Dolphins - is it worth it

[Paul and Shirley]

Ok before you all get emotional and say it was the best thing ever could we have an honest answer as to was it really worth the money.

We saw the thread which slated the video (I take it they wont let you use your own video).

If you all think it wasn't worth it then it is back to the drawing boards for Katharine's birthday which is whilst we are out there.

Any suggestions on a good alternative will be greatly received.

p.s. sorry we haven't been around for a while - back now with a vengance x

 

[Paul and Shirley]

OK OK I know I have put it on the wrong board but it has been a long week.

Ok MODs do your thing and move me on

 

[UKDEB]

When are you there, and how much does Katherine like dolphins?

We did a character breakfast at Crystal Palace for Harriet's 11th birthday and it is truly one of our happiest memories, but it was our first ever experience of a character meal and I'm sure that's what made it so special.

This year she will be 15 whilst we're there and she's chosen DisneyQuest and MNSSHP. Our friends' son will be 21 and he's chosen to stay at HRH and do HHN. If there are any special events on whilst you're there that may well be a good option.

Also, what about the <b>Gifts of a Lifetime</b> people? They can arrange all sorts of surprises including treasure hunts around a park with gifts specially selected based on the information you provide. The only problem is that I spent ages filling in a form online for Harriet's birthday and they've never responded.

Are you aware of the things Disney do? If you're staying onsite (which I imagine you are), you can get a birthday message on your resort phone. And make sure you mention K's birthday when you check in - you never know! If you're visiting the MK on Katherine's birthday, you can get a birthday pin from City Hall which is supposed to attract special attention from the CMs. And then there are birthday cruises.

 

[WDWfan uk]

LOL! You want to be moved on? Your wish is my command !

Before we booked Discovery Cove, we checked with our sons how much they really wanted to do this. In fact, we each gave it some thought and DH decided he wasn't too keen and so did everything but the dolphin swim which is cheaper.
The boys were absolutely 100% wanting to do this, and having done it, they loved it.

I also liked the 7 day unlimited admission to Sea World that it gave us as we could come and go for a few hours if we wanted to without the pressure of feeling you had to do the lot in one day.

How old will Katharine be, and as Debbie says, what time of year are you going?

If you haven't done an IllumiNations Cruise before I'd certainly recommend it - you can have different tiers of cruises that include birthday cake etc.

 

[mike230652]

Paul and Shirley,

I'm sure we'll all stay very subjective about DC to give you a balanced view.............

We did it in December 2000..........it was an exceptional experience..........is it worth the money??? YES....imho.

I've read on these boards that the DC video is not so good but bearing in mind it's video'd and presented to you in a couple of hours (if that ) you can't expect too much ! ..........and YES you can take your own video.
We did and were delightec with the results , there are a couple of excellent viewing spots if you search them out.

 

[woody2]

We went to DC back when it first opened, It is a wonderful day and very cool there. Its like a tropical island in the middle of orlando. The dolphin swim was magical......
BUT seeing these wonderful anaimals up close has made me so aganst keeping anaimals in captivity. I was never like this before I swam with Dixie at DC she had a depth of knowlage in her eyes.

I do not regreate our day at DC but I wish I had swam with dolphins in the wild !! IMHO

 

[bengunn]

Assuming that you are talking about Discovery Cove the answer is Yes.

We did this about 4 weeks ago and it was a great experience. We split into 2 groups of 2 and videoed each other - they do not stop you doing this but they are a little restricting on where you can stand (although I found a good place). We would certainly do it again.

The video and photos of you swim are very expensive and we bought 4 photos for $67.80; you also get a free photo of your group soon after you enter the park. You can get the photos on a CD but that is a rip-off $100 for 5 then $20 per additional photo!

So do it but be very careful about buying photos.

 

[vernon]

IMHO, yes it was very much worth the money. My DD Sam was 15/16 when we went and as all teens she's very much trying to play the adult. To watch her in the presence of the dolphins and to see the childlike sparkle, glea and wonder in her eyes ( maybe for the last time)was worth every penny ( and a lot more) .

(If you want to keep the cost down you could have one of you not take the dolphin swim. With aweek of SW and lunch included, IMHO, the price isn't THAT over the top, if you do manage to utilise the SeaWorld days.

 

[bengunn]

By the way, I forgot to say if you want to split up and video each other, allow at least an hour between your two dolphin swims - we had 55 minutes and it was barely enough.

 

[mike230652]

vernon,

Steady on there.....you're getting emotional LOL!! I must admit there were emotional scenes in our family, trembling bottom lips and lumps in the throats........luckily the kids soon slapped me out of it !!


mike

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

I'll add my voice in support of a day at Discovery Cove. Yes, it is expensive, but you do get a full and varied day in a unique theme park. Lunch is inlcuded, as is free parking, and you get a 7-day pass to Seaworld which might dave you a few hundred dollars elsewhere on your holiday.

Others have commented on the quality/value-for-money of the video, so I won't add to that other than say that I'm glad we bought the video (and two photos) as we have some video footage that we would not have been able to take ourselves.

To get the most from the day I would say that you need to enjoy swimming and you need to have a certain interest in animals. Without both of these I would say try someting else for your special day. Overall we found our day to be relaxing, interesting and just a little bit inspiring.

Regards

Rob

 

[richard3330]

Discovery Cove is DEFINITELY worth gthe money. At the end of the day you will feel like every penny was well spent.

It is extremely personal, when you arrive you have your own tour guide who shows you around DC and takes your photograph (free of charge). Then you are let off to explore for yourself, DC is so beautiful and has been made to look JUST LIKE you are in a tropical island somewhere.

The whole experience is breathtaking and the staff are superb. The lunch at Laguna Grill is exceptional and has 3 courses and is inlcuded in your admission fee.

IMHO a trip to Orlando isn't complete without at visit to DC.

You will not regret your visit, and I am pretty sure you will feel like it was money well spent.



Richard

 

[Mazzy]

We have booked Discovery Cove for January 8th and after reading the thread about weather in Dec/Jan I'm wondering whether I've done the right thing!

I guess it's just the luck of the draw with the weather at that time of year, but it won't be much fun if it's freezing cold will it?

Think POSITIVE, Think POSITIVE!!!! LOL!!!!

 

[Paul and Shirley]

thank you for your honest replies, Katharine will be 15 whilst we are out there over Easter next year- we can't ask her opinion as she does not we are going to Florida and with a bit of luck will not know till we arrive at the airport!!!!

 

[bengunn]

Richard,

The lunch when we were there was Ok but not exceptional - one problem was that, even though it was free, you had to line up at the till for them to record what you had chosen and charge it to your pass. By the time we sat down, our food was warm rather than hot and that spoilt it a bit for us.

Mazzy,

You do have the option of full wetsuits so it would not matter too much if it was a bit cooler when you go.

 

[Sue F UK]

Mazzy,
We went in November and it was a cool day with cloud and rain. We chose the full length wetsuits (you can get knee length and vests too) and we were warm all day. The water in the 'lazy river' part of the park is heated too.

All in all we enjoyed our day at DC and thought it was pretty good value for money. The seaworld entrance was a good bonus for us - although beware, it doesn't save you a bean if you have the Orlando flexticket as it's included in that anyway.

As the others have said the photo's are a bit of a rip off but at least you will know that before you go so can work round it. Don't forget that if you want to do your own video one of you will have to stay out of the water and do the dolphin swim on your own later.

Another good tip is to take a disposable underwater camera with you. They sell them at the park but they are pricey. We got some great photos with ours.

Let us know what you decide.

 

[drennan]

Hi Everyone,

Just reading through all these replies and just one quick question to ask, we have booked to swim with the dolphins when we go in October, my DS Billy who is 9 can swim but not a strong swimmer, is the water very deep ? and Do non swimmers enjoy this as much as swimmers ? I'm hoping they take into account the kiddies which are not as brave as others in the water, as he is really looking forward to this part of the holiday, can anyone help out there !!!!

 

[Edie]

We got back last week and swam with the dolphins on Labor Day. We did this primarily because my mum has always wanted to swim with a dolphin so it was a foregone conclusion that she would enjoy it. However I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed myself. It gave us some 'once in a lifetime' moments, such as when one of the trainers got Capricorn (the dolphin) to 'sing' Happy Birthday to my mum. You can't really top moments like that. If your daughter likes dolphins she will be impressed with the experience. I also didn't get the feeling that the dolphins were being kept in a confined space which I did at Seaworld.

For me Discovery Cove also has a lot of other things to offer. The chance to go snorkeling over a reef (albeit a pretend one) with sharks and barracuda (they're behind glass but it's still a fairly chilling experience) was pretty amazing. Obviously if you've been to real coral reefs I'm sure it doesn't compare, but I haven't so I was most impressed. It's also a very relaxing escape from the other parks and has beautiful landscaping. We found the staff were excellent and generally very knowledgeable about all the animals.

For me it was definitely worth the price but I've never been to the Caribbean or Australia so have never been snorkelling or diving over reefs or been on a tropical beach holiday. Therefore the whole experience was new for me. But I'd do it again in a flash and not just for the dolphin swim. I hope this helps

 

[Edie]

Hi Drennan,

There was a little girl (about 7 or 8 yrs old) on our swim and she was very scared of the water and of the dolphin. Both of our trainers were excellent with her. In the end she was so comfortable with the trainers that she swam with one of them in water which was about 16 feet deep and was towed back to the shore by the dophin (who was a very big chap at over 9 feet long and weighing over 600lbs) and she laughed all the way. Discovery Cove provide you all with very buoyant swim vests which you must wear in the water and will also provide life vests for any one who is not good swimmer. Also bear in mind that a lot of the interaction takes place in water that was waist deep for me (I'm 5ft 4 ins). They will meet your needs whatever they are. I even saw someone in a wheelchair being taken into the water to meet one of the dolphins. I hope this helps

 

[WDWfan uk]

Sharon, it isn't a problem if you aren't a strong swimmer - although 3 out of the 4 of us are, my DH isn't and nor were many children and adults I saw there.
The swim vests ( we chose them in preference to the full length kit) give you a lot of buoyancy but there are also additional life jackets - my DH was so high in the water LOL he had to take it off!!!
When we did the dolphin encounter our trainer sized up our group and did not take the little boy that wasn't much of a swimmer out as far as she took us. They remained where they could stand.
There are areas of deep water when you go around the 'Tropical River and the Coral Reef is deep in places too but hopefully, since you'll be with him, he'll enjoy these areas with a life jacket etc on and try to snorkel as well! ( The staff who greet you in the Pool will show you how to use them, it isn't too hard!)