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Old 24 Sep 17, 08:20 AM  
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There's a first time for everything! - August 2017 - Day 3 - Discovery Cove

Day 3 – Discovery Cove
Up early, super excited for a day we had all been looking forward to for a long time!

We left the Villa at 6.45am and enjoyed the beautiful Floridian sunrise as we drove up to Discovery Cove.



We arrived just before 7.15am and joined the queue to check-in. This was quite efficient, considering they are checking ID, printing lanyards etc. We were allocated a dolphin swim time of 8.50am. We made our way into the park, stopping to swap the wheelchair for a ‘sand friendly’ version which we had pre-booked. This was not the easiest machine to manoeuvre but it was better on the sand than the usual wheelchair which would have just got stuck.

We decided we hadn’t really got time for breakfast before getting ready for our dolphin swim so we headed straight round to get wetsuits/vests etc and put our stuff into lockers. Once kitted out, we headed back to the restaurant to grab some drinks, a bit of fruit and a couple of muffins to ‘keep-us going’. The staff reassured us that it wouldn’t be a problem coming back for a proper breakfast later, service continued until 10.30am.

It was then time for our dolphin swim. We found our way to the cabana and completed the necessary paperwork. We watched a short film about the dolphins and our trainer then lead us to the dolphin pool, all 8 of us made up one group. The dolphin interaction was fab; fun and interesting and it really felt as though the dolphins were enjoying it at much as us. We were able to bring the wheelchair right to the water’s edge and we could then support Jo standing in the water, the trainers were attentive to her needs and let her go at her own pace, sitting down for breaks as needed etc. Jo was unsure as to whether she would manage the swim but the friendly encouragement from the trainers gave her the confidence to have a go and what a moment to watch her sail across the lagoon with the dolphin. Amazing!

Dolphin swim done, we headed back to breakfast and the food was good and plentiful. We then went to look at the photo packages. Jo, deservedly proud of her achievement, wanted every momento going so we went for the full package. $229 + tax, which included 8 prints, a poster, all the photos on a disk, a DVD film of our swim, a photo frame and album, didn’t work out too bad as we split the cost.

The aviary was next, I think the birds had already had their fill for today but we enjoyed wandering through all the same.



We then found a nice shady area for Mum, Dad and Jo to chill on whilst we did a loop of the lazy river.

We decided on a late lunch as we had had breakfast late so after the lazy river we headed round to the grand reef to try the snorkelling, grabbing some cold drinks and snacks on the way. I know there is not a huge choice of snacks but the ‘all inclusive’ nature of discovery cove really does add to its appeal.



The kids were quickly into snorkelling and loving it! making good use of the underwater camera DS had received for his birthday the week before. It’s not something I’ve done before and as I usually don’t like swimming with my face in the water I was apprehensive but was determined to give it a go. It took a while to get used to it but it was amazing. Huge rays and an abundance of fish to glide along with.



We spent a lovely couple of hours here snorkelling and relaxing and then at 2.30pm decided to get some lunch. The choice was good, I had fish but there was also burgers, salads, hot dogs, macaroni cheese, along with some lovely desserts and fruit.

Time was getting on now, we went to pick up our photos and bought a couple of souvenirs from the shop. We stowed these away in the lockers and spent the rest of the afternoon by the lazy river.

We headed off to get changed at about 5.30pm, as the snack huts etc were closing up. Changing rooms were big enough to cope with the crowds and they really have thought of everything. I was just thinking, I didn’t bring a bag to put the wet swimming stuff in and there they were, all provided.

What a day! Totally lived up to our expectations and in my opinion well worth the money. We managed to save a bit by booking on a black Friday deal but even if we had paid full price I would have been extremely happy. The disabled access was as good as it could be, we are so used to places like this being out of reach for us a family but being able to enjoy a day like this together was a real highlight of our holiday.

Dinner was not required when we got back to the Villa, but we enjoyed a drink or two by the pool before bed. Think we’ve just about adjusted our body clocks now.

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Edited at 09:12 PM.
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Old 24 Sep 17, 09:08 AM  
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tinks333
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What an amazing day; it's so relaxing isn't it?
Glad your sister did the swim too and has some mementos to remember it by.
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Old 24 Sep 17, 09:15 AM  
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Goldia
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What a fab day at discovery cove. I'm glad you all enjoyed it so much. The lazy river is brilliant isn't it? We must have spent hours going round and round. Your dolphin interaction sounds amazing. We couldn't resist buying the photo package of this too. We have a digital photo frame in the lounge and have it on a setting where it shows a new photo every 5 seconds. Yesterday I put on some photos from our trip this summer. It is great to see the dolphin swim ones come around.

I'm looking forward to the next update. Thank you for sharing.
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Old 27 Sep 17, 08:30 AM  
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What a great day. Glad you all enjoyed DC. My kids wanted to stay there all week. Not at those prices.
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Old 8 Oct 17, 08:32 PM  
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I had no idea how accommodating Discovery Cove is to wheelchair users, how amazing that Jo was able to participate, watching her swim must have been an emotional moment.
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