim. This is the package my fiancee and I had. This is booked with
your main ticket. So admission plus the dolphin swim will run you $250-$400 per person. As before,
the cheapest rates occur during quieter periods if you buy in advance. These can sellout,
so it’s prudent to book in advance if it’s a must. Thankfully, passholder discounts apply to this
experience and any other animal encounters. We did not try the other paid animal
experiences. These include the SeaVenture underwater walking tour of the Grand Reef,
swimming with the sharks, and some up-close animal encounters such as the flamingo mingle.
Which attractions are included? There are 3 main ones that should not be missed.
First is the Grand Reef. This is far and away the best thing that’s included with the base
ticket. This is a giant pool where you swim with thousands of tropical fish and manta rays.
I expected most of the animals to swim away, but much to my amazement,
they were unphased by humans and would swim right up next to you. It was breathtaking to see.
Two things to note about this experience. One, the water levels vary mightily. You’ll
be knee deep in some parts. Others go as deep as 12 feet. Even if you can swim, I would recommend
a lifejacket so you can float carefree at your leisure and focus on the animals around you.
Two, I had never snorkeled before and there was a bit of a learning curve figuring out how
to comfortably do it. Look up some tips for beginners. The biggest one is to forcefully
exhale if it starts to fill with water. Another wonderful attraction is Wind-Away
River. This feels like a lazy river, just without the tubes.
It’s a slow-moving stream. And most importantly, it’s very scenic. You pass through caves and
some beautiful vegetation. We went around this several times. Two notes on this experience. One,
the water depth varies. It would quickly go to 8 feet for some parts of it. Two, the edges and
bottoms of the river are pretty rough, so it’s easy to scrape your feet if you aren’t careful.
The final attraction that should not be missed is Explorer’s Aviary. Here,
a bunch of colorful birds fly overhead. And most interestingly, you can feed the birds for free.
You grab a cup and hold it out. Without fail, a bird or two will jump onto your
arm to get the food. It’s quite surprising the first time it happens, but it’s really neat.
Then there is the dolphin swim that we paid extra for. This takes place in the giant dolphin lagoon
in the center of the park. If you don’t pay for this experience, you can still see dolphins,
but you can’t really get close to them. The SeaWorld parks offer a dolphin encounter.
Most of this experience was identical to that. The dolphin performs a trick or two. You get an
opportunity to pet it. And the staff members will take your photos. And before you ask,
no electronics are allowed in the pool for the safety of the animals. So unless someone else in
your party stays on land to take photos, you’ll be paying a premium. Photo packages start at $100!
The end of the experience features a dolphin swim. While I love dolphins and it was neat,
it was way briefer than I imagined. It lasted all of 5 seconds. You grab the tailfin and are pulled
maybe 10 yards through the water. That’s it. So just know what you’re paying for.
What else do you get at Discovery Cove? Another key part is the relaxing atmosphere.
You have lush vegetation everywhere. There’s no shortage of trees, flowers,
and rocks. You’re completely isolated from the outside world, further adding to the feeling
that you’ve been teleported to an island destination. Especially since you have
sandy beaches and a bazillion lounge chairs too. This place is beautiful. And every staff
member we interacted with was super friendly. This includes the employees at the shops and
stands plus those working the animal encounters. Then there is the food. As I mentioned earlier,
it’s unlimited. The main restaurant is Laguna Grill. Until 10:30 am, you can get breakfast
foods like eggs, waffles, bacon, and fruit. The rest of the day, you can get entrees like burgers,
salmon, and steak. While the food was plentiful, I thought it was mostly just ok in quality.
The only item that I thought was particularly good was the steak. I ate 10 slices of that.
You also have a flatbread pizza place. These are just ok as well.
Then you have two other snack stands with things such as pretzels and chips. I would recommend
getting the higher quality food considering you already paid for it with your admission ticket.
Then you have unlimited drinks, including alcohol. The fancier drinks cost extra,
but you can get some regular beers. There is one problem with dining here. The
birds. Where I’m from, birds are deathly afraid of humans. At Discovery Cove, they will swarm
your table in flocks. They’re bold enough to jump on the table right in front of you if you don’t
shoo them away. And if you leave any food behind when you stand up, forget about it. They’ll be all
over it in seconds. We felt like we had to watch over our shoulder while eating at all times.
Now that I covered the attractions, lets jump back to the arrival experience.
Florida is notorious for some monstrous thunderstorms. They are very common on
summer afternoons. Each ticket comes with one complimentary rebooking. If
storms are going to be a problem for most of your visit, I highly recommend rescheduling.
Every single attraction here is outdoors so thunder and lightning can ruin your day.
When you arrive, you’ll shocking find free parking. You don’t get that at the other
major parks in Orlando. All guests then check-in at the front desk upon arrival.
There, a staff-member goes over the layout and included amenities. They also book times for any
animal encounters you may have paid extra for. The attractions are open from 9 am to 5 pm daily.
But you can arrive as early as 7 am. There are several perks of arriving early.
First, times are first-come, first-served. If you know Florida, you know afternoon thunderstorms are
extremely common in the summer months. Therefore, it’s prudent to book an early time to prevent
being stormed out of your encounter. Second, breakfast starts at 7:30 am.
Come hungry and fill yourself up before starting a day of fun.
Third, there are quite a few things you’ll want to do before jumping in the water.
These include getting your equipment. I highly recommend the included wet suits. Not only do
they keep your comfortable in the water, but they also make it less likely you’ll
get a sunburn on your back. These are available on racks near a changing room.
You also can grab snorkeling gear. If you need prescription goggles, you can get these
in a gift shop near the main entrance. Then lifejackets are on racks near the waterways.
You also need to grab a locker. I recommend getting one near the center of the park near
Laguna Grill. That way it’s easier to check your phone while passing by or enjoying a meal.
Then you also want to apply sunscreen. There are several stations throughout the park offering a
special formulation that’s safe for the animals. Make sure to apply early and often. Otherwise,
you will get burned here with how much time you’ll spend in the sun.
So do I recommend Discovery Cove? If you want a day of relaxation, this is the place for you.
We purposefully put this in the middle of our most recent Disney trip and it was a
good way to recharge after some long park days. And this place is also great if you
want some intimate animal encounters. However, I have to go back to the price.
Even with our Platinum Passes getting us half off, we did think it was overpriced for what it was. We
had fun and are glad we did it once, but neither my fiancee nor myself feel the need to go back
anytime soon. Based on our tastes, we think you get far better value at the Orlando theme parks.
So those are my thoughts on Discovery Cove, the most unique park in Orlando.
What are your thoughts on this place? Have you been there? Let me know down
in the comments. If you enjoyed this review, I’d appreciate it if you gave
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more roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!