Recommend May 2016 - (Page 50)
PHOTO COURTESY OF DISCOVERY COVE® 2016
Escape to Discovery Cove
onsitereview
Melissa Bryant
While visiting the Discovery Cove allinclusive day resort on a recent press trip in
Orlando, I underwent a digital detox as a
result of a depleted phone battery and MIA
portable solar charger. Relieved of my ability
to post, tweet or text, I was able to look up
and truly enjoy this melting pot of land and
sea, where the resident animals-exotic
birds, a cuddly kinkajou, tropical fish and a
three-toed sloth-were just as diverse as the
park's flora-palm trees, sky-high bamboo
trees and rainforest vegetation.
It was this type of retreat that the team
behind Discovery Cove desired for guests
in July 2000 when they opened the theme
park. "Discovery Cove is kind of an escape
from the chaos of a vacation," says Tim
Swan, director of sales for SeaWorld Parks &
Resorts Orlando. "This is probably the elite
experience for people that come to Orlando
on vacation," due, in part, to the resort's
capacity limit of approximately 1,300 guests,
required reservations for certain excursions,
and all-inclusive amenities, including
freshly prepared breakfast and lunch, snacks,
50 may 2016
alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages for
guests 21 and over, a wet suit or swim vest,
towel, souvenir snorkel and eco-friendly
sunscreen. Following a brief check-in at
Discovery Cove's luxurious reception, I met
my VIP cabana host Todd, and suited up
for fun.
"Shark Tank"
If there was only one takeaway I could relay
from my visit, it would be to upgrade your
clients to a private cabana. Not only does the
package come with a personal cabana host,
but it also provides a secluded oasis tucked
away behind lush foliage and comes fully
equipped with a mini-fridge, snacks, a locker,
rolled towels, chaise lounges and a hammock.
The cabana host gave me a full tour of the
grounds before walking me over to The
Grand Reef for a swim, while imparting bits
of knowledge he'd learned from working in
the park for seven or so years. At The Grand
Reef, I swam beside schools of fish and over
a cownose ray the length of my body, before
paddling right up to a tilted plexiglass wall
overlooking a shark tank. Recommend
the SeaVenture excursion, an underwater
walking tour in The Great Reef that takes
participants, wearing dive helmets, up to
a large panoramic window in full view of
sharks, and features one-on-one touches with
schools of fish and cownose rays.
"Everything we do, from a zoological
perspective, has to have some tie back to
populations around the world," says Stewart
Clark, v.p. of Discovery Cove. For instance,
5 percent of the proceeds from SeaVenture
go back to the park's Rising Tide initiative.
The program, a collaborative effort between
Discovery Cove and universities from around
the country, is working to cut down the
amount of wild-caught fish sold in pet stores
by collecting and hatching eggs from fish
in The Grand Reef. In the Dolphin Lagoon
another success story is taking place.
Who Says You Can't Teach
an Old Dolphin New Tricks
Between interactive, training and husbandry
(health check-up) sessions, Discovery
recommend.com
http://www.recommend.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend May 2016
Editor’s Notes
Hotel Desk: On the Waterfront
Tour Talk: A Peek at Our Peaks
All-Inclusives: Raising the Bar
Onsite Review: Puerto Vallarta’s Hotel Scene
Onsite Review: Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya
Onsite Review: Iberostar Playa Mita
Onsite Review: Moon Palace Jamaica Grande
Hotel and Experience Pairings
New Properties Beckon
Onsite Review: Cambodia
Southern Africa’s New Enticements
Onsite Review: Rail Europe
New Frontiers in Travel
Innovation on the High Seas
Mountain Resort Vacations
What’s New in Orlando
Onsite Review: Escape to Discovery Cove
Official Florida Travel Industry Education Program–Family Course
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