Swimming with the dolphins!

[Angelak1978]

Where is the best place in or around Orlando, Disney World to swim with the dolphins? I'm not looking for an all day package where you can swim with the dolphins as a small part of the package Unless the all day thing is really worth it! I know there is something at Discovery Cove. Any feedback would be great!!' Thanks!

 

[disneypopes]

we just got back from a short 6 day trip to discovery cove in July. My family loved every minute of the trip we got there at 7:30 am and didn't leave until they closed everything down around 5:30. The dolphin swim was about 45 min doing tricks pulling you, during the stay there we ate a lot of food through out the day snorkeled, lazy river, and also the bird sanctuary. I would do it again on another trip.

 

[popp17]

We did the dolphin excursion at Discovery Cove in April this year and had a blast. The entire experience at Discovery Cove was incredible. As with the last poster, we stayed there from open to close. The tickets are a bit pricy at first blush, but with the food completely covered, we found this to be a great experience.

We loved it so much that we've scheduled another day at Discovery Cove on our next trip to Orlando (this September)! The only recommendation is to try and get there before opening if possible on peak days, as they schedule the dophin time when you arrive that morning. If you arrive too late, you may get a late afternoon time, which may impact transportation if you aren't driving.

Have fun and good luck!

 

[Ametista]

I don't know of any other than DC. Last month we were swimming at Clearwater Beach and had a dolphin swimming with us, but its the first time I have ever had it happen in my life and I grew up going to beaches in CA and FL. There are places to book manatee snorkel where your chances are excellent for seeing manatees but the dolphins are totally hit and miss unless you do Discovery Cove, which was pricey but worth it.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

Just curious how much is discovery cove? We were thinking about it but I seem to remember it was very expensive. Like 200 per person and we have 5 people.

 

[travelin' tigger]

Where is the best place in or around Orlando, Disney World to swim with the dolphins?

I was researching this 2 months ago as this has been on my bucket list for many years. I decided on Marineland's "Immersion" package and it was excellent!! First off, this is exclusively a dolphin research facility. Also it was much cheaper than DC. During my hour, there was a 20 minute "education" portion of the tour that was fascinating. Then our group of 4 (I think the max is 8?) got introduced to Zach and our trainer Rachael. Both were amazing and we must have been in the pool for over 1/2 hour.

Here's the link:
http://www.marineland.net/immersion.html

Enjoy!!!

 

[Ametista]

^^^^That sounds awesome! And what a great excuse for an overnight in St Augustine!

Bella- DC costs between 229-289 per person if you do the dolphin swim, and you are only with the dolphin for a few minutes.

 

[popp17]

Also, though it may not be of benefit to you, with most of DC dolphin and resort packages (you can go to DC w/out the dolphin excursion), you are also given a 14 day pass allowing access to Sea World and Aquatica. I believe for a nominal up-charge, Busch Garden can also be added. If you aren't set on doing Universal/Disney for the majority of your stay, this can make a huge impact on ticket pricing for your family.

Good luck and have fun on your trip!

 

[AuroraRora]

I don't know of any other than DC. Last month we were swimming at Clearwater Beach and had a dolphin swimming with us, but its the first time I have ever had it happen in my life and I grew up going to beaches in CA and FL. There are places to book manatee snorkel where your chances are excellent for seeing manatees but the dolphins are totally hit and miss unless you do Discovery Cove, which was pricey but worth it.

We swam with manatees and it was kind of "meh" - the water was VERY muddy and it was hard to even see the manatees, my sister actually bumped one with her knee because she couldn't see it was right next to her! And I think perhaps swimming with wild manatees is not as legal as the company we went with made it seem

 

[Ametista]

We swam with manatees and it was kind of "meh" - the water was VERY muddy and it was hard to even see the manatees, my sister actually bumped one with her knee because she couldn't see it was right next to her! And I think perhaps swimming with wild manatees is not as legal as the company we went with made it seem

Yeah, we had a manatee swim booked this summer and ended up canceling. Not sure I am on board with it. I felt very lucky to have a dolphin swim with us at Clearwater, and have loved our boating excursions off Maui to see whales. Not sure I would do DC again, it felt very artificial even though we all had a great time.