I enjoyed reading tips from others before we went, so thought I would share some info here..
Stayed at the Hilton Grande Vacactions Sea World. Very nice resort. Would be happy to answer any questions.
Went to Discovery Cove on June 17th. Arrived at parking lot around 7:20 or so, with check-in scheduled to begin at 7:30. It was probably 7:30 when we got inside to check in. I would guess that they opened a bit early, because a good number of groups were already processed. Our group of six got a 9:25 dolphin swim. Very pleased about this due to the frequent afternoon rain and storms. Many helpful employees to direct you once inside. Found our lockers, got wetsuits or vests. I chose the wetsuit because the dolphin and reef waters are chilly. Added bonus of no sunburn on my shoulders!
Found first aid and left DS epipen there for cool storage. The staff there are very kind and helpful. Chose some loungers in a shaded spot. Headed to the restaurant where we had to speak with the chefs about food allergies. We finished eating between 8:30 and 8:40 only to discover that nothing in the park opens until 9:00. Since we had to check in for dolphin swim at 9:10, we did not do anything until then. As it turns out this was about the only time all day that we were at the loungers.
Enjoyed the dolphin swim and all other activities. FYI you can wear sunglasses for dolphin swim. DH did not and was squinting in most photos
Warning that the lazy river is not for the lazy as there is not much current to push you through. When the afternoon storm came we went to order our photos. Surprised that not many others had this idea, but worked for us.
A great day overall. Two later visits to Sea World and one to Aquatica made this a good value for us.
Tammy
Stayed at the Hilton Grande Vacactions Sea World. Very nice resort. Would be happy to answer any questions.
Went to Discovery Cove on June 17th. Arrived at parking lot around 7:20 or so, with check-in scheduled to begin at 7:30. It was probably 7:30 when we got inside to check in. I would guess that they opened a bit early, because a good number of groups were already processed. Our group of six got a 9:25 dolphin swim. Very pleased about this due to the frequent afternoon rain and storms. Many helpful employees to direct you once inside. Found our lockers, got wetsuits or vests. I chose the wetsuit because the dolphin and reef waters are chilly. Added bonus of no sunburn on my shoulders!
Found first aid and left DS epipen there for cool storage. The staff there are very kind and helpful. Chose some loungers in a shaded spot. Headed to the restaurant where we had to speak with the chefs about food allergies. We finished eating between 8:30 and 8:40 only to discover that nothing in the park opens until 9:00. Since we had to check in for dolphin swim at 9:10, we did not do anything until then. As it turns out this was about the only time all day that we were at the loungers.
Enjoyed the dolphin swim and all other activities. FYI you can wear sunglasses for dolphin swim. DH did not and was squinting in most photos
Warning that the lazy river is not for the lazy as there is not much current to push you through. When the afternoon storm came we went to order our photos. Surprised that not many others had this idea, but worked for us.A great day overall. Two later visits to Sea World and one to Aquatica made this a good value for us.
Tammy
. And yup, we are squinting in most of our pics 
. Sunglasses next time, for sure!!! 
