|
"We visited Discovery Cove on 8/10/05. We are an upper
middle class family who will probably never enjoy the lifestyles
of extremely wealthy people. Discovery Cove is probably one
of the closest ways that average people will come to being treated
like 5 star VIP guests. The staff were very friendly and
accommodating. They
had just about anything you needed on hand. The fish, stingrays,
dolphins, and birds helped make lasting memories. Discovery
Cove is place we intend on visiting more than once.
Before arriving my husband was a bit apprehensive about swimming
in the coral reef with such large sting rays and fish. After
arriving I could not pull him out. It was truly amazing! The
lazy river is so relaxing as is the entire place!" (8/05)
" i
loved discovery cove it was amazing i fulfilled my dreams of swimming
with dolphins on my 13th birthday the rest of my family enjoyed
it!!" (9/05)
"not long back from Florida(june 2005),where the undoubted highlight
for my wife was the swimming with dolphin experience.From arrival
at 8 a.m.to departure at 4 p.m.we could not fault it,well worth
the money." (8/05)
"We visited Discovery Cove in July this year, Take our word for
this, it is a magical place, very well thought out and run. The
Dolphin interaction was great, should we be lucky enough to come
back to Orlando again, this is first on our list."
Paul, Essex, July 2005.
"I recently went to Discovery
Cove on a trip to Orlando (5/29/05). I wasn't sure how I would
like it because I read some bad
reviews, but also good ones. We
loved it!! Our dolphin was not
behaving and kept swimming
away. They definitely made it up
to us. Instead of getting 30
minutes with our dolphin we got
about 1 hr 45 mins. We hugged
him, kissed him, and petted him
forever and of course got to ride
on his back. Also they can do
special requests. One couple in
our group got engaged during
their dolphin encounter - good
idea for any guys out there
wanting to pop the question.
Also swimming with the stingrays
and tropical fish was great! The
staff was wonderful. The food
was delicious. The facilities were
clean. And no crowds. I would
definitely go back again." (8/05)
"My wife and i spent our honeymoon at discovery cove and i can
only say one word, heaven. the place is out of this world i'd love
to spend the rest of my life there, if you get the chance to go
don't hesetate." (8/05)
" I just got back from my trip to Discovery Cove. I have to say
Discovery Cove is amazing, interacting with the dolphins, getting
up close and personal with birds, stingrays and all sorts of tropical
fish is all in one word "Awesome". Swimming with the dolphins was
an ultimate dream of mine and it came true, I couldn't have asked
for a better experience, I do wish the interaction and more one
on one time with the dolphins could've been longer, but just touching
and playing with them was Amazing! The entire staff was so friendly
and helpful, couldn't have asked for a better staff. If anyone
could go to Discovery Cove I would definitely reccommend it to
anyone, it is well worth it. Thank you Discovery Cove for an awesome
time." (8/05)
"trainer for a day was amazing it was a once in a lifetime exprience
that could never be topped by anything this was a great deal for
everything we got to do and sice my daughter wants to be a dolphin
trainer when she gets older this was something really wonderful
for her.. if you have a teenager this is such a fun thing for them
to do but hey the whole discovery cove expirience is awesome so
why would this be any different!" (8/05)
"OH man! That was my first time going to Discovery Cove.
It is sooo much fun. When we ended the swimming with the dolphins
I did not want to stop. The aviary was so much fun. Everything
was a trip of a life time and much much more. It was like home
without anything bothering you.
When I get out of high school I am going to college to be a dolphin trainer at
Discovery Cove!!" Jenna MN 13 years old
"I went to Discovery Cove in April 2005 and was totally astounded
by the natural beauty and amazing animal orientated atmospere of
it all. At first we were treated to a guided tour and free complimentary
family photo, which was beautiful, and finally guided to the lockers.
We were then given out wetsuits,towels and snorkels in an orderly
fashion. We then changed into our wetsuits in nice, clean toilets
and changing rooms. We then spent the whole day enjoying ourselves...pleasant
but definitely worth the £1000 for the 4 or us."
"We went to Orlando Aug 2004. We happened to go on a bad day,
not Discoverys fault but the weather. Had 2 weeks of rain not long
after the Hurricanes. Anyway arrived at Discovery Cove everything
went wonderful easy check in and started off hot and sunny. Hooray
we thought SUN whilst waiting for our slot to swim with the Dolphines
we could see dark clouds heading our way . We just managed to have
a quick swim with the Dolphin then the lightening came. We were
all huddled under a tent trying to keep warm and waiting to resume
our swim. But sadly it went on for hours and we had no food from
the cateen as we all had to stay in the tent for safety reasons.
We were told to go home as it was about to close the cove. We were
so hungry we went to the cateenfor a bite to eat.Everything had
gone all the others who were in the cateen sheltering had eaten
all our food!! So We did not get to see anything apart from a swim
in the lagoon. Sad really as we never got to swim properly and
the the kids were devestated. No refund or a ticket back at a lower
cost. So a bad experience for us and a lot of money to sit in a
tent. And no pictures."
"I had a ton of fun at Discovery Cove! It is really well done
and everything it amazing looking, there are flowers and mosaics
everywhere! I loved the birds as much as the dolphins because you
got to really see them up close and personal. I also enjoyed seeing
the dolphins and playing with them. There are so many things you
can do there, I could have stayed a month or more. I am coming back
to do trainer for a day next year hopefully. To anybody who is thinking
about going-it's great and you'll love it so defently go. It's worth
every penny." (2/05)
"positivley the best holiday ever went in october and had
a woundefull time i went with my family and everyone enjoyed it
the weather was great and so was the food but the best bit was by
far the dolphin swim the dolphins were magnificent and so were the
trainers so under standing of yours and the dolphins needs GREAT
i suggest if you haven't already bean there then go as soon as you
can." jamie from oxford
"I went to Discovery Cove this year and loved it! It was very
fun and relaxing. The food was great and it was amazing seeing all
of those animals. I loved the dolphin swim and only wish it could
be longer. I'm trying to go back next year to do Trainer for the
Day." (12/04)
"I went to discovery cove in oct this year 2004. LOVED IT!!!
i would go to Florida again just to visit discovery cove. I thought
the dolphin interaction was great but not long enough and also too
many people in the group( 8 people to one dolphin!). You are told
when to touch what to do and when to do it. After the dolphin swim
is over i found that if you ventured too close to the waters edge
to watch the dolphins you are asked to move away ,which i feel is
unfair because it does cost alot of money.But all in all a Fab day,
i really enjoyed the stingray pool and the snorkling in the reef
the fish were fantastic and the rays were HUGE!! The meal provided
was very good."
"I've just got back from Florida and visited discovery cove
as a treat! It was amazing! I highly recommend that you spend as
much time there as possible so you get your monies worth! My favourite
part was the dolphin interaction i didnt have very high
expectations of it because of many being dissappointed but i thought
it was a time to never forget! If you are going to visit be sure
to ask as many questions as
possible as my trainer was soo eager to answer my questions that
i was in the pool longer than you should! If you havent snorkelled
before i found you could get deep just wearing googles. I got to
view the thousands of fish from the bottom
of the reef which was fantastic! I enjoyed the aviary too as its
hands on birds just fly all over you. Overall i thought discovery
cove was great and i hope to have the oppurtunity to come face to
face to these creatures again! Its worth the price!!" Lucy
Rudge 16 UK (7/04)
"My husband, myself and our two boys went to Discovery Cove
in May of this year. We went to all of the theme parks and this
park was by far our most favorite. I wasn't going to sepnd that
much money on one park but a friend convinced me to do it when I
had the chance because I might not get the chance again. She was
right- it was so worth it. I could have spent hours alone in the
stingray pool-- I though that part was even more exciting than the
dolpins. I do have to say my 5 year old sat out on the beach and
cried the entire time me and my other son were with the dolphins-
I think some age exceptions should ba made so everyone gets the
same wonderful experience. Thanks so much- I will do it again if
I ever get the chance!" (7/04)
"Discovery Cove was the highlight of our vacation! Check in
is a little lengthy without need to be. Most of us can understand
how to invent a code for the lockers and how to implement the code.
It really shouldn't be a 1/2 hour lecture. (And why can't we choose
our own lockers??) There are maps (you are here) throughout the
park, so there really is no need for the 1/2 hour tour. Once you
make it through check in, though - well worth the $$. Guests are
#1 at Discovery Cove and they definitely made us feel welcome. Beautiful
fish and rays - our daughter loved the atrium. Thanks Discovery
Cove for a great day!!"
"I was a little leary of spending so much money on one park,
but I feel that it is money well spent. My family and I had a wonderful
time and it is such a nice change of pace from the other theme parks
in Orlando. The dolphin trainers are awesome and the swim with our
dolphin, Natalie, is something my kids and I will not soon forget.
My 9-year-old daughter who is a dolphin fan was a little disappointed
that she didn't get to interact with the dolphins longer, but she
can't wait to go back and do it again. For children who have never
been exposed to snorkeling, the coral reef may be a bit overwhelming
- there are fish and stingrays all around you and the stingrays
are HUGE! The park is gorgeous and well kept. It's nice that they
limit attendance here - it makes you feel very special. I highly
recommend this experience to everyone."
"It is the greatest place in the world to me. My husband and
I went last summer, and loved every minute of it. We are going back
May 13 to do the Trainer for a Day program, and I can't wait. The
park is beautiful, the employees friendly, and the dolphins are
the highlight of the day. I love it so much that I want to move
to Orlando and be a dolphin trainer myself."
"my boyfriend and I went to discovery cove on feb 17 2004
and we thought it was fantastic the snorkeling with the fish and
the rays was the highlight of our day. We did leave early because
we had a hard time staying interested for so long. The food was
great to. But overall I would reccommend it to anyone."
"My husband and I went to Discovery Cove over the 4th of July
holiday. I have always dreamed of swimming with dolphins. It was
indeed, the best day ever. Our dolphin encounter was absolutely
wonderful. I have always loved dolphins, and when we were with our
dolphin, LaToya, my husband said "Now I know why you love dolphins
so much." We hated to see the day end. It is a beautiful place,
which is well maintained, and has a super friendly staff. We are
going back to Discovery Cove the first week of March, to do the
"Trainer for a Day" program. I am also back in college,
getting my degree in psychology, so that I can become a dolphin
trainer at Discovery Cove. It's my dream, and I'm going for it!"
"My husband and I had been to Florida 4 times previously and
when we adopted our 2 children the natural choice of holiday was
to take them to Florida. We were there from 6th December 2002 until
29th December 2002. As a Christmas surprise I organised for all
of us to go to Discovery Cove on Christmas Day!! Im still not sure
who enjoyed the experience the most but we all have our own special
memories. It far outweighted any of our expectations. So much that
when a friend visited in February this year she had to go. We are
planning out next visit in the summer of 2005 and another visit
will certainly be on the agenda."
"The day at Discovery Cove with my husband and three boys
was the most wonderful day of our lives. When I came home and watched
the video of our 6 year old Samuel swimming with Hutch, the look
of joy on his face made me cry. It is trily a magical place, which
we will visit again next time we are in Florida. Thank you to all
the staff who made it such a fabulous experience, and most of all
to Hutch!"
The Haywood Family, Derbyshire, UK
"We have been to Orlando 6 times in the last 4 years but this
was the first time we visited Discovery Cove. I wish we had done
it earlier! I cannot explain how fantastic the whole day was. Make
sure you get there early to make the most of your day and DO EVERYTHING.
I cannot swim, but was provided with a life jacket that didn't hinder
me in any way from doing anything. Myself and 2 daughters (aged
13 & 8) swam with 'Dixie'. I cannot tell you how unbelieveable this
was. I had an idea what it would be like, but it was 100 times better!
My eldest daughter is dolphin mad and she was in awe. Yes it costs
a fair bit, but is worth every penny. The only thing I would mention
is that the dolphin swim isn't long enough and you don't swim far
with them, but it isn't some thing that would put me off doing it
all again. If you have been thinking about it, get booked = it is
money very well spent! Debbie, Newcastle UK"
"Our family
went to discovery cove on July 26, We all had a wonderful time.
We would go again. It was much better then disney world. I wish
we had spent a second day there. The most fun we have ever had on
vacation. Thank you all from the Baros family."
"Just got
back from my trip at Discovery Cove. Only one word can describe
it - PARADISE! We now refer to our day at Discovery Cove as 'Our
Perfect Day.' Everything was perfect, the place is beatiful and
of course the dolphins, birds, rays and fish were remarkable!! I
have nothing negative to say about it. If you get the opportunity,
don't miss it! You will not be sorry. I hope this doesn't get out,
but they could get away with charging twice as much, and it would
still be worth every penny. We have already planned our next trip
to Orlando, and we are going to go to Discovery Cove twice!"
Jennifer in CA
"My boyfriend
and I went to Discovery Cove for the first time last year. It was
wonderful. It was like going to Bermuda and having everything in
one place. I felt like I was in paradise. We liked it soooo much
that we are going back next summer!!!"
"i went to
discovery cove last year at the end of the summer and it was fantastic.it
was out of this world and words cannot describe it.you have to go
there it is a must see and you are really missing out if you do
not go. next year i am going again as it is not a waste of moneyand
i almost cryed when i left. not only is the dolphin swim fantastic
the whole place is. it is very private, clean and you feel like
a VIP by going as you get a membership card which gives you free
access to seaworld. it is brilliant and i suggest you go ASAP.!!!"
"We were at
Discovery Cove by 8:30am. You don't get a ticket, you just check-in.
Luckily there was no line. After I'd given my name in they took
my photo which is put onto a card. You hang the card around your
neck, it doubles as an ID card and a charge card (if you leave your
credit card details at check-in), which is very handy as you don't
need to carry cash with you.
After a few minutes wait we were put into a small group of about
10 people and taken on a quick tour of the park, which is smaller
than I expected it to be. We were shown the lazy river, coral reef,
dolphin lagoon, and left at the swim gear store. Here we were given
a life vest, snorkel, mask, towel, and special animal friendly sunscreen
(you get to keep the snorkel). At the beginning of the tour, every
family (or single person) gets their photo taken; this can be picked
up later in the day and is complimentary. I got a locker, which
are free and right next to the changing rooms, and got changed into
my swimming costume.
My dolphin swim was at 9:05am, the first of the day. There are
three different cabanas, your cabana name is printed on your ID
card, and this is where you have a briefing before the dolphin swim.
Mine was the Sea Horse cabana, which is where I headed off to next.
The trainer checked everyone's name off a list, and after we watched
a short video on dolphins, we were given a talk on safety and dolphins.
We were then split into three different pods, I, J, and K, with
7 people in each pod. Three of us in my pod were on our own. Then
it was off to the lagoon to meet the dolphins.
The water was freezing and it took a while to get used to! It was
2-3ft deep then dropped to 9ft deep. The life vests you have to
wear keep you afloat. There are three pods in each bay of the lagoon,
but each pod has it's own dolphin, ours was Scarlet. I asked the
trainer if they were the dolphins that used to be at Sea World,
they were. We all stood around the edge and the dolphins jumped
up in the middle of the bay. We were told that the dolphins were
free to swim away from us anytime they wanted to and weren't forced
to do anything they didn't want to. Each of us got to kiss Scarlet
and our photo was taken doing so. We also got to rub the dolphin
down, receive it (hold your hand out palm up and the dolphin swims
right up to you), send the dolphin out to the middle, and also got
splashed by the dolphin as she swam past waving her fin! Each family
swam out to the middle of the lagoon, I went with the other two
singles in our pod. This was when Scarlet decided she wanted to
play, first she swam at the man with us and pushed him under briefly,
then she came at me and pushed me right under the water. I was only
under for seconds, but with a very heavy dolphin holding you under
the water it was very scary! I swallowed half the lagoon and could
taste salt in my mouth all day!! Once I'd recovered each of us had
our photo taken holding Scarlet's fin while she stood up in the
water. Then each of us in turn held onto the dolphin while she swam
back to the shore, which was a great experience. One thing I should
point out, for anyone who is not a strong swimmer, I found it quite
hard to swim once out in the lagoon due to the current, I kept banging
into people! At one point I was trying to swim but wasn't getting
anywhere, the trainer ended up pulling me! I also got to hug Scarlet,
feed her fish, and tickle her belly while she lied on her back.
Sadly our 30 minutes in the water were soon up and we all waved
goodbye to Scarlet, who then lied on her side and waved back, splashing
us all one last time. I was worried that the dolphin swim may have
been like the dolphin interaction program I did at Sea World, which
was a disappointment, we hardly spent any time with the dolphins
and didn't get much interaction with them either. Thankfully it
was much, much better. I would certainly pay to come here again,
and highly recommends it to anyone who loves dolphins.
We all went back to the cabana where there are computers set up,
onto which the photos just taken were downloaded. Us three singles
sat at one computer. Each person in turn slides their ID card through
the computer and then chooses which photos have them on by touching
the screen. You then pick which photos you wish to buy, again by
touching the screen. 7"x5" photos are $15.99 each, 2 photo keyrings
are (I think) $14.99, and a photo snowglobe is $14.99. You then
go to the photo where they scan your ID card, and give you the photos
you have chosen. I charged my photos to my ID card, and also bought
a frame. Someone did ask about having videos taken of the swim,
the trainer said lots had asked that and it was something they were
looking at for the future. There is one main gift shop and a smaller
shop, but the gifts weren't very inspiring, mainly clothing and
ornaments. There was a distinct lack of Discovery Cove logo merchandise,
I would have thought that there would be much more for sale, it's
not as if the company has had no marketing experience, it's run
by Sea World for goodness sake. There weren't even any postcards,
when I asked the assistant said 'well, we have only been open a
few months', yes but it's been planned for how many years?!!
I decided to try out the coral reef. I have never snorkelled before,
and hate putting my head under water. I had brought a disposable
waterproof camera with me, so wanted to get some underwater shots
of the tropical fish. Even with the mask and snorkel on, I didn't
like being underwater, so I only got one shot! I really wish I'd
been able to do it, especially later on when I heard someone saying
it was one of the best things.
Next, I moved onto the lazy river. There were noodle floats available
to use on the river, so I got one to be on the safe side, not knowing
how deep the water would be and if I'd have the strength to swim
all the way round. The river started off shallow, then went quite
deep, then alternated between deep and shallow sections. I'm glad
I had the noodle to help keep me afloat, I wouldn't have been able
to swim all the way round and didn't want to rely on the life vest
to keep me afloat. The only bad thing about the river was you have
to go under two waterfalls, there is no way out once you're on the
river and no way around the waterfalls! About half way around, there
is an aviary. There was someone handing out bird food and another
assistant walking round. I asked for some bird food, but when she
gave me a pot of something that was crawling (?maggots) I quickly
gave it back! A beautiful coloured bird landed on my shoulder, but
before I could ask the man to take my photo it had flown away. He
gave me a pot of food (dry food this time!) and a bird came and
landed on my hand. As well as beautiful birds, there were peacocks
and small deer walking around the aviary. After coming to the end
of the lazy river I was quite hungry, so decided to go for lunch.
A free lunch is included in the price, and is served at the Laguna
Grill. You can have one hot or cold entree, one dinner salad, a
dessert or fruit, and a drink. I chose chicken fingers and fries
(which were more like potato wedges), a salad, key lime pie and
fruit punch. There are tables indoors and lots of tables outdoors
under umbrellas.
After lunch, which was very good, I relaxed on the white sand beach
and watched other people's dolphin swims. Luckily the weather remained
nice and hot all day, I'm so glad I hadn't booked for the day before!
I went to the ray lagoon next. I'd never touched stingrays before,
they are so weird, sort of velvety but prickly. The trainer said
they'd had their stings removed so were harmless. I just got there
at the right time, as it was feeding time. Everyone was given fish
to feed to the rays, you hold it between your fingers, palm up,
and the rays come and suck it from your hand (their mouths are underneath).
It was such a strange experience, having these creatures swim at
you and rub past you! I tried snorkelling again to take a picture
of the rays, but still didn't like it!
I bought a shamu ice cream bar and a Beachcomber smoothie (orange
and pineapple juice) from one of the small refreshment huts and
sat on the beach by the lagoon. I remembered about my free photo,
so went to the photo shop to ask for it, they said I needed the
ticket I'd been given when it was taken, so I had to go back to
my locker for it.
By this time it was only about 2pm and the car was only picking
me up at 5pm. I didn't want to go back on the lazy river because
of the waterfalls, they really need to add more things to do. I
noticed the beach emptied quite a bit after 3pm, so others must
have got bored too. I bought a magazine from the shop and sat on
the beach and read for a while. There are some rocks between the
bays in the lagoon, which offer good views of the dolphins, so I
went and stood there to take some pictures. The time soon passed,
and once I was showered and changed (shower gel and shampoo are
provided in a nice shower room) it was time to go. On the way out
I was asked to do a short survey or what I thought of the park."
(9/00) Joanne
|
