Discovery Cove questions

[KristenHoneymooner]

I'm very excited about our August trip to Discovery Cove and I have a few questions I'm hoping some helpful DISers will be anble to answer

(1) I don't really understand how the lockers work. Do you have to carry around a key all day? How do you not lose the key while you are swimming? Are the lockers big enough for your wetsuit/vest if you want to take it off for awhile while eating (without having to cram the wetsuit in with dry items)?

(2) How do people deal with cameras? I've seen a few drybags for digital cameras but I'm not sure how well they work. I've also seen a few relatively cheap waterproof digital cameras but I'm not sure it's worth buying one for one day. We could take our regular camera and just take pictures from shallow water, but even then I worry about splashing.

(3) I know that DC takes some photos, but how do they keep track of a group's photos? Is it like photopass at Disney where you have a code? Do they take candids or just posed shots during the dolphin swim?


Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[bopper]

You can also buy disposable underwater cameras at home and when you get them developed do the CD option.

I don't know how specifically the key works at DC but at other places they might be on a coiled bracelet or with a pin to pin it to you.

 

[Jaime4004]

I'm very excited about our August trip to Discovery Cove and I have a few questions I'm hoping some helpful DISers will be anble to answer

(1) I don't really understand how the lockers work. Do you have to carry around a key all day? How do you not lose the key while you are swimming? Are the lockers big enough for your wetsuit/vest if you want to take it off for awhile while eating (without having to cram the wetsuit in with dry items)?

(2) How do people deal with cameras? I've seen a few drybags for digital cameras but I'm not sure how well they work. I've also seen a few relatively cheap waterproof digital cameras but I'm not sure it's worth buying one for one day. We could take our regular camera and just take pictures from shallow water, but even then I worry about splashing.

(3) I know that DC takes some photos, but how do they keep track of a group's photos? Is it like photopass at Disney where you have a code? Do they take candids or just posed shots during the dolphin swim?


Thanks in advance for your help!

The locker keys are on a string that go around your neck. The lockers are quite big, but i wouldn't put a wet vest or wetsuit in one. If you want to take it off for a while, just put it in the used wetsuit bin and grab a new one when you want one later. There are several stations where you can pick up wetsuits throughout the day. You can also each have a locker, if you needed it, we shared 2 between 4 people.

I brought an old digital camera that I didn't mind if it happened to get wet/sandy or break. It was fine though, just used it in shallow water as you said, and left it in a bag on a lounge chair when not in use.

I think for the DC photos, they scan your id tag when they take the pics so they know who's who. When I picked up mine at the end of the day, they were all ready together. This is just the free photo and the dolphin swim photos. Never saw another photographer, though I think they're around. The dolphin swim photos are staged, I don't remember having any candids.

 

[brinkley07]

I agree with Jaime4004 that you should just get a new wetsuit and throw the old one in the bin. As for the lockers they are big enough for anything you need to bring in and the keys are manageable. There are photographers in the reef, the SeaVenture area, and various other places that will take pictures both posed and candid. I did find that they are more prevalent with the dolphins, SeaVenture, and the reef though. It is like Disney where your pictures are all together when you are ready to leave as they don't want to miss any opportunity to sell you a picture package. We did use our underwater camera which we left in our locker when we weren't using it. I went out and bought an Olympus underwater camera which was fairly inexpensive, but worth every penny as we used it in the Disney water parks, at DC, on dry land, and at every pool we have gone to without fear of harm. The pictures were amazing and I find I have used it more than I thought I would since I'm never afraid of it getting wet. To be honest it isn't great at night shots for fireworks, but all of the other pictures were amazing. Even my dad approved and his is a photographer.

 

[KristenHoneymooner]

Thank you all soooo much for your comments!


I'm tempted to get an underwater camera to use for the day, as I think my husband will want to take lots of pictures in the reef! It's good news that they have a photopass-type system too, in case it doesn't work out.

 

[Cdnmom2001]

I would defintely invest in a underwater camera. We were at Discovery Cove in May and there was not 1 photographer anywhere in the park except for the dolphin interactions. My intentions was to add as many pictures as possible. I had mentioned in a phone call to discovery cove after we returned there were no photographers and we didnt' get to make the most of our cd. She said they have had to make cut backs and this is one area they did cut back in park photographers. She apologiezed. So please do not rely on their photographers incase there are none out that day. Key goes around your neck and is not a bother. We kept my water camera and my canon in our bag on our chair without a problem. We kept everything covered up and out of site. It was a wonderful place and we are currently booking for next april/may 2013

 

[KristenHoneymooner]

I would defintely invest in a underwater camera. We were at Discovery Cove in May and there was not 1 photographer anywhere in the park except for the dolphin interactions. My intentions was to add as many pictures as possible. I had mentioned in a phone call to discovery cove after we returned there were no photographers and we didnt' get to make the most of our cd. She said they have had to make cut backs and this is one area they did cut back in park photographers. She apologiezed. So please do not rely on their photographers incase there are none out that day.

Thanks for the advice! I had been hoping they would take a bunch of pictures so the CD would be worthwhile, but it sounds like we should just buy a couple of individual shots of us with the dolphins and then rely on ourselves for other pictures.