discovery cove orlando – Orlando Attraction Tickets blog

October 30, 2015October 29, 2015

The Day I Swam With A Dolphin At Discovery Cove

Good Morning Thrill Seekers,

The 24th September 2015 was the best day of my life when I visited Discovery Cove. I have always dreamt about swimming with dolphins since I was a little girl and I knew this could well have been the last chance I would ever have to do it.

We arrived at the park as early as possible so that we got a good timeslot. They took our photo and gave us our new ticket with our face on which had the name of our cabana and the time of our swim. We were told to be at the Seahorse cabana 5 minutes before our allocated swim time which was 11:05am. We were very happy with this time slot as it gave us chance to settle in and do our swim before lunch.

We headed over to get our wetsuits on and get a locker before going to find a sun lounger to soak up yet more sun. We went for a walk around the park to see what was about and came across the aviary. Looking at all of the beautiful birds flying on top of your head and even feeding them when they land on your arm is truly incredible. I’m not a massive fan of birds and they do scare me quite a lot but I had to do it.

11 o clock came around so quickly that I almost wasn’t ready. I’d started to get quite scared of doing it and nearly talked myself out of it as I’m not a strong swimmer. We had our meeting in the cabana and were put into small groups of 9 which we would share our experience with. To our surprise there was 2 other people in our group that live in our home town! What a small World!

Our dolphin trainers, Lauren and Brad introduced us to Catolina the dolphin and began to explain some facts about dolphins and show us some tricks that they can do with their trainers. We were able to feed fish to her and give her a stroke a few times before going out to begin the swim.

You have the choice between a deep end swim or a shallow end swim which I had to choose the shallow end as I don’t swim too well but it was all the same. I stood aside and watched the people that chose the deep water first and was getting more and more scared by the minute and then before I knew it, it was my turn.

I walked over to Catolina and Brad, the trainer explained to place my hands on the top fin and the side fin with my arm over the top. Before I even had chance to think about it, we were off and I felt like I was flying across the top of the water. It was amazing!

After our swim we decided to dry off and get some lunch. Discovery Cove is all inclusive so you can have as much food and drink as you like all day.

I could not wait to get my snorkel on and check out some of the sting rays and fishes in the Grand Reef. I did panic a little due to my swimming abilities so didn’t make it over the sharks although the rest of the party did and said it was surreal. I never realised how big some of the rays are and you have to be careful not to step on them as they don’t move out of your way!

Soaking up some more of the sun back at Serenity Bay was becoming hard work as it was extremely hot on this day so we went off to the Wind-Away Lazy River and floated around it for a while before deciding to grab our last bit of sunshine again before the end of the day.

Discovery Cove was the highlight of my holiday and after visiting I felt so relaxed. It may not produce the adrenaline rush of a Rip Ride Rockit or The Hulk but its easily the best park in Orlando.

Discovery Cove only lets in 1300 people per day so you have to pre-book to avoid disappointment, you can find out more by checking out our dedicated Discovery Cove pages.

Smiles included…

Louise,

June 17, 2015

Discovery Cove Turns 15 This Summer – Here’s 10 Top Facts

Hey Thrill Seekers,

Award winning attraction Discovery Cove, the only place in Orlando where visitors can swim with dolphins, celebrates turning 15 this summer.

Amongst the millions of guests that have visited Discovery Cove to enjoy the once in a lifetime experience of swimming with dolphins, Orlando’s all-inclusive hidden paradise – twice voted the world’s top amusement park in the TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice Awards – has also welcomed a host of celebrity fans including Olympic diver Tom Daley, One Direction star Liam Payne and footballer John Terry.

The park’s lush tropical setting has been used for more than 3,000 marriage proposals since it in opened in 2000 – that’s approximately 200 a year on average – many of which were made with the help of a playful bottlenose dolphin.

Discovery Cove’s leading veterinarians have also helped deliver 29 dolphin babies over the last 15 years and have even performed the world’s first C-section operation on shark which saw the successful birth of four whitetip reef sharks.

As part of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment’s Fun2Fund campaign, $2 for every SeaWorld Parks Extra booked – including Discovery Cove’s underwater safari, SeaVenture – is donated to the non-profit SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund which benefits wildlife conservation projects across the globe.

Discovery Cove Top 10 Facts

The Grand Reef contains more than 10,000 animals, representing 125 different species of fish, rays and shark and close to a million gallons of water.
Research shows 90% of visitors have a greater commitment to conservation following a day at Discovery Cove.
Discovery Cove sees some visitors returning to the park as often as possible. One family has even visited the park more than 50 times.
With the help of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, more than 3,000 proposals have been delivered and more than 8,000 birthday surprises have been shared.
Some incredible celebrities have visited the park including; Chelsea Footballer, John Terry, Olympic bronze medallist, Tom Daley and One Directions, Liam Payne.
A total of 29 dolphins have been born at Discovery Cove since the park opened in 2000. The newest addition is Reef, who is a female calf of Coral.
In September 2009, Discovery Cove welcomed its first lesser anteater into the world. The female was born via C-section and was the parks first operation of this nature on an anteater.
In July 2013, the expert team at Discovery Cove performed a ground-breaking C-section procedure on a whitetip reef shark which resulted in the birth of four live and healthy pups – the first operation of its kind in the world.
The Discovery Cove zoological team actively participates in animal conservation projects around the world. From dolphin research off the coast of the U.S. to work in Africa with African Ground Hornbills.
Discovery Cove was named No.1 amusement park in the world in the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards in 2013 and 2014.

Discovery Cove is an amazing day and something that you’ll never forget. You can make reservations at Orlando Attraction Tickets. Please note that as a boutique park places are limited, book early to avoid disappointment.

Smiles included…

Jamie

December 14, 2012

Discovery Cove Celebrates First Dolphin Calf Born Via Sperm-Sexing

Morning Thrill Seekers,

Exciting news from Discovery Cove today who have confirmed that on the 30th November 2012 the park welcomed in its newest member, a 3.5 foot-long, 35-pound female dolphin.

What makes this calf super special is the fact it becomes the first dolphin born at Discovery Cove via the use of “sperm-sexing” research. Sperm Sexing involves separating sperm carrying a female-producing X chromosome from sperm carrying a male-producing Y chromosome.

Discovery Cove wrote on their own blog

This scientific advancement affords Discovery Cove the opportunity to manage its species’ genetic diversity and social environment. Scientists at the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Reproductive Research Center in San Diego, Calif., pioneered the ability to preferentially produce female or male dolphin offspring though sperm-sexing and artificial insemination. This recent birth represents the 15^th dolphin calf produced worldwide using sex pre-selection technology.

Reports suggest the calf is doing well and is continuing to develop, nurse and bond with its mother.

The yet unnamed calf becomes the 25^th dolphin born at Discovery Cove since the park opened in 2000. SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment who own Discovery Cove are noted as operating one of the most successful breeding programs in the World.

What name would you give a Dolphin?

regards,

Jamie