Sun, Shopping, Sand, Surf, Sweat & Shamu: A Splashin Summertime Sabbatical at SVR!

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Although no meat, I was impressed by the salad bar, baked potatoes, pizza ,soup and bread. I didn't know but you also get dessert even more impressive was that the cashier asked if I had any coupons, I didn't , and took pity on me and gave me a free meal anyway I must just look needy

That's awesome!

Hey, if I can't rustle up a coupon before our May trip, I hope I look "needy" too .

Sweet Tomatoes has the best frozen yogurt, it is so creamy, like a premium ice cream, add caramel sauce and toppings, heavenly. I don't think it has any calories either.

Steve will LOVE that! As for moi, I'm not a yogurt fan, sadly. Not even the frozen kind. Someone did mention somewhere along the way about some sort of chocolate muffins, though....which are definitely up my alley.

BTW dennise....did your grandson still want the "there is no I in team but there is in win" t-shirt? If so, PM me your address and I'll send it to you. Assuming, of course, he's okay with a gently used (worn half a dozen times or less!) t-shirt .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Monday, August 25th.....Discovery Cove day!

We had been watching the weather with heightened interest as our vacation days ticked rapidly by. While most of our itinerary was pretty darn flexible (and could be juggled around if rain or other bad weather threatened our enjoyment of a particular activity), our one day that was pretty much set in stone was Discovery Cove. Of course, the weather projections looked particularly unsettled for that Monday, and we wondered if we’d spend the day huddling in the cabana waiting for the storms to roll out of the region. So when the alarm went off at 6 am and I hopped out of bed, my first task was to pull open the curtains and take a peek outside. Okay, too dark. Shower first, wake the kids, then peek again. Clear skies, and the sun was readying itself to rise and shine. A good start . Cue the relief!!!

Like most others who commit to a day at Discovery Cove, I was conscious of the fact that we had paid a lot of money for this day. And for Sweetie’s first visit, I wanted it to be as special as we had hyped it up to be. Bad weather was not in my carefully crafted plans . But its August.....so anything was possible.

The troops got up and showered and dressed right on cue, with only a scarce bit of mumbling about the crazy early hour. They were super excited about our day with the dolphins, too....and that, right there, made my morning .

We were out the door shortly after 7 am, exactly on target. The drive to DC was quick that hour of the morning, with very little traffic to speak of. We arrived, parked the van, and were checking in at about 7:20 am.

Despite our very early arrival, check-in was very busy and our dolphin swim time we were assigned was not until 10:50 am. Having hoped for as early a dolphins wim as possible, we were grateful we didn't get there any later. We had our family photo taken (a 6 x 8 orint of which is given to each family as part of their reservation.....they are available for pick-up at the end of the day from Adventure Photo), then headed to Guest Services to check in for our cabana. They confirmed our cabana reservation and that they were able to honour our special requests (close to the Wind Away River and FreshWater Oasis) . Then they instructed us to go enjoy breakfast at the Laguna Grill before being escorted to the cabana by a DC staffer. Stomachs had long since woken up and were starting to growl, so breakfast was a very good idea indeed.



We had lots of time to dine (since only the dolphin swim areas opened prior to 9 am) so we grabbed a table and headed in to the Laguna Grill. Things had changed a bit since our last visit, when it was an open buffet from which you got to serve yourself, choosing your items and quantities. Now, it was more of a plated affair, where a person behind the buffet assembled your plate based on the pre-listed combo options from which you had choose. I must say, I much preferred the old method….where you could get extra of this, or none of that, and as much as you wanted rather than the designated quantities they handed you. I always find that wasteful, as some quantity of something generally gets tossed in the garbage can. But, what do you do? Change is inevitable, and this one I just wasn’t fond of.

Breakfast itself? It was just okay. Not as good as it had been on our last two visits, I am afraid. I don’t know what it was lacking, but breakfast was just…..meh. Lots of variety with definitely something to suit most everyone (and the French toast sticks were great, as usual) but as far as the quality went, it wasn’t noteworthy by any stretch. It did fill our hollow holes, though, and readied us for our busy day ahead. It was probably a blessing anyway, as we really didn’t want to over-indulge in breakfast so we could enjoy the many snacks which were also included throughout the day .





With breakfast over with, we went to get fitted for our wet suits and vests. Only Jake opted for the wet suit (always the one to dare to be different) so we completed that task quite quickly. We also grabbed snorkels and masks for all…..we were excited to be spending time later in the day at the Grand Reef!!

It still wasn’t quite 9 am yet, but we thought we’d check back in to Guest Services anyway to see if there might be a chance to get shown to our cabana (if for no other reason than to stow our purses, sunscreen and other items in the cabana locker). They readily agreed, though we wouldn’t be allowed to actually stay there until the water areas were opened at 9 am.



Our cabana was in the perfect spot for us……right beside an entrance to the lazy river, just across from the entrance to the FreshWater Oasis, and only a few steps from the Aviary. So awesome!!!!



Our cabana inclusions were already on the table, ready and waiting for us: a DC tote bag, stuffed dolphin, and 6 x 8 photo frame.



Each towel had been laid out and adorned with a fresh flower. What a nice touch!



It was all shaded and private and just the perfect place to be able to retreat to on a hot summer’s day. I was so happy that we went with the Elite package….it was the perfect splurge.

Our attendant gave us all the time we needed to get settled in, then the kids and Steve opted to head out for a little stroll. On our way back out, our cabana girl encouraged me to stop as often as I wanted to get some rare pictures of the park while it had still been untouched by the day’s guests. A great idea. And so, I did!











After catching up with the rest of my trio:



…we opted to grab seats on the bridge to relax and await the official opening of the remainder of the park. With only 15 minutes to go, it wouldn’t be long….and that time ended up passing very quickly, as DC staff showed up with an animal meet-and-greet .

More to come! This day was just gettin' started.

 

[ZehnJahren]

Oh boy, Discovery Cove day! Very excited to see it all!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

The eating place was packed when we went, lines to the door. I did wonder if they had increased the number of guests allowed as one family couldn't find any loungers either

 

[Ang1e]

That's awesome!

Hey, if I can't rustle up a coupon before our May trip, I hope I look "needy" too .

No need to worry about those coupons. Once you sign up you get an email every week. I've just had to unsubscribe because getting them is giving me the post holiday blues

Loving reading all about your holiday. The first night we went to the Congo golf it started to rain as we were about to pay. I say rain. Uh uh. It started as a drizzle then turned torrential. Seriously. Where does it all come from We made it back the following night

 

[thatgirl23]

Things had changed a bit since our last visit, when it was an open buffet from which you got to serve yourself, choosing your items and quantities. Now, it was more of a plated affair, where a person behind the buffet assembled your plate based on the pre-listed combo options from which you had choose. I must say, I much preferred the old method….where you could get extra of this, or none of that, and as much as you wanted rather than the designated quantities they handed you.

You can still get whatever you want... not get something, get extra of something else, etc. All you have to do is ask. When we went through in July, all I wanted were eggs and they were happy to make a plate of just eggs for me. Just wanted to let others know.

 

[tristyp]

Its time for the main event I have been looking forward to this post about Discovery Cove. The pics are great and I am soooooo excited.

On a seperate note, I get a chuckle every time i see Jake and Sweetie and in a pic. They are always holding hands, arms around each other etc. Puppy Love!!!

 

[pigletto]

Wow the landscaping and atmosphere at Discovery Cove just looks beautiful!!!

 

[KaraLyn]

Wow! Gorgeous photos Gina...great opportunity to take photos when the park has just opened

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Oh boy, Discovery Cove day! Very excited to see it all!

Stay tuned....lots more pics to come!

The eating place was packed when we went, lines to the door. I did wonder if they had increased the number of guests allowed as one family couldn't find any loungers either

Another family we know said the same thing (they went last May). Yet, we had a totally opposite experience....never a line at the restaurant, neither at breakfast nor lunch time, and our date was sold out .

No need to worry about those coupons. Once you sign up you get an email every week. I've just had to unsubscribe because getting them is giving me the post holiday blues

Loving reading all about your holiday. The first night we went to the Congo golf it started to rain as we were about to pay. I say rain. Uh uh. It started as a drizzle then turned torrential. Seriously. Where does it all come from We made it back the following night

Glad to hear that you gave Congo River a try! Its such a fun course.

And I hear ya on the rain. We always marvel on how it can come on so suddenly. Sometimes you hardly have time to get a poncho on!!

You can still get whatever you want... not get something, get extra of something else, etc. All you have to do is ask. When we went through in July, all I wanted were eggs and they were happy to make a plate of just eggs for me. Just wanted to let others know.

We didnt find that they were very accommodating that way. We had several servers refuse to give us just chicken strips, or whatever.....we always ended up with the platter. And yep, we asked (sweetly and politely). I suppose much would depend on which worker was behind the buffet counter at the time.

Its time for the main event I have been looking forward to this post about Discovery Cove. The pics are great and I am soooooo excited.

On a seperate note, I get a chuckle every time i see Jake and Sweetie and in a pic. They are always holding hands, arms around each other etc. Puppy Love!!!

Ah yes, their complete adoration comes out loud and clear in many of the pictures. Puppy love at its most nauseating . Yet, I remember those days from my own teenagehood. Doesnt seem like that long since it was Steve and I getting lovey photos taken!!

Your DC day is coming quickly.....you must be counting down!

Wow the landscaping and atmosphere at Discovery Cove just looks beautiful!!!

I cant imagine how hard their gardeners must work....it so lush, and so very pretty. Hard to remember sometimes that you are smack dab in the middle of a busy tourist area. It always makes me feel like I am on a desert island somewhere.

Wow! Gorgeous photos Gina...great opportunity to take photos when the park has just opened

Thanks!

Seeing the park features without all the people allowed me to dream for a moment of what it would be like to have the place all to ourselves . Can you imagine.......what an experience that would be. I would love to know if a private rental was even possible. You know, in case I ever win the Powerball lottery and have 78 million to spend .

 

[Mysteria]

Still here and reading along. If we didn't have animals we had to bring with us on our next trip (and most trips) SVR would be high on the list of where we might stay. You should work for them. You sell it very well without even trying.

Can't wait for the rest of Discovery Cove day!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Still here and reading along. If we didn't have animals we had to bring with us on our next trip (and most trips) SVR would be high on the list of where we might stay. You should work for them. You sell it very well without even trying.

Can't wait for the rest of Discovery Cove day!

Thanks!

Working for the Vistana would be nothing short of my dream job. Not in the sales department, though....I'd much rather be a customer service rep at the front desk. Or a member of the FUN Team .

I saw on their Facebook page a few months ago that they were hiring. It almost killed me not to apply!!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Monday, August 25th....Discovery Cove day......part 2!

We had just nicely sat ourselves on the bridge to wait out the last few moments until the park features officially opened when a DC animal trainer came out with a new friend for everyone to meet:



This little fellow, a 3 banded armadillo, was sleeping soundly in a little ball. According to the trainer, he had been running around until about an hour prior, at which point he called it a day and fell fast asleep. Noctural creatures that they are, they run all night and sleep all day.



We all got a chance to touch and pet him as the trainer shared a selection of need-to-know armadillo information with the guests. She also took questions from the crowd. It was very interesting and a fun way to pass the few minutes of waiting .



Once the park was opened, the kids went exploring in one direction (Jake wanted to give Sweetie the full tour of the whole park before deciding what to do first), Steve opted to relax off his breakfast for a bit in the cabana, so I was left to my own devices for a while. We knew we all had to meet up by 10:30-ish in order to go to our cabana and prepare for our dolphin swim at 10:50, but we had an hour and a half of free time at our disposal.

I opted to go first to the aviary and visit the birds. I had always heard that they were hungriest first thing in the morning, so it seemed like a good time to go.





The birds were all out strutting their stuff, some feeding from the little cups of food that DC provides for guests and others just flying about or watching from the safety of the many trees.







A few of the larger birds were on the ground, calming walking among the visitors.



I took one of the little cups of food, and fed a few of the larger birds who didn’t seem to be getting as much love from the other guests as the smaller birds flying above. Most folks were intent to stand with their arms outstretched toward the sky, food cups in hand, trying to get the little birds to come land on them rather than to feed the ones already on the ground. I guess people like the challenge! I preferred my more relaxed approach .





I wandered a while though the different sections of the aviary, just enjoying the time to be unrushed while admiring all the beautifully coloured birds......they really were so very pretty!



After finishing in the aviary, the rest of the time before our dolphin swim was spent relaxing on the sunken loungers of the Freshwater Oasis:



and then in the caves at the entrace of the Wind Away River.



The morning was so peaceful, the weather so perfect (sunny skies, gorgeous breeze, and for the first time since we arrived more than a week before.....the temperatures, while still very warm, were a comfortable warm rather than a stifling hot) that we just wanted to soak it all in and relax. It’s my favourite aspect of Discovery Cove. You can actually relax if you want to. And while Jake and Sweetie were all go, go, go.....Steve and I were all about the relaxing .

Just before 10:30, we dragged ourselves out of the water and met up with the kiddos, who were rehydrating at the cabana. It was time to head to the Seahorse Cabana to prep for our dolphin swim!!

 

[ArwenMarie]

Wow, what a nice cabana.
Looking forward to the rest of the day!

So what happens at Discovery Cove if you get totally washed out? Do you get to reschedule?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Wow, what a nice cabana.
Looking forward to the rest of the day!

So what happens at Discovery Cove if you get totally washed out? Do you get to reschedule?

They have a hurricane policy which allows you to reschedule without penalty, but for "normal" weather......I don't think there's much you can do but suck it up and stick it out. THANKFULLY, all 3 of our visits (two in August, one in January) have been fantastic weather. We have always fretted about it (okay, maybe not "we"...but definitely ME!) before every trip, but we have been so unbelievably fortunate!

 

[ArwenMarie]

They have a hurricane policy which allows you to reschedule without penalty, but for "normal" weather......I don't think there's much you can do but suck it up and stick it out. THANKFULLY, all 3 of our visits (two in August, one in January) have been fantastic weather. We have always fretted about it (okay, maybe not "we"...but definitely ME!) before every trip, but we have been so unbelievably fortunate!

That makes sense. I guess they couldn't start refunding/rescheduling people for every rainstorm in Orlando!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Monday, August 25th.....continued, again!

Despite it being our third visit to Discovery Cove, I am always impressed by how pretty the whole park is. Every single area within the park has been designed to fit so seamlessly into the lush surroundings. From the outdoor showers:



To the rest areas:



To the bathrooms:



Everything is just so lovely. Yep, even the bathrooms are pretty!!!

And......a few photos from our walk from our cabana to the area in which we were to meet for our dolphin swim:







We arrived right on time at the Seahorse cabana to ready ourselves for our much-anticipated dolphin swim!



We completed all the necessary paperwork and signed the required waivers, then settled in to await the short orientation session which would precede our time in the water. Due to a few of the dolphins being less than co-operative that morning, our session ended up being delayed by 20-30 minutes so after the orientation video had concluded, we watched a portion of an episode of Sea Rescue, the show featured on ABC which highlights the efforts of the SeaWorld Rescue Teams.

Finally, it was go time! We walked down to the water, exchanged introductions with our trainer, and met our first dolphin of the interaction: Marea .

Marea was a spunky young lady with lots and lots of personality. She visibly loved the attention from our small group of 9 (our family of 4, plus a family from the UK that featured a mom/dad/daughter combo and a separate mom/daughter pair, all of whom were somehow related) and was raring and ready to take us all for a “swim”.



After individually making her acquaintance, feeding her some iced fish, and enjoying a sampling of the cool behaviours of which she was capable, it was time for the swims to get underway. Our family kicked off the swims for our group, and it was so much fun. That little dolphin could MOVE!



Unfortunately, one of the young girls from the other family became totally overwhelmed by the prospect of swimming with Marea (even in the shallow water) and despite Marea’s unwavering efforts (and her mom’s pleading insistence to give it a try), that little lady just wouldn’t grab on to her fins. On the trainer’s bidding, Marea tried multiple times to engage her (and was rewarded for her tenacity with a multitude of extra fish snacks) but eventually, we had to move on. I felt so sorry for the little girl, who was so upset, and for the mom too, who was visibly disappointed to see her daughter miss out on such a unique experience.

After completing the dolphin swims for our small group, we bid goodbye to Marea and her trainer and welcomed another trainer and dolphin for the remaining portion of our interaction. Enter Stella!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Stella was a little spitfire. She had a completely unique personality from Marea......I can’t really describe it, but they were just so very different. Stella immediately showed us that liked to jump and perform, and every once in a while, she would treat us to a pirouette or two:



(The in-water photographers were great to capture some of her antics!! )

With Stella, we all got to pet her, feed her, have her make an assortment of sounds (from the singing “girl noises” to the less-elegant “boy noise”....I will let you guess what THAT sounded like! ) and she even puckered up to give us each a big smooch:





Stella also posed for formal photos with each family, couple and individual.











Toward the end of our interaction, the trainer asked for a volunteer from the group. She had everyone show their muscles and do some other different tasks in order to pick the “just the right person”. She noted that she was going to have the volunteer wrestle an item from Stella so she could show just how strong dolphins were. I got all excited for Sweetie, because I knew this would be the part where she got the dolphin buoy delivered to her....something she didn’t know was happening, as we booked this part of the Elite package as a special surprise for her. Imagine my surprise when the Dad from the other family was pulled out, and our buoy was delivered to the wrong family.

Well, crap!

I leaned over and whispered to Steve .... that was supposed to be for Sweetie! To which he responded, are you going to say anything? But I have to tell you....the fellow whom was picked was so excited about that buoy (which the trainer was excitedly telling him was his to keep) that he was almost in tears. We couldn’t bring ourselves to say a word. Sweetie was oblivious to the whole mix-up, and Jake was tactfully giving me the “oh oh!” look above her head.

We would have to drop by Guest Services afterward and see what to do from here.

Following the conclusion of our interaction, we were taken to the photo kiosk to view the pictures from our swim. We had the Discovery photo package, the largest package that they offer, prepaid as part of our Elite add-on so we knew that we’d be getting the CD of all photos, the DVD, a poster, a selection of prints, and a few other items as well. It was just a matter of us picking out which photos we wanted for each of those components. We had just reviewed each of the individual shots when a young female employee approached us, looking exceptionally uncomfortable and nervous, inquiring “are you Gina?”. When I answered yes, she asked “do you have a ________ in your group?” (noting Sweetie’s name). I answered yes again, and she nervously continued....”Can I speak to you privately over here please?”, gesturing to a less busy area over to the side.

To make a long story short, the trainers had realized their error shortly after our swim concluded. Apparently the short form of Sweetie’s name and the nickname of the Dad in the other group were the same (like Patricia and Patrick would be shortened to Pat, or Christine and Christopher would be shortened to Chris) which yielded the buoy being delivered to the wrong person. The funny part in all this? Their names (both of them) are quite uncommon (unlike the two examples I just provided)......so it was really quite baffling that two of them with the same unique shortened name would even have ever been included in the same small group. Truth is stranger than fiction.

So this young lady, who was so upset at the error and apologizing emphatically (and repeatedly), was asking us to stay put for a little while as the head trainer and head of photography were both on their way to chat with me. I assured her that we were absolutely not upset and not mad, but it seemed like little consolation to her. The poor kid was quite distressed.

Meanwhile, I could see Sweetie over to the side and was (for some reason) looking visibly upset....leaving me wondering what on earth was wrong. She was all smiles during the dolphin interaction, and was excited about the photos when I stepped away from the preview screen. It turns out she had heard the young DC employee ask if I had a ____________ in my group, and thought she had done something wrong during the dolphin interaction and was going to be in trouble (remember, she had no idea yet that the buoy was supposed to be delivered to her). I assured her that no, she did nothing wrong and no, she was most definitely not in trouble but that we had to sit tight for a few moments until one of the trainers had the opportunity to chat with me. Just with those words out of my mouth, the head trainer and the photography manger both appeared with arms outstretched for handshakes and offering more sincere apologies. This was the first time they had ever had this happen, they said, and they wanted to make things right with us.

We assured them it was no big deal, but wondered if we could just get Sweetie a buoy to take home with her. The said no way, the mis-delivery was their error and they wanted to do something appropriate as an apology. And they wouldn’t take no for an answer.

More updates to come.....this day was getting very interesting!

 

[Lynne G]

Sorry your dolphin buoy treat went so wrong. It was great when we did it. My DD was the smallest of our group. When they asked for strongest, and DD was picked, big smile. Best part, the old mamma dolphin thought the buoy was hers to play with and had a real tug of war with DD until the dolphin finally let go. We all had a good laugh as DD was clearly loosing the war.


We always have enjoyed our Discovery day.

Ready to read about the day more.

 

[dancin Disney style]

a cliff hanger....or rather a dolphin hanger