Discovery Cove

Discovery Cove is divided into two parts, separated by a blue bridge. One part is home to the Resort Pool, Tropical River, and the Coral Reef. The other part is the restaurant, the Dolphin Lagoon, the bathhouse, and the cabanas for the dolphin experience. Lush vegetation is all around the park. You can sign up for a free horticulture tour (which I didn't experience) at the Guest Services desk.

At check-in, you're given an ID badge (which you can assign a credit card to for charging privileges) and assigned a dolphin encounter time. My time was 11:00 am at the Starfish Cabana. After posing for your complimentary photo at the blue bridge, you can enjoy the continental breakfast. The restaurant had all the pastries, coffee, juices, and milk that you can consume. You can go back through the line and have seconds if you want.

After breakfast, it was time to choose a vest or wet suit (I chose a vest because it was a warm day). I also picked up a bag with a mask, snorkel, and a package of dolphin-safe sunscreen. At the end of the day, you could keep the bag, snorkel, and the sunscreen. Please note that if you wear sunscreen that is not dolphin-safe, you'll be told to wash it off and use the dolphin-safe sunscreen. You can buy more of this sunscreen in the gift shop. After changing in the bathhouse and storing my gear in the free lockers, it was time to have fun!

The Resort Pool has a small cave with a large waterfall running in front of it. The water in the pool was four feet at its deepest point, according to Discovery Cove's web site. The Tropical River winds in a circle. It starts at one end of the Resort Pool and ends at the other. One part of the river is about eight feet deep, and warning signs are posted. The river has more beautiful vegetation to admire and lovely waterfalls to swim through. You can also see vases and other "artifacts" below the surface. Underwater rocks create a bright path. The river took me an hour to walk - quite a workout! Later in the day, I took a leisurely swim along the river.

The Coral Reef is like going to Bermuda and snorkeling in their waters. The salt water is fairly cold; it felt like it was around 60 degrees! You become acclimated to it after a few minutes of immersion. The Coral Reef had dozens of colorful fish and giant stingrays that were so close that you could touch them! Protective glass separates you from the sharks and barracudas. You could swim the reef, but if you're tall like I am at 6'3", you can walk it and keep your head above water.

In the Aviary, you can see all sorts of birds and you can even feed them out of your hand. Keep an eye out for the resident deer, which hid in the bushes when I visited.

Like breakfast, lunch is included in the admission cost. They were serving jambalaya, macaroni and cheese, lobster salad, cheeseburgers and fries, and other delicious dishes. The restaurant also served side salads and a variety of deserts. The food at Anheuser-Busch parks tend to be of very good quality and lunch was no exception. I tried the jambalaya and it was sumptuous! Of course, I had to try dessert. The chocolate cake was delicious! Like breakfast, you could have second helpings if you wanted.

At 11:00 am, it was time to experience the piece de resistance of Discovery Cove; the dolphin encounter. A group of 32 guests met at the Starfish Cabana and was divided into groups of eight. The experience started with a short video about dolphins. The groups then headed into the Dolphin Lagoon to meet their assigned dolphins. You are not allowed to bring anything into the lagoon except for your mask and snorkel. Photographers with digital cameras and camcorders were in the water to capture the experience.