Captain Hook Wannabe
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2005
Heres my review of Discovery Cove. I really enjoyed the day, and would do it again, but there were some hiccups, and hopefully this will help you avoid them.
We pulled into the lot for DC at 7:10 and the place was already full of people registering. I was really surprised. The registration process was quick. We booked the Elite package. We were assigned a cabana (right near the Grand Reef, awesome) and a 12:05 dolphin swim time (awful time to get, but I will discuss that later). Maybe I should have spoken up about getting an earlier dolphin time while registering, but I didnt.
I think breakfast opened at 7:30, so by the time we were done registering we went right to the breakfast line. The line moved quickly and efficiently. (I did not have the same experience in the lunch line.) After breakfast, we returned to the front of the park, and someone from guest services led us to our cabana. We also picked up my sons prescription goggles at this location.
After getting to the cabana, we got settled and headed off to the aviary. It wasnt 9 am yet, so we had to wait for about 15 minutes until the park officially opened. Once we got in, it was nice but I expected more. I envisioned lots of birds coming to us to get their morning meal. We had a few birds (4 or 5 birds, we had a group of 6) land on our hands to feed, but that was it. An employee explained there was a hawk above the aviary and it was spooking the birds. In any event, the interaction was good, but not great. I imagine the people who went later in the day, had even less interaction
Next we went to the Grand Reef. Wow, just wow!!! So many fish and stingrays, its hard to take it all in. Really beautiful. My first tip: Make sure your kids are comfortable in a mask and snorkel. My son talked me into buying him and my older son a mask and snorkel 2 days before our day at DC. It was good I did. After using them for 30 minutes in the pool, they were comfortable with them. The Grand Reef is AWESOME, but you have to be able to put your face in the water and breathe through the snorkel. If you have a mask that fits well, bring it. My older sons DC mask leaked (he should have gotten an adult size mask) and my wife and I found the snorkels at DC let in water a lot more then the cheap ones we bought in Florida.
My second tip - I bought a waterproof case for my Iphone and tried to take video. It was hard to see what I was filming because looking through the mask, the water, and the waterproof case made seeing the screen impossible. So after a few attempts, I gave up. When I got home, I saw I got some really good video and wished I hadnt given up. My advice even if you cant see what you are filming, take some video in the Grand Reef. Video is better then pics in the Grand Reef, because there are so many things swimming around you cant capture them in still shots.
My first gripe I read several reviews that described the park as having no crowds. I have to disagree. While there are no lines for the attractions (if you dont count lunch as an attraction. My second gripe about that is coming soon), it does get busy. Many times I was standing in the Grand Reef, waiting for the crowd to disperse, so I could swim where I wanted to. In short, the Grand Reef was crowded.
Then the rain and thunder came. Unfortunately, we picked a day that had considerable rain. At about 11:30-11:40, everyone was chased out of the water because of thunder. This caused our dolphin swim to be delayed as well, although we still reported to the training cabana at around 12. At about 12:20, the masses were allowed back in the water. We had to wait for the earlier group to finish their swim, then it was our turn. As a result, our 12:05 dolphin swim, turned into a 12:50 swim.
As reported to me by my wife and sons (I took video and didnt do it) the dolphin swim was incredible. My one son said it was the best thing he ever did. After the swim is over, you are directed to a hut to pick your photos. As Gina on this board has said, their pictures are awesome. High quality and great shots. You will want to buy some. The video that came with the elite package was disappointing. The person taking the video was close enough to get sound, but instead the video has a musical soundtrack and no audio of the experience.
By the time this was done, it was about 1:45. At this point, I hadnt been in the water for about 2 hours. So I wanted a quick lunch and then head back to the Grand Reef. There is no such thing as a quick lunch at DC. 45 minutes in line for lunch. That is just not acceptable. The rain had already robbed me of over an hour of time in the water, and now I had to wait 45 minutes for lunch. The worst part is, it doesnt have to be that way. The breakfast line moved fast, because everything is pre-plated. You want a yogurt, you take one and move down. There is no ordering of anything. Why they make you order, when in line for lunch, is beyond me. They should pre-plate the lunch entrees, and eliminate the need to order. In any event, lunch took way too long, and again I got the feeling that this park is crowded. GET TO LUNCH EARLY IF YOU CAN. If I knew what was coming, I would have packed my own lunch and ate it in the cabana.
After lunch, we spent some time in the Grand Reef, lazy river, and by the otters and marmosets. The otters and marmosets kept my sons attention for about a minute each. This is not a big attraction. The lazy river was nice. As others have said, it does get deep and we found that there isnt much of a current in parts. Getting through the second waterfall when coming out of the aviary took some real effort. I was glad my kids were older (9 and 12) and I didnt have to help them through. With no current, and a noodle to help me float (it slows you down), it took me forever to get through the waterfall. In any event it was really nice, and the water was heated which felt good.
We finished the day in the Grand Reef. Of course, with 40 minutes left in the day, the thunder returned. We left the park in ponchos running for the car. Bummer. I really wanted more time in the Grand Reef.
After reading this review, it sounds a bit negative. It shouldnt. The day was awesome. The dolphin swim and Grand Reef are amazing. I would do it again in a second.
Some other random thoughts:
Gina has said the cabana is nice to have but not necessary. I agree. In addition to my family of 4, the in-laws were with us. They really appreciated having a place to go and relax during the day. If you are the type of family that does the Disney Parks from morning to 1 am, you dont need a cabana. We are the type of family that takes a mid-day break, so a cabana was nice for us. We could have survived without.
As part of our DC passes, we did go to Seaworld and Aquatica. I wish I had spent more time at Aquatica. On our last night there, my older son and I decided to try out Aquatica. We arrived at 6 pm (8 pm closing time). It was so nice. At that time, the park was really emptying out. The fast lazy river there is really cool. From 7 pm on, we had the wave pool to ourselves practically. I wish we had spent another afternoon or two there. Next time.
Thats it.
We pulled into the lot for DC at 7:10 and the place was already full of people registering. I was really surprised. The registration process was quick. We booked the Elite package. We were assigned a cabana (right near the Grand Reef, awesome) and a 12:05 dolphin swim time (awful time to get, but I will discuss that later). Maybe I should have spoken up about getting an earlier dolphin time while registering, but I didnt.
I think breakfast opened at 7:30, so by the time we were done registering we went right to the breakfast line. The line moved quickly and efficiently. (I did not have the same experience in the lunch line.) After breakfast, we returned to the front of the park, and someone from guest services led us to our cabana. We also picked up my sons prescription goggles at this location.
After getting to the cabana, we got settled and headed off to the aviary. It wasnt 9 am yet, so we had to wait for about 15 minutes until the park officially opened. Once we got in, it was nice but I expected more. I envisioned lots of birds coming to us to get their morning meal. We had a few birds (4 or 5 birds, we had a group of 6) land on our hands to feed, but that was it. An employee explained there was a hawk above the aviary and it was spooking the birds. In any event, the interaction was good, but not great. I imagine the people who went later in the day, had even less interaction
Next we went to the Grand Reef. Wow, just wow!!! So many fish and stingrays, its hard to take it all in. Really beautiful. My first tip: Make sure your kids are comfortable in a mask and snorkel. My son talked me into buying him and my older son a mask and snorkel 2 days before our day at DC. It was good I did. After using them for 30 minutes in the pool, they were comfortable with them. The Grand Reef is AWESOME, but you have to be able to put your face in the water and breathe through the snorkel. If you have a mask that fits well, bring it. My older sons DC mask leaked (he should have gotten an adult size mask) and my wife and I found the snorkels at DC let in water a lot more then the cheap ones we bought in Florida.
My second tip - I bought a waterproof case for my Iphone and tried to take video. It was hard to see what I was filming because looking through the mask, the water, and the waterproof case made seeing the screen impossible. So after a few attempts, I gave up. When I got home, I saw I got some really good video and wished I hadnt given up. My advice even if you cant see what you are filming, take some video in the Grand Reef. Video is better then pics in the Grand Reef, because there are so many things swimming around you cant capture them in still shots.
My first gripe I read several reviews that described the park as having no crowds. I have to disagree. While there are no lines for the attractions (if you dont count lunch as an attraction. My second gripe about that is coming soon), it does get busy. Many times I was standing in the Grand Reef, waiting for the crowd to disperse, so I could swim where I wanted to. In short, the Grand Reef was crowded.
Then the rain and thunder came. Unfortunately, we picked a day that had considerable rain. At about 11:30-11:40, everyone was chased out of the water because of thunder. This caused our dolphin swim to be delayed as well, although we still reported to the training cabana at around 12. At about 12:20, the masses were allowed back in the water. We had to wait for the earlier group to finish their swim, then it was our turn. As a result, our 12:05 dolphin swim, turned into a 12:50 swim.
As reported to me by my wife and sons (I took video and didnt do it) the dolphin swim was incredible. My one son said it was the best thing he ever did. After the swim is over, you are directed to a hut to pick your photos. As Gina on this board has said, their pictures are awesome. High quality and great shots. You will want to buy some. The video that came with the elite package was disappointing. The person taking the video was close enough to get sound, but instead the video has a musical soundtrack and no audio of the experience.
By the time this was done, it was about 1:45. At this point, I hadnt been in the water for about 2 hours. So I wanted a quick lunch and then head back to the Grand Reef. There is no such thing as a quick lunch at DC. 45 minutes in line for lunch. That is just not acceptable. The rain had already robbed me of over an hour of time in the water, and now I had to wait 45 minutes for lunch. The worst part is, it doesnt have to be that way. The breakfast line moved fast, because everything is pre-plated. You want a yogurt, you take one and move down. There is no ordering of anything. Why they make you order, when in line for lunch, is beyond me. They should pre-plate the lunch entrees, and eliminate the need to order. In any event, lunch took way too long, and again I got the feeling that this park is crowded. GET TO LUNCH EARLY IF YOU CAN. If I knew what was coming, I would have packed my own lunch and ate it in the cabana.
After lunch, we spent some time in the Grand Reef, lazy river, and by the otters and marmosets. The otters and marmosets kept my sons attention for about a minute each. This is not a big attraction. The lazy river was nice. As others have said, it does get deep and we found that there isnt much of a current in parts. Getting through the second waterfall when coming out of the aviary took some real effort. I was glad my kids were older (9 and 12) and I didnt have to help them through. With no current, and a noodle to help me float (it slows you down), it took me forever to get through the waterfall. In any event it was really nice, and the water was heated which felt good.
We finished the day in the Grand Reef. Of course, with 40 minutes left in the day, the thunder returned. We left the park in ponchos running for the car. Bummer. I really wanted more time in the Grand Reef.
After reading this review, it sounds a bit negative. It shouldnt. The day was awesome. The dolphin swim and Grand Reef are amazing. I would do it again in a second.
Some other random thoughts:
Gina has said the cabana is nice to have but not necessary. I agree. In addition to my family of 4, the in-laws were with us. They really appreciated having a place to go and relax during the day. If you are the type of family that does the Disney Parks from morning to 1 am, you dont need a cabana. We are the type of family that takes a mid-day break, so a cabana was nice for us. We could have survived without.
As part of our DC passes, we did go to Seaworld and Aquatica. I wish I had spent more time at Aquatica. On our last night there, my older son and I decided to try out Aquatica. We arrived at 6 pm (8 pm closing time). It was so nice. At that time, the park was really emptying out. The fast lazy river there is really cool. From 7 pm on, we had the wave pool to ourselves practically. I wish we had spent another afternoon or two there. Next time.
Thats it.
. So sorry to hear that your day was clouded by a few unpleasant issues and periods of rain. I am always worried about weather when we go....and hope that our August 25th date isn't a wash-out!!! I think there's always something for people to take from these mini-reviews.....positive or negative, knowing what to expect is so helpful.
I may have to re-think our arrival time for our visit, as I figured a 7:30-8 am arrival would be no problem for a morning swim time (which we desperately want to ensure to hopefully avoid those afternoon storms).
.
. I just loved sitting in the water, having the fish swim around me and the rays flap past me...it was lovely. Really, amazingly lovely. But then again, I guess that if you're a non snorkeling slug like me, basking walrus-like in the water, crowds won't be an issue 
