Anyone planning to go to Discovery Cove?

[Jacqui.s]

I went this January and enjoyed it so much I plan to return in December.

They have quite a good referall scheme. I have 2 vouchers which entitles their user to a free underwater camera. If they are used, I get a $25 gift certificate.

Anyone interested?

 

[athelstan]

Yes please - if you see my 3 week itinerary thread I will be there with the family about 4 weeks on Sunday.

If the offer's still good, I'll be grateful.

Plus, if they are still doing similar deals, I'll remember you when I get back if you're going again - what goes around comes around, as they say.

Many thanks

Andy Stansfield

 

[Jacqui.s]

I've just emailed you.

I do think this is a pretty good deal. If when you leave the park you see staff handing out Post Card sized leaflets with Thank You one the front - grab one (or maybe two as I have just read the T&C's and you can redeem up to 4 $25 dollar gift vouchers per booking).

I hope you have half as good a time there as I did

 

[disneyuk]

Darn it, just missed out !
Jacqui, did you swim with the Dolpins ?
Would you recommend a particular time of day for this ?
Many Thanks.

 

[LINCLAIRE]

I'm going next January.
Was it warm enough to do the dolphin swim?
In fact what was the weather like altogether?
Lin

 

[Jacqui.s]

disneyuk - I did swim with the dolphins and I thought it was wonderful I think my swim was around 11:30am - I arrived at the park at 9:30am. This was fine for me, loads of time to get ready and I spent a while snorkelling before my swim. Given a choice, I would select a pre-lunch swim, but I am not sure how much difference it makes. I spent some time watching other people's dolphin swims in the afternoon and they seemed to be having just as good a time as I did

Linclaire - I was there on Jan 15 and with the aid of weatherunderground, can you you that the average temp on that day was 55F (low 45F high 65F). Although sunny, it was a bit chilly and not really sunbathing weather. They provide wetsuits which helps a lot to keep you warm both in and out of the water (avoiding looking in all mirrors of course ). I wore a shorty one and wasn't cold at all either during the dolphin swim or in the snorkelling lagoon. That said, I did overhear quite a few people commenting on how cold the water was and the Crazy River section where the water was heated did seem to be very popular - so I guess it comes down to personal preference. Another advantage was the park wasn't full - around 600 guests only - so I had no problems with queuing for showers/food/photos etc.

Weather wise in general, apparently it was one of the coldest January's ever and I did see some frost very early one morning. I was fine wearing a light jacket and/or sweatshirt, but there were plenty of locals wearing full coats & gloves on some days.

I have to admit that I am not a sunlover and I would always choose to go when it was dry & colder rather than hot, particularly if I am visiting the theme parks. I still shudder at the memory of doing Euro Disney in August a few years ago when the weather was 90+.

 

[LINCLAIRE]

Thanks for that Jacqui,
If last Jan was the coldest, then I think I will be fine, I don't call that freezing. We are going on the 17th.
How far in advance were you able to book?
I am keeping my eye on the website for DC but January dates aren't up yet.
I'm pleased to hear that it will probably be quieter in January.
Do the wetsuit sizes go very high? As you can gather by this question, I'm no Twiggy!!
Also, is it a very smooth surface to enter the waters?
I'm asking this question as I am disabled, and although it won't stop me from doing things, I do find that I cannot walk barefoot on certain surfaces like pebbles/shingle without something on my feet.
Lin

 

[Jacqui.s]

Hi again LinClaire - I hope the following answers your questions.

Re Booking:
I booked around 1 week before my visit. The trip to Florida was an unplanned, lastminute kind of thing. I initially thought I would have had problems, but I could have gone on any day (apart from Sun & Thurs when it is closed). The joys of the off season I guess. I wouldn't worry about booking for a while, but if you are I seem to be able to book up to July 2004 on the website.


Wetsuit Sizes:
Judging by my ability to get one and the size of others around the park, I am sure you will have no problems.

Water Entry:
The beaches, if memory serves me right, were high quality sand, so hopefully you won't have any problems. If you do, there have some flipper type things you could borrow that might help. The shops also sell swimming shoes that might be of use - they weren't cheap, as I still regret not puchasing them as they were the highest quality ones I have seen.

 

[disneyuk]

Thanks for all the info Jacqui.
Linclaire, give DC a call. I managed to book for our August trip as early as last Septmeber over the phone. And they will allow you to change dates if needed.

 

[LINCLAIRE]

.Thanks to both Jacqui and DisneyUK for the good advice.
Jacqui, what do these swimming shoes look like?
I don't think I would be able to keep the flippers on as I have no insteps and no ankle movement- I always have to wear tie-ups but just recently, I have managed to wear those sandals that you can buy with velcro fastenings-basically if I can tie shoes onto my feet, then I would be OK.
I would be very interested in buying these swimming shoes as I think I would use them a lot in future.
I could probably manage soft sand anyway and I am sooo looking forward to making my childhood dream come true.
Thanks again
DisneyUK, I will give DC a call and see if they can help me.
When I look on the site,via Seaworld, I can only see the dates for the end of the year. I didn't know DC was closed 2 days a week.
thanks to you
Lin

 

[Jacqui.s]

Here is a link to give you more of an idea about Swim/Aqua shoes.

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/perfectlysafe/80205-swimshoes.html

The ones at Discovery Cove were all one colour - either grey or balck - but were at least twice the price. I've never used them, but I keeping meaning to buy a pair as they are ideal for swimming/snorkelling off rocky beaches. The elastic is meant to fit fairly snugly, so they might be what you are looking for.

If you wanted to try and buy some before you go, dive shops are probably a good place to start looking.

I should clarify as well, discovery cove is only closed for 2 days a week during the Early December & January - I was told it was for staff training.

Roll on December - just thinking about going again makes me smile.

 

[athelstan]

I've seen some poor reviews for DC but seeing your comments lifts the soul somewhat.

Did you take them up on the photo packages? If so, would you say they were value for money?

When we booked we thought this (and Cirque Du Soleil) would be high spots of the holiday. Really looking forward to it - can almost touch it now!

Andy