A trip to remember: SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, and Aquatica

Before I became a mom, some of the reasons I looked forward to having kids were not the sleepless nights, the spit-up, and the constant diaper changes (though that was all lovely). I couldn’t wait to re-live my own childhood and do all kinds of fun stuff with my kids! And while my bucket list is still brimming, there’s one trip we can check off the list – SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, and Aquatica.

Day one – Orlando’s SeaWorld

A recent trip to Orlando’s SeaWorld proved a fantastic way to spend a vacation and live vicariously through my four-year-old, as this park along with its sister parks, provides entertainment and fun for the whole family. Really! From toddlers to teenagers, from mom and dad to grandma and grandpa, SeaWorld offers so much and is the perfect marriage of theme park and aquarium. While I’ll say the rides took a backseat to the amazing animal shows, SeaWorld is known for its new Manta roller coaster, designed to make riders feel as if they’re flying. I wanted to experience the Journey to Atlantis water-coaster, but the 50-degree weather precluded my desire for a potentially wet thrill ride. I regret it as I write this.

One of SeaWorld’s biggest draws is its fantastic live performances. If you see just one while visiting SeaWorld, make it the Believe Show, the park’s famous killer whale show. As luck would have it, one of the whales had just given birth recently and we were privy to a mother-son spectacle. My daughter was enamored with the idea of Shamu and wore her Shamu hat (and still does) to prove it. Not to worry, her sister got a Shamu hat as well.

Another show we loved was Blue Horizons. Featuring wonderfully animated dolphins, birds, and human aerialists and performers, this performance was engaging both for kids and adults. The acts were perfectly choreographed to the carefully selected music, and the animals really knew their stuff. Such professionals! Because it was cold out, we chose not to sit in the “splash zone” but on a warm day, it would’ve been fun to get splashed by the dolphins. Next time.

Other fabulous SeaWorld attractions include the Manta Aquarium, an underwater world located under the new roller coaster. A cavernous structure, we really felt like we were immersed within the walls of the sea. As luck would have it, we were treated to a very active octopus who appeared to have somewhere to go (he’s usually VERY quiet). It was so exciting to see him attach his suction cups to the window, as if he were in a rush. A highlight (for me!) for sure.

It was fun to watch the newborn dolphins play in their nursery, and the moving carpet was a great way to view the penguins in an environment similar to their true habitat. The flamingos were an amazing sight to behold! (Trivia: did you know that the more shrimp flamingos eat, the pinker they are?)

All in all, we were duly impressed with SeaWorld. The only drawback was that our experience with food in the park was just OK. We had planned to lunch at the unique Sharks Underwater Grill where you literally eat while sharks swim behind a glass wall just next to the diners, but at 1 pm we were all the way at the other side of the park where the lines for casual dining were long, and were thrown off by the prominent All-Day Dining Deal signs ($29.99 for adults and $14.99 for kids – pay once and dine all day). We were under the impression that this was the only option at these eateries and opted for hotdogs outside the Shamu show. My mistake, as food is available at regular prices as well.

If your kids are young, you’ll not want to miss Shamu’s Happy Harbor, a small amusement park for little kids. Older children will be thrilled by Kraken, ranked one of the top 10 roller coasters in the world.

For the rest of us, a day at SeaWorld brings back memories of being a kid, and might make you feel like one too.

Day two – Discovery Cove

Day two of our quick trip was Discovery Cove and other than a pre-planned swim with dolphins, I really had no idea what the day had in store for us. In their own words, Discovery Cove is a Place Beyond Words…

No crowds. No turnstiles. Imagine a place where you and your family can touch and swim with dolphins, wade with mysterious rays, snorkel among thousands of exotic fish, hand-feed tropical birds in a free-flight aviary and relax on pristine beaches. Discover an all-inclusive day resort experience that’s one of a kind.

In my words, entering Discovery Cove is like entering paradise. For real. Essentially, Discovery Cove is a man-made oasis comprised of beach, water heated to 80+ degrees for relaxation, and a trip to the tropics. Immersing with the local sea-life is key to a full experience at Discovery Cove. This includes the opportunity to swim with dolphins, hang out with tropical birds, check out the reefs, and swim with sting rays (which I did NOT partake in, however I observed and no one looked scared).

Once we checked in and settled into our luxurious private cabana (did I mention the cabana?), we wedged ourselves into wetsuits and didn’t stop for hours, until we fell tired into our lounge chairs, complementary snacks within arms reach, and just chilled. But before the chillin’, I was fortunate to get up close and personal with one of Discovery Cove’s sweet dolphins, an experience that’s hard to describe. Being so close to an animal that you wouldn’t otherwise approach or even ever come in contact with is breathtaking. And these dolphins are trained to entertain, show affection, and play. Doesn’t get better than that.

My daughter loved playing in the 85-degree water in Serenity Bay, while I took a trip down the (very) lazy river, which is more of a drift through paradise than anything else. I glided through the quiet, with nothing but light music and the sounds of nature to accompany me. The highlight was the drift through the bird aviary, where I came face-to-face with a flamingo and many gorgeous birds I couldn’t name.

Discovery Cove is an all-inclusive day, so meals, snacks, and drinks are plentiful and no money is necessary. Love that aspect as it truly puts visitors at ease. For so much more info, visit the website – but feel free to comment with questions.

Day three – Aquatica

I admit it. It was 59 degrees outside and the prospect of spending the better part of the day at Aquatica, a water park, didn’t thrill me. We went early, our plans were to do a walk-through in order to bring you info about the park. But when my four-year-old thrill-seeker spotted the kiddie area, she quickly stripped down to her bathing suit and went all in. (It helped that the sun was beaming and it was warming up by the minute). Soon, I followed suit and checked out some of the attractions Aquatica offered.

First thing I noticed was how clean the park was! Typically, I feel like water parks are dirty, fungus-foot infested places. Aquatica is immaculate. Towels are available at every turn as are bathrooms (don’t want to have to search for a place to pee when you’re having so much fun!) The slides are incredible. If you love speed, there’s plenty to thrill you. If you have little kids, they’ll LOVE Kata’s Kookaburra Cove, which features introductory water slides, all kinds of watery structures and safe fun. In fact, adults can pull a chair right up to the edge and watch the kids while relaxing – love that. By the way, if your kids are young but too big for the gentle Cove, they’ll love Walkabout Waters, a 15,000 square foot, 60-foot-tall rain fortress that’s full of surprises and water-filled fun.

As the temperature climbed, so did my desire to partake (I’m a total kid at heart) and I checked out the Lazy River (I know, I’m a fiend for the lazy river), which I enjoyed, as it took me floating straight past the dolphins, who also make Aquatica their home. And that’s what’s cool about all three of the parks – all tie-in the under-the-sea theme with a focus on dolphins. We loved just watching the dolphins play at every turn.

Once again, we were treated to a private cabana. Though not as luxurious as those at Discovery Cove, it was nice to have a place to call our own. We lunched before heading to the airport, and the food was similar to that at Discovery Cove – standard dishes with a decent variety. While the crowd was quiet the day we were there, we asked around and found that Aquatica can get crazy-busy during the high season so arrive early! For more info, visit the site, and let me know if you have questions.

Jill Notkin blogs at The Daily Grind of a Work at Home Mom when she’s not tweeting@AlexCaseyBaby. She is also the Managing Director of MotherTalk division at Mom Central Consulting.

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Disclosure: Jill received an all-expense paid trip to facilitate this review, including airfare, hotel, meals, and park tickets. All opinions are her own. She’d like to give a special shout-out to the PR department at SeaWorld (particularly Lauren) for making her trip memorable and super-easy. She also wants to send special thanks also to the very wonderful staff at the Renaissance Orlando for great service. Jill says, “They picked us up, dropped us off, and really catered to us.”

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