by Carrie D., Account Manager
Tucked away in Orlando, Florida lies a mini paradise of exploration and adventure, among some of the seas most gentle and playful creatures. Adjacent to the popular Sea World Adventure Park is the newest reason to visit Orlando ­ Discovery Cove. At Discovery Cove can you swim closely and safely with stingray, sharks, coral reef fish and dolphins! Visiting this new theme park was definitely a must since hearing of its opening in June 2000. When we first arrived at the park, I noticed immediately that something usually associated with theme parks was missing. Where were the lines? Where was the chaos? Where were parents chasing screaming kids through large crowds of people? Discovery Cove was by far the most relaxed atmosphere of all theme parks I've visited in my life! If you are looking for an adventurous place filled with wonder and plenty of room to explore at your own pace, you must visit Discovery Cove!

Upon our arrival, we were put into a group with our own tour guide who directed us into the park. I immediately noticed the beautiful tropical flowers and trees that lined the sidewalk which lead us deeper into the cove. For a moment, you almost forget you are at a theme park! Once inside, our guide identified and explained each main area of Discovery Cove. There are five: the Ray Lagoon, the Coral Reef Lagoon, the Resort Pool, the Tropical River leading you to a beautiful aviary, and the Dolphin Lagoon. We stopped to get our life vests (which the park requires you to wear at all times except in the Resort Pool), our mask, snorkel, and towels. Two things to keep in mind: 1) the park is filled with salt water because of the marine life! Don't make the mistake of thinking it's chlorinated! And 2) because of the marine life, you must wear biodegradable sunscreen to protect them from harmful chemicals. The marine-safe sunscreen is available in the gift stores in the park. Once we had all of our equipment, we were ready to head to the different lagoons and experience Discovery Cove!

Anxious to see the stingrays, we made our first stop at the Ray Lagoon. Since the park had only been open a few days, the stingrays weren't overly social. However, I had never been so close to one before and it was almost surreal simply putting my face in the water to watch them glide peacefully by. In time the stingrays should become more social, and at some point, you should be able to pet them and perhaps feed them!

We then walked across the soft, white sand beaches to the Coral Reef Lagoon where we saw a couple of schools of fish. It was like being in the Bahamas! Discovery Cove has done a great job of making the lagoons look as real as possible. We swam in the Coral Reef Lagoon for about 30 minutes searching every foot of it to see tropical fish! On one side of the Lagoon, you can swim under water to a glass window that will bring you face to face with sharks! Don't worry, they can't swim through the glass! After the Coral Reef Lagoon, we decided to see what the Tropical River was like.

The Tropical River, which circles the park, is the only water in the park that is fresh water, not salt water! Your life vest will help you to float along the river as you swim under caves, through rocky passages, and under a waterfall to find a beautiful aviary! The aviary at Discovery Cove had over 30 species of tropical birds that will eat out of the palm of your hand, land on your head, and simply hang out with you. One very friendly bird decided to hop all over my hand, arm, shoulder, and head all while talking loudly to me as I fed him. If you are nervous of birds, this may not be the place for you. The birds in this aviary hold nothing back and are just as curious about you as you are about them! After we played with dozens of birds in the aviary, we continued on the Tropical River exiting the aviary through another waterfall, finding ourselves on our way to lunch and our much anticipated dolphin swim!

All dolphin swims at Discovery Cove are at a scheduled time so there's no waiting in lines. When you arrive at the park, you are assigned to a specific time for that day. Unfortunately, on the day we were there, a rainstorm postponed our dolphin swim. No problem we just sat under the cabana drinking coffee while we waited for the rain to pass. Fortunately, the Discovery Cove staff is well prepared for rain and they all immediately began rescheduling dolphin swims so that everyone got their chance to swim with the dolphins. Once we got rescheduled with our new swim time, we sat down for our 'Dolphin Orientation.' The instructors explain everything you need to know about being in the water next to a large bottlenose dolphin. Once finished with the orientation, the instructors lead us over to the Dolphin Lagoon where we met Scarlet, who had to be the sweetest dolphin! Very eager to do tricks, splash with us, take us for rides, and help us enjoy our experience! The instructors are great! They stressed the importance of reinforcement (feeding the dolphin a fish) when they do something correct and therefore, the dolphins eat A LOT of fish! Overall, swimming with Scarlet was a fun and wonderful experience that I'll never forget.

After hours of adventure at Discovery Cove, we decided to head back to the Renaissance Orlando Resort to relax and have dinner. The Renaissance Orlando Resort is a beautiful four-diamond luxury resort, conveniently located down the street from Discovery Cove. The resort has completed an $18 million renovation of its 778 guestrooms and suites, and it shows! The rooms are very spacious and each has been newly refurbished with great furniture and wonderful colors. At the Renaissance Orlando Resort you will find Orlando's most spacious guestrooms, a fully staffed health club, spa services, tennis courts, swimming pools, volleyball and basketball courts, as well as gourmet restaurants.

The Renaissance Orlando Resort has a lot of great restaurants to choose from, including the one we decided to try -- Atlantis. I cannot say enough about this place, the food was absolutely to die for! The atmosphere was elegant and prestigious, yet they welcomed me in jeans! Each table was fairly private and the atmosphere created a pleasant dining experience as soft music by harpist Christine MacPhail filled the room. They had a very nice wine list and the tuna was amazing! To add to the exquisite food and presentation, our waiter Yann Mouchahwar was so adorable and wonderful! He was always at the table at the perfect time, making sure we had what we needed and that we were enjoying ourselves. To top off the entire night at Atlantis, the manager, Kevin Hidey, was very attentive and stopped by our table several times to make sure everything was to our liking. I highly recommend Atlantis for a wonderful place to eat! You will find fresh seafood and shellfish as well as beef, veal, poultry, and lamb along with a delicious selection of appetizers, soups, and other entrée creations at this scrumptious place!

Overall, visiting Discovery Cove and staying at the Renaissance Orlando Resort made for an enjoyable visit to Orlando. Discovery Cove is the ultimate marine life experience in a friendly, controlled environment and the Renaissance Orlando Resort will provide you with comfort and top-notch amenities. If you are looking for a fun and relaxing getaway, I highly recommend this combination for your next trip to Orlando!