3..2..1 Time to go back Sept/Oct trip Day 5

Cast of Characters
Me - Big Daddy - that's the name on my magic band :mickey:
DS - Turning 14 while in FL
DD - Turning 11 in Jan but celebrating in WDW

Day 5 - Discovery Cove and DTD

We closed down MK last night and got home about 2AM so I had a bit of a tough time getting the kids up at 7 AM so we could go to Discovery Cove and check in. It was a little bit of a slow start, but we got out the door and off to Discovery Cove. This is our second time to DC and I loved every second of it. We checked in about 8AM and while we were in line, a Cast Member had a three toed sloth hanging off of her neck and she let us pet it and take selfies. We changed into our wetsuits and grabbed some breakfast. Our dolphin encounter was scheduled for 11:30 so we snorkeled in the lazy river until we could meet our dolphin. At 11:15 we went to our dolphin swim and watched the safety videos and signed the legal waivers before we made our way down to the lagoon. We were lucky enough this trip to meet two dolphins. First a female, Astra, showed off some tricks and we got to feed her and pet her and then Dexter came and gave us a ride. If you haven't done this before, add it to your bucket list. I was asked by a gentleman from the UK who was in our group if it was just as good the second time and I answered yes without a second thought. I purchased the super-ultra-mega picture package and made our way to the restaurant. We ate lunch and then I snorkeled in the salt water reef with sting rays and loads of colorful varieties of fish. The kids stayed in the warm lazy river until I met up with them. We visited the aviary and fed birds by hand. I was able to snap a few pictures of DD with four or five birds on her head and arms:). We spent the rest of the day in the lazy river floating and snorkling in the warm water and bright sunshine. About an hour before close, dark clouds showed up on the horizon so we changed and left. As I as putting our bags in the trunk, the skies opened up. I don't mean it sprinkled, or it started raining, it deluged. By the time we got to CSR, the sun was back out and we changed and caught a bus to Beach Club for dinner at Cape May. I had a weird thought while happily eating crab legs and shrimp. I spent the morning and afternoon interacting with marine life and now I was shoving it into my face as fast as I could :thedolls: After dinner we hit DTD. With all the construction, the only bus stop is by Wolfgang Pucks/Earl of Sandwich and of course we wanted to go to DisneyQuest so we walked back and forth quite a bit. DisneyQuest was Awesome (we went 4 of the 7 days at WDW). We made and rode our own rollercoaster at CyberSpace Mountain and I played all the classic games. Donkey Kong, Frogger, Guitar Hero. We had a blast! I also loved the pirateship/cannon battle game. When DisneyQuest closed we shopped in World of Disney for a while and then walked back to the busses and went home.

Final thoughts on Discovery Cove. This was the second time in 3 years that we've been to Discovery Cove. The price for the day is high, but it is all inclusive. All meals, drinks, sunscreen, parking - it's all covered. All you have to worry about is pictures and souvenirs. In addition to your DC ticket, you get a ticket to Sea World or Aquatica which is valid for 14 days.I purchased a waterproof camera just for this day and it was a great purchase. You are not allowed to bring your own camera to the dolphin swim but I took a couple hundred pictures in the saltwater reef and lazy river. The dolphin experience is truly amazing. The dolphins are so powerful and graceful. They are so smart and friendly. I truly believe everyone should try to experience this once in their life. I'll be going back in a few years :thumbsup: