darlaya
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 3, 2004
We arrived back from our Orlando trip on Monday and I already want to plan my next trip! Needless to say it was a lot of fun with great weather. We were also amazed that the crowd levels in all the parks we visited were low making our trip even more enjoyable. The park attendants said that this week marked the beginning of Spring Break for colleges so the crowd levels would be heavy.
We took advantage of a pre-holiday offer for Disovery Cove with one park for $199. We chose Seaworld and added a SW parking pass for $22. We thought we would save $ doing this since we didn't want the cost of daily parking ($14) to deter us from visiting as much as we wanted during the week.
In addition, we purchased a play and dine ticket for Busch Gardens which was also offered at a special rate on their website. This was a nice bonus because we basically paid $10 extra per person for the All Day Dining Deal. This was well worth the price we paid given that I have two teenage boys who are always hungry and thirsty. Another bonus: on the day we visited, anyone with the All Day Dining Deal was entitled to 50% off on all snacks, drinks and beer. Hubby and I loved the deal on the beer paying $3 for a beer was much more reasonable than $6. We all enjoyed an ice cream as we exited the park. Although we took full advantage of this deal, without the special pricing, I would not buy the All Day Dining Deal. This park is great for teens that love rides and animals.
We visited Discovery Cove on Friday. I highly recommend arriving at 8am to make sure you check-in and have breakfast to take full advantage of your day. We were fortunate because our Dolphin Swim was not until 11am so we had time to snorkel in the Grand Reef before it got busy. This was so enjoyable and quite deceiving because the water doesn't look deep at all until you put your mask on and go under water. Then you get a much different perspective of how big this area is and how many different species of fish are in this area. When we went back after our Dolphin Swim, it had become more crowded and harder to freely swim around without bumping into people. It was also a bit of an overcast day making you feel hot and cold during the day depending on whether the sun was out.
The food was surprisingly good and the free drinks and snacks was quite nice. Although we really didn't need any snacks while at the park, I did take some back with me to the hotel which came in handy later that night. The lazy river was fun, we only went around it twice. The water was warm and the best part was seeing the birds in the aviary as you went around. We all agreed that we would love to do Discovery Cove again.
Seaworld is liking going home for us. we have spent so much time in this park throughout the years as my boys always loved seaworld more than Disney. They still get a kick out of petting and feeding the stingrays, sea lions and dolphins. The shows are always great and the relaxed nature of the park makes it so enjoyable for us. After seeing the Shamu Show, it made me glad that we got to visit when they were still performing the Believe show. It makes you realize how incredible that show really was. The trainers are no longer allowed to perform in the tank with the whales since the tragic deaths of two trainers. Now it is still amazing to see the whales this close and to see how intelligent and social they are, but if you were fortunate enough to see any of the shows before these changes you may be a bit disappointed in comparison...IMHO.
Another perk for us while at Seaworld, we had Quick Que Unlimited passes that were complimentary because we stayed at a partner hotel for part of our trip. It was really nice to bypass the ride lines.
I hope I can visit again soon....
We took advantage of a pre-holiday offer for Disovery Cove with one park for $199. We chose Seaworld and added a SW parking pass for $22. We thought we would save $ doing this since we didn't want the cost of daily parking ($14) to deter us from visiting as much as we wanted during the week.
In addition, we purchased a play and dine ticket for Busch Gardens which was also offered at a special rate on their website. This was a nice bonus because we basically paid $10 extra per person for the All Day Dining Deal. This was well worth the price we paid given that I have two teenage boys who are always hungry and thirsty. Another bonus: on the day we visited, anyone with the All Day Dining Deal was entitled to 50% off on all snacks, drinks and beer. Hubby and I loved the deal on the beer paying $3 for a beer was much more reasonable than $6. We all enjoyed an ice cream as we exited the park. Although we took full advantage of this deal, without the special pricing, I would not buy the All Day Dining Deal. This park is great for teens that love rides and animals.
We visited Discovery Cove on Friday. I highly recommend arriving at 8am to make sure you check-in and have breakfast to take full advantage of your day. We were fortunate because our Dolphin Swim was not until 11am so we had time to snorkel in the Grand Reef before it got busy. This was so enjoyable and quite deceiving because the water doesn't look deep at all until you put your mask on and go under water. Then you get a much different perspective of how big this area is and how many different species of fish are in this area. When we went back after our Dolphin Swim, it had become more crowded and harder to freely swim around without bumping into people. It was also a bit of an overcast day making you feel hot and cold during the day depending on whether the sun was out.
The food was surprisingly good and the free drinks and snacks was quite nice. Although we really didn't need any snacks while at the park, I did take some back with me to the hotel which came in handy later that night. The lazy river was fun, we only went around it twice. The water was warm and the best part was seeing the birds in the aviary as you went around. We all agreed that we would love to do Discovery Cove again.
Seaworld is liking going home for us. we have spent so much time in this park throughout the years as my boys always loved seaworld more than Disney. They still get a kick out of petting and feeding the stingrays, sea lions and dolphins. The shows are always great and the relaxed nature of the park makes it so enjoyable for us. After seeing the Shamu Show, it made me glad that we got to visit when they were still performing the Believe show. It makes you realize how incredible that show really was. The trainers are no longer allowed to perform in the tank with the whales since the tragic deaths of two trainers. Now it is still amazing to see the whales this close and to see how intelligent and social they are, but if you were fortunate enough to see any of the shows before these changes you may be a bit disappointed in comparison...IMHO.
Another perk for us while at Seaworld, we had Quick Que Unlimited passes that were complimentary because we stayed at a partner hotel for part of our trip. It was really nice to bypass the ride lines.
I hope I can visit again soon....