Discovery Cove;Best arrival time?

[englishman]

Advice on this great Board says arrive at 8:30.
However,can anyone tell me if I could turn up ,say 10;30 and miss the 9am arrival crowds?

If this is feasable, are there any downsides to my plan?

The basis of my question is that it's a shame to have to rush to a park that's all about chilling out!

I'll be there around April 1st 2002.

Any views guys?
Thanks.

 

[robvia]

A couple things.

The required wet suit (vest) that you must wear are found in boxes near the beach area. They have 8 wooden boxes for the various sizes from small to extra large. Most people fit into a medium, and this size is gone quickly. If you we're to arrive late, you may end up wearing a vest that is an extra large. Who knows, by April of next year, they may have more of the medium sizes.

Most thunderstorms happen in the afternoon. But seeing you are going in April, it's not the rainy season yet. I wouldn't recommend doing this now, you would risk the chance of an afternoon thunderstorm.

The plan would work, I'm sure many arrive late, but I still think it's a better idea to beat the crowd by being in line at 08:30am. There is some work involved with checking in, getting your gear, finding a spot on the beach, putting lotion on, ect. After you take care of all this work, then you can chill out.

 

[vernon]

It isn't really a MASSIVE fight to get in earlier as the numbers are limited but I would still advise getting there as early as possible.

I'd agree with Rob, get their at 8.30 , get all the paperwork etc done, find a good spot on the beach area ( with a little shade) , get the dolphin swim at a time you like and chill out for the day. It's a lot of money, I'd rather be happy with what I'd had and decide to leave early then get taken out kicking and screaming because I wanted to stay longer but I'd got their late.

 

[The Hunt]

We arrived at a couple of minutes after nine, and our dolphin swim was at 1:30. If you're planning on staying until closing, it might be OK. I should add that it is more likely to rain in the afternoon than in the morning, so it's probably better to get your dolphin swim as early as possible.