Children at Discovery Cove

[jennbug]

Inkno0w obviously they can't do the Dolphin swim but would they enjoy the rest? It will be a 3 year old and 4 year old.

 

[mygr8kdz]

imo, they wouldn't enjoy it enough to be worth spending the $$$. are they independent swimmers? that might make it more doable. the dolphin experience is about 30 minutes long. the highlight for DD7 the rest of the day was snorkeling. if they are unable to do that, it's an expensive day at the beach.

 

[lbarnes]

I guess it would depend on the kids. For us, it was a very mellow, relaxing day and we absolutely loved the down time from our more hectic pace at WDW and SW. But, that said, there is an aviary, the ray lagoon, snorkeling, and a regular pool and lots of sand that they would probably enjoy. They can also watch the dolphins from the beach. I probably wouldn't take them until they are old enough to do the dolphin swim though.

 

[mdparker88]

Two years ago we took our then 18 mo. old and 3 year old (also our 13 & 16 yo). We did not do the dolphin swim. We got swim vests for the little ones so they were able to float on their own in the water. It was a fairly relaxing day, we spent most of the day in the water and some time on the beach playing in the sand. This was one of our most favorite days of our vacation and was absolutely worth the $.

 

[robvia]

DC is like going to the keys. You want to relax, put your toes in the sand. But if you bring little kids, you'll be watching them the entire time. That's ok for some, because they want to share the experience. Little kids don't understand how much money things cost, and most of the time, they don't even remember it. If you can get grandparents to watch the kids, then do it. Otherwise like some said up above, just take them to the beach for free.

 

[HopperFan]

There a few weeks ago and the one thing I noticed was that there were few young children. I would say of the under 10 group there was a maximum a dozen kids. Very adult atmosphere. One family had kids your age. Mom sat the whole time while they dug in the sand. Dad would take the "6" year old into the reef area, but he would not snorkel so they stood in shallow area. I saw it as a complete waste of a day and money for them. Wasn't even like they could enjoy anything there as a family. They would have been better off at Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon where there was sand, slides for their age, play areas, lazy river etc. I would save DC for when they can snorkel and swim well, be independent.

 

[HLester3]

What month are you planning on going, maybe I missed it. My kids really enjoyed Discovery Cove, we went for their 4th birthday in September of last year. We actually did the dolphin swim and Discovery Cove provided someone to watch them while we did the swim. I purchased the birthday package for the dolphin swim and they actually let us hold them in the water after our swim so the dolphin could bring them the bohey with their name on it. I also heard that if it is not too crowded that sometimes the trainers just let the kids come in after the adult swim to let them give the dolphin a fish or two. My daughter still talks about feeding the sting rays, I could not believe how large they were, they were like puppys swimming in between people to get the food. They also had a great time feeding all of the birds. My kids love playing in the sand so they also had fun doing that during our dolphin swim.

It is a litle expensive, but I had always dreamed of swimming with the dolphins and I did not want to put it off for a few years. I have some great pictures of them enjoying their day.

Good luck, Heather

 

[yaytezIOA]

The Aviary alone is worth price of admission, those birds are actually flying pigs. Still, you can get them the life vests and let them float around. What I found so amazing was that everyone that worked there didnt act like "cast member" they acted like they were there having fun just like you. It was great. Pictures coming soon.