Discovery Cove

Reviews 3

MI

Michele Dingman

I was disappointed that even though I intentionally booked for a day when families/children would prob not be there ( a school day) ...there were hundreds of kids there. Not exactly the relaxing trip I had hoped for or wanted. After waiting in a long noisy line with screaming yelling kids, we felt shuttled as though in a cattle herd to the breakfast. As we walked thru the cafeteria line getting breakfast, the workers seemed all in bad bad moods. They would not respond when you said good morning to them, and not one smile did I see the whole time. They seemed like they HATED waiting on us! Dont even think of asking them a question. I tried to find a place to sit and eat breakfast away from anyone, and ended up next to the cleanup station where the workers slammed and threw trays down. Moved three times. That stressful first impression left a sour taste in my mouth for part of the day. I thought it would be way less crowded on what based on the internet that said this was supposed to be a very minimal day. I would never pay to go there on a busy day. The other people around you, and the rude behavior of some is just gross. As I stood in line waiting my turn for a wet suit, a group of arrogant women who clearly live in a bubble...walked in front of me in line. I said "ladies Im in line" and they ignored me. So I raised my voice and said "ladies Im in line here you know!" to which they turned their heads and just stared like how dare you speak to me! They would not move. So I walked away. Jerks. So the positives: we hit the water and it is amazing. It is such a unique activity to do and we really enjoyed the snorkeling. I had not snorkeled before so it took some time to get used to doing it, whilst in a crowd. That burned some of our time up. We didnt do any of the extras this time like the dolphin thing, but maybe on another trip. The food was really good. It was like a cafeteria but good food and that part made us feel a little pampered. The park starts closing at 530 which comes up quick and they seem to want you out when that time comes. I wish the time to leave was a little later. As there is not time for just relaxing when you are running around and then having meals in between that.Times flies there. We spent little time in the river and the bird sanctuary because we just didnt have much time to do those things. We explored the rest of the park...not. The time of getting the hang of everything and being a first timer there, just cost us. It is an expensive outing but in the end we agreed worth the money. We would do again but would have to try for a really slow day day as I think it would be better without so many kids around. My advice ...get there at the crack of dawn and be first in line. Although we felt early...the line was long and by the time we got in there...most GOOD chairs had been snapped up.

TI

Timothy Ward

SeaWorld has really outdone themselves with Discovery Cove. If youve never been to a tropical oasis in the Caribbean, this is your chance to see what its like without leaving Orlando. From the various white sand beaches and wave pools... to the Amazon River and the gigantic tanks where you can snorkel with stingrays while watching Barracudas in tanks surrounding you... its all excitement that leads up to the main event: the chance to swim with dolphins. Its an experience that is not exactly that easy to describe in words. Pictures that other guests have posted show what each person is feeling at that moment when they are wading in the shallow water with a dolphin as he/she gives a kiss, performs a trick, or just poses there with you for a picture. I have goosebumps right now as I type this review! Theres also a veritable zoo of land animals here too. Theres an aviary full of the most colorful parrots you will ever see, and you get to feed to birds as they land on your hand, arm or shoulder and ask for a treat! There are other animal exhibits to walk through, and as you walk through the park, animal handlers have exotic animals like three-toed sloths walking around for guests to encounter first-hand and even pet. Admission is very variable at different times of the year. Summer is definitely the busiest time of the year; and therefore the priciest. You do have to book your trip in advance as Discovery Cove has a maximum number of guests allowed in the park at any given time so as to keep the park feeling open and free with no crowds or lines... so you really are getting what you pay for. And on top of all this... to have a one on one with the dolphins, thats going to cost you even more. BUT, these are the kinds of things vacations are for are they not? How many people do you know can say they swam with dolphins? Its such an indescribable feeling! If youre looking for the best time of year to visit any of SeaWorlds parks, September and October are the best months of the year because the weather has not cooled down just yet, theres barely a chance for rain, and pricing is the best. There are secure lockers for you to store away anything you need to, and there are also plenty of places to eat both meals and desserts. And of course... what park would be complete without a selection of gift shops for the young and old to find a keepsake all of your own to wrap up your perfect day. Once closing time comes about, its time to get heading back to your cozy beds to wake up tomorrow and visit the next SeaWorld park!

DE

Debra Oglesby

My hubby and I had wanted to visit Discovery Cove for some time now but the price always made he hesitate. Thanks to the Florida resident rates we were able to go. We were so impressed and had such a wonderful time we decided it was definitely worth any price to go. There was a line to check in but it moved so quickly we didnt even notice. The staff was so friendly and enthusiastic about everything and were readily available all day to answer any questions. One nice touch was the special Happy Birthday lanyard that my hubbys ID was put on so he was wished a Happy birthday all during the day we were there. Just a small thing but made the day extra special for him. I was very impressed with the goggles that they had for people with prescription glasses. I did not think they could get close to my prescription lenses but they did so I was able to see much better than I thought Id be able to. Very impressive!! The dolphin swim was memorable and something I had always wanted to do and it did not disappoint. The food was great all day, lots of choices and it was so nice that everything was included. My only complaint of the entire day was when we went to look at our pictures after the dolphin swim. The woman that helped us never explained any of the packages, never really showed us how to look at our pictures and once we started looking at them just kept asking us if wed decided on what we wanted. I felt we were rushed through this process and didnt get enough time to look. We ended up buying the whole package of pictures but I felt like the process could have been handled a little bit better since a lot of money is being spent on these pictures. That being said the quality of the pictures were great and Im glad we purchased them. The staff had thought of everything even at the end of the day the showers and dressing areas were very clean. I loved that shampoo, conditioner, and body wash was all there to use (even large mirrors and blow driers). There were even large plastic bags to put wet swimsuits in to take home. What more could you think of. All in all it was a perfect day. I would encourage anyone thinking about visiting Discovery Cove to go. Its a destination that will stand out during your vacation. I know its an experience I wont soon forget.

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