The Ultimate Guide to Visiting Discovery Cove

If you’re planning a trip to Orlando and are thinking about swimming with dolphins, keep reading for my Discovery Cove guide.

Discovery Cove is a little different to the other theme parks in Florida. There’s no rides or roller coasters here. What you will find are beautiful white sandy beaches and exotic animals.

What I love the most about this park is they limit the number of visitors each day. No matter what time of year you visit, you’ll find it’s a lot more relaxing compared to the likes of Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando.

Where to eat

The food and drink at Discovery Cove is all-inclusive, so you can literally help yourself. If you’re looking to get your money’s worth, make sure you arrive as soon as the park opens to take advantage of breakfast. And if you’re vegetarian (like me) you’ll be happy to hear there are plenty of meat-free options available.

Discovery Cove are also happy to accommodate various dietary requests. Just ask to speak to the manager when you arrive and they'll be able to help.

What happens during a Discovery Cove dolphin swim?

You start with a short safety briefing, where you’re also required to sign a waiver. Then it’s time to get in the water! Your trainer takes you through a series of games with your dolphin, before it's time for the finale; a dorsal fin ride. I’m not a strong swimmer, so I stayed in the shallow end for this part where the water is waist-height.

Another thing that struck me is just how HUGE dolphins are. They're large and powerful creatures. I can completely understand why Discovery Cove places an age restriction on the dolphin swim. The experience lasts around 30-minutes and takes place in the main lagoon. If you do have spectators with you they can sit on the beach on watch (although they won't be allowed to go into the water).

We did our dolphin swim late morning (around 11am), which worked out pretty well. We were able to grab some lunch after and then spend a few hours relaxing and exploring the park before our SeaVenture timeslot later in the afternoon. If you check-in at the park early enough then you have the option to request a preferred dolphin swim time, so it's worth bearing in mind.

What else can you do there?

Swimming with dolphins is the main attraction at Discovery Cove, but there’s so much more you can do there. One of my favourite parts of the day was feeding the exotic birds in the aviary. They were so cute! There’s also a Grand Reef where you can swim and snorkel with fish and sting rays. Wetsuits and snorkelling equipment is provided, so there’s no need to worry about bringing anything with you.

We also took part in SeaVenture, which is an underwater walking experience. This isn’t included with standard Discovery Cove tickets (you pay extra for it). In my opinion it’s definitely worth it. I actually enjoyed it more than the dolphin swim!

What if the weather isn’t great?

Don't be deceived by these beautifully sunny pictures... it was absolutely FREEZING on the day I visited Discovery Cove. I think the warmest it got up to was around 15°C. That’s the risk you take when you visit in January! It honestly didn’t spoil the day though. Once we had our wetsuits on and were in the water we were mostly fine.

If you're visiting during hurricane season (June to September) and the park has to close due to bad weather, give them a call and they'll try to re-arrange your visit for another date during your holiday, otherwise you're usually entitled to a full refund.

How much do Discovery Cove tickets cost?

Prices can vary dramatically depending on the time of year you visit. For example if you visit in July or August, you can expect to pay around £100 more compared to if you're visiting in January or February. However it's worth remembering that Discovery Cove tickets also include 14-days entry to SeaWorld and Aquatica (and Busch Gardens if you purchase the Ultimate Package), so it can actually work out pretty good value.

As I mentioned earlier, there's only a limited number of places available per day, so it's definitely worth booking well in advance to avoid disappointment. If you're looking for a reliable UK-based company to buy from, I will always recommend FloridaTix (I used to work for them so I know they're legit!)

Thanks for reading my Discovery Cove Guide. Hope you found it helpful! Have you ever swam with dolphins in Florida?

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