Five Reasons to Add Discovery Cove to Your Orlando Vacation

Recently, I spent the day at SeaWorld's Discovery Cove. It was an amazing experience. We picked a gorgeous day to enjoy the resort. The day was very active - yet relaxing. We soaked up the sun, snorkeled, swam alongside marine animals and enjoyed the endless supply of food and beverages included in price of admission.

Here are five reasons why I believe you should consider adding discovery cove to your Orlando itinerary.

It is an all inclusive resort.

Going on vacation can be a costly affair. Often, you have to pay for your air, hotel and park tickets in advance and you still need to save money for food and incidentals. At Discovery Cove you are provided with breakfast, lunch, snacks, beverages (even alcoholic beverages), snorkeling gear, towels, sunscreen and good service! All you need to bring with you is your flip flops, some beach shoes, sunglasses, beach hat and a change of clothes. Everything else they have covered. It's wonderful. If you add Discovery Cove to your trip that will be one day that you won't have to worry about anything - you may have to pick up dinner because the park closes at 5:30pm.

See a sample menu for a day at Discovery Cove.

2. There is something for everyone

Often families have a hard time on vacation because everyone wants to do something different. At Discovery Cove there are so many options for activities:

Visit Freshwater Oasis®, an all-new attraction with otters and curious marmosets.
Adventure on the not so lazy river on the Wind-Away River. You will go through caves and waterfalls. You can even snorkel and see what cool things are on the bed of the river.
See beautiful birds soar and sing in the Explorer's Aviary. Hundreds of colorful birds soar above and around you as you walk.
You can reserve a 30-minute dolphin swim by purchasing the Dolphin Day Resort package
Snorkeling with thousands of tropical fish and rays in The Grand Reef®. This experience was awesome. There were so many fish it was amazing. It was fun swimming over to the sharks, eels and lobsters (they were behind a glass partition).
Relax on the beach (bring a good book or catch a nap! I brought my new Success Journal by Stacia Pierce to help me plan 2016.)

3. The park will never be overcrowded

Discovery Cove restricts reservations to 1300 guests per day. This is wonderful because the park will never be overcrowded, but it also means that you will need to get your reservation early during peak season.

4. The staff are friendly and love what they do

I really enjoyed the service of the staff. They were friendly and you could tell that they really enjoyed their work. Daily, staff bring out various animals for show, tell and touch. It is great. we were able to see a little owl and an armadillo. It was very cool! Kudos to one staff member Nelson, who went out of his way to help us at breakfast and lunch. He then greeted us when we were leaving. Katherine our cabana attendant was truly amazing as well. Truly superb service was provided at the resort.

5. There is nothing like the feeling of being up close with marine animals

I have been snorkeling all over the world. Discovery Cove was one of the best. I understand that it is a man-made resort, but having so many marine animals so close to you was amazing. It was an experience I will never forget. I was not able to swim with the dolphins on this trip, but I could tell that people enjoyed the experience. Next time I visit, I also want to do the SeaVenture. It is an underwater walking tour where you wear a diving helmet and get real up close and personal with marine life. SCUBA certification is not required. Pricing starts at $49 per person. Discovery Cove donates 5% of the proceeds from SeaVenture to the Rising Tide conservation project.

This is the first of many posts on Discovery Cove. There is so much more to share about this experience. Take my word, if you add it to your Orlando vacation you will enjoy it and it may be your most memorable vacation memory.

Prices for Discovery Cove are $169 for out of state all day passes. To swim with the dolphins the package price starts at $229 per person (out of state residents). Seaventure begins at $49 add on price.