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We were out of the hotel in plenty of time for the drive to Discovery Cove, which was only about 20 minutes from the resort. We had breakfast before leaving which proved amusing later. On arrival, Discovery Cove looks a bit like a hotel. We walked into a lobby where we were directed to a staff member who booked us in. We got our photos and passes done. Had a wobbly moment where she asked for ID and I thought I was going to have to hotfoot it back to the car, but this was only if we wanted to drink. Neither of us did, so no proble. Headed into the park, where we were directed efficiently to the breakfast buffet, Well, we managed a bit as it all looked so good
We got kitted out with wetsuit vests and deposited our gear in the locker. Found a nice couple of loungers by the snorkeling lagoon and went straight in for a swim. An hour passed quickly swimming amongst the rays and tropical fish. Wonderful experience, and absolutley captivated us.
Soon, though we headed over to the cabana for our pre-dolphin swim briefing. Only Maddie and I were swimming, Carly parked herself on a nearby rock and took photos.
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We were introduced first to Catalina, a young female and went through the process of using hand signals, to which she reacted. Absolutley engrossing. Maddie smiled like never before throughout this, and loved kissing the dolphin when it was her turn.
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Catalina was then replaced by Diego, an older and more experienced male. What a gem he was. Our time with him was wonderful, and capped by the experience of swimming with him. maddie did the shallow swim, while I did the deep water swim. This experience was quite moving acyually. Feeling the power of these wonderful creatures up close. Both of us couldn't stop grinning for ages and this experience alone was worth the entrance fee. I also found it reassuring that Seaworld are behind this venture, and didn't feel that the dolphins were being exploited at any point.
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All too soon, we left the lagoon and headed back to our spot near the lagoon. Carly had some great photos and we also bought some from the DC photographer. Back to snorkeling and exploring the rest of the site, The place is very restful, and due to the limited numbers, never felt crowded. We swam lots, explored the wonderful aviary, and went to and from the concessions for drinks.
We made our way back to the restaurant for the included lunch and found it very good, with a pretty good choice available. The rest of our time at Discovery Cove was passed with more swimming in the snorkel lagoon, Maddie feeding the rays in the smaller lagoon, and swimming around the lazy river which circles the park. An idyllic day, and over all too soon. We drove back to Port Orleans with a few more souvenirs in hand and decided to walk over to Riverside to eat in the table service restaurant there. The food was pretty good, if not spectacular and we got back to bed about 10pm.
This was a truly memorable day, and we've talked about it more than any other experience we had. I would, and have several times, recommended the experience to anyone visiting Orlando.
