Tips for Visiting Discovery Cove Orlando with Kids

WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU VISIT DISCOVERY COVE ORLANDO WITH KIDS

When you live in Florida, you get used to hearing about theme parks all the time. Some friends are Disney Annual Passholders, some are talking about the killer Florida resident deal on tickets, some are big fans of Universal Orlando - specifically the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and still others love SeaWorld or Busch Gardens.

One theme park I haven’t heard much about in my 5 years of living in Florida is Discovery Cove. In fact, when I first heard the name of the park, I had to go home and look it up on Google to know exactly what it was.

Turns out, Discovery Cove is one of the most underrated and family-friendly attractions in the Orlando area. It has flipped the concept of the all-inclusive resort on its head and made a park that is an all-inclusive DAY resort with lots of animal encounters and aquatic experiences.

Our family’s visit was set up and arranged for us since I was a visiting journalist covering Discovery Cove for TravelPulse. I had no idea what to expect and to be honest, I wasn’t really looking forward to watching my 3 little kids like a hawk around water all day while I was 5 months pregnant.

Once we arrived, I quickly turned my attitude around, because our visit to Discovery Cove was somehow the most relaxing and enjoyable day our family has shared in a long time.

Guys. Did you hear what I said? We spend the entire day around water with a 2-, 4-, and 6-year old while I was pregnant and it was RELAXING.

I mean, our family LOVES Disney World, but I’ve never come away from a day at the parks proclaiming how relaxed and refreshed I felt.

So if you’re looking for a family-friendly experience in Orlando and want something a little different from Disney or Universal, look no further than Discovery Cove. Here are my top tips for visiting Discovery Cove Orlando with kids.

Our visit was hosted by Discovery Cove in exchange for coverage on TravelPulse.com. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click a link and make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

WHAT IS DISCOVERY COVE?

I covered this a little bit above in the introduction, but the Discovery Cove Orlando website describes the park this way:

Welcome to Discovery Cove, a unique all-inclusive day resort where you and your family will experience exciting animal encounters in a breathtaking tropical atmosphere.
The park restricts attendance to about 1,300 guests per day and so is able to provide a more intimate, resort-like experience unlike any park in the world today. You and your family can get right into the action without waiting in line at the lagoons and waterways throughout the park.

So while it’s technically a theme park combined with a day resort, you actually feel like you’re relaxing on a tropical island. The activities around the park are never crowded, and there are plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas around the park.

Activities around the park include dolphin encounters, snorkeling, a lazy river, an aviary, a freshwater oasis, and a warm bay where you can swim and relax.

WHAT TO PACK FOR DISCOVERY COVE

One of the best things about Discovery Cove is that it truly is all-inclusive. As a mom of 3 little ones, I’m used to packing bags full of snacks, sunscreen, and other essentials to make sure our outings are successful and free of whining.

At Discovery Cove, food and beverages are included, as well as environmentally-friendly sunscreen, towels, life jackets, wet suits, snorkel gear, lockers, parking, and showers (including soap and shampoo dispensers). There are also community hair dryers in the women’s restroom/changing room, so no need to bring your own!

Even if you have babies and toddlers, there is no need to bring a stroller! You can use one of Discovery Cove’s for free, and their strollers have wide tires that work better on the sand. It truly is all-inclusive!

So basically, all you need to do is wear your swimsuit and pack a change of clothes for the drive home or back to the hotel. Here is exactly what we brought for our day at Discovery Cove:

Photo ID and confirmation number for check-in
Swimsuits and swim cover-ups (we wore these into the park)
Flip Flops
A change of dry clothes for the drive home
A waterproof bag to hold our wet swimsuits
Our phones
A waterproof phone pouch
Our GoPro Hero 5- a waterproof action camera - on a waterproof floating hand grip
- Read my review of the GoPro Waterproof Camera here
Sunglasses
Swim Diapers
A Wet Brush to detangle your hair after swimming all day
Money for souvenirs (if you want them)

What we didn’t bring, but I think might have come in handy:

Water shoes for the kids
Sun hats for the kids (actually I think we brought these but the kids didn’t bother wearing them)

You should NOT bring:

outside food or beverages
sunscreen
kids’ floatation devices of any kind (no puddle jumpers, life jackets, floaties, arm bubbles, etc. They have life jackets to use there).
jewelry
a stroller - Discovery Cove provides strollers (and wheelchairs!) with wide tires that work on the sand. This is included in the price of admission!

IS FOOD INCLUDED AT DISCOVERY COVE?

Yes! Breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks are included in the cost of your ticket to Discovery Cove. Breakfast and lunch are served in the Laguna Grill where you wait in a short line to choose your meal.

There are plenty of healthy options in addition to comfort foods, allergy-friendly options, and dietary accommodations like vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. Honestly, the grilled jerk chicken with island-style rice I had for lunch that day was one of the best meals I’ve had in a while.

Since this is an all-inclusive resort, you can have as much food as you want! Go back in for more helpings if you want! We loved having this option with 3 growing kids - especially the 4-year-old whom we have nicknamed the “Very Hungry Caterpillar” because he’s always “still hungry.”

Around the park, there are snack and beverage kiosks where you can graze in between meals. Our kids were especially fond of the refreshing slushies and warm chocolate chip cookies. Not once did I have to deal with my kids complaining about how hungry or thirsty they were, and we were swimming outside in the hot Florida weather all day. MIRACLE.

FREE THINGS TO DO AT DISCOVERY COVE

EAT - we already covered this above. Snack to your heart’s content!

FRESHWATER OASIS

In the Freshwater Oasis you can find marmosets and an otter exhibit. If you keep swimming, you’ll find a relaxing area with seats in the water where you can hang out and grab a drink.

WIND-AWAY RIVER - basically a giant lazy river. You’ll go through a cave, past the aviary (look for tropical birds swooping overhead!), under waterfalls, and past the sandy beaches and picturesque trees. It’s a great way to get the lay of the land!

SERENITY BAY - This was our family’s favorite spot to hang out because it felt like a tropical island paradise! The 85-degree pool is surrounded by sand and lounge chairs.

EXPLORER’S AVIARY - When you enter the hidden aviary, you can grab cups of bird food to feed the many tropical birds perched around the open-air habitat.

DOLPHIN LAGOON - This is included if you bought the dolphin experience package (which I highly recommend you do!) You’ll get a designated time to meet at the lagoon, so don’t just wander in at any time.

PLAY IN THE SAND - there’s beautiful fine white sand everywhere you look, so grab some sand toys and play to your heart’s content.

RELAX IN A LOUNGE CHAIR WITH A SLUSHIE - grab an ice-cold slushie from one of the snack kiosks and make your way back to your lounge chair overlooking Serenity Bay while your kids play in the sand. It truly feels like paradise.

TIPS FOR VISITING DISCOVERY COVE

ARRIVE EARLY: The Discovery Cove waterways and experiences don’t open until 9 a.m., but you’re welcome to arrive much earlier to eat breakfast and get set up. Breakfast starts at 7:15, so I would recommend arriving as early as 7 to check-in, eat breakfast without the lines, and stake out a spot so you’re ready to start swimming and participating in experiences as soon as possible!
ENGAGE WITH STAFF: The workers at Discovery Cove are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about the animals, conservation, or the park itself. They have so much to share! I really enjoyed talking to the dolphin trainers during our dolphin encounter especially.
GRAB SOME POOL NOODLES FOR THE WIND-AWAY RIVER: The Wind-Away River is very relaxing, but there are some parts where it’s too deep even for adults to touch the bottom. There are bins of pool noodles around Serenity Bay (where the Wind-Away River starts and ends), so be sure to grab one for each member of your family before embarking on the lazy river.
BEWARE THE WATERFALLS IN THE WIND-AWAY RIVER: While we’re on the topic of the Wind-Away River, I want to mention that there are two spots where you swim through waterfalls. First of all, your hair is going to get wet, and your makeup will be ruined if you wore any. Second of all, the waterfalls are a little more aggressive than I thought they would be, and our 2- and 4-year-old really hated swimming through them. Not that that stopped us from going through the Wind-Away River multiple times with them, but just made for a few unpleasant moments.
DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE MANTA RAYS IN THE GRAND REEF: Hahahaha I made SUCH a fool of myself when we first arrived at the Grand Reef where you can snorkel and see lots of sea life underwater. I just about jumped out of my skin and fell backward into the water when a giant manta ray glided past my feet. The manta rays obviously don’t have barbs on their tails, so you don’t have to worry about getting stung.
FEED THE BIRDS EARLY: We didn’t go to the Explorer’s Aviary until the afternoon, and by then the birds seemed pretty full from being fed all day. A lot of them weren’t interested when the kids tried to feed them. If you go earlier in the day, they’ll probably be a lot more likely to interact with you. You might even get a few to land on your arms or head!
VISIT THE CONSERVATION KIOSK TO MEET A SLOTH! We got a private meet-and-greet with Lucky the Sloth, but you can meet Lucky and other animals for free at the Conservation Kiosk near the Laguna Grill. Check the sign for designated times.
BOOK SEPARATE DOLPHIN ENCOUNTER TIMES AT CHECK-IN IF YOU HAVE KIDS UNDER 6: Kids have to be 6 and up to participate in the dolphin encounter, but 2 of our kids are under the age minimum. We did ask for separate times at check-in so that one of us could watch the kids while the other took our 6-year-old daughter to do the dolphin experience, then we planned to swap and have the other adult do the experience by themself.
However, since we had the VIP package (complimentary as a journalist), our VIP Cabana Host offered to play in the sand with the little ones while we all experienced the Dolphin Encounter together. They were within sight of us the entire time (actually just a few feet away from where we were in the water, so if you do book separate times for the experience, one of you can take pictures of the other from the sand. (Cameras aren’t allowed in the water during the dolphin encounter, but you can buy the photo package to get the professional ones).
…BUT ASK IF YOU CAN GET A FAMILY PICTURE WITH THE DOLPHIN: even though the younger kids couldn’t swim with the dolphin or participate in the encounter, they did allow us to take a family picture with the dolphin at the end of the encounter. The boys were able to get in the water, and even pet and feed the dolphin briefly before the picture!

DO I NEED TO MAKE ANY RESERVATIONS FOR DISCOVERY COVE?

First of all, I would definitely recommend buying tickets online ahead of time for the day you would like to visit. As I mentioned above, Discovery Cove limits attendance in the park to 1,300 people per day. If you wait to buy your tickets until the day of, chance are the park will already be at capacity.

When you book your tickets, you’ll have the option to add some upgrades, such as the Ray Feeding experience, the Animal Trek, or the Premium Drink Package. You can also go to the Upgrades tab on the website to add any of the upgrade experiences to your cart at any time.

If you are going with young kids, and are prioritizing comfort and relaxation over a cheap price, I would recommend springing for the private cabana. There are different price points for the cabanas, but the basic package is $199 for the day.

We received a complimentary cabana with our visit, and I must say, it made a huge difference. We were able to leave our bags, phones, and cameras in a private locker, we had a private fridge stocked with water bottles and other beverages, plus a snack basket. It was nice to let the kids relax in the shade for a bit in between experiences while my husband and I got our bearings and decided what to do next, or went through pictures and videos we had taken.

I truly believe you’ll still really enjoy your day without the cabana, but sometimes with young kids it’s worth spending the extra money for a bit of comfort.

HOW MUCH DOES DISCOVERY COVE COST?

There are lots of different package options for Discovery Cove, and prices vary by season (I definitely recommend going in the off season if you can!). Let’s start with the basics:

Day Resort Entrance Fee (ages 3 and up): ranges from $149-$180 depending on time of year.
Signature Dolphin Swim Package (ages 6 and up): $199-$310

Florida Residents save 20%

You can also book packages that include other theme parks that fall under the Sea World umbrella like Sea World, Aquatica, and Busch Gardens. Check prices here.

And, of course, if you add other specialty experiences like swimming with sharks or trainer for a day, you’ll add extra for those, too!

WHERE TO STAY WHEN VISITING DISCOVERY COVE

By booking a vacation package with Discovery Cove, you’ll get benefits like a free night at the hotel, admission to other Sea World parks, and discounts on merchandise inside the park.

Here are all the partner hotels for Discovery Cove!

Or book your own accommodations here:

Booking.com