1st time discovery cove with dolphin swim. Any tips?????????

[ELT]

Headed to discovery cove Sunday. Any tips etc...? What time should we arrive.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

"Discovery Cove is a full day adventure with waterways open from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. daily. Check in begins at 7:30 a.m."

Head to the aviary first thing when it opens (9am), since the birds are much more interactive and more interested in the food cups in the morning before they fill up.

Arrive in the morning by 7:45ish. You'll get your dolphin swim time, then have time to eat breakfast and get suited up before the aviary opens so you'll be ready.

Lockers are free and plentiful.

It is easy to enjoy the whole day there at a nice relaxed pace. Bop between the 3 main areas (lazy river, snorkeling reef, & aviary) at you leisure with lunch and snacks thrown in whenever you feel like it. It's a great relaxation day in between doing other Orlando parks.

Enjoy your day!

 

[Capt_BJ]

FYI the forecast high for Sunday in Orlando is 88 !!!!

You're lucky dogs . . .

we usually arrive around 7:45 - 8 ..... trying to get the full day experience ... if you see a line waiting to get in don't worry ... remember they cap attendance at a relatively low number ... it will NOT be over crowded.

The primary reason folks recommend getting there early (other than maximizing your time) is to get EARLY dolphin times. If you are not doing the Dolphins this is NOT a concern ..... Early times are important in the summer where you can almost COUNT on afternoon thunder storms and when it thunders "everyone out of the pool" . . . again, given the time of the year not a big concern for you.

I worked at a nearby zoo for a while ... we had an aviary and bird feeding. While the birds might be a bit more interested in the morning I can assure you the bird feeding was active ALL DAY ... but why not do birds first???? No reason not to ... I'm not that into birds ....

 

[andyw715]

I will also second an early Dolphin swim time (if you are doing it). The reason being; you can get there a bit earlier, get a early time, enjoy a nice breakfast, suit up and swim with the dolphin, then not have to worry about the clock again until closing time

It's such a leisurely place that it's very easy to lose track of time.

Other tips. Water shoes. Many of the areas have different depths ie. lazy river goes from 2 feet to 10? and its easy to rub your feet on the bottom unexpectedly.
We went in Nov and I found the vest to be adequate vs wet suit.

If you've never used a snorkle before, try it out before you go. I have a tricky gag reflex and can't use on. So I bought a full face snorkle, awesome for the big pool.