SeaWorld Orlando’s Discovery Cove Opens Freshwater Oasis!

Sea World Orlando’s Discovery Cove is celebrating the opening of their newest attraction the Freshwater Oasis. The Freshwater Oasis is a relaxing attraction located under a beautiful and serene rainforest canopy. This wading adventure allows you to have face to face encounters with the adorably curious and playful otters and marmosets. As well as relax on submerged benches in the open pool area with your favorite beverage catching a few rays.

We were invited to check out this exciting new attraction at Discovery Cove as well as meet the adorable animals that will be staring in the Freshwater Oasis. We were greeted by the very friendly staff and trainers as well as the V.P. of Discovery Cove Stewart Clark who talked to us briefly about the Freshwater oasis and the animals they feature. Afterward we were given the opportunity to lock away our belonging, grab a vest or wet suit and get our bag for the day that included snorkeling gear and sunscreen so we could explore the attraction first hand as well as the other offerings of Discovery Cove.

This was my first time at Discovery Cove so I was not really sure what to expect. I have been to Sea World Orlando as well as Aquatica so there were the obvious items I knew to expect such as top notch customer service, impeccably clean parks, great food offerings and lush landscaping. The first thing I noticed was how calming the atmosphere of Discovery Cove was. The park only admits 1,000 people a day so you never feel crowded or rushed to explore. I also noticed that no matter where you were in the park there was always a life guard that could see you. In fact I was told that every 20 minutes the life guards change stations so that they are always alert. Another thing I found out about Discovery Cove is that it is all-inclusive meaning that you pay one price and all your food and drinks are free for the day. They have snack bars located throughout the park as well as a buffet full of delicious food items many of which were healthy choices. I really like how willing they were to make you something special if you have dietary restrictions or just want something prepared a bit differently.

The park is also committed to safety. Like I mentioned before the life guards change stations every 20 minutes. But another thing that many may not notice initially is that every guest must wear a vest or wetsuit that is bright yellow on the back. This bright yellow is highly visible giving you the guest an even higher grade of safety. Life vests and noodles are also located throughout the part for anyone not confident with their swimming or just wanting more of a floating experience. We also had the opportunity to watch a group having a dolphin encounter which is the premier attraction at Discovery Cove. It was very obvious that the trainers were taking every safety measure possible while still giving the people participating an experience they will never forget.

We checked out the entire park including the 3 awesome Aviaries, Grand Reef, Serenity Bay and Wind-Away River. My favorite attraction was the Grand Reef. The water was pretty cold though so I would probably grab a wet suit next time I went in. The fish and rays that you could observe were so numerous. Some of the rays were so massive. It was really neat how you could just reach your hand out and touch them as they swam by. It was amazing to say the least. There were even areas with sharks and eels that even though you were separated by glass it felt like they were right there.

There is so much to explore at Discovery Cove. There are many packages for the guest to choose from to customize their experience. These include the Dolphin Swim Day Resort Package that includes access to Sea World and Aquatica as well as Trainer for the Day where you spend your day around a pod of playful dolphins.

My day at Discovery Cove was so relaxing. It seemed that everyone there was having a great time and it was truly a vacation from your vacation. Check out Discovery Cove’s website as well as connect with them through Facebook and twitter to keep up with what is going on in the park and with their adorable animals.

*I received media pass. All opinion are my own.