Do I have pick what we want to do at DC and pay for each separately or is it a ticket and you can do any of the options they have? My kids range in age 3-13 so different kids will want to do different things. For example my girls will want to swim with the dolphins and my two boys may want to be a trainer for a day,,not sure about my littlest guy yet....And you mentioned that we'll have a SW and Aquatica tickets that we have 14 days to use?...Does everyone in the family have to do at least one of the options at DC to get the tickets for SW/Aquatica? Sorry for all the questions,,I really don't know what I'm doing when it comes to SW/DC lol
Alrighty, let's see if I can make sense of it all for you
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Discovery Cove has two basic admission structures: "day resort only" or "dolphin swim".
Day resort admission gets you access to the main park attractions (Freshwater Oasis, Grand Reef, Windaway River, Aviary, sand beach) plus all your food (breakfast, lunch and snacks, all unlimited throughout the day), parking, 6 x 8 family photo (one per group), all drinks (including alcohol), snorkel, use of wetsuits, towels to use, etc. Its not a pay-per-attraction kind of thing. Once you are in the park, you can explore it all at your leisure as part of your admission.
Dolphin swim admission includes everything above plus the dolphin interaction in small groups of about 8 (kiss, feed, pet, "ride" etc. with a dolphin in the water). You have to be a minimum of 6 years old to participate in the dolphin interaction. Its about 30 minutes in the water, plus a short instructional time beforehand.
Trainer for a day is an extra cost, as is the SeaVenture (where you wear the dive helmets and walk on the bottom of the reef). Photo packages, cabana rentals and souvenirs are all additional costs (and absolutely not necessary for an amazing day, but very worthwhile purchases if the budget can swing it).
SeaWorld and Aquatica are both included for each person visiting DC (either via the day resort admission or the dolphin swim package) for 14 days. You can use your days either before or after your DC day, or a combination of both. Both are awesome parks and well worth visiting. The kids area at Aquatica is far better than the children's areas at TL and BB. SeaWorld is simply amazing with its awesome shows and exhibits (and if you are coaster lovers, Manta is unlike nothing you have ever experienced).
When you purchase admission to DC, you can also add on a parking pass to your reservation for unlimited parking for 14 days to SW & AQ for $30. A great deal if you plan to visit those parks more than once.
You can also add Busch Gardens to your 14 day SW/AQ ticket for an additional $25 (or thereabouts) when you purchase your DC admission.
Clear as mud, right?
Feel free to ask if you have any more questions.
