So we went to Orlando in September and while there we purchased SeaWorld annual passes. It was one of our mostly relaxation type trips. My wife had some vacation time left she needed to use or lose so we went back in October.
SeaWorld annual pass holders get a significant discount to Discovery Cove and since it is something we have talked about doing for a long time we decided to go ahead and spend a day there.
It was fantastic...better than we imagined. I hope this mostly non-Disney trip report is OK here and trust the mods will remove it if not.
So we went the week of Oct. 15-22 and the weather was fantastic. We stayed at a place called Marriott Grande Vista off of International Drive near SeaWorld. It is a beautiful property and we enjoyed it a lot. We went to SeaWorld several times, went to Discovery Cove and went over to WDW and went resort hopping too.
I will start out with Discovery Cove, the highlight of the trip. Here is the lobby:
We are early risers and got to Discovery Cove before sun up. We were the fourth car in the parking lot. After getting signed in and getting our passes and lanyards, you go outside to a little waiting area for coffee and an escort into the park. We got there before the coffee arrived.
After an introduction by a staff member, as a group...more had arrived early, we walked down a pathway to where photographers are stationed and they take your complimentary photo.
Then we are escorted on down the pathway to another person who tells more about what is in store, then we went for breakfast.
Food (breakfast and lunch) and snacks are provided all day. We had a huge breakfast that was better than I had expected with several choices available. The food area was roomy, with two sides serving the same choices and it made for a short time in line.
Since there were lots of choices, I had a nice, big breakfast with sausage, bacon, eggs, potatoes, grits, pastries, fruit, diet Coke, chocolate milk, orange juice and coffee. What a plate full!
After breakfast, and long before the opening of the swimming areas at 9 a.m., we had time to just walk around and explore, getting familiar with the layout. We got changed, and both chose the vest over the wet suit. You have to wear one or the other while in the water. Lockers are provided and we stored our clothes and shoes and then changed back into them before leaving. They thought of everything and in the dressing rooms even provide plastic bags to store your wet clothes.
Early in the morning, they feed the rays. That was fun to watch.
We explored some more then at 9 a.m., the first group of dolphin swimmers came to one of the three dolphin lagoons. We chose not to do the dolphin swim because it is a substantial extra cost and we were happy to just spend the day doing all the other stuff. Actual time in the water with the dolphins is short and the swim part is only a short distance where the swimmer hangs on and is towed around for approximately 20-30 yards or so. Swimmers do have some petting time and photo time with the dolphin, but we don't regret just watching, as there is so much more to do at DC.
Our first foray into the water was at the lazy river (appropriate for me huh?). We bought water shoes at the outlets over on International Drive the day before and are very glad we did. I highly recommend them.
The lazy river is a lot of fun and quite long. It varies in depth from a couple of feet to well over eight feet deep. It flows through caves, open areas, tropical jungle like settings and a huge aviary where you can feed the birds. At the aviary you swim through or under a huge waterfall to get into the bird area. The lazy river flows through the aviary and you can get out and feed the birds if you want, or can go back and access it by foot. We did both as we went in there several times. Staff provides you with little cups of bird food and the birds are so used to people they come right over and eat out of your hands.
We enjoyed the aviary a lot. The interaction with the birds was nice. There are many varieties in there and they have printed, laminated sheets you can get to help identify the different birds.
Earlier, before everything got going, we found our spot for the day, in a lovely, tropical setting with lots of shade, right beside a hammock. We would spend some time here, but not a lot as we spent most of the day in the water (or eating and snacking).
Yeah, we really liked it too and are thinking we might do it again next year sometime before our SeaWorld annual passes expire. Take advantage of the pass holder discount again. I am thrifty (frugal, tight, just plain cheap) that way.
