Discovery Cove - The World's Most Expensive Theme Park? 

I really enjoy the videos on the channel but I think there is some additional info about the pricing that could have been mentioned in this video: 1) Unlike Disney/ Universal, the Discovery Cove website has frequent discounts for visits booked a few months in advance (they also hold a Black Friday sale on the website as well). For example, while I can't post the image in a RU-vid comment, on Oct 28, 2023 they were showing certain dates in December 2023 as low as $153.60 for a day resort + three park package (one day at Discovery Cove without dolphin swim + unlimited 14 day admission to Aquatica, Sea World, and Busch Gardens). 2) While some add-ons are not worth the price, if you are interested in visiting any of the other parks owned by the same company then the multi-park add on can be a good deal. I'm not trying to shill for Discovery Cove, but the day resort + three park package that my family booked for out early December visit in 2023 cost less than our one day, base ticket/ no Park Hopper visit to Magic Kingdom. This particular package also cames with free parking at all of the included parks which saved a good $25 or so dollars each day in parking alone compared to visiting a different park. TL;DR If you book only one day at Discovery Cove with no discounts and no added parks then yes it's expensive. But Discovery Cove offers packages and discounts which do not have comparable offerings from Disney/ Universal in terms of price per day/ park, in my experience. As mentioned in the video the other parks don't measure up to Disney/ Universal but if you are primarily interested in roller coasters (Iron Gwazi, Cheetah Hunt, Mako, Manta, etc.) then you might find the price makes up for it.

Zoologist here; Discovery Cove operates identically to other SeaWorld Parks, with animals being exchanged freely between the parks as needed for breeding and whatnot. This is something to keep in mind regarding the ethics of this park. Also, when "off duty," dolphins are kept in much smaller pools behind the larger lagoons used for interaction. You can view this part of the park in satellite images/Google Earth if you'd like to see for yourself.

I think a big part of discovery cove is the atmosphere. While describing each individual thing doesn't necessarily make it sound like it's worth the money, there's a definite value to the feeling it provides when it's all put together. It's genuinely just such a relaxed vibe, especially with things like food being included in the price. And the park has an *extremely* low capacity, I'm talking about a thousand a day, and none of the experiences use a queue, so it's going to feel very intimate and exclusive. It was, all in all, the most relaxing day I've ever had in Orlando, just drifting from place to place and enjoying myself, grabbing snacks when I so desired.

I love some of the little "secret" exhibits they have under the water. Windows under the water in some places to view some more dangerous fish that can't be in direct proximity to guests like moray eels. These have no indication above water that the little portholes even exist, you just got to discover them

I imagine the price point also helps keep the crowds down to keep a relaxed, naturalistic atmosphere. The intensity of the upcharges are a part of that, as well, I think.

It's wild to me that getting up close to some flamingos, has a decent chance of being more expensive than a 45 min underwater excusion.

Oh gosh, I remember going to a week-long camp here as a kid. Must have been 2004 or 2005, and I had the best time of my life. I remember camping out in the dolphin exhibit one night instead of being in a hotel, and watching that the dolphins never stopped swimming all night long.

Just being able to swim with all those fish and rays is worth the price; you can’t have that experience even in the ocean with wildlife. The bird encounters are also really cool. I like just floating down the river. Honestly, you summed it all up perfectly when you said this is like doing the “excursions” on a cruise. That’s exactly what this is like. The cocktails are really good too and they are STRONG. I thought the food was as good as most cruises too.

I love discovery cove! As a former sea world park worker, it was definitely worth with the employees discount of $50 per person.

This is my absolute favorite place to go in Florida. I love nothing more than spending a whole day in their river and floating around. It's so relaxing and I wish I could go more often.

This reminds me of XPLOR in Mexico where it has multiple attractions you can experience like waterslides, cave swimming, off-roading, and other stuff but you don’t really wait for any of them and food is included. It’s more expensive then an average theme park but the experience is much more relaxed.

Spent my 40th birthday here! It was so nice to swim with the dolphins and sting rays. I loved going to Orlando, I even got my husband into the water😅

Went here as a kid and it was definitely a family favorite. We spent a few hours just swimming with the rays and fish

Went here for my sister's 18th birthday 10 years ago... Had no idea my parents spent this much on it, especially for the dolphin encounter. Love them so much

I've only ever heard this park by name but never knew what it was until now. I didn't expect all this lol thanks, poseidon

It wouldn’t be a Sunday without this guy dogging on some form of themed entertainment

Yours has really become one of my favourite channels on youtube, you have a very relaxing/calming type of presentation while still being totally professional and high quality in production. Plus it’s clear how much time/effort/work you put into the research and making of all your videos, and I really appreciate it! Hope you continue to enjoy producing this work for us to watch 😄

Went to the Florida parks a lot growing up and Discovery Cove always sort of confounded me. My family never went, and the only things offered were sort of “all the premium up charge experiences you can get a Sea World” (of course, not literally, but that was the vibe I got). Excited to see this video and get a bit more analysis and information on it!

This looks amazing and well worth a visit - if I wasn't absolutely terrified of everything in there.

Discovery Cove strikes me as a one-and-done sort of experience. That said: I genuinely feel it's more worth checking out at some point than Disney World (at least in its current state)

Beyond coincidental that this comes out on my birthday, the day after I went to Discovery Cove for said birthday! The price is steep, but I think it's well worth it: I got an exclusive birthday tag, faculty AND even random people were saying happy birthday, food was decent, cabana was awesome (our host was awesome!) and we did technically get a ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE with the dolphins. The secrets were fun too, and so were the surprise animal encounters! Only personal grife I had was that it feels like its 24 years old (Maybe thats just because I'm so used to mainlined things like Volcano Bay or Aquatica). Hack for anyone reading this: BUY DURING OFFSEASON! THE PRICE BECOMES REASONABLE AND THINGS LIKE A CABANA ARE THROWN IN FOR FREE!

I love discovery cove! I think my family will probably go every time we visit Orlando. We love snorkeling on cruises, but some days are a miss. With Discovery Cove, you’ll always see the fish! Plus free food and sodas is awesome! We went on a whim for our honeymoon and LOVED it!

Custodians at discovery cove only get paid $12 an hour

As someone who went during a good week in the Winter, I had an amazing time. I recommend it with a park hopper, as in the right season, the main water park is completely empty. So I spent a day where the limits to how many times I could do a slide were based on how fast I could climb the towers.

You say it's about Six hundred dollars for two people but u forgot to mention you get 14 days free admission to Sea World. If you plan early enough you can get it for 150.(Without the Dolphine experience. Also it would cost you an extra 2 hundred dollars just to eat at any of the other theme parks. Another point he didn't make is if you wear prescription glasses they have googles with every prescription available first come and first serve.

Worth every dollar!

I loved Discovery Cove when I went when I was a young teen. It was so much fun when I went. Our dolphin knocked the fish bucket out of her trainer's hand. 😂 It's one of those parks that you can do once or twice though and be satisfied. Since I've done it, I don't really feel the need to go back, at least until I have kids of my own.

I love that park! We always go right at opening, have nice breakfast, then search for a good spot and change. I could spend hours in the aviary. Last time, they renovated the main restaurant, so they only offered lunch boxes, which was a bit of a letdown. Then we stay right until closing time, so we get the most out of the day. Last time, they told us that wearing the wet suits was voluntary, which surprised me.

Love discovery cove, it's one of the best places to visit as is so relaxing with lovely things to do.

i went with my Ex back in 2021, it was certainty worth the one time experience. getting to swim with the rays and dolphins was truly incredible.

Discovery Cove is my favorite park& I go once or twice a year & enjoy thoroughly. The snorkeling is fabulous & the food is good too! It’s a unique experience & well worth the price.

I love much of Discovery Cove. I don't love the holding pools they keep the dolphins in when they aren't doing guest interactions. Even if they had free reign of the entire dolphin area, it's just not enough space for a dolphin to be happy and healthy. And I think that's evident by how long they survive in captivity here compared to in the wild.

Based on your videos it looks like the park isn't overlay packed with people, which I'm sure is both a result of the price and a benefit thereof. Nothing is worse than paying well over 100$ to get into Disney only for find it impossible to do much because there are so many other people there. This sounds exactly like the type of place I'd be willing to pay a little more for in order to avoid the crowds

The only time I went was as a kid in 2010 and I remember it vividly. I think it was worth it for how unique it is. It’s very well curated and guarantees you some amazing experiences that are rare if you were to go snorkel in the wild. We were nerdy, animal loving kids and while Disney and Seaworld were fun, this had its own special kind of magic for us. We did the dolphin encounter and I still remember being amazed I could hold onto their fin while they swam. Since then I’ve gone swimming with wild dolphins in Florida too and I prefer that, but it’s definitely for older individuals with strong swimming skills who are happy to spend an entire day on a boat sailing around to find them. This is way more straightforward though. I remember not being prepared to encounter that glass where the sharks were and I was probably 100 feet away or more and caught a glimpse of the grouper and gasped through my snorkel. It terrified me and I had to swim up for air. My dad laughed but now I’m still scared of groupers over a decade later haha.

It was my childhood dream to go here. Just went for the first time for my seconr wedding anniversary last week. It did not disappoint! It was even better thsn I hoped. I am a huge marine biology nerd, so the dolphin encounter was nothing short of my favorite experience ever. Watching this video made me realize we didn't even do everything in the park! We never found the pretzels or fed the birds. Wow. I could easily go back in a heartbeat. Next time I want to do SeaVenture and the Sharks too. Love this place. Just wish the food was a bit better.

Never been, but your gorgeous footage had me looking up swimsuits because I wanna go splash in the pretty water like in your video!

I’m so proud of how much you have grown overtime… Such wonderfully produced and well researched videos.

I love the experience of swimming in the grand reef as well as the huge immersive lazy river! I love that it gets to 8 feet deep. I do not see any value in getting the day beds or cabanas as one is constantly moving around the park through the day. My disappointment resides in the food quality! For how much we pay they can serve real eggs. Last time i went 4/27 they were serving powdered eggs! I will go again as it a really fun unique place but they need to reevaluate all the points you touched upon. Great video!

Seaventure is definitely worth it!

As a former em ployee....the cheapest you can add dolphin swims or is $50 and those are usually during slow seasons like fall and winter or whern they're expecting particularly bad weather. I think going to DC is worth it if you go when it isn't peak pricing.

Went as a kid and loved it. DC served as a great final day of vacation, a way to unwind after the craziness of the big parks. I've wanted to go back ever since.

This park is like a long lost core memory. We went here whwn i was a toddler with extended family. I also remember a really hard to find alligator experience with the cutest gift shop with tons of animal plushies. That was on a field trip as a toddler, and my dad and I tried to find it again but child brain didnt understand navigation. As well as I think Jungle Island? You should totally do a video on that one if you havent 😁😆

Discovery Cove is often the BEST reviewed themed attraction in Orlando. My family has done it twice & have no problem with pricing. SeaVenture was AMAZING!!!! On our 2nd visit we did a private cabana right next to the Grand Reef and used it down time just relaxing there. FYI, in 2023 Adventure Island in Tampa rolled out their version of SeaVenture, but closed it later in the season before I could try it. It was a virtual reality snorkeling thing... now that I think about it really isn't the same thing, lol!

Its worth going once in a while if you don’t do the dolphin swim Also: is it still on a reservation system? I remember one giant pro being it wasn’t packed because it was limited to around 1500 guests per day.

Love your channel! Seeing Poseidon Entertainment across the screen elevates that!

Whoa... It's like River County (without slides) combined with Discovery Island! Cool concept but not for that price. (Edit: very misleading thumbnail, it's under 300 per person, which is worth it if you're interested in an up close experience with exotic animals)

Very overrated in my opinion. The dolphin experience was not worth it, it was mostly just standing around in the pool for 20 minutes. The water park itself is fine but not worth the expense.

My local Aquatica water park in San Antonio used to have a bird aviary alot like the one at Discovery Cove. I'm so mad that they removed it. It was my favorite thing there.

Thank you Poseidon this theme park sounds amazing; I would love to go here someday.

I wouldn't trust Seaworld to take care of a frog, much less a park full of animals.

Discovery Cove always felt like the sort of thing that one does primarily to post about it on social media.

I remember doing this place as a kid. Loved it.

Thank you for covering Discovery Cove - I've always wanted to go!!!

I was there opening day and it was an interesting experience. I loved interacting with the wildlife, especially the rays

The price right now is approximately $150 plus tax due to a promotion, for anyone curious. I paid for my day package today, and am going tomorrow. Funny how this video randomly popped up in my feed just before I go. It is absolutely worth the price. I have an average salary, and I still feel the price point is more than justified. It is hard to describe how incredible the experience is until you actually get there. This will be my third time going. Save up and buy a ticket to experience this at some point, even if you only do it one time.

Can’t wait for you to talk about Fantasy Springs!!

The management of this place is pathetic. I have a friend who quit here because she ended up in the hospital due to the diving experience. She was an aquarist with a masters and got paid the same as the lifeguards. Lifeguards are asleep, she had to rescue someone from the reef without any equipment. People get blackout and stand on the rays and fish. There’s no care for the animals here.

Georgia Aquarium does let you snorkel in their enormous tank - including with whale sharks and manta rays - but it's for a steep $250+.

Just visited typhoon lagoon for the first time in years, can’t tell you how disappointed I was to see they got rid of the shark reef snorkeling and sealed up the sub

as a former trainer- and despite the very good cover of conservation and education- it is also the worlds cruelest theme park.

I did the VIP experience and proposed to my fiancé (with a dolphin) a few years ago. It was awesome and the best day of our trip by far (hell one of the best days of our lives). We can't wait to go back!

Videos have been great lately so glad I found your channel last year!

I am so glad you did this video! I have always wanted to go to Discovery Cove but it just seemed like it was more money than I wanted to spend at the time especially with so many other options around. I’ll be interested to see if this sways me one way or the other. Thanks PE!

Honestly, there is a lot more value than I expected from SeaWorld/United Parks. There is a lot of up charges, but besides the dolphins, most of it seems to just be improved versions of something found in the base ticket or available at SeaWorld proper for cheaper. It feels like the park equivalent of Free-To-Play games. Have the core game/experience for free(part of base admission), but have lots of slightly better ad ons for the whales.

This looks awesome. I agree that nothing really compares to this park, amd if you're into this kind of thing, it can be worth it.

I had an absolute blast there and we left around 2. The dolphin experience was cool but kind of a one and done like you pointed out. The snorkeling and aviary were a huge hit, not only for myself, but also niece and nephew. We rolled up and hit the beer tent at open and by 2pm I think the beer math made it to be 17 MK Ultras. Such a blast, plus almost became a in-park celebrity, as I had a heart shaved in my chest hair like a Care Bear. I probably had about 5 or so strangers ask to take pictures with me and quite a few people say they heard I was in the park. Absolute great time! A bit pricey though, but we all had a blast

Got to go here once before because my dad was a Disney/ Fl. theme park completionist/ super fan. I’m pretty sure it was mostly because that only so many people will be in there with you so he wouldn’t have to talk or interact with anyone the entire day lol. “The lazy river” and free swim salt water tank are pretty cool but they give you a vest you can’t dive in (unless your a strong swimmer) and the best thing is the aviary by far but I really don’t think this experience was worth the price for the experience at all. Go to typhoon lagoon in Disney and go in their shark tank snorkel experience, same thing.

I just spent about $600 on 2 one day multi park tickets for universal where nothing is included so $600 for 2 people to eat free all day honestly sounds amazing. Even if the dolphin experience is an additional $100 per person that’s still probably what you would spend eating at the park in a day.

My parents saved up to take the family to discovery cove and even living in FL my entire life and swimming in coral reefs frequently, DC was fun and memorable

Amazing experience. We had the day as a wedding adding gift and was amazing. The dolphin experience was cool. Kids loved it. They were hey have a huge fresh water pool and Yo swing with string rays

I think that the ability to think you are exploring untamed territory is an exiting feeling and it is commonly felt in these kind of attractions. I think that any entertainment experience that has this is normally a fun time and I wish there was more of these style attractions

Love this park and have been 3 times. They often have specials so on average I’ve paid about $200 per person. Said specials have included the dolphin encounter as well as multiple parks. I’ve also gone in the months of September, June and August so deals are not only during the ‘off’ or shoulder season. If you get the opportunity to enjoy this place, i highly suggest you do.

I've been twice and never done the dolphin or additional experiences. But as a Brit who goes to Florida and does loads of parks, it is a lovely "all inclusive" chill day.

I can't remember how much it was, but when I went to Sea World with my friend back in high school, I got to feed and pet the dolphins. That was my favorite part of the whole trip because I finally got to do something that I've always wanted to do, but I couldn't. Didn't stop talking about it for months after that

For someone wanting to swim with sharks, it's not really a swim, but the wonders of wildlife aquarium in Springfield, Missouri owned by Bass pro shop offers a shark feeding frenzy experience. You sit inside one of those diving helmets like you showed for the adventure and they feed the sharks right in front of your face. It's really neat!

Went last year with my 7 year old twins. This was our 2nd visit having been 8 years ago with my son. We paid something like £800 but that included 14 days admission and parking at Sea World and Busch Garden in Tampa. The drinks and food are very basic but overall a great experience and we visited the other parks a couple of times to get our money worth!

If you are visiting sea world already (and in my case also BG) you can get a combo pass that includes a day here and 14 days of admission to their other parks. I paid $250 for that which was a steal. Discovery cove was the highlight of my entire trip

Whoa... I can't swim myself, but this... would be worth learning for. I've only seen the intro but it already looks incredible. I think I just found my next vacation...

I'm going in a couple of weeks, so I'm really glad I found this fresh video with so many active commenters. 🙂 I'm really debating whether to do the shark swim ($79) or not. Since it's quite pricey, you're only floating at the surface, it's very brief, and you can see the sharks through the glass anyway (and other amazing large fish in the reef itself). I initially wanted to do the full ~$200 experience with sharks, but decided no since I'm going alone this time, and would rather do that with company (more special to have someone to share it with).

I did the flamingo mingle on the first week of opening, and as someone who is a bird lover, I did enjoy it! I believe when I did it I paid about 50, and we got a good hour or so to sit with the flamingos and feed them in the lagoon, then walk them around the park. Always keep a good eye out for the Florida resident discounts and the deals they do around the holidays! Black Friday tickets are usually very cheap. I could spend days at discovery cove, and if they ever had an annual pass, I’d probably sell the rest of mine just for this 😂

Thanks for the video! I have never really done much research into Discovery Cove because we do a lot of cruises and have done excursions where we swam with stingrays, dolphins and sea turtles. I had no idea this place had this many cool features! I think we will for sure visit next time in Orlando. I wouldn't tell my better half about the aviary portion of the swim ( he's deathly afraid of birds) it'd be a fun surprise for sure! LOL

Did it twice. Worth it once. But really worth it. I still have my little snow globe me kissing the dolphin pic in there I can't lie. 🐬

Been there and i can confidently say that them having a max number of people a day makes the experience much more calm and enjoyable vs a max packed any other park

This is one of our favorite places. Like another commenter we've never paid full price to get in but would say we receive exceptional value.

Seaworld parks are always heavily discounted. If you payed full price, you didn’t bother trying a quick search. Discovery Cove is a good value relaxed water park, if you get the multi park bundle. Just skip the add-ons. The unlimited food and beer is also a Plus.

The water in the lazy river was nice and warm, and of course we went on a cold day for Florida, so my family and I mostly stayed in the lazy river outside of snorkeling and getting our picture with the dolphins

Dicovery cove has the vibes of the Xcaret parks in Mexico, but less cool and way more expensive. Technically the animal experiences are add on there, but you'd still end up paying a lot less to do the same things (and more).

I remember the parrot going a little too hard on the pine nut in my hand and breaking skin. I knew he meant me no harm and I got a gnarly, permanent souvenir out of it lol 9/10 The dolphin encounter is nice once in a life, but doesn't need repeating. Would definitely go do everything else again at full price!

Discovery Cove seems very similar to elements of the Mayan Riviera (Playa del Carmen) condensed into one small area. I see influences of places like Grand Mayan, Xel-Ha, Xplor, Rio Secreto, etc. Interesting that it's a Sea World property.

This place sort of reminds me of Xcaret in Cancun,Mexico, they had a river, although I don’t remember if it had animals or not.

My wife and I randomly went there and had the time of our lives. So much so that we now try to include it in every Disney trip. I consider this a good investment. The dolphin experience was ok but everything else was great.

I have been there multiple times when I go on vacation to Florida from pa, and I personally love the wetsuit idea it’s so unique

We have gone twice! As Florida residents, we get a cheaper price and both times the extra drink package was included. We have never done the dolphin encounter because we did it in Jamaica, but there is really no need. When a group is not there, the dolphins are swimming around close to everyone. We love the lazy river, its so relaxing, and the marmosets were adorable, as were the otters. We paid for the helmet underwater experience, it was okay and worth the price. The flamingos were not there when we went, so we would love to see that and an armadillo. Everything at this park is amazing. There is nothing but fun, relaxation and amazement with the animals. I love, love, love, how everything, even parking is included. Disney and Universal should take note. I hate the way those parks nickle and dime you to death! We will be back, its been about 3 years, we have been doing different things, the Maldives, Africa, but now its time to come back to Discovery Cove.

Wow it really is not that much more the a peak day Disney World ticket. Considering it does include food and drinks it is a bargin. A relaxing day at a park without having to have your nose in a phone sounds great.

It cost me £149 (about $195) for a fully inclusive day at discovery cove +14 unlimited consecutive days at aquatica seAworld and busch gardens with free parking in each great value and definitely the cheapest in orlando have been here 4 times already and keep going for a reason

I might go again and.just skip the dolphin bit. Swimming with loads of tropical fish and rays was amazing, and feeding the.birds was so much fun. The ticket also got us in to sea world parks for a.week before and after. As a group.of adults, it was.our best day of.our week long vacation.

You posted this just as we were driving down to Florida to go here.

What's interesting is that, depending on the season, you're not paying *that* much more than a single Disney day (after food and other possible add-ons). We've never paid more than $250 a head which includes the dolphin swim. It's certainly a luxury experience that justifies its price tag. I'm massively biased as my wife and I both love the park (hell I proposed to her there), but it really is an incredible place for the right type of group. We did the shark experience on one trip and it's excellent.

One advantage for someone from the West Coast is arriving on a red-eye, picking up a rental car, and going right there. Grab breakfast, take a nap, then have a relaxing first day in FL while you can’t even check into your hotel.

I'd be ecstatic to go swim in this park! I love the atmosphere and close interaction with animals they're going for. Shame of all the overpricing, though.