Dancind
Tinkerbell's Mom
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2001
- Messages
- 7,730
Cast:
Me (Cindy, according to the Disney Personality quiz) 40 something, Mom, vacation planner and financier. Not in great shape healthwise, but determined to have fun anyway. MBA with an artists soul, sentimental softy.
DH, (Al) 47 (he doesnt care), gets on the plane when its time. Remodeling Contractor, award-winning homebrewer. (Wheres the beer?)
DD (Tink) 10, thinks shes a preteen, pure Princess. Dancer, artist, soccer mid-Monster, brainiac, comedienne.
After our tiring night, we arrived at Discovery Cove at 8:30. I think the excitement of this adventure was enough to keep Al & I going for most of the day. Tink is an energizer bunny, and only really crashed a couple of times on our trip. It took about an hour at DC to check in, take a quick tour, get equipment, a locker, put on their special sunscreen, and get to our cabana in time for our scheduled dolphin swim at 9:25. Whew! Once there, we sat for maybe 20 minutes. This was really hard on Tink, also the only time on the trip she complained about waiting. She was eager to meet her dolphin! Finally, our hostess arrived and briefed us, and we made our way to the water. Our group was the three of us, and a family group of two women with a boy and girl about Tinks age. The water in the cove took some getting used to it was kept cold for the dolphins of course. The boy yelled quite a bit, but we all eventually made it in. Our dolphin was Scarlett, a 21 year old lovely, docile girl. I heard later in the day that she might be pregnant. There were about eight different groups in the water between two coves, four groups in ours. We were shown how to pet our dolphin, and she did a few tricks for us. Dolphins dont like to be touched on their faces, which extend from their upper lip to their blow hole. You also want to watch out for their tail! They separated us, taking small groups to the deeper water to get a ride in, and took pictures of course. We gave Scarlett some commands, got to feed her, and each gave her a kiss on the lower lip. Scarlett had the cute trick of making a farting sound when you touched a spot on top of her head Tink got to do this. She made the same sound when a person lifts their leg Al did this one. Tink knew a command to make the dolphin dance, not sure how she learned that, but we got to try it when it was our turn in the deep water. Scarlett danced, right on cue! We were quite in love with her by then. It was an amazing feeling getting that ride in, the strength of a dolphin is very obvious when you do this. I let my feet trail behind me. A mistake, thats where the tail is! The dolphins in our cove then took turns performing jumps for us, they are all former Sea World stars. Scarlett turned out to be the largest dolphin by far, as we could tell when they jumped. It was all over too soon, and after back rubs and belly rubs for Scarlett, we were herded off to see our pictures. The computer proofs were tiny, and we wound up buying shots with our eyes closed, but got a good one of the three of us. Im planning to scan and post some of them in a later report.
Our next stop was the snorkeling tank, actually a large lagoon with several climb out spots and rocks in the middle. It is DCs major attraction after the dolphins, and was extremely crowded at about 10:30 am. I would say wall to wall people I got kicked several times. After a very frustrating first hour that required several trips to exchange equipment (more on this later), we really began to enjoy ourselves. The crowd thinned out, that helped a lot! This cove had beautiful coral, a large variety of tropical fish, many rays, and windows that let you swim with sharks and barricudas. The barricudas would come right up to the glass and look you in the face! We went over a beach area at the back of the cove into the lazy river, and got off at the aviary. Tink discovered that the fruit eaters wouldnt swoop down for her, but that the worm eaters were hungry. She managed to talk the DC worker out of about six cups of worms the limit is two per person. I think we got some shots with our water proof camera, this was fun. From here we did a little more snorkeling, and decided at 1:30 that we were hungry. Lunch is included in the price of admission, and its a great lunch. I had a really nice piece of salmon with grilled veggies and some steak fries, Tink and Al opted for the chicken and pasta dish. Everyone got desert, key lime pie and a fudgy thing, very rich. Tink didnt share her chocolate mousse, so I cant comment on it. We relaxed and watched the dolphin cove for a while, and I commented that a nap and swim at the GF would be great right now. But Tink wanted to complete the lazy river circle, and show her Dad the barricudas, which he had missed during an equipment adjustment trip. Al suggested I wait on the beach while they did this, and I agreed, telling them I would be at the dolphin cove and to come find me. This was fun, too, the trainers were playing with the dolphins, since there was a break from the tour groups. One of the trainers was riding two dolphins, which would lift him out of the water and throw him in the air. Well, after an hour of sitting there, I was getting antsy. So I went back to where our spot by the snorkeling cove, and waited there for another hour! I didnt want to leave to go snorkeling myself, because I was afraid I would just miss them. At the end of the second hour I headed back to the showers, and collected our gear from the locker. Back by the snorkeling cove, I saw my family. They complained that they had been looking for me for a whole half an hour! OK, I admit it, at this point I had a hissy fit. Of course, Al blamed Tink for not wanting to get out of the cove, she was feeding the rays. Later on, we had a little talk about this being a vacation for the whole family, not just the Princess, and even Mom's feelings need to be considered.
Lessons learned at Discovery Cove. 1) Ask for the lockers at the end of the sidewalk, not the ones between the coves. You have to walk a long way in deep beach sand to get to the latter, and it gets tougher as the day goes on. 2) Check your equipment thoroughly before you get too far from the equipment shack! I was handed a swim vest from the Medium bin by a distracted attendant. It seemed to fit until I went in the water, when it floated up around my ears. It was a XXL! Luckily, I was able to exchange it at about 10 am, people arriving after that were given wet suits. When we started snorkeling, we discovered halfway around the cove that Als snorkel leaked. He went back to exchange it, long trek. When he got back, I had him try my mask. It leaked too, through the nose. So, off I went. Very long trek, with a long swim to start. What a huge difference when your equipment works, though! I was a novice at snorkeling, but found that I really enjoyed it after that. Tink really loved it too, as her burned fanny can attest. I didnt feel too sorry for her though. 3) If youre going to pay this much money for a day at Discovery Cove, get there early. People were still pouring in at 11 am! I know theyre on vacation, but they must have been really miserable in those wet suits. And thunder storms threaten in the afternoon, your dolphin swim might get cancelled if you have a late time. 4) If you tend to be bug bait, take bug spray and reapply if youre sitting out for a while. I got several bites while I was waiting.
Was it worth it? Yes. I doubt we will do it again unless they expand and have a lot more to see, but we surely enjoyed what we did see. In spite of my hissy fit, we do have really good memories of this day and Scarlett. And pictures, too!
Back at the GF, we checked in again. No line this time! A very nice and patient CM named Larry loaded up our luggage and took us to our new room. The first one had lots of cigarette smoke, and the second had a strong chemical smell from freshly shampood carpet. More calls, and finally a new RA, a very nice one who didnt say at the rate youre paying She gave us a room in Conch Key on fourth floor, with a view of the marina area. It didnt smell, so we took it. Larry brought up our luggage and promised to have someone come up with the keys. Al took Tink off to the pool so I could take a nap, which wasnt too successful since I kept expecting a knock at the door. I finally had to call almost an hour later and ask if I should go get the keys. They were brought up about 10 minutes later. Finally, we had a nice quiet room, and it was close to the boat landing and Gasparillas, though a long way from the pool. I doubt we will ever stay at GF again, but I think we would ask for that building.
When the gang returned, I asked Tink how she liked the new pool. Her rating was OK, and she didnt care to go back the next day, so I guess that tells you something. Maybe shes just spoiled from our first trip with a stay at the Beach Club. We decided to try and catch Spectromagic that night since we were so close to the boat. It was just 45 minutes before the parade when we got there, so we made our way to the entrance to Liberty Square and waited in front of the little snack stand. We bought some caramel popcorn, warm and delicious but very sweet. Well, it rained on our parade, and not for the last time. Another parade was promised for 10 pm, but we were too tired to stay. We watched the fireworks with no Tinkerbelle flight due to lightning, and headed back for a good nights sleep at last.
Tomorrow, Cinderellas Table and Old Key West! More to come
Me (Cindy, according to the Disney Personality quiz) 40 something, Mom, vacation planner and financier. Not in great shape healthwise, but determined to have fun anyway. MBA with an artists soul, sentimental softy.
DH, (Al) 47 (he doesnt care), gets on the plane when its time. Remodeling Contractor, award-winning homebrewer. (Wheres the beer?)
DD (Tink) 10, thinks shes a preteen, pure Princess. Dancer, artist, soccer mid-Monster, brainiac, comedienne.
After our tiring night, we arrived at Discovery Cove at 8:30. I think the excitement of this adventure was enough to keep Al & I going for most of the day. Tink is an energizer bunny, and only really crashed a couple of times on our trip. It took about an hour at DC to check in, take a quick tour, get equipment, a locker, put on their special sunscreen, and get to our cabana in time for our scheduled dolphin swim at 9:25. Whew! Once there, we sat for maybe 20 minutes. This was really hard on Tink, also the only time on the trip she complained about waiting. She was eager to meet her dolphin! Finally, our hostess arrived and briefed us, and we made our way to the water. Our group was the three of us, and a family group of two women with a boy and girl about Tinks age. The water in the cove took some getting used to it was kept cold for the dolphins of course. The boy yelled quite a bit, but we all eventually made it in. Our dolphin was Scarlett, a 21 year old lovely, docile girl. I heard later in the day that she might be pregnant. There were about eight different groups in the water between two coves, four groups in ours. We were shown how to pet our dolphin, and she did a few tricks for us. Dolphins dont like to be touched on their faces, which extend from their upper lip to their blow hole. You also want to watch out for their tail! They separated us, taking small groups to the deeper water to get a ride in, and took pictures of course. We gave Scarlett some commands, got to feed her, and each gave her a kiss on the lower lip. Scarlett had the cute trick of making a farting sound when you touched a spot on top of her head Tink got to do this. She made the same sound when a person lifts their leg Al did this one. Tink knew a command to make the dolphin dance, not sure how she learned that, but we got to try it when it was our turn in the deep water. Scarlett danced, right on cue! We were quite in love with her by then. It was an amazing feeling getting that ride in, the strength of a dolphin is very obvious when you do this. I let my feet trail behind me. A mistake, thats where the tail is! The dolphins in our cove then took turns performing jumps for us, they are all former Sea World stars. Scarlett turned out to be the largest dolphin by far, as we could tell when they jumped. It was all over too soon, and after back rubs and belly rubs for Scarlett, we were herded off to see our pictures. The computer proofs were tiny, and we wound up buying shots with our eyes closed, but got a good one of the three of us. Im planning to scan and post some of them in a later report.
Our next stop was the snorkeling tank, actually a large lagoon with several climb out spots and rocks in the middle. It is DCs major attraction after the dolphins, and was extremely crowded at about 10:30 am. I would say wall to wall people I got kicked several times. After a very frustrating first hour that required several trips to exchange equipment (more on this later), we really began to enjoy ourselves. The crowd thinned out, that helped a lot! This cove had beautiful coral, a large variety of tropical fish, many rays, and windows that let you swim with sharks and barricudas. The barricudas would come right up to the glass and look you in the face! We went over a beach area at the back of the cove into the lazy river, and got off at the aviary. Tink discovered that the fruit eaters wouldnt swoop down for her, but that the worm eaters were hungry. She managed to talk the DC worker out of about six cups of worms the limit is two per person. I think we got some shots with our water proof camera, this was fun. From here we did a little more snorkeling, and decided at 1:30 that we were hungry. Lunch is included in the price of admission, and its a great lunch. I had a really nice piece of salmon with grilled veggies and some steak fries, Tink and Al opted for the chicken and pasta dish. Everyone got desert, key lime pie and a fudgy thing, very rich. Tink didnt share her chocolate mousse, so I cant comment on it. We relaxed and watched the dolphin cove for a while, and I commented that a nap and swim at the GF would be great right now. But Tink wanted to complete the lazy river circle, and show her Dad the barricudas, which he had missed during an equipment adjustment trip. Al suggested I wait on the beach while they did this, and I agreed, telling them I would be at the dolphin cove and to come find me. This was fun, too, the trainers were playing with the dolphins, since there was a break from the tour groups. One of the trainers was riding two dolphins, which would lift him out of the water and throw him in the air. Well, after an hour of sitting there, I was getting antsy. So I went back to where our spot by the snorkeling cove, and waited there for another hour! I didnt want to leave to go snorkeling myself, because I was afraid I would just miss them. At the end of the second hour I headed back to the showers, and collected our gear from the locker. Back by the snorkeling cove, I saw my family. They complained that they had been looking for me for a whole half an hour! OK, I admit it, at this point I had a hissy fit. Of course, Al blamed Tink for not wanting to get out of the cove, she was feeding the rays. Later on, we had a little talk about this being a vacation for the whole family, not just the Princess, and even Mom's feelings need to be considered.
Lessons learned at Discovery Cove. 1) Ask for the lockers at the end of the sidewalk, not the ones between the coves. You have to walk a long way in deep beach sand to get to the latter, and it gets tougher as the day goes on. 2) Check your equipment thoroughly before you get too far from the equipment shack! I was handed a swim vest from the Medium bin by a distracted attendant. It seemed to fit until I went in the water, when it floated up around my ears. It was a XXL! Luckily, I was able to exchange it at about 10 am, people arriving after that were given wet suits. When we started snorkeling, we discovered halfway around the cove that Als snorkel leaked. He went back to exchange it, long trek. When he got back, I had him try my mask. It leaked too, through the nose. So, off I went. Very long trek, with a long swim to start. What a huge difference when your equipment works, though! I was a novice at snorkeling, but found that I really enjoyed it after that. Tink really loved it too, as her burned fanny can attest. I didnt feel too sorry for her though. 3) If youre going to pay this much money for a day at Discovery Cove, get there early. People were still pouring in at 11 am! I know theyre on vacation, but they must have been really miserable in those wet suits. And thunder storms threaten in the afternoon, your dolphin swim might get cancelled if you have a late time. 4) If you tend to be bug bait, take bug spray and reapply if youre sitting out for a while. I got several bites while I was waiting.
Was it worth it? Yes. I doubt we will do it again unless they expand and have a lot more to see, but we surely enjoyed what we did see. In spite of my hissy fit, we do have really good memories of this day and Scarlett. And pictures, too!
Back at the GF, we checked in again. No line this time! A very nice and patient CM named Larry loaded up our luggage and took us to our new room. The first one had lots of cigarette smoke, and the second had a strong chemical smell from freshly shampood carpet. More calls, and finally a new RA, a very nice one who didnt say at the rate youre paying She gave us a room in Conch Key on fourth floor, with a view of the marina area. It didnt smell, so we took it. Larry brought up our luggage and promised to have someone come up with the keys. Al took Tink off to the pool so I could take a nap, which wasnt too successful since I kept expecting a knock at the door. I finally had to call almost an hour later and ask if I should go get the keys. They were brought up about 10 minutes later. Finally, we had a nice quiet room, and it was close to the boat landing and Gasparillas, though a long way from the pool. I doubt we will ever stay at GF again, but I think we would ask for that building.
When the gang returned, I asked Tink how she liked the new pool. Her rating was OK, and she didnt care to go back the next day, so I guess that tells you something. Maybe shes just spoiled from our first trip with a stay at the Beach Club. We decided to try and catch Spectromagic that night since we were so close to the boat. It was just 45 minutes before the parade when we got there, so we made our way to the entrance to Liberty Square and waited in front of the little snack stand. We bought some caramel popcorn, warm and delicious but very sweet. Well, it rained on our parade, and not for the last time. Another parade was promised for 10 pm, but we were too tired to stay. We watched the fireworks with no Tinkerbelle flight due to lightning, and headed back for a good nights sleep at last.
Tomorrow, Cinderellas Table and Old Key West! More to come
