How can i do discovery cove as cheaply as possible??

B

BlueIvy

Earning My Ears<br><a href="http://www.disboards.c
Joined
Sep 4, 2013
Hello everyone ,
I want to plan a special surprise for my dd for her birthday in february . She will be turning 12 on february 11th. I want to take her swimming with dolphins . She would absolutely LOVE that.

I thought about a short three day cruise with an excursion to dolphin swim but it would be too costly ... i would have to book all three of us for the excursion.

Dd11 will be the only person swimming with dolphins . I will be with her of course . I dont have a real interest in swimming with dolphins besides im too heavy to participate fully . Ds9 will also be there. Ds9 is petrified of dolphins and will not participate but he will be there because he's autistic and i dont let him out of my sight.

The little research ive done on discovery cove sounds awesome for me and dd... we like most of that stuff . DS9 is a different story .... i think he will get bored very quickly. He is a waterpark boy. He loves slides etc. He wont be interested in snorkeling etc. He also wont be anywhere near their bird place . We went to a butterfly garden at the zoo and he freaked out big time.

IDK is it worth it going to discovery cove with ds and dd for her birthday ?

Because sea world and aquatica is included we'd also do a day each there... but the total trip wont be more than five days because dd has to go back to school i dont want her missing too much time. I want her birthday to be special though because she doesnt really have any friends and so i try to think of alternatives to make her birthday special.

If i choose discovery cove....do i also have to buy ds the dolphin package even though he wont be participating ? Ill just have him sit down somewhere while me and dd play with the dolphins.

We will be staying a cheap motel on international blvd somewhere.... i also really want to go to universal eventhough my budget is screaming no... i just cant help myself... if im in florida i HAVE to go to a themepark ...

weve done seaworld like four times so that doesnt really count... i need universal!
 
Your daughter must be accompanied, and your son would be alone for 45 minutes or more- you can't just pop in and out of the dolphins, it's a separate area. You would have to swim with her. I'd suggest either getting a sitting service ( https://kidsniteout.com/sitter_services.html they deal with special needs kids!) for DS, or doing something else. If dolphins are a must do, seaworld has a 15 dollar 15 minute tour where you are not in the water with the dolphins, but you pet and touch them and make them do "tricks" It would probably be much more manageable if you can't get someone to go along to watch DS. It would sound like your daughter would get the short end of the stick if you brought your son somewhere he clearly doesn't like.

Additionally, if you cut the discovery cove and bought just the 14 day unlimited 4 park ticket for 160 bucks, you could get into doing universal studios a lot easier with that extra 100 bucks per person you were saving...

As far as cheap hotels in orlando, I've stayed at http://www.rodewayinnmaingate.com/ it's extremely bare bones for the room, and the water is hard to turn on, but it's clean, it's cheap, and it has a continental breakfast.
 
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Yeah, I agree with PP - it would be very difficult for you to manage both children with only one adult there. My bestie has gone with her DH, DD and autistic DS but her DH had to participate in the dolphin swim while she took pictures and her DS sat playing in the sand nearby.
 
Wait for black Friday deal in November. Sign up for there news letter. WE are going today and paid $149 non dolphin swim $199 for swim.
 


chmasy said:
Wait for black Friday deal in November. Sign up for there news letter. WE are going today and paid $149 non dolphin swim $199 for swim.
Click to expand...
Did you still get the tickets for Seaworld and Aquatic with the deal and could you add Busch Gardens for $25 more? We are going next April. I would love this deal.
 
Because of her age you would have to participate. You can opt out of the part of the swim where the dolphins pull you in the water if you feel you are too heavy (a lady in our group was in the water with us, took pictures alone with the dolphin and just didn't swim)

Check into buying a Seaworld annual pass and using the Discovery Cove discount. We weren't interested in Aquatica so this was a cheaper way to go and we still go to go to Seaworld.
 
Just got back from SW, AQ, and DC. Originally the motivation for going to DC was to do the dolphin swim like most people. After much research, I decided against it. I paid $199 each for my family of 4 without the dolphin swim and had access to SW and AQ which we did 3 full days total between those 2 parks. Even without DC, the $199 was not a bad deal. The DC ticket w/dolphin swim added was an additional $600 on top of the $800 I already spent! Instead, I booked the Dolphin Up Close tour in SW for $49 each! It was an hour long (longer then DC) and was the highlight of the trip!
You got everything I imagine you get at DC except the dolphin pull which kind of scared me anyway. (never know when the dolphin will decide to toss a child around!) We got a lot of info from the trainer, plenty of petting, learning hand signals, etc.. In addition, our day at DC was cut short because of severe weather! We stood around under shelter from about 12:30-5:00 hoping to get back in the water.
It never happened! If we had a dolphin swim scheduled during that time we wouldn't have been able to do it! I highly recommend the SW up close tour, especially since your son can stand next to you and not have to really participate- just watch, and you're not in the water, just leaning over the side of a pool wall. Seems like the best situation for everyone in your family.
 


ten822 said:
You got everything I imagine you get at DC except the dolphin pull which kind of scared me anyway. (never know when the dolphin will decide to toss a child around!)
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While the bolded is possible (anything is possible....including being struck by lightning as you are walking to your car), its highly unlikely. The dolphins are animals, yes. BUT, they are VERY accustomed to the interactions with humans and any "tossing around" of guests is virtually unheard of: and trust me, with all the issues SeaWorld Parks & Recreation have suffered since the Blackfish baloney, if a child was "tossed around" at Discovery Cove it would be instant news. We've done the dolphin swim 3 times at DC and never, EVER witnessed anything other than very gentle dolphins who take you for a smooth, swift, and short glide through the water.

ten822 said:
In addition, our day at DC was cut short because of severe weather! We stood around under shelter from about 12:30-5:00 hoping to get back in the water. It never happened!
Click to expand...

1300 people stood around for 4.5 hours? What were the Discovery Cove staff doing during this time? I assume you stopped and spoke with Guest Services about the fact that your day was cut incredibly short? What did they say?

We have traveled to Orlando in late August 3 times.....when thunderstorms are not only common, they're the norm......and never encountered a 4 and a half hour period with severe weather (with the exception of on the tail end of Hurricane Isaac, which was a different story altogether). Most Florida storms blow in, rage heavily, and blow out within an hour or two at most.
 
Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:
While the bolded is possible (anything is possible....including being struck by lightning as you are walking to your car), its highly unlikely. The dolphins are animals, yes. BUT, they are VERY accustomed to the interactions with humans and any "tossing around" of guests is virtually unheard of: and trust me, with all the issues SeaWorld Parks & Recreation have suffered since the Blackfish baloney, if a child was "tossed around" at Discovery Cove it would be instant news. We've done the dolphin swim 3 times at DC and never, EVER witnessed anything other than very gentle dolphins who take you for a smooth, swift, and short glide through the water.



1300 people stood around for 4.5 hours? What were the Discovery Cove staff doing during this time? I assume you stopped and spoke with Guest Services about the fact that your day was cut incredibly short? What did they say?

We have traveled to Orlando in late August 3 times.....when thunderstorms are not only common, they're the norm......and never encountered a 4 and a half hour period with severe weather (with the exception of on the tail end of Hurricane Isaac, which was a different story altogether). Most Florida storms blow in, rage heavily, and blow out within an hour or two at most.
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Of course anything is possible and I actually don't believe in living in a bubble to try and avoid things...however, it is my prerogative to be an overly protective mother once in a while (and proud of it).
The slim possibility of some wild behavior by the dolphin COUPLED with the extra $600 wasn't worth it for me. And I have read reports on these boards of minor incidents where dolphins gently smacked people in the legs or something- nothing life threatening. They are still WILD animals.

As for the weather. It sounds like you don't believe me? (Aug. 16th- check previous weather forecast) I have travelled to Orlando in August several times myself and was prepared for the quick afternoon shower. That's not what we got. We went for lunch when they kicked us out of the water thinking it would be over when lunch was done. Not the case. We took cover and waited it out. There was one point where they almost opened water but quickly changed their mind. On the news next morning we heard that it was a huge storm that dumped several inches of rain on Orlando!! We asked a lifeguard at one point what the odds were that the water would open and they couldn't predict (which I understood). I was devastated that our one day at Discovery Cove was ruined! Looking back, I wish my family decided to leave earlier. But, we were being hopeful.
I only stopped at Guest Services on the way out about getting a re-do because I heard another guest in the park saying DC was giving refunds or re-do. I am happy to report that I got a voucher for one free day to use only at DC within a year! Although it didn't help with the day we lost this vacation!
Thinking about it now, DC should have given the guests a better idea about the weather- they must've heard that there was this big storm stalling over Orlando! They just kept repeating the generic message once in a while that the water was closed due to severe weather. They also did't really care about the guests safety. My husband was not under cover with the rest of us, he was out in the rain, sitting in a chair by dolphins (with a bunch of other people). DC never tried to tell people to take shelter- they just cared that you were out of the water. Strange!
 
You could look at Floridays near Seaworld . They are inexpensive and have free theme park shuttles. There is a full kitchen and laundry. The kitchen would allow you to make breakfast and dinner so save on cost.
 
ten822 said:
Of course anything is possible and I actually don't believe in living in a bubble to try and avoid things...however, it is my prerogative to be an overly protective mother once in a while (and proud of it).
Click to expand...

Yes, it is your prerogative to be over-protective. I am simply pointing out, for the benefit of others who are planning their trips, that the possibility of such an incidence is remote (at best). I would hate to see someone miss out on an amazing experience because of that kind of unwarranted fear. Statistically you have a much higher risk of harm riding in your car to DC than you do during the 30 minute dolphin swim.

ten822 said:
The slim possibility of some wild behavior by the dolphin COUPLED with the extra $600 wasn't worth it for me. And I have read reports on these boards of minor incidents where dolphins gently smacked people in the legs or something- nothing life threatening. They are still WILD animals.
Click to expand...

As far as I recall, some (perhaps even, "many"?) of those dolphins were born at Discovery Cove. They have never lived a day in the wild.

I truly think you had more to fear with mosquitoes and the Zika virus than you did from those dolphins.

ten822 said:
As for the weather. It sounds like you don't believe me? (Aug. 16th- check previous weather forecast) I have travelled to Orlando in August several times myself and was prepared for the quick afternoon shower. That's not what we got. We went for lunch when they kicked us out of the water thinking it would be over when lunch was done. Not the case. We took cover and waited it out. There was one point where they almost opened water but quickly changed their mind. On the news next morning we heard that it was a huge storm that dumped several inches of rain on Orlando!! We asked a lifeguard at one point what the odds were that the water would open and they couldn't predict (which I understood). I was devastated that our one day at Discovery Cove was ruined! Looking back, I wish my family decided to leave earlier. But, we were being hopeful.
I only stopped at Guest Services on the way out about getting a re-do because I heard another guest in the park saying DC was giving refunds or re-do. I am happy to report that I got a voucher for one free day to use only at DC within a year! Although it didn't help with the day we lost this vacation!
Thinking about it now, DC should have given the guests a better idea about the weather- they must've heard that there was this big storm stalling over Orlando! They just kept repeating the generic message once in a while that the water was closed due to severe weather. They also did't really care about the guests safety. My husband was not under cover with the rest of us, he was out in the rain, sitting in a chair by dolphins (with a bunch of other people). DC never tried to tell people to take shelter- they just cared that you were out of the water. Strange!
Click to expand...

If, by your own definition in your post above, the weather was "severe", why was your husband sitting in a chair by the dolphin pool? Not to be argumentative, but it just seems odd that you would fear harm from a dolphin but put yourself at the risk of being hit by lightning.

At any rate, I think DC did all they could do: offering a free return visit within one year seems like a fair compensation to me. I am sorry you got rained out (that's a disappointment no matter which way you slice it).
 
ten822 said:
Of course anything is possible and I actually don't believe in living in a bubble to try and avoid things...however, it is my prerogative to be an overly protective mother once in a while (and proud of it).
The slim possibility of some wild behavior by the dolphin COUPLED with the extra $600 wasn't worth it for me. And I have read reports on these boards of minor incidents where dolphins gently smacked people in the legs or something- nothing life threatening. They are still WILD animals.

As for the weather. It sounds like you don't believe me? (Aug. 16th- check previous weather forecast) I have travelled to Orlando in August several times myself and was prepared for the quick afternoon shower. That's not what we got. We went for lunch when they kicked us out of the water thinking it would be over when lunch was done. Not the case. We took cover and waited it out. There was one point where they almost opened water but quickly changed their mind. On the news next morning we heard that it was a huge storm that dumped several inches of rain on Orlando!! We asked a lifeguard at one point what the odds were that the water would open and they couldn't predict (which I understood). I was devastated that our one day at Discovery Cove was ruined! Looking back, I wish my family decided to leave earlier. But, we were being hopeful.
I only stopped at Guest Services on the way out about getting a re-do because I heard another guest in the park saying DC was giving refunds or re-do. I am happy to report that I got a voucher for one free day to use only at DC within a year! Although it didn't help with the day we lost this vacation!
Thinking about it now, DC should have given the guests a better idea about the weather- they must've heard that there was this big storm stalling over Orlando! They just kept repeating the generic message once in a while that the water was closed due to severe weather. They also did't really care about the guests safety. My husband was not under cover with the rest of us, he was out in the rain, sitting in a chair by dolphins (with a bunch of other people). DC never tried to tell people to take shelter- they just cared that you were out of the water. Strange!
Click to expand...

Wow. Okay... well... we're moving on from the person who thinks that staff should know the exact length of storms and expects wild attacking dolphins. Anyway OP, I think PP is right. Get the dolphinless package, and do a dolphin thing in seaworld instead.
 
eyehartdisney said:
Wow. Okay... well... we're moving on from the person who thinks that staff should know the exact length of storms and expects wild attacking dolphins. Anyway OP, I think PP is right. Get the dolphinless package, and do a dolphin thing in seaworld instead.
Click to expand...

People who are going to be rude, and make fun of other people should NOT be on these boards. I had a good tip about the Up Close tour at SW. I was just trying to help that family. I don't appreciate the making fun!
 
Well the general consensus is to not do discovery cove because of ds being unattended ....okay i will listen to that advice. However i will call discovery cove and explain to them my situation and see what they suggest first because i know my ds and he will be perfectly fine just watching us or i can give him my tablet to play with and he sit somewhere. Yes he is autistic but he's verbal and he listens to me and knows my rules.

If discovery cove says no than i will do the seaworld dolphin interaction instead. She will love that . She will just be happy to be close to the dolphins.
 
BlueIvy said:
Well the general consensus is to not do discovery cove because of ds being unattended ....okay i will listen to that advice. However i will call discovery cove and explain to them my situation and see what they suggest first because i know my ds and he will be perfectly fine just watching us or i can give him my tablet to play with and he sit somewhere. Yes he is autistic but he's verbal and he listens to me and knows my rules.

If discovery cove says no than i will do the seaworld dolphin interaction instead. She will love that . She will just be happy to be close to the dolphins.
Click to expand...

Do let us know what they say after you call. Your update will be super helpful to others, I'm sure! :)

Regardless of what happens with the dolphin swim at DC, I am sure you are going to have an incredible trip.
 
ten822 said:
People who are going to be rude, and make fun of other people should NOT be on these boards. I had a good tip about the Up Close tour at SW. I was just trying to help that family. I don't appreciate the making fun!
Click to expand...

I don't think anyone was being rude, but some of your claims (such as dolphins "deciding to toss a child around", "reading reports on these boards of minor incidents where dolphins gently smacked people in the legs or something") were without substance (feel free to link me to the reports you were citing, if I missed them), and others (like the fact that the weather was so severe that guests were kept out of the water for 4.5 hours on the date of your visit, but your DH chose to sit by the dolphin pool without shelter....or that the animal care staff, who are not meteorologists, should have been better equipped to more accurately predict the weather) didn't make a lot of sense.

Your suggestion of the Up Close Tour at SeaWorld is a great one. Seaworld's tours are VERY well done and well worth the money. They are also a good alternative for those who aren't suited to the in-water interaction at Discovery Cove.

I'm a big believer that the most helpful replies are the factual ones. Not ones that suggest or imply things that can't be backed up with personal experience or other data. For anyone who might have been worried about injury or incidences at Discovery Cove during the dolphin interaction, I couldn't come up with any during an internet search. Even wikipedia came up virtually empty:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incidents_at_SeaWorld_parks#Discovery_Cove

Not a bad record for a park that has been open since July 1st, 2000 and provides opportunities for humans to get up close and personal with "wild" animals.
 
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Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina said:
I don't think anyone was being rude, but some of your claims (such as dolphins "deciding to toss a child around", "reading reports on these boards of minor incidents where dolphins gently smacked people in the legs or something") were without substance (feel free to link me to the reports you were citing, if I missed them), and others (like the fact that the weather was so severe that guests were kept out of the water for 4.5 hours on the date of your visit, but your DH chose to sit by the dolphin pool without shelter....or that the animal care staff, who are not meteorologists, should have been better equipped to more accurately predict the weather) didn't make a lot of sense.

Your suggestion of the Up Close Tour at SeaWorld is a great one. Seaworld's tours are VERY well done and well worth the money. They are also a good alternative for those who aren't suited to the in-water interaction at Discovery Cove.

I'm a big believer that the most helpful replies are the factual ones. Not ones that suggest or imply things that can't be backed up with personal experience or other data. For anyone who might have been worried about injury or incidences at Discovery Cove during the dolphin interaction, I couldn't come up with any during an internet search. Even wikipedia came up virtually empty:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incidents_at_SeaWorld_parks#Discovery_Cove

Not a bad record for a park that has been open since July 1st, 2000 and provides opportunities for humans to get up close and personal with "wild" animals.
Click to expand...

Even after watching shark week, I'm not sure how a dolphin would toss a participant around, adult or child. The staff is right there. I have seen kids get scared & let go of the dolphin, getting a good mouthful of their wake and screaming in fear. Most seem to absolutely love it though.

Believe it was our third encounter that dolphin bumped me while I was getting ready to grab on for my ride. I use the word bumped but it was really more of a very slight nudge & she left me behind & swam away to far end of pool and refused to return or listen to staff's commands. I thought maybe I had taken too long and she tried to to tell me to hurry up before swimming off in disgust. Family teases me about it every single visit since.

Trainers apologized profusely, said it rarely happened. Told me she was due for 'her break' but would be getting a time-out. They subbed in another dolphin and all went well. I was last in our group and honestly thought it was no big deal at all, surprised they made a fuss about it. Everybody has a bad day now & again. I never felt in any danger and have enjoyed the experience twice since with no unexpected issues.

I have swam with the manatees @ Crystal river and that is a totally different experience. They are wild, not trained, large & powerful. Unbeknownst to us it was mating season. Ranger stated they were more active & curious than usual. Everybody in our group wound up getting a few hard bumps. That said, I look forward to working it into a winter trip.
 
BlueIvy said:
Well the general consensus is to not do discovery cove because of ds being unattended ....okay i will listen to that advice. However i will call discovery cove and explain to them my situation and see what they suggest first because i know my ds and he will be perfectly fine just watching us or i can give him my tablet to play with and he sit somewhere. Yes he is autistic but he's verbal and he listens to me and knows my rules.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't chance it. If he decides to wander off, there are a lot of places to get lost (lots of hidden nooks and crannies surrounded by trees) lots of water areas that aren't connected to each other and I wouldn't leave a 9 year old alone even one not autistic.

if you see him start to walk away you could be pretty far away depending on the location of your swim. We were out on a rocky ledge and it was a far and slippery walk out of our swim area. There's no way I could have gotten out of the water and back to a child quickly from where we were.
 
I agree with the masses. While doing the dolphin swim, your son very well might not be within your sight. I have a nine year old son myself and would never let them out of my sight while on vacation. Just not safe, even though most are trusting. Also, you can't be worried about another child while you are doing the dolphin swim. There is a lot to pay attention to and it's important for everyone's safety that you give it your 100% attention. Although inconvenient, unfortunately that's the truth.
 
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