Hello friends!
Welcome back to the Mandala Traveler blog! I hope each of you is staying healthy and enjoying more freedom as the world begins to reopen from the pandemic.
Daniel and I took full advantage of having our vaccines over the past month, and we took a long-anticipated vacation down to Orlando, Florida! We spent 6 days exploring SeaWorld, Aquatica, Discovery Cove, and Icon Park and had an amazing time. I’ll share details about each of these places with you over the next few weeks, but I wanted to start this mini-series strong with my absolute favorite place: Discovery Cove!
Discovery Cove is an all-inclusive day-resort extension of SeaWorld where you can relax, swim in cool settings, get close to amazing animals, and eat as much as you want! It was literally the vacation paradise I’ve always dreamed of, which is why I can’t wait to tell you about it!
Watch Our Adventure on YouTube
What’s Included:
Our Magical Day at Discovery Cove
- Unlimited snacks and drinks
- Buffet-style breakfast and lunch
- Snorkeling gear
- Wetsuits and life vests
- Animal-friendly sunscreen
- Towels
- Lockers and Showers
- Access to the main waterways
- Food for birds in the Aviary
- Lounge chairs
Checking In
Discovery Cove opens to guests at 7:30, which means guests can get an early start on the fun. Unfortunately, we had a problem with our shuttle, so we ended up arriving a little after 8 am. This meant that we did have to wait for a bit to get checked in, but Discover Cove only allows a max of 1300 people each day, so the line was short compared to the other parks.
When we arrived, we made our way into a big welcome hall to check in. It looked like the lobby of a tropical hotel with a thatched roof, big wooden beams, and a giant dolphin sculpture hanging from the ceiling! Daniel and I both received lanyards and tags with our names and our chosen lunch hour, plus a card-sized map of the resort. They asked us to wear these throughout the day, but we were only asked to show them once or twice.
Breakfast
After checking in, we headed to breakfast at the Laguna Grill. This gave us a good look at the park’s beautiful scenery and glimpses of what we would experience that day. The paths were surrounded by lush, tropical foliage and bright flowers, making us feel like we’d been dropped straight into a little paradise! They even had parrots chilling next to the sidewalks!
Birds by the path 
First glimpse of Wind-Away River
Further in, we passed a few shops and quite a few snack stands that we’d return to later in the day because #freefood. 🙂
Once we reached the Laguna Grill, we filled our plates with everything we wanted, from fresh fruit and pastries to eggs, bacon, and french toast. It was buffet-style, so we could have as much as we wanted!
Lockers and Wetsuits
After breakfast, we wandered to the far end of the park to get lockers and our swimming gear.
The complimentary lockers were located right next to the showers, which we really appreciated at the end of the day. We could choose whichever locker we wanted by taking the key out of the lock. The keys were on lanyards so we could carry them around with our nametags.
There are staff members at each wetsuit and vest location to help everyone find the perfect fit, so the process was quick and easy. We were also given bags with a snorkel and diving mask–at the end of the day, we returned the masks, but the snorkels were ours to keep!
The Grand Reef
Our very first activity stop was probably my favorite adventure of the entire vacation. The Grand Reef is a giant saltwater habitat filled with thousands of tropical fish and rays. It looks like a large lagoon, with its white-sand beaches and blue water, and it’s kept at a crisp 76 degrees (F) year-round. There are shallow areas where you can wade and watch fish swim around your ankles. But that’s not the fun part.
Further into the water, drop-offs reveal thriving, rainbow worlds of fish and reefs below. It is literally like diving into another world! Despite my love for aquariums, there were dozens of fish I’d never seen in my life. It was so cool to see entire schools of them darting below and brushing past me! They ranged in size from little guys smaller than my palm to massive ones as big around as my leg.
And the rays! Swimming next to them was both scary and thrilling. There were little ones like you can touch at aquariums, and there were giant ones bigger than me! They had many different types, including cow noses, stingrays, shovelnoses, southern rays, and more! The staff assured us that they regularly trim the stingers, but there was still that apprehension for me, haha. However, the rays were fearless and had no problem swimming between my legs, past my shoulders, or right through my hands. (In case you’re wondering, they’re very slimy, lol.) There was also an upgrade to arrive early at the park and feed them, but we got plenty of close-up time even without that.
There is also a section where you can get within a few inches of sharks in the back! A glass wall contains them in the area where guests can actually swim with the sharks for an upgrade fee. However, I’m terrified of them, so I was happy to observe from behind the safety of the glass! There are about 20 sharks in that area, including zebra sharks, nurse sharks, black-tip reef sharks, and bonnethead sharks.
We probably spent about 3 hours of our day just swimming back and forth around the reef. Each time, we saw something new, and I was constantly in a state of wonder!
Now, normally, I would not be able to swim for that long. But the high content of salt in the water made it incredibly easy to float. In fact, we actually had trouble trying to dive. And since we had our snorkels, all we had to do was float along and enjoy the scene!
Free Snacks!
After swimming in the reef for so long, we were a little hungry. All we had to do to fix that was walk up to a food stand and take our pick of snacks! They had peanuts, chips, soft pretzels, slushies, sodas, waters, cookies, fruit, and coffee, and I’m sure that I’m forgetting some! It was easy and convenient to grab something throughout the day and head on to our next adventure.
Dolphin Lagoon
The biggest thing I’m kicking myself about was not upgrading to the Swim with Dolphins package. When I booked our vacation, it said that due to covid, we couldn’t actually get in the water with the dolphins. But by the time we arrived in Florida, those restrictions were lifted. So, unfortunately, I didn’t get to swim with the dolphins at Discovery Cove. But I still enjoyed watching them frolic around Dolphin Lagoon!
The lagoon looks just like a normal beach with sand leading all the way into the water and no walls or barriers, etc. However, we weren’t allowed to step into the water without an upgraded pass. But the dolphins here were incredibly playful and friendly, and they frequently swam into the shallows to get our attention. I enjoyed just that and watching them jump around playing with each other and different water toys.
We did watch one of the tours happening, and each group got to play and swim a short distance with their group dolphin and get plenty of hands-on experience. So next time, I’m definitely upgrading!
Serenity Bay
Our next stop was a quick dip in Serenity Bay. This tropical beach-like pool is heated to a toasty 85 degrees (F) year-round, which felt great after swimming for so long in the Grand Reef! It’s such a cool space with clear, shallow water against a backdrop of waterfalls and caves. It’s just a peaceful space to float around, as well as the starting and ending point for the Wind-Away River.
Wind-Away River
Discovery Cove’s take on a lazy river has pretty much ruined me for all others! At Wind-Away River, you’ll journey inside a cave, past lush tropical banks, under multiple waterfalls, and through an aviary! All while enjoying heated water and stunning views!
The aviary has waterfalls at both the entrance and exit 
The Wind-Away River is surrounded by jungle-like scenery
We went through Wind-Away River twice, and each trip probably took about 20 minutes, if you cut out the time we spent in the aviary. You’re free to swim the whole way, but the water here is freshwater, so you won’t be able to float like you can in the Grand Reef. I highly recommend grabbing one of the complimentary floatation noodles they hand out so you can float your way downstream.
Explorer’s Aviary
We paused our journey along the Wind-Away River both times to walk around the aviary. There are land entrances beside the river at the entrance and exit of the aviary. It’s a fairly extensive area with 3 separate “rooms” filled with hundreds of tropical birds of all sizes and colors!
In each room, workers are waiting to hand out complimentary bird food to tempt the feathered residents with. Some of them are shy, but plenty of birds are willing to get personal for a tasty treat!
Here are a couple of tips to maximize your aviary experience: 1) I recommend going in the morning because the birds are definitely more active, and they take the macaws out in the afternoon. We noticed a substantial difference in the birds’ desire to eat in the morning vs. the afternoon, too. So if you want to feed them or hold them, be sure to get there before they fill up!
2) Watch your step (and head)! This is a free-flying aviary, so the birds do their business whenever and wherever they need to. Thankfully, we only had one “situation,” but you may want a hat and flip-flops, just in case!
Freshwater Oasis
The final area in Discovery Cove is the Freshwater Oasis. This little paradise is home to marmosets and otters!
The marmosets spend their days on Marmoset Island, playing in the trees, bridges, and little huts. They can be difficult to spot, but they’re usually active during the Animal Enrichment sessions held several times daily.
Just around the corner, inside a little cave, you can get right up next to the playful Asian Clawed Otters! Their habitat is separated from the main oasis by a glass wall so that you can see them both above and below water! This is a great place to bring your snorkel because the fish inside are gorgeous (lots of blues and golds), and the otters are so fun to watch!
Sleeping Otters 
Playful Otters
The first time we visited, all the otters were sleeping, but we came back when they were swimming and frolicking around later. Like the marmosets, you may want to swing by during the enrichment sessions to make sure you see them awake.
Lunch at Laguna Grill
We tried everything once before lunch then went back for at least one more round at each location after we ate.
We got to choose what time we wanted to eat at check-in, and we opted for 1 p.m. At that time, we just walked into Laguna Grill with our nametags and got in line, which only took about 10 minutes.
The lunch menu included grilled Churasco steak, Carribean spiced salmon, grilled jerk chicken, the Laguna Beach burger, and BBQ pulled pork sandwich. Each meal came with veggies and/or rice, and you could load up on salads, wraps, and fruit as well. They also had a delicious selection of desserts!
Closing Thoughts
As mentioned, we visited all the included locations and activities at least once between 8:30 and 1 pm. However, we definitely saw new things when we took our second round after lunch, and we would have been happy going to everything a third time! It was all just so fun and amazing.
Part of the reason we could do so much was the limited capacity and effective park layout. It really didn’t take us long to get anywhere, which left more time for doing stuff!
I wish we had gotten the Dolphin Swim package, but I don’t regret sticking with the basic package other than that. For our first visit, I don’t know that I would have wanted to give up time in the aviary or reef to do any more activities! However, if we visit in the future (and I hope we do), I’d definitely be interested in trying some of the upgrades, such as the SeaVenture dive helmet tour or the behind-the-scenes Animal Trek.
Discovery Cove Vacation Packages
Right now, SeaWorld is offering Discovery Cove vacation packages, which is what we ended up doing for our vacation. If you’re interested in visiting any of SeaWorld’s parks after reading this post, I highly recommend that you check this deal out. It includes free admission to SeaWorld and Aquatic during your stay, a free night in a hotel, reserved show seating, in-park discounts, a reservation for Discovery Cove, and more! You also get to choose your hotel, and it’s effortless to add upgrades and animal encounters.
Thanks for stopping by to read this post; I hope you have a better idea of what to expect from Discovery Cove and whether it’s a good place for you!
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Stay tuned for more adventures from SeaWorld in the weeks ahead, as well as the rest of our adventures around the globe!
Happy travels!
Heading to Orlando? You may also enjoy…
How to Make the Most of a Busy Day at Aquatica Orlando
A Complete Guide to SeaWorld Orlando 2021 for Adults
Best of the Park Guide to Islands of Adventure, Orlando
Best of the Park Guide for Exploring Universal Studios, Orlando
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