We arrived at Discovery Cove around 8:00am, parked, and headed in to the Reception building to check in for our visit. We were given badges signifying our activities for the day (just the dolphin swim for us), and then we headed in to the park. Our first stop was at Laguna Grill for our complimentary breakfast. We selected our favorite options from the buffet, which included eggs, French toast sticks, fruit, bagels, sausage, and bacon, amongst other options. We headed outside, finding a table near a heater (did I mention it was cold?), and headed off to get beverages. Unfortunately for us, the area was filled with hungry birds, and with us away from our table, they decided that our food looked tasty! They pecked away at a couple of our plates before being shooed away by some of the workers nearby. We replaced our food, sat down, and enjoyed our meal.

After breakfast we headed over to Dolphin Lagoon to take in the sights. We still had time before our actual dolphin swim, so we were decided to check things out. Our next stop was the Seahorse Cabana, where we picked up our wetsuits and headed in to change. After putting on my wetsuit backwards, I headed back in to change once more. With the wetsuit on correctly, we then headed back to Dolphin Lagoon.

It was time for our group to head out and meet the dolphins, so we made our way into the water. There were three groups in the same bay, but of course we were destined for the one spot out of the three that was out of the sun! We were paired up with another family, parents and two daughters who happened to be from Michigan as well, though on the opposite side of the state in the Muskegon area. It was a nice pairing, as we had things in common to talk about. The dolphin that we were assigned was named Capricorn, and he is the second oldest dolphin in captivity, at nearly 60 years old! Dolphins in the wild live to an average age of 25, so this specimen has greatly exceeded that! Capricorn was also the biggest of the dolphins that we saw today, measuring in around ten feet in length. We also got to spend a little bit of time with a dolphin named Maui, a younger female dolphin, who is also apparently Capricorn's "girlfriend"! During our time with the dolphins we were allowed to go for a "ride" by floating alongside Capricorn, with one hand holding his flipper and the other on his dorsal fin, and he swam across part of the pool with us. We also got to pose alongside him, as well as get a kiss from him. Both him and Maui also did some tricks for us, like standing out of the water and clapping with their fins, making a variety of different clicking noises based on our hand gestures, and doing some jumps out of the water. All in all, this was a very cool experience for us, and I would definitely do it again!

After our turn with the dolphins was up, we headed back to the Laguna Grill to eat lunch. Once again there was a nice variety of foods available on the buffet, including burgers (with cheese and bacon, if so desired!), hot dogs, chicken strips, and several hibachi style foods that I cannot recall - I do know that Sam really liked the one that she tried. Although the food was mostly typical park fare, the fact that it is included in your entrance to the park, and is all you can eat more than makes it worthwhile!

Once we had finished our lunch, we decided to head back to The Grand Reef to try our hand at snorkeling. Grandma Terry opted to sit this one out, so Samantha, Jayden, and I waded out into the pool with a wide variety of fish and rays. We really enjoyed watching as these creatures swam past us, and I would love to do some snorkeling in the "wild" some time, but with better gear than what we were utilizing here. My mask kept filling up with water (especially in the nose area) and I kept getting water in my mouthpiece as well.

We decided that we were pretty much done with our water activities after we finished snorkeling, so we headed back to the Seahorse Cabana to get back into our clothes. We explored more of the park once we were dressed, checking out the many pink flamingoes at Flamingo Point. We also went over to the the area of The Grand Reef to observe the sharks. The opportunity to swim with the sharks is something that Sam desperately wanted to be able to do - hopefully we get a next time to do so!

I will continue with the recap of our day along with the pictures on page #2!

Discovery Cove

The Reception building for Discovery Cove as seen from the parking lot.

Our complimentary breakfast from the Laguna Grill (before the birds got it as we were off getting our drinks).

Jayden, Samantha, and Grandma Terry trying to enjoy their breakfast in the cold air.

This ibis...

...and this ibis were likely amongst the bird thieves that stole food from our breakfast plates!

A look out at the Dolphin Lagoon before any groups were meeting the dolphins.

Jay, Grandma Terry, and Sam trying to soak up some sun while awaiting our turn to swim with the dolphins.

Rodney posing for a selfie!

A picture of Rod from the girls after saying that nobody takes pictures of him!

Sam taking a family photo of herself, Rod, and Jay.

Jayden, Samantha, and Rodney posing in their wetsuits before heading off for their dolphin adventure.

Samantha riding alongside Capricorn the dolphin during her dolphin swim...

...and having a lot of fun while doing so!

Jayden taking her turn riding alongside Capricorn the dolphin during her dolphin swim...

...and having a blast while holding on tight!

Grandma Terry in motion riding alongside Capricorn the dolphin.

Grandma Terry riding alongside Capricorn the dolphin during her dolphin swim...

...and taking in a mouthful of water while doing so!

Rodney riding alongside Capricorn the dolphin during his dolphin swim...

...and enjoying the opportunity to do so!

A motion shot of Grandma Terry, Jayden, Samantha, and Rodney posing with Capricorn the dolphin.

Grandma Terry, Jay, Sam, and Rodney posing for pictures with Capricorn the dolphin...

A motion shot of Jayden and Samantha posing with Capricorn the dolphin.

Jay and Sam posing for pictures with Capricorn the dolphin...

A closer look at Capricorn, the dolphin we were allowed to spend our time with today!

Capricorn is the second oldest dolphin in captivity in the world, at almost 60 years old!

A motion shot of Samantha's kiss from Capricorn the dolphin.

A couple of pictures of Sam getting a kiss from Capricorn the dolphin...

A motion shot of Samantha posing with Capricorn the dolphin.

Sam posing for a picture with Capricorn the dolphin.

Another close-up of Capricorn the dolphin.

A motion shot of Rodney posing with Capricorn the dolphin.

Rodney posing for pictures with Capricorn the dolphin...

A motion shot of Rodney's kiss from Capricorn the dolphin.

A shot of Rod getting a kiss from Capricorn the dolphin.

Jay posing for a picture with Capricorn the dolphin.

A motion shot of Jayden's kiss from Capricorn the dolphin.

A few pictures of Jay getting a kiss from Capricorn the dolphin...

A shot of Grandma Terry getting a kiss from Capricorn the dolphin.

A motion shot of Grandma Terry posing with Capricorn the dolphin.

Grandma Terry posing for a picture with Capricorn the dolphin.

Capricorn "standing" while clapping for us...

...and then doing some jumps out of the water...

We also got to spend a little bit of time with Maui, a younger female dolphin, who is also apparently Capricorn's "girlfriend"! Here she is jumping out of the water...

...and half out of it.

Some pictures of (a freezing) Grandma Terry, Jayden, Samantha, and Rodney after their time with the dolphins...

Another ibis spotted in the park.

A selfie of Rodney getting ready to snorkel in the Grand Reef.

Samantha in her snorkeling gear at the Grand Reef...

...along with a Google Photos created "pop-out" of her.

Jayden signaling that she's ready to go snorkeling!

Rodney posing for a goofy picture!

Some of the rays that we spotted while snorkeling in the Grand Reef...

...we also saw these guitarfish in the Grand Reef...

There were plenty of really pink flamingoes to be seen at Flamingo Point...

Samantha and Jayden observing the sharks at the Grand Reef.

A few of the sharks swimming around the Shark Encounter area of the Grand Reef...

...which is something Sam wants to do during our next visit!

A look at the Shark Encounter experience area of the Grand Reef...

Please click here for page two of the photos