Visiting an amusement park with your children can sometimes feel like more work than play. Forget anything close to relaxation as you run from ride to ride, trying to get it all in and catch every great attraction.  My dream vacation is to lay on a lounge chair near the water as waiters bring me fruity adult beverages, but that isn’t happening when it’s me and my three kids.  However, I found something better and I’m writing this unsolicited Discovery Cove Review to share this magical place with you.

I have three fairly young children (ages 12, 9, and 7), and while this is a great magical age where they are mostly independent but still like their mom around, traveling with them brings on a whole new list of things I have to prepare for. At this stage of life, finding a vacation we can all enjoy means searching for a mix of fun activities for the kids that give the adults some time to relax. Discovery Cove was that perfect balance between fun and relaxing that made the day enjoyable for everyone in my family.

If your days have lately felt like you are chugging along to the same routine and you need a fun yet relaxing vacation to get your family magic back, let this Discovery Cove review inspire you to find that balance between family fun and relaxation that we all crave!

This fall (September 2022), the 4 of us embarked upon a journey to Orlando, Florida, specifically to visit Discovery Cove, an inclusive park from the creators of SeaWorld.  Normally, a big-time Orlando amusement park trip means months of planning, reading travel blogs, asking friends, making reservations, and checking reviews. But not this time. Discovery Cove is designed to take the craziness out of the amusement park experience.

As I began my normal research, I quickly learned this place was no ordinary amusement park. 

If you are reading this Discovery Cove review as a part of your vacation research, stop and take a deep breath.  Put that pen down and relax.  Discovery Cove will be a day when you can partake in the fun and excitement without worrying that you must get to the next event or ride before you miss it.

It starts with your reservation.  You don’t just buy tickets; you also select your day to attend the park.  They have a magic number of people they allow in the park for the day.  I say it’s magical because the goal is for there to be no lines, and there ARE NO LINES! 

You go from attraction to attraction as much as you want.  No kidding!

Additional experiences can be purchased at the time of the ticket sale.  We did the Dolphin Experience, where we met Stella the Dolphin and got to pet and glide with her.  Other packages include SeaVenture, where you use a special scuba helmet to walk on the reef floor, swim with sharks, and walk amongst Flamingos. 

Food and drinks are included in your ticket purchase. You have the option to upgrade with some more delicious adult beverages, but the basic ticket includes beer and wine!  No more arguing with my kids that they can’t have a second $13 popcorn. No cringing when I purchase $6 water! Breakfast and lunch were a buffet with normal choices, and the food was way more than decent.  My kids all easily found food they liked (typical kid selections). There were fancier options for adults as well.  Additionally, there were snack stations optimally placed throughout the park.  My boys loved running up there and grabbing some chips and an ICEE frozen drink.  

One part of the park that I didn’t partake in but is definitely worth mentioning: the bar and beach area.  A lovely man-made beach with the river running through it is surrounded by smaller pool areas and lounge chairs. This area is adjacent to a nicely sized bar. Parents could sit and relax as their children played nearby in the lifeguard-supervised shallow water.  

Discovery Cove doesn’t stop at the food and drinks. 

They provide everything you need, from snorkels and goggles to wet suits.  Even the lockers were included in your ticket price.  You can truly walk into the park, put your things in the locker, and relax.  There gift shops, and the pictures from our Dolphin Experience were pricey but also a great keepsake of a wonderful memory.

The park is not as large as your typical Orlando amusement park, but that also made it enjoyable.  We were not exhausted from walking and standing all day. In fact, my kids and I didn’t want to leave!  Everything was interactive, serene, and invigorating. The Grand Reef is filled with thousands of fish swimming right past you. In the aviary you can feed birds as they land on your hands, arms, or even head.  

My family’s hands-down favorite was the River. 

It is not your typical lazy river; there are no inner tubes, but there are floaties to help support smaller swimmers.  This attraction has multiple entry and exit points that lead to other excursions. You can use it as a fun way to get around the park.  It feels as though you are floating down a river in any tropical location, but you are in a safe park with lifeguards spaced throughout.  You will see birds of different types, and my kids enjoyed jumping from rock to rock between swimming and floating.  

As it was time to leave, each of my children reflected on how this was their favorite vacation day ever!  They begged me to return someday soon.  I hope this Discovery Cove review inspires you to make your reservation today and get your family magic back! 

This Discovery Cove review was not paid for or solicited by any person or company. It is an honest review of a great experience I had with my kids at the park.

Leave your own Discovery Cove Review in the comments below or share your favorite family vacation spot. You never know who you may inspire!

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While visiting Orlando, we stayed at the Sheraton Vistana Villages, a gorgeous and affordable Marriott property that is just around the corner from Discovery Cove.

We traveled from the New York City area directly to Orlando via Southwest Airlines.