Wednesday, October 31st: Discovery Cove, continued
Once we were done with our dolphin swim, the balance of the day could be spent exactly how we chose. We never, ever have a "plan" for Discovery Cove ... we just enjoy the relaxing atmosphere and try to enjoy all the aspects of the park at some point during the day.
Unlike most guests, we tend to spend the LEAST amount of time in the Grand Reef: not because we don't enjoy it, but more because we enjoy the other attractions in the park
more.
We're warm water lovers, and the water in the reef can be noticeably more chilly than the Freshwater Oasis and Wind-Away River......so that makes it less appealing on the whole. But we always do try to spend at least a small portion of time swimming with the tropical fish and huge rays that call the Grand Reef home. It really is an experience that everyone should have at least once!
Full disclosure: we also don't tend to carry our phones with us around the park all day, so we don't truly document everything we did...which means its always a challenge to detail our Discovery Cove activities accurately in a trip report. We had the awesome opportunity to meet up with
@Joanna71985 at Discovery Cove as she was also able to take advantage of that incredible $99 pass member rate on the same day we were there.....but in the 3? maybe 4? times we crossed paths, I didn't have my phone with me any of those times
. So we have no photos to prove it, but we did enjoy another Dismeet on this particular day. Next time, Joanna!!
Hopefully we will perhaps have a chance to say hello somewhere (for drinks at the Coke Store at DS, maybe?
) in May
.
So.....some snapshots of how we spent the balance of the day......
As we moved around the park, at one point we had the chance to meet one of Discovery Cove's animal ambassadors: an adorable Kookaburra who was surprisingly comfortable with humans:
He was 7 years old and quite a little social butterfly. At times we thought he was as intrigued with US as we were with HIM
.
We spent gobs and gobs of time in the ultra-warm waters of the Wind-Away River.
In the hottest part of the afternoon, the caves at the river entrance were a cool escape from the bright Florida sunshine. We never rush through this area......it's got such a neat vibe, and offers a strikingly different atmosphere than the lush, green areas in the balance of the park.
Cave selfie!
The Wind-Away River cuts a path right through the free-flying aviary, and two pounding waterfalls provide natural barriers for the birds. Beware your sunglasses, though!! The water packs a punch: this is not a gentle cascade, and it always catches a number of first-time guests off guard. It's definitely enough to knock your glasses off your face, and take your breath away if you're not expecting it.
Once you've made your way under the waterfall, however, a wonderful assortment of feathered friends awaits.
Some are even comfortable enough for you to get right up close and snap a photo or two.
Along the route of the river, we've found a few favorite spots where we always like to swim to the side and just savor the moment.
It's sitting there, in the beautiful surroundings and the warm sunshine, that we can feel a peacefulness that is tough to match anywhere else
. It's one of those moments that you just wish you could stop time.
We encountered a healthy flock of these white birds at the end of the lazy river, all lounging in the trees and quite unbothered by the steady stream of park guests who floated by. These were not birds from the aviary, but rather those whom we assume are native to Florida. Likely nuisances to southern folks but novel for us northerners. Maybe like a southern version of a seagull?
As we splashed and sunned and soaked our pasty white bodies, we remarked at how fortunate we were to have such AMAZING weather. There was literally not a cloud in the sky.
Every so often, we took a break for a snack and siesta.....sometimes on a lounger, sometimes on a hammock. It's a tough life
.
The balance of our DC day is next.