Spending almost $300 for a Discovery Cove ticket seemed like a tough pill to swallow initially, but the service received and the all-
inclusive nature of the park made it slide a little more easily at the end of the day. It was seriously a relief not to have queue up for anything or be nickle-and-dimed to death all day, which made for a relaxing visit.
Parking is included and convenient. Once I pulled into a spot, I had less than a 1-minute walk to the entrance. When I walked into the reception area, I felt more like I was being checked in at a luxury resort than visiting a tourist attraction. Once my friend and I entered the park, we were greeted personally by our own guide who gave us a brief overview of the park, explained when and where to go for our dolphin swims, and directed us to an area where we could procure our lockers and change into our swimwear. We were also provided with snorkle equipment (which was ours to keep), swim vests, and sunscreen. The huge shower/changing room was very nice, and well-stocked with decent towels and all the toiletry items that anyone would need to shower themselves up with at the end of the day.
The park itself is pretty compact. It's basically a water park with a nature element thrown in. Besides your dolphin swim, you won't have an action-packed day here...it's more a place to play in the water and relax in the sun. Pool areas are designed to look like natural lagoons, and sand has been brought in to create a "beach". One of the swimming areas is a man-made reef which has been stocked with fish and rays for snorkling in. There is also a shallow pool filled with stingrays for petting. They're SO cute and interesting, and don't worry...they've been de-barbed. Then there's a lovely swimming area with a waterfall which is wildlife-free, for those who don't like to get that close to nature.;)
There are a couple of snack bars where you can get unlimited pretzels, ice cream, chips, beer and soft drinks whenever you like. I was not expecting to find anything too exciting on the lunch menu, but I was wrong. I was very surprised and pleased with the choice and quality of the items. I could not decide between the Maine lobster salad and the pesto salmon with veggies and roasted red potatoes, so I asked for both. No problem. Both were delish, as was the key lime pie I snarfed afterwards (lying in sun all day makes a girl hungry, you know).
The dolphin encounter was really nice. There are only 6-7 guests per dolphin, which gives everyone a chance to touch and interact with these magnificent mammals. The trainers were patient, informative and accommodating. I am not a strong swimmer, and was given several options to make the experience more comfortable for me...wearing life jacket, a shallow water swim, or slingshot swim (where you grab onto the dolphin while you are in the shallow water where the interaction takes place, and are then pulled into the lagoon and looped back around to the shallow water instead of having to swim out into the deep water and tread until it's your turn to swim).
The photo packages are expensive, but the photographers do a great job...so, if you don't want to spend the money, don't even go look at them because you are going to want them if you do. While you can take some photographs from the shore, it's really tough to get close enough or find a good enough angle for a decent shot.
I have to also mention the aviary, which is the coolest one I've ever seen ANYWHERE. So many interesting birds, and it was a lot of fun be able to touch and feed them.
All-in-all, it was a really neat, one-of-a-kind experience. Yes, it's expensive...but you need a break from the long lines, the crush of bodies, and the heat when you do an Orlando theme park trip...and Discovery Cove is so "civilized". Go ahead...bite the bullet and whip out the plastic.
