we went to discovery cove last june. it was perhaps the best day of our 2-week vacation!
the dolphin swim was ok--glad we did it, but wouldn't bother again. the best part was snorkeling in the coral reef. it's like swimming in a well stocked fish bowl, only more beautiful.
they had special beach wheelchairs for us to use. they are not motorized, and it was at times hard work for DH to push me. i didn't even let my DD's try. the chairs have huge wheels that make them easier to use in the sand and allow them to be used where a regular wc wouldn't be able to function.
keeping balance was a little difficult for me on the sandy floor of areas such as the ray pool, and i almost stepped on or fell on a ray more than once. i finally just sat down. their stingers are removed, but of course it's just not nice to hurt them.
don't know if you have food allergiues, but thought i'd mention that the chef at dc was as helpful as any chef at WDW in planning a special meal for me that i'd be able to eat/enjoy.
post back if you've got specific questions and i'll try to answer.
here's a bit of a brain dump of what other misc. advice i can remember....
it's helpful to get there early. beach chairs fill up with people's posessions fast. they take a group picture of you as you enter that they give to you for "free" (not counting the $1200+ it cost our family of 5 to enter the park), so be sure to smile. i never buy the photos photographers are always snapping at parks, so didn't give it too much thought. thankfully it came out ok! also, be prepared to spend $$ if you want the souvenir video and photos of your dolphin swim. our bill came to over $100 for just a few items. and don't miss the bird area. DD11 was afraid of it, but DD7 and DD10 (and DH) had the BEST time feeding the birds and having the birds land them. oh, and my best advice is that if there's an afternoon storm that clears the water areas, hang around! it happened to us and once they let us back in there was only about 15% of the guests still there! it was like a private experiene.
i loved this park! - and i don't regret paying for it. but beforewarned that the total cost for 2 adults/3 children plus pictures for one day was comparable to our 6-day hopper plus passes!
dj
