Discovery Cove was awesome. I think what is most impressive about it is that it’s not like your average water theme park. Of course, it’s not your average water theme price either, but we thought it was a good value for the money.

There are basically 5 different things to do at Discovery cove.

– Snorkel/Swim through a Lazy river and lagoon areas.
– Wade in the Manta Ray Lagoon and touch the Manta Rays.
– Snorkel in the “Reef Lagoon” and see incredible fishes and Rays.
– Walk through the bird Aviary and hand feed many varieties of colorful birds
– Enjoy your 45 minute dolphin interaction experience including getting pulled by the dolphin.

Yes, you must be 6 to do the dolphin experience but our four year old Noah who is a decent swimmer (Can swim under water) did it. He’s the same size as Dinara who’s turning six tomorrow and both are good swimmers. He has an adventerous spirit and he absolutely loved it! I think they offer the 6 year old guideline because they don’t want to deal with kids who are going to freak out about the dolphin and who can’t follow instructions. So it’s easier to simply put an age guideline on paper. So my advice is that if your kids are not afraid to put their head in the water, follow instructions well and aren’t easily freaked out by big mammals… I say go for it. It was an unforgettable experience.

Emma was absolutely TERRIFIED of the Manta Rays. We touched them in a tide pool in Vegas, but actually walking into a lagoon filled with them was overwhelming for her at first. It took her pretty much the whole day to get used to them. Since they are also in the snorkel pool, we really had to work with her through the fear. Lots of talking. Lots of trying it…then getting out…then trying it again. Great lessons in overcoming fears and finding courage to try new things. By the end of the day, the 8-foot Manta skirting along the bottom of the 25-foot deep snorkel pool didn’t freak her out anymore. She was actually asking to go back into the full-blown Manta pool and touch them before we left!

Noah couldn’t get the hang of snorkeling…so he spent a lot of time in the bird aviary with Daddy and playing in the sand and swimming in the shallow lagoons. His favorite birds were pretty yellow parrot-like ones that landed on his head, his hands and arms and ate mango. The only thing sweeter then watching him interact with these birds was the sound of his infectious giggle when the birds landed on him.

Dinara was part fish on this trip. We nicknamed her Nemo. She took to the snorkeling like her momma. Wanted to touch the fish. Wanted to pet the Mantas. Exhibited no fear and was amazed by everything. What was most amazing was watching her snorkel. She could tread water and empty her mask and blow water out her snorkel all at the same time!

Included in the cost of admission is a pretty decent lunch with drink and dessert. I had Chicken Fajitas and my husband had Caesar Salmon Salad. They also had some kid choices too. We though the food was decent and fresh.

We plan on going back!!! I think that Discovery Cove is best for older kids from age 6 on up to adult. This was really a special treat for our family.

My top seven tips for Discovery Cove are:

1. You don’t have to wear a wetsuit all day. You can switch out before your dolphin swim from the vest to the wetsuit.
2. If you have someone available, you can video your experience from the beach. The Discovery Cove people also video it. It’s about $65 for their video and it only comes in VHS format.
3. Bring water shoes. Those birds in the aviary are getting fed all day long. ‘Nuff said.
4. Teach young children to snorkel in the Lagoons of the Lazy River. Much easier and calmer to do it there FIRST. And plan on it taking a good 15 minutes.
5. If you wear glasses they have prescription snorkel masks available for free. You try on different ones to find the one closest to your Rx. You just have to ask and go to a special place to get it. If you wear glasses, it’s really worth it!
6. The “environmentally safe sunscreen” they give you is Zinc Oxide. You do not want to put this stuff on too thick or it won’t even come out in the shower.
7. Showers, towels, changing area, hair dryers, shampoo, conditioner, etc are all provided.

Discovery Cove admission came with a 7 day free pass to Sea World and we enjoyed a nice day at Sea World as well. We especially liked sitting in the “soaker zone” for the Shamu show. Great fun!!!

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