Discovery Cove

Every package includes, per Discovery Cove's pricing page:

• Unlimited food and drinks all day, including select beer and wine.
• Unlimited access to The Grand Reef for snorkeling, Freshwater Oasis, Explorer's Aviary, where you can hand-feed birds, and Serenity Bay.
• Up-close animal encounters and Flamingo Point.
• Wetsuit and snorkel gear, with a souvenir snorkel to keep.
• Complimentary parking, lockers, towels and animal-safe sunscreen. Discovery Cove hands out a sample of specially formulated sunscreen that it says is safe for the animal habitats.

Upgrades cost extra: a premium drink package and photo packages are sold separately. Discovery Cove's FAQ says hurricane disruptions are rescheduled or refunded with no change fees.

When you compare prices, set the included meals and parking against what a day elsewhere costs. A SeaWorld day with the All-Day Dining bundle and parking ran about $135 to $160 per adult on the same late-September dates. Discovery Cove costs more, but not by as much as the headline suggests.

The dolphin swim is not part of the basic Day Resort. It comes with the Signature Dolphin Swim package, which Discovery Cove prices from $199 per person. Swimmers must be at least 6 years old and 42 inches tall, and children aged 6 to 12 must be accompanied by a paying adult who is also doing the swim.

Comparing the two calendars date by date shows what the swim really costs:

So the dolphin swim added $30 to $50 on the dates we checked. If anyone in your group wants it, the upgrade is cheap relative to the day. Note that the dolphin package sold out first: on September 22, 2026, same-day dolphin swims were sold out while the Day Resort still had space.

On the question of dolphins in captivity: Discovery Cove is owned by the same company as SeaWorld, and the facts about that company's marine mammal program are set out on our SeaWorld page. If swimming with a captive dolphin is something you will not do, the Day Resort without the swim is still a full day, though the dolphin lagoon is the centerpiece of the park.

Both packages come in three versions. The add-ons turn a single expensive day into a two-week pass:

At the starting prices, the 2-Park add-on costs $60 and the 3-Park add-on $80. A single SeaWorld day bought online ran $59.99 to $97.99 in fall 2026, so if you will visit SeaWorld and Aquatica even once each, the 2-Park version pays for itself. The 3-Park version is the one to pick if you want a coaster day too: it adds Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, free parking at the sister parks and a free bus to Tampa, which makes a Busch Gardens day trip cheap to add. All park visits must fall within 14 consecutive days.

Good fit: couples, including honeymooners, who want a slow day; families whose children are six or older, strong swimmers, and keen on animals; groups who have done the big parks and want a day off from queues; and anyone who will use the 2- or 3-Park add-on.

Poor fit: groups who want rides, since there are none; families with toddlers, who cannot do the dolphin swim and will not snorkel; weak swimmers who will not enjoy the reef; and anyone on a tight budget, for whom SeaWorld plus Aquatica on a $100 Two-Day, Two-Park ticket covers two days for less than the cheapest Discovery Cove day.

The full Discovery Cove verdict is on Is Discovery Cove worth it?.

Discovery Cove's calendar shows one per-person package price, with no separate child rate; only children 2 and under go free. That makes it expensive for families. Using Discovery Cove's own calendar on September 22, 2026, before tax:

For comparison, four SeaWorld single-day tickets with the $40 dining bundle on Monday, September 28 would be about $472, plus $35 parking. Discovery Cove is roughly $170 more for the same family on that date without the dolphin swim, and it includes breakfast, drinks, snorkel gear and parking. On a Saturday in October the gap is far wider.

The cheapest way to make the numbers work is to pick a weekday, skip the dolphin swim for anyone under six (they cannot do it anyway), and take the 2-Park add-on if you were planning a SeaWorld day regardless.

Prices on Discovery Cove's calendar follow demand. In late September 2026, Monday to Wednesday dates were the cheapest, from $159 on Wednesday, September 30. Saturdays were the most expensive, at $299 for the Day Resort on September 26. In October, the Day Resort ranged from $159 on Thursday, October 1 to $259 on Saturday, October 10.

Book early for Saturdays and holiday weeks. Attendance is capped, and as the September 22 sell-out showed, the dolphin package goes first. Children aged 2 and under are free with a paying adult but still need a reservation. Florida residents get a separate offer, and hotel packages are sold on the same site.

The day runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Arrive at opening, since breakfast is included and the day is priced as a full day. Leave the afternoon for Serenity Bay and the river. Discovery Cove is at 6000 Discovery Cove Way, in the SeaWorld area, and parking is free. For the neighborhood, see our International Drive guide.

Orlando: Discovery Cove Admission Ticket & Additional Parks

Dolphin swim only in some options (ages 6+). Hotel transport, photos and cabanas extra. Limited daily capacity.

1 day

4.6★★★★★★★★★★(1,015 reviews)

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Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.