26 Tips For Visiting Discovery Cove
My oldest son and I just returned from a weekend vacation to Orlando, Florida where we spent the weekend with #TheMOMs and SeaWorld and Discovery Cove. We had an incredible time! I just want to share with you all some tips for you if you find yourself planning a trip to Discovery Cove.
What to Bring to Discovery Cove:
I really looked hard before going for some information about what to pack for Discovery Cove without too much luck. Thankfully Discovery Cove provides almost everything you need. Simply put, you don’t need a lot! If I were doing it again, here is what I would pack for my Discovery Cove trip:
- Swimsuit — Ideally not one with a skirt if you plan on wearing the provided wetsuits – although you can wear just the vest along with your suit instead of a whole wetsuit.
- They provide long and short wetsuits, plus vests. Everyone is required to have something on so the lifeguards can see everyone clearly.
- Water Shoes — The sand around the park can get pretty hot midday, and I stubbed my toes a few times in the wind-away river. Water shoes would have been nice.
- Waterproof Camera — I was able to take so many photos and videos because we had the waterproof camera. I purchased this Olympus Waterproof Camera just before the trip, and it was fantastic!
- Waterproof Watch — If you’d like.. They do have some clocks through the park, but if you’re in the water – you’ll have no idea what time it is. Also lifeguards have watches and you can ask them the time.
- A Bag that Hangs — You’ll want a backpack or bag that you can hang up in the changing areas (one for each person that is changing separately), as they can get wet if they’re on the floor. There are hundreds of free lockers so you won’t have to worry about where to put the bags when you’re swimming, either.
- Some CHEESE!! — Just Kidding! (maybe) They have some amazing pretzels in their snack bar area, but no cheese to dip into – what’s up with that, Discovery Cove??
- Great Waterproof Makeup – I was pretty impressed with the Urban Decay Cannonball Ultra Waterproof Mascara
(apx $20) and MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua XL Eye Pencil Waterproof Eyeliner Aqua XL
(apx $42) and the MAC Pro Longwear Colour Stick Cream Eyeshadow
(apx $29) seriously didn’t BUDGE!! I also love the new Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Makeup Stick
(apx $42) and how easy it was to smudge on after getting out of the water. It wasn’t fully waterproof, but it also didn’t drip off of me or come off on my towel.
- Hair Tools — Brush/Comb. They provide a hair dryer, but bring your straightener or curling iron if you’d like
- Sunglasses/Hat — if you plan on laying out of the water, although I can’t imagine that since the water is SO nice!
- Money — You’ll want to buy a souvenir.. or five, plus photos/video of the dolphin experience cost extra. They do take credit cards also.
(apx $20) and 
(apx $42) and the 
(apx $29) seriously didn’t BUDGE!! I also love the new 
(apx $42) and how easy it was to smudge on after getting out of the water. It wasn’t fully waterproof, but it also didn’t drip off of me or come off on my towel.
What you don’t need to bring to Discovery Cove
- Sunscreen — They provide their own animal-friendly sunscreen. It’s a bit difficult to get all over and rub it in enough to not look like a mime, but it works very well. I didn’t re-apply at all during the 6 hours that we swam in prime-sun time (and fair Minnesota skin!), and neither my son or I had a hint of a burn.
- Hair Dryer — They have these available in the bathrooms
- Wet Bag — They have plastic bags to put your wet swimsuits into if you’d like.
- Soap/Shampoo/Conditioner — They provide the shampoo, conditioner, and soap for you to clean up when you’re done. The showers are nice, clean, and the conditioner is a great detangler.
- Towels — They have large plushy soft white towels.
- Snorkels and Masks — They provide these in Adult and Child sizes, and the snorkel goes home with you, so you’re not getting someone else’s sucked-on snorkel! They even have PRESCRIPTION MASKS, so you won’t need your contacts in the water, just bring your glasses for out of the water.
- Food or Drinks — There are plenty of areas for food, drinks, and they just keep flowing all day long!
- Swimsuit Coverups — No need! Most people are walking around in their wetsuits or getting out of the water just long enough to get food and then getting back to the water, so getting a coverup on is just a waste of time!
- Jewelry — You’re allowed to wear a wedding band, but aside from that they advise you have no jewelry and require you remove it before visiting the dolphins, since they’ll likely find it before you ever would!
- Flotation Devices — Discovery Cove provides life jackets for all, plus they have ‘noodles’ for use inside the wind-away river
What to know if you’re swimming with the dolphins:
- Schedule Early Morning — They have photographers and videographers to get some great photos, so it’s best if you’re still looking great and your hair is dry (Just my opinion!)
- Put Everything Away — including your underwater camera, water bottles, and all jewelry besides your wedding band. It’s best to drop these things into a locker before you get to your reserved dolphin time.
- You can have other guests with you stand at the beach area and take photos/videos of you with the dolphins, but they cannot enter the water.
- Tuck Everything In — All locker keys and photo tags need to be fully tucked in before you get in with the dolphins.
- Know Your Limits — they have an option for the dolphin swim in 3ft of water or the deep water. You can’t do the deep water if you can’t tread water for a little bit while waiting for your turn. It’s ideal not to have a life-jacket on while doing these activities.
- Ask Questions — these trainers seriously know their stuff! They have some great information stored in their brains, and you’ll get it all on video so if you don’t remember the answers, you can watch them later.
- HAVE FUN!! — I’m so afraid of fish, but I was not at all afraid of the dolphins – they’re highly trained and aren’t swimming around surprising people, so just relax, enjoy and have FUN! This is a rare experience and you’ll remember it forever!
We went on this trip as part of a media group with The MOMs in cooperation with SeaWorld and Discovery Cove. The trip, accommodations, and entertainment were provided to us. All opinions are 100% my own.
Thank you for this post! Planning on going to Discovery Cove tomorrow and I’m SO excited!
I sure hope you had a blast today!! Hope the list helped 😀
If I ever get to go to Discovery Cove, I’ll be sure to take your advice. Thanks for sharing!
This looks like such a fun place to visit. We’ve never been here before.
I am planning to take hubby for his birthday and these tips will help us have an amazing trip!
Don’t forget- when you buy Discovery Cove admission you get Seaworld admission for 14 days! So it works out a lot less expensive than it seems…..
Thanks for this information!! Me and my daughter are going in May and we are super excited!!
Wow, thanks for the info.. do you think a 6 yr old could handle swim with the dolphins? Did you rent a cabana?
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