Discovery Cove Tickets

What every Discovery Cove ticket includes

Every package starts from the same all-inclusive day. You get a freshly prepared breakfast and lunch, unlimited snacks and non-alcoholic drinks, and select beer and wine for guests 21 and over. All the swim gear is provided: mask, snorkel, life jacket, swim vest or wetsuit, plus a towel, locker, animal-safe sunscreen, showers and all-day parking. You keep the souvenir snorkel.

The day itself is about water and animals. You snorkel with thousands of tropical fish and rays in The Grand Reef, hand-feed birds in Explorer’s Aviary, float the Wind-Away River through a cave and under a waterfall, and swim in the warm water of Serenity Bay. Attendance is limited each day and reservations are required, so it feels calmer than a theme park.

All packages are sold through one listing, the Discovery Cove admission ticket with additional parks. You choose the package in the date picker. Our Discovery Cove ticket breakdown lists everything on it.

Day Resort Package

The Day Resort package is the base ticket, from about $159 on the official site (as of 2026) for ages 3 and up. It includes everything above and nothing else: no dolphin swim, no other parks.

Who it suits: families with children under 6, who cannot do the dolphin swim anyway; couples who want a slow day of snorkeling and lounging; and anyone who has already swum with dolphins elsewhere. Who should skip it: anyone whose heart is set on the dolphins. If they are the reason you are going, pay for the swim.

Signature Dolphin Swim Package

This package adds the experience many visitors come for. After a 10-minute orientation, a trainer leads a group of up to nine guests into shallow water for about 30 minutes with an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin. It starts from about $199 on the official site (as of 2026), about $40 more than the Day Resort package at the “from” level.

Swimmers must be at least 6 years old and 42 inches tall, and children aged 6 to 12 need a paying adult who is also doing the swim. That rule matters for families: a parent who only wants to watch still has to buy the swim to take a child in. Photo packages of your swim cost extra, and personal cameras are not allowed in the water. For what the swim is really like, read Discovery Cove with vs without the dolphin swim.

+2 Parks and +3 Parks packages

Both the Day Resort and Dolphin Swim packages come in two multi-park versions. “+2 Parks” adds 14 days of unlimited admission to SeaWorld Orlando and Aquatica. “+3 Parks” adds Busch Gardens Tampa Bay too, with free parking at all three parks and a free bus shuttle to Busch Gardens.

The 14 consecutive days can fall before, during or after your Discovery Cove visit. Official “from” prices as of 2026 are $219 for Day Resort +2 Parks and $239 for +3 Parks, with the dolphin versions at $259 and $279. At those “from” prices, Day Resort +2 Parks costs about the same as a Day Resort ticket plus one SeaWorld day bought separately, yet it covers two weeks of SeaWorld and Aquatica. If you were going to SeaWorld anyway, it is the obvious choice. See what the other parks offer on our SeaWorld Orlando tickets page.

Add-ons no package includes

A few extras cost more whichever package you pick. SeaVenture is an underwater helmet walk in The Grand Reef (minimum age 10). There are also shark and ray experiences, Animal Trek meetings with sloths and anteaters, cabanas and day beds, and a Premium Drink Package for spirits and cocktails. Most animal add-ons need guests to be 6 or older, and a few need 10.

None of these is essential. Book them only if one of them is the thing your group will talk about afterwards.

Which one should you choose?

• Kids under 6 in the group: Day Resort package, or Day Resort +2 Parks for a longer trip.
• Everyone 6 or older and keen on dolphins: Signature Dolphin Swim package.
• Also visiting SeaWorld and Aquatica: a +2 Parks version of either package.
• Coaster fans heading to Tampa: +3 Parks, which includes Busch Gardens and its shuttle.
• On a tight budget: skip Discovery Cove and spend the day at SeaWorld.

Practical information

Discovery Cove is at 6000 Discovery Cove Way, near SeaWorld and about 15 minutes from Orlando International Airport. The official FAQ gives hours of 8am to 5pm, with check-in from 7:15am. Arrive close to check-in time, because breakfast is part of the ticket.

Walk-ups are not sold, so reserve ahead, and about two months ahead for summer and holidays. On GetYourGuide the listing currently offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before your date.

Only the animal-safe sunscreen provided is allowed, and you remove jewelry except wedding bands before entering the water. Bring a swimsuit, a change of clothes and a waterproof phone pouch if you want photos outside the dolphin session. Summer afternoons bring thunderstorms that close the water, and Discovery Cove is not covered by SeaWorld’s weather make-good, so a morning-first plan helps.

Alternatives

If the price stops you, compare the rest of Orlando’s big days out on our theme parks hub or plan by age with Orlando with kids. Teens who want thrills more than snorkeling will be happier with our Orlando with teenagers picks.