Vacationlog 2008.05.13: Spectacular!

Yesterday was absolutely the pinnacle of our vacation. Of course, when we made the reservations for Discovery Cove shortly after making arrangements for this trip, we highly anticipated the day. Without question, though, it surpassed our wildest imaginations!

A first take, the admission price seems very expensive. When you take into consideration all that you get, however, it is relatively reasonable—and worth every single penny. It's "all inclusive," which includes all meals, drinks, and snacks for the entire day (the park is open from 9 AM to 5:30 PM). They had a basic continental breakfast, but the in-park restaurant has several delectable choices for lunch, and is clearly not your typical "themepark" eatery. There are several snack huts strategically placed around the park, making it easy to stay hydrated and well-fed. Oh, and being owned by Anheuser-Busch, they have several beer selections available for your enjoyment, too.

Not that food is the big draw, of course. Really, you are pampered all day. After checking in, you are issued a wetsuit or vest (your choice) and a mask and snorkel. The snorkel is yours to keep. They have individual showers with body soap, shampoo and conditioner provided. Next to the showers is a locker pavilion with good-sized keyed lockers where you can store your change of clothes and other valuables.

Discovery Cove is the ultimate water park. Aside from the Dolphin Lagoon where you have your Dolphin Swim experience (more on that momentarily), there is a large Resort Pool surrounded by white, sandy beaches. This pool has a cave leading to the wonderful Tropical River, which circles around the aviary and coral reef with fluctuating currents and various depths. It was very relaxing to snorkel along this river.

Across the beach from the Resort Pool are two smaller pools. One is very shallow and is home to approximately 35 sting rays. (None of these sting rays have their stinger, so they are perfectly safe.) You can walk around this pool and touch the sting rays as they swim by. They feel almost slimy and very smooth. With the mask and snorkel, it was fascinating to watch them swim around.

Next to the sting ray pool is the coral reef with hundreds of tropical fish and a few large sting rays. This pool goes up to about 12 feet deep in places, so you can swim around more and really enjoy observing the fish in a semi-natural reef environment. I imagine it's not the same as actually snorkeling off an island, for example, but it has to be the next best thing.

Certainly, the highlight is the interaction with the dolphins. When you check in, you are assigned a time for your interaction, which lasts about 30 minutes. After signing a waiver, a trainer tells you about the dolphins, what to expect and some safety tips. You watch a short video presentation prior to going into the Dolphin Lagoon with two trainers.

Dolphins are very social animals, and they often will have close relationships with other dolphins in their pod. The dolphin we began our interaction with was named Yoko. She is about 8.5 feet long and weighs a little over 500 lbs, about average for a dolphin. She has a half-sister (same father) also in the pod, named Rose. The trainers said that Rose and Yoko are inseparable, and Rose might come over, too. She didn't while we were there, but later while I was video tapping another group's interaction, this is exactly what happened.

We also learned that they can be moody, and will sometimes refuse to do what the trainer asks of them. Yoko was very good to us, even letting each of the eight in our group give her a kiss. However, when it came time for her to give us a ride, she apparently decided that a few of us where too big.

No problem, we just swapped with another group who had been interacting with Dixie, who the trainers characterized as the "dominate female" of the pod. She is over 9 feet long and about 610 lbs., so she is quite a bit bigger than Yoko and wasn't concerned about giving any of us rides. We swam out to deeper water (about 15 feet deep) with one of the trainers. Dixie took turns giving each of us a ride towards the shore and the other trainer. With your left hand on the dorsal fin and the right on a side fin, you just let this wonderful animal pull you effortlessly through the water. What a tremendous experience!

Naturally, anything else we do this vacation will pale in comparison. With your admission to Discovery Cove, you also get to choose a complementary 7-day pass to either Sea World, Aquatica (Sea World's waterpark), or Busch Gardens (in Tampa Bay) to use in conjunction with your visit to Discovery Cove. We chose Sea World, which we visited today and will return to tomorrow.

We've been to Orlando many, many times, but for some reason we have never gone to Sea World. Still being a little tired from yesterday, we opted to take our time. We had lunch at the Sharks Underwater Grill. Our table was right next to the shark tank, providing quite the dining experience. There was no shark on the menu, but Lourdes had crab cakes, and I had grilled salmon.

Not to miss, of course, is the "Believe" Shamu show. Killer whales, which are in the dolphin family, are amazing animals. They are so big, yet they are so majestic and playful. Look for pictures from this show (and the rest of our days at Sea World) on Flickr in the next couple of days. I will also try to get a some video clips up there soon.