Our First Experience at Discovery Cove!
One of our favorite new experiences during our summer adventures in Orlando was Discovery Cove, an all-inclusive day resort operated by Seaworld Parks and Entertainment. Although Discovery Cove is not included in any Seaworld family annual pass regardless of membership tier, platinum members do receive sizable discounts on admission and experience packages at certain times of the year. That’s why, in 2024, we finally decided to pull the trigger and visit this incredible marriage of tourism and conservation for the very first time.
The experience begins the very moment that you park your car and join the queue to enter the welcome center. After checking in at the front entrance, we made our way into the property and were immediately impressed by the atmosphere and theming all around us. The landscaping and rock work were immaculate and really made us feel like we were in some tropical paradise. Before heading to breakfast, we wanted to find a locker to keep our stuff safe and out of the way. Free lockers are available for guests but be warned, you cannot reserve one in advance and they are first-come, first-served. Once we were relatively settled we headed back to the Laguna Grill for our first meal of the day.
We mentioned before that this is an all-inclusive resort, so let’s unpack that for a second before we move on. Your admission to Discovery Cove includes a breakfast and lunch buffet, unlimited beer/wine (if of legal drinking age) and unlimited snacks and non-alcoholic beverages. As far as experiences, your admission includes unlimited use of the Grand Reef pool and the Freshwater Oasis, complimentary towels, wet-suit and snorkel gear rental, life-jackets, reef-safe sunscreen, and various animal encounters. It does NOT include premium cocktails, cabana rentals, or private close-encounters with animals such as the dolphins, flamingoes, and sharks.
Breakfast at the Laguna Grill included hot options such as eggs, bacon, chicken and waffles, and French toast as well as a yogurt parfait station and various pastries. Hot coffee, tea, water, and fountain sodas are also served. We of course tried as much as we could and liked almost everything we tried except for the scrambled eggs - but to be fair, we are notoriously picky about eggs.
Above: Your admission to Discovery Cove includes two meals, breakfast and lunch, both served from the Laguna Grill via bottomless, buffet-style dining!
After breakfast, we checked a nearby map to help get our bearings and see which animal enrichment presentations we might be interested in catching. It was recommended that we do the Grand Reef earlier in the day, both because this water was colder than the water in the Freshwater Oasis and because it would be more enjoyable when it was less crowded. To enter the reef, it is required that guests don either a full wet suit or vest - so we picked up our vests and snorkel gear at the nearby station first. Life-vests are not required in any of the pools, but we discovered after a few swims in the reef that it was far more relaxing to just float in a vest and look at the fish than to tread water constantly.
The Grand Reef is home to various fish species and rays and therefore mimics the temperature and environment of a coral reef. The water can be a bit jarring at first, but becomes refreshing quickly. For your safety and for the safety of the animals, all jewelry must be removed and any sunscreen must be considered “animal friendly” or “reef safe.” This specific kind of sunscreen can be hard to find in stores - but don’t worry, the property has plenty of animal-safe sunscreen stations for guests. When in the Grand Reef, make sure to swim towards the back for an underwater view of the sharks (don’t worry, they are behind glass).
Above: The Grand Reef area offers an incredible snorkeling experience in an environment positively alive with sea creatures of various shapes and sizes.
After a good swim around the reef, we decided to catch our first animal enrichment activity, a close encounter with an adorable armadillo (“Julius”). This encounter happened to be right next to the grand reef, but different demonstrations are scheduled all throughout the property. After meeting our animal friend, we decided it was time to try one of our premium cocktails from our premium drink package. This was the only upgrade we opted into for this visit because we happened to get it for a discount with our platinum membership. The Aloha Sunrise was beautifully layered, tropical and refreshing. Soon enough it was time for our next meal, lunch at the Laguna Grill. In our opinion, lunch was even better than breakfast. There were a variety of options included typical American fare (burgers and fries), salads, macaroni and cheese, Jamaican jerk chicken, pulled pork, rice, coconut salmon, and other sides. And don’t forget to save room for dessert!
Most of our afternoon was spent on the other side of the property, exploring the Freshwater Oasis and Wind Away River. Animals on this side include the marmosets, otters, and a huge aviary. The neat thing about these enclosures is that they can all be viewed from the cool comfort of the lazy river. In fact, the only way to see the marmosets is to get wet. You can also venture into the aviary from a dry path, but I highly recommend taking the river around and experience the birds flying over head.
The Wind Away River was probably our favorite of the pools - and, as lazy rivers go, it’s certainly not the laziest of them. While it is very relaxing, it can be a bit challenging to navigate at certain junctures. We discovered after a few rounds that we preferred to float with a life vest rather than the provided foam noodles. We also realized rather quickly that we wish we had worn water shoes, because the depth changes rapidly in the river and our toes were getting a beating at times. That said, the rockwork and the waterfalls made it all worthwhile. Also in the Oasis area is the Blue Lagoon, which is a shallow pool featuring in-water loungers. It was permitted to bring beverages into this area, so I figured this was a great time to grab another premium drink, the Blueberry Splash, from the nearby pool bar. This drink was also tasty and little less sweet than the Aloha Sunrise.
Above: The rockwork and waterfalls in the freshwater Wind Away River made it worth any and all challenges faced in navigating the depth changes of the river’s course.
One note regarding aviary access from the river: in order to keep the birds safely in their enclosure, you must pass through a huge water curtain to enter and exit the aviary. If gallons on water falling on your head is not ideal - as is often the case for Tim - you should consider exiting the river and venturing into the aviary on foot. And, if you do visit the aviary on foot, you will be given complimentary feed to present to the feathered friends. If you aren’t interested in birds getting up close or possibly landing on your arms and hands, then maybe skip the feeding stations. For our final premium drink of the day, we grabbed an Electric Shark cocktail and walked over to the shark enclosure that we saw from the water of the Grand Reef earlier in the day. This area is also home to the SeaVenture experience, which is an add-on that takes you on a walking tour of the Grand Reef while sporting a styling dive helmet.
After our final round in the winding river to say goodbye to the otters and marmosets, it was time to pack it in for the day. We used the onsite (indoor) showers to clean up and change into dry clothes, made sure to empty our locker of our personal items, and returned all the gear that we used throughout the day. All-in-all, this one of our top experiences of our summer and we can highly recommend adding a day a Discovery Cove to your central Florida vacation. With Platinum Pass discounts and only the premium drink package as an addition - which is to say, no dolphin encounter, no SeaVenture, no flamingo walk, etc. - our final admission price came to approximately $204/person. At that rate, this was some of the best value we’ve ever gotten out of an Orlando-area attraction, and it was a day we’ll not soon forget! We did our best to capture our day in this vlog - so be sure to check it out!
