Discovery Cove Help

[Looty]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm going to Orlando in January and really want to try out Discovery Cove. I have always had an interest in Marine Biology and think it would be really cool to swim with dolphins ( i have swam with Manatees before and thought it was really cool).

With that said, is it really worth the $260.00?!?

Any input is helpful. How long did you stay? what all did you do? anything that they don't tell you on their website? Thanks again.

[odene497]

When I went some years ago it was 200 bucks, but I think the 260 is still worth it.

 

(Keep in mind, the stuff I'll talk about was from around the year 2000)

 

They only let 1000 guests into the park each day so it's never too crowded. They'd take your picture and print out ID cards and we watched some videos on swimming with the dolphins and stuff. We were given a time of about 30-40 minutes when we'd be in the water with a dolphin, and the rest of the day you could roam around.

 

There's a big freshwater pool, nicely landscaped, fun to just play around in. There's no fish or anything (but after being in so much salty water the freshwater is welcome) but there's a big waterfall/cave that you can go in, and if you keep going through the cave there's a river. You can float down the river (probably 6 feet deep), it has a strong current, but with your wetsuit you just float down it. You could get out at one point and go up into a bird aviary and feed them and stuff like that.

 

Pretty much everything is provided. Wet suit, shirt or vest style. snorkel (which you get to keep after), goggles, fins, pretty much anything you need.

 

There's some nice gift shops and things.

 

There's a big pool, which from my memory seems to be more like 20-30 feet deep, all coral (fake) and filled with a ton of fish and insanely huge stingrays, in which you're free to snorkel in. There's also a separate stingray pool with smaller ones, and that's more of a wading pool.

 

When it's time to swim with dolphins, you go in a group and stand out a ways in the dolphin pool with an intstructor. Each person will have some time to hold the dolphin's head/kiss it/whatever. Then you'll go one by one and have it pull you around on it's dorsal fin (Scared the crap out of me, their tail is so strong I thought it was going to take my feet off). Photographers are nearby offshore to capture everything, and you can buy some pretty good pictures/dvd of the experience. They also keep that stuff on record for quite some time if you decide to buy after your trip.

 

There's a full buffet for lunch with a ton of food, all provided.

 

Then after you can go shower off, they have really nice shower stalls each with it's own changing area, soap/shampoo/conditioner all in a dispensor on the wall. Then there's warm towels too.

 

Any more specific questions just ask.

 

-Nick

[Looty]

^So it consumed a majority of your day then? I'm trying to decide if I should devote a whole day to it or pair it with something else.

[TPDave]

^^Very comprehensive!

 

I went in 2005 and it was really good, the limited entry meant you were never waiting for anything and the lack of crowds made the lazy river quite relaxing (rather than the usual solid block of people moving as one down the course).

 

Definately spend a day there, after all you're paying $260 for it, you have to get your moneys worth!

 

Dave

[odene497]

^^Like Dave said, it's pretty much a day thing. At least into early evening.

[cgodsey]

When we did Discovery Cove a few years ago, we stayed until a couple of hours before SeaWorld closed. That way, we were able to eat both breakfast and lunch at Discovery Cove. Take advantage of the drinks, snacks, and awesome food as much as you can. Then, head over to SeaWorld (free if chosen with your discovery cove ticket) and get some coaster riding in.

[Chrissie]

When I went in 2004 we did a night time swim!

 

We went to Discovery Cove after the park had closed and there was only around 100 people there. We got to snorkel with the stingrays and sharks and then got to go and have a dolphin interaction session which basically was small groups of around 6 playing with the dolphins. We also got lovely photos with the dolphins. After the dolphin session we got changed and there was a huge buffet with dancing. It was amazing!

 

Im not sure if they still do it or would do it in January, but it was cheaper and shorter than the regular package. I would definitely recommend doing it, it was awesome! Here are some pics from our time there.

Me and My sister with Akai

Me kissing Akai the dolphin

[ThrillsAndChills]

^So it consumed a majority of your day then? I'm trying to decide if I should devote a whole day to it or pair it with something else.

Looty, I'm currently working with Discovery Cove so I may be able to answer some of your questions. If you're a Florida resident, you're eligible for a discount on the admission price between now and December 20. You can also save 10% by booking at least 100 days prior to your visit.

 

I recently took a trip to Discovery Cove, and some of my favorite experiences were the Dolphin Swim as well as the Bird Aviary. Here are the pictures from my trip. Feel free to ask me questions about DC!

 

Discovery Cove Trip Pictures