I always have a lot of questions about accommodati I always have a lot of questions about accommodation when we stay anywhere as a family so I thought I’d share this little tour of our room at @windjammerlanding which was a pretty perfect place to stay.

It’s the ‘Ocean View Two Bedroom’ which was like a little house, with an upstairs and downstairs, built into the hillside. Both rooms had outdoor space and their own shower rooms. Such a great option for a family.
A little photo dump from our holiday in St Lucia. A little photo dump from our holiday in St Lucia. We’ve been back a few days now but still miss the heat, the food, the pool, the constant sounds of wildlife and the lovely people. It was such a great holiday and I’m sure we’ll be back one day.
And just like that, Athena is 12! What a joy it is And just like that, Athena is 12! What a joy it is watching her grow and what a wonderful young woman she is becoming. We could not be more proud. Love you Pickle, have a great birthday.
We’ve just got back from two glorious weeks in S We’ve just got back from two glorious weeks in St Lucia staying at @windjammerlanding and it was just the holiday we needed. Two weeks of sunshine and relaxation in what must be one of the most beautiful islands in the world. 

We can’t wait to go back again in the future. Here’s just a little snippet of our trip.
AD - Press Tickets | We had such a nice day at @na AD - Press Tickets | We had such a nice day at @national_motor_museum despite the rain! The children loved the Little Beaulieu play area and we loved exploring the National Motor Museum and Top Gear exhibit before having a ride on the monorail! We went on an old open topped bus, explored the Beaulieu Manor House and loved the gardens. 
Beaulieu is always a great day out - whatever the weather. This summer they have a whole ‘Summer of Fun’ planned, with activities most days - parades, bird shows and hundreds of sculptures within the grounds too. If you’re looking for a day out this summer definitely think about heading to Beaulieu.
AD - Press Tickets | Tonight we took the kids to t AD - Press Tickets | Tonight we took the kids to their first concert - but it was so much more than just a concert! @abbavoyage is incredible. With CGI ABBA and a live band, it’s like being at an ABBA concert 40 years ago but with modern lighting, effects and sound. ABBA look and sound real, it’s a mind blowing experience.
The set includes all the songs you know and love as well as a few less familiar ones.
You can’t take photos during the show which actually made a refreshing change. A whole arena focused purely on the show and soaking up the moment. It’s definitely something the four of us will always remember.
Now, I’m off to sing Dancing Queen all the way home.
AD - Press Trip | We had such a great day at @phdo AD - Press Trip | We had such a great day at @phdockyard today. They have a fantastic Ultimate Explorer ticket that lets you visit all the attractions as many times as you like for 12 months - and after a day at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard we can see that you need more than one day to really do everything!

We explored HMS Warrior, HMS Victory and the Mary Rose Exhibition - which is incredible! We also saw where ships are built and restored and spent time in Action Stations where the kids climbed and did an assault course.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is such a fun, educational day out with something for all ages - we can’t wait to go on their harbour tours next time we visit!
AD | WIN!! Would you love to win a holiday? To cel AD | WIN!! Would you love to win a holiday? To celebrate #100YearOfARoads National Highways have launched their #ARoadsToSummer competition! It's all about celebrating summer holiday moments, time together, fun in the sun, days out and more.

So why not be in it to win it? To enter, all you have to do is send @nationalhways a DM on here with a photo or video of your favourite holiday moments. You can also comment on their Facebook or Twitter #ARoadsToSummer posts with your holiday photos. I've shared a few of our favourite photos to give you some inspiration.

The best six entries will each win a £500 @nationaltrust holidays voucher! SO what are you waiting for? Dig out your favourite holiday photos or take some new ones to share!

The #ARoadsToSummer competition runs from 24 July to 10 September 2023. Winners will be announced in September 2023.

Good luck!
Oh these two! Every day I feel lucky to have them. Oh these two! Every day I feel lucky to have them. As school draws to a close at lunchtime, I’m looking forward to a whole summer with them. My favourite people.

They’ve both had a great year at school this year. Troy’s first without his sister by his side and Athena’s first at secondary school. 

They both had great reports, always did their best and have made some really lovely new friends this year. I could not be more proud of them.

Now, let’s go and enjoy the next six weeks before school starts all over again!
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Days Out, Days Out and Attractions/Events, Florida, Reviews, Travel · September 17, 2018

A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove

Disclosure: We were invited on this day out for the purpose of this post however all opinions are my own.

When we went to Florida I really wanted to spend some time away from the Disney parks and even spend time on the beach as I know how much the children love to play in the sand and have a paddle. But, Visit Orlando invited us to spend the day at Discovery Cove which was actually a whole lot better than a typical beach.

Discovery Cove is a day resort in Orlando and the minute we walked through the reception building I was blown away by the surroundings. It felt like being on a tropical island with palm trees everywhere, the sound of water running and birds singing. It was beautiful.

When we arrived we were given ID passes, printed with our photo and were shown a map of the resort and pointed in the direction of breakfast. At Discovery Cove you can arrive at any time from 7:15am to check in and have breakfast – with food and drink included in the admission fee.

A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove

Breakfast was lovely. It had plenty of cooked options as well as pastries, fruit and yogurts. There was also cereal, fresh juice, hot drinks and a soda fountain for fizzy drinks too. It was a great way to start the day, with plenty of seating and everything really well laid out.

A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove

After breakfast we were pointed in the direction of the changing rooms and lockers. We were given a choice of a wetsuit or swim vest to wear which is mandatory in the resort. We went for the swim vests as they were easier to get on and off and it was a pretty hot day. But, if we’d been doing experiences – like dolphin encounters or the Seaventure then we would have had a full wetsuit instead. There were also showers dotted around the resort to use.

A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove

We were given free lockers to use which were easily accesible throughout the day. Literally everything at Discovery Cove is free – unless you want upgraded alcoholic drinks or to buy souvenirs in the shops. We didn’t have to carry money with us which made for such a lovely, stress-free day.

The first thing we did at Discovery Cove was explore the area. It’s quite a big resort but you soon find your way around. There are lots of different areas to sit at, lots of different snack and drink stations and so much to do as well. There were more than enough sun loungers and we found a group together to sit at but there were also hammocks to laze in – as idyllic as it sounds.

A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove

There are also designated smoking areas but we did find that, as it’s open air, smoke carried and so the non-smoking areas around it did get quite smokey. It would be better if smoking was just not permitted at Discovery Cove.

A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove

We found somewhere to base ourselves and the children went straight into the water. Discovery Cove had float jackets for the children to wear – which also went up to adult size – as well as pool noodle type floats so you don’t need to even bring swim aids with you. The only thing we did bring was water shoes and I was glad of by the end of the day.

A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove
A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove

We went to explore the aviary and saw so many tropical birds being fed. There were also pots of bird feed so you could feed the birds yourself if you wanted to. This was great to do at the start of the day before the birds have all been well fed and also gave a great view of the tropical river below.

A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove
A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove
A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove
A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove

The children went snorkelling as soon as they could – and Discovery Cove provide snorkels and masks for guest use in child and adult sizes. Both LP and Little Man took to snorkelling so well, putting their faces in the water and going around the tropical river straight away.

A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove
A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove

As a family we loved the tropical river although it isn’t a lazy river as you may think and in fact quite hard work swimming against the current in places. It was so much fun and took us through the Discovery Cove aviary, through waterfalls and caves and around the freshwater oasis. We spent a big chunk of our day in the river and the children loved it, the water was warm, there was so much to see and there were even model ruins and things under the water to look at. For me, pool shoes were a must in places and definitely something to pack for your next trip to Discovery Cove.

A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove
A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove
A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove
A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove
A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove
A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove

The freshwater oasis was beautiful and let us snorkel right up to glass screens with otters behind them. The children loved this although the otters remained on dry land it was such a novelty feeling so close to wildlife. There are also marmosets in this area but we didn’t see any on our visit.

A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove

The middle of Discovery Cove is dedicated to the dolphin encounters and it was great to walk past and watch families meeting the dolphins. It looked like a great experience but Little Man wasn’t old enough so we decided to give it a miss on this visit.

A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove

My favourite place in Discovery Cove was the Grand Reef where the water is much colder than the other areas of the resort but you soon get used to it. The reef is full of coral and tropical fish and it’s incredible to snorkel around. Huge rays and the most beautiful fish were swimming around us and it was just such a peaceful and relaxing place to spend time.

A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove
A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove
A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove
A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove

From the grand reef you can snorkel up to glass walls separating the shark and Seaventure pools from the main reef. This was great to see sharks literally inches from us and to watch the Seaventure experience happening in front of us.

A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove
A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove
A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove
A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove
A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove

We all had a lot of down time at Discovery Cove to relax and unwind. The children loved making sandcastles and just playing in the sand or having a paddle and the adults had time to relax on sun loungers, read books or catch up on social media – thanks to the free wifi!

A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove
A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove

The snacks and drinks on offer through the day were great with a good selection of soft drinks, slush puppies and even frozen daiquiris, wine and beer. The snacks were things like freshly cooked pretzels, cookies, bags of crisps, nuts and raisins and fresh fruit.

Lunch is served all the way until 3pm meaning that you can pretty much eat all day if you want to. The food was really good quality with a really nice variety and plenty of options for the children too. There were burgers, hot dogs and chicken goujons as well as salmon, pasta dishes and jacket potatoes. We loved the huge range of salads and desserts available too and there were the same drinks offered as at breakfast – with the added option of wine or beer too.

A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove

Just after lunch thunder and lightening started so the water was closed at Discovery Cove. Through the afternoon the water opened and closed a few times and we ended up heading home at about 3:30pm as there was no sign of the rain easing off. Discovery Cove was a fantastic day out but the thunder does stop pretty much everything at the resort. Everything is open during rain but it stops if there is any sign of thunder or lightening. However, if your trip is disrupted by a named tropical storm or hurricane Discovery Cove will refund or reschedule the trip for you.

A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove

Our day at Discovery Cove was lovely and a highlight of our time in Florida. If we’d wanted to there are additional activities you can do whilst in the resort at an extra fee – swimming with dolphins, Seaventure, swimming with sharks, ray feeding… There really is so much to do and it makes Discovery Cove a different experience each time you visit rather than something you’d only do once.

A Wonderful Day at Discovery Cove

To make the most of your day you can also hire day beds or cabanas and book massages too. It’s a day out that suits the whole family – all three generations of our party had a great day and I know that we can’t wait to go back.

Here’s a little video we made of our day:

You can also read about other days out we had in Florida – Seaworld Orlando, Magic Kingdom, ICON 360, an Airboat Ride, Kennedy Space Center, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Legoland Florida.

In: Days Out, Days Out and Attractions/Events, Florida, Reviews, Travel

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Comments

  1. Sam | North East Family Fun Travel Blog says

    September 17, 2018 at 11:48 am

    Ah we loved Discovery Cove – we tried SeaVenture when we were there (including Harry who was 10 at the time) and it was SUCH an incredible experience – even more so than swimming with dolphins x

    Reply
    • Donna Wishart says

      September 17, 2018 at 2:56 pm

      It looked like so much fun and so much easier for the whole family than scuba – but seeing similar things. It’s on our list for next time x

      Reply
  2. Newcastle Family Life says

    September 17, 2018 at 2:24 pm

    This looks amazing, so much fun for the whole family. I don’t think I could go in the water with the fish though as I am terrified of anything like that but it does look like an amazing experience x

    Reply
  3. Manasi Kumar says

    January 28, 2022 at 2:25 pm

    This looks gorgeous and I went straight to book, but I think just way too expensive for us just for 1 day! Still, it did look so wonderful and relaxing.

    Reply

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Hi everyone! I'm Donna. Mummy. Blogger. Social Media Manager. Traveller. Lover of stars, rainbows and gin. Firm believer that tea and cake can fix most things.

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