Freshwater Oasis Now Open!!!

OHHH! Yes. This looks amazing. :love: I am planing a trip for my 30th. I want to make DC the Bday event. It looks like it is worth the cost for sure. :thumbsup2
 


Woo hoo!!!!! :jumping1:

Now THAT news makes me a happy girl! :dance3:

Lots of time between now and our August 29th visit for them to get all the kinks worked out, too ;)
 
I'm so excited!! I'm picking my DD up from Sea World camp tomorrow (Saturday) and we are heading right to DC. I'll report back, hopefully with some photos.
 


I would be excited too but I was one of those who thought a late May booking was safe for the spring opening they advertised until the week after we were there. We flew from Seattle thinking we would see it but came away disappointed. This was our 3rd time at Discovery Cove and we really enjoyed the new reef (but very crowded) but it was way too hot for the lazy river so we actually left early afternoon. We had closed the park in our previous trips. I love Discovery Cove, just wish they would have been more realistic with there opening date......it was obvious when we were there that they weren't close but they were still advertising the spring opening. Enough of my whining, I guess we will just have to go back 1 more time!
 
It was okay - best about it was a chance to get away from the crowd at the reef, but mostly to just try to find the shy marmosets and watch the otters. Nothing else to see.
 
shouts said:
It was okay - best about it was a chance to get away from the crowd at the reef, but mostly to just try to find the shy marmosets and watch the otters. Nothing else to see.
Click to expand...

I'll post some photos later but I have to agree with this post. Nice to see the marmosets and river otters (go early in the day to see the otters playing), but it is really just a smaller version of the "lazy" river. I was hoping for fresh water fish but the water is chlorinated so there aren't any fish in it; was hoping it would be another snorkeling area but the only reason to have your snorkel is to go under water to view the otters when they are swimming. It was a nice way to get away from the crowds; the water was cooler than the river, which was quite hot; and the water seating area near the snack bar was nice. But, not reason enough to visit DC. I think they hyped it more than it was worth, which is disappointing. They could have done much more with it. To me, the current marine reef is less inviting than the original reef - fewer deep places to enjoy plus the rays are overwhelming and don't allow you to enjoy diving down - so I was hoping for something really nice for the fresh water area.

They make a point of frequently bringing a marmoset to visit - you can't touch it though - and we got to put fish in the feeding tube for the otters, but it isn't the huge attraction I was hoping it would be.
 
Call me crazy, but I like the relaxing, low-key sound of the new freshwater oasis. I am wondering, too, if it will be a better experience after the animals grow more accustomed to both their new surroundings and the "intruders" who will be spending time among them.

For the PP who visited, its is a pretty shady area? Would it be a good place to get out of the sun on a scortching kind of day? (that's what it sounded like from the original description)

Are there photographers in this area, as there are in the aviary and lazy river?
 
I don't think the new area is a reason in itself to visit Discovery Cove, even if you have been there before; I feel it's a nice enhancement to what you are really going there for / all of the previous experiences. But, in my opinion, it is just that... an "enhancement" -- I think many will be expecting a lot more from the Freshwater Oasis (especially considering the concept art), and will walk away disappointed. They will spend 5 minutes looking at the otters, and another 5-10 minutes trying to find a marmoset swimming around the island, and then go on their marry way.

That said... Discovery Cove is amazing, and there is so much more to see and do there, and the pricing has not changed with this addition. Essentially this will allow them to offer a higher park capacity, therefore bring them more $$$ while keeping our cost and crowds the same now that people are spread out more.
 
My 1st trip to Discovery Cove was awesome, our 2nd trip was still good but I honestly wished I had done Aquatica instead this year. I thought the food was bad, breakfast was the equivelant of a Hampton Suites and lunch was just ok. The 1st year we went there were photographers every where, I felt I easily got my moneys worth out of the photo CD. The last 2 trips we never had a picture taken outside of the dolphin swim. We did the experience without the dolphin swim this year which was a mistake because without the dolphing experience we would have had more fun at Aquatica for cheaper. The reef was fun but was so crowded that you were constantly bumping into people. We had stayed until closing on our previous trips but we left early afternoon on our trip in May. After seeing the early reviews on "freshwater oasis" I doubt we will go back.
 
Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:
Call me crazy, but I like the relaxing, low-key sound of the new freshwater oasis. I am wondering, too, if it will be a better experience after the animals grow more accustomed to both their new surroundings and the "intruders" who will be spending time among them.

For the PP who visited, its is a pretty shady area? Would it be a good place to get out of the sun on a scortching kind of day? (that's what it sounded like from the original description)

Are there photographers in this area, as there are in the aviary and lazy river?
Click to expand...

I'm sure the animals will get used to having all the funny looking humans around. The otters were very active in the morning; they just nap during the hot midday sun. The staff were working hard training the marmosets to do different things.

There really isn't any seating there other than the chairs in the water. We put our stuff on lounges under trees near the lazy river, which was about as close as you could get to sitting near there. I did like that it was peaceful and not crowded like the reef area.

I did not see any photographers over there the day we were there.
 
The combination of the lighting in the otter area, along with the quickness that they move, does not allow for many great photo opportunities of the animals themselves, let alone taking a shot with both guests and animals. I took about 300 shots of JUST the otter area (granted, on a not-so-great-underwater camera) but maybe only 15 were what I would even consider viewable. As far as the marmosets, they are too small and too far away to allow for photographers as well. I feel the "sunken oasis" seating area is more for relaxing and chatting, and having staff bombard you for photos would take away from the atmosphere, in my opinion. Imagine if photographers started to take photos of you while you were lounging around on your beach chairs? I think of it as sort of the same thing.

52199172296046972720083.jpg


52951072296187690728393.jpg

What's really nice about the seating in the water is that you are allowed to bring all of your drinks inside of that area, and the snack shack / bar is just 10 steps away

48623872296048469796708.jpg


40959272296087890723612.jpg

Can you spot the Marmoset? That is about as close as you will get.

39603872296081902713712.jpg


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otterscreencap.jpg


VIDEO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H-3ikaGgZs
A little bit of footage I took with the otters playing around!
 
anonymouscactus said:
The combination of the lighting in the otter area, along with the quickness that they move, does not allow for many great photo opportunities of the animals themselves, let alone taking a shot with both guests and animals. I took about 300 shots (granted, on a not-so-great-underwater camera) but maybe only 15 were what I would even consider viewable. As far as the marmosets, they are too small and too far away to allow for photographers as well. I feel the "sunken oasis" seating area is more for relaxing and chatting, and having staff bombard you for photos would take away from the atmosphere, in my opinion. Imagine if photographers started to take photos of you while you were lounging around on your beach chairs? I think of it as sort of the same thing.

VIDEO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H-3ikaGgZs
A little bit of footage I took with the otters playing around!
Click to expand...

Awesome pics, fantastic video..................oh, the next 53 days cannot go fast enough!!! I think the new addition to DC looks wonderful. And those otters are soooooo cute.

Would anyone know if they have stuffed otters in the gift shop? I have a god-daughter who would love one as a souvenir from her favourite auntie :) .
 
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