Discovery Cove in January

[steves1019]

I know it all depends on the weather front at the time, but am I crazy to schedule a Discovery Cove day with Dolphin Swim in January?

 

[claire_ont]

This will be our third time doing it in Dec. The first time we froze, the second time was hot, this time???? The wetsuits work well when it is cold as long as you are in the water. Discovery Cove is amazing regardless of the weather.

Claire

 

[steves1019]

This will be our third time doing it in Dec. The first time we froze, the second time was hot, this time???? The wetsuits work well when it is cold as long as you are in the water. Discovery Cove is amazing regardless of the weather.

Claire

Thanks Claire! I've read reviews and can't. Believe I havent heard of DC before this trip! Looking forward to it!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We visited DC on New Years Day this year. It was amazing. You can check out my trip report for pics and a write up:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2864779

The wet suits will help keep you warm. And the water is heated.....some areas of the park more than others.....so you should be okay. The lazy river, in particular, was awesome. Must have been almost 90 degrees in there (it was like bath water).

We are headed back to DC at the end of this month, and are actually more worried about our August visit than our January one. I would rather fret about the possibility of some cool weather than the effects of a thunderstorm or hurricane!!

 

[steves1019]

Gina thanks so much, I feel so much better now! I'll be reading your trip report now

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I did it last January and it was cold in the morning, and chilly in the afternoon when we were out of the water but it wasn't something that would have kept me from doing it. If I would have changed something I would have thought to bring an old long sleeve or lightweight sweatshirt from home just to throw on while I was out of the water.

 

[steves1019]

Thanks Lock! Good advice!

 

[keishashadow]

I know it all depends on the weather front at the time, but am I crazy to schedule a Discovery Cove day with Dolphin Swim in January?

We've enjoyed the swim in the summer months, early December but mostly in October...when we had the coolest 'air' temperature on any trip.

It's never seemed particularly windy in DC, probably because of the way the foiliage surrounds the park so you don't have to worry about a strong wind-chill. I suggest to pick a spot to set up camp in a sunny spot and wear the partial wetsuit.

the dolphin water always feels cold to mebut you get used to it quickly.

 

[steves1019]

Thanks Keisha! We'll look for some of that FL sun!

 

[redoschi]

I wasn't planning on Discovery Cove for our next trip in January, but after we dismissed LegoLand as we're all adults, I thought to include either a 3rd day at Universal/IoA or a day at Discovery Cove.

Great to know that with the wetsuits you don't mind the chill very much and that there is little wind in the park.

Do you know if someone can change the date of their DC reservation in case we find out a certain day will be warmer? (I'm thinking of Friday Jan 25th, but could go any day over that weekend 25-28th).

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Do you know if someone can change the date of their DC reservation in case we find out a certain day will be warmer? (I'm thinking of Friday Jan 25th, but could go any day over that weekend 25-28th).

From the DC website:

Changing or canceling a reservation
At Discovery Cove, we recognize that vacation plans sometimes change. To accommodate this, we will allow one complimentary date change prior to your visit. Further changes to your itinerary will be provided for a nominal charge of $50 per change. If you need to reschedule your Discovery Cove visit, one complimentary date change is allowed, pending availability. Bookings made within 3 days of original reservation date will be booked at the original rate. Bookings made outside of that time will be subject to change based on seasonal rates for the new date chosen.

Please note: If you decide to cancel your Discovery Cove reservation within 30 days of your visit there is no refund. If the cancellation notice is provided more than 30 days from arrival, you will receive a full 100% refund. If you have to change or cancel your reservation, please contact the Discovery Cove reservations center at 1-877-557-7404. International guests, please call 001 (407) 370-1280.


Hope that helps .

 

[redoschi]

Hope that helps .

It sure does! Now I'm just analyzing our budget to see if I can fit DC into it.

 

[steves1019]

It sure does! Now I'm just analyzing our budget to see if I can fit DC into it.

Remember that it's all inclusive, food/drink/sunblock etc... And if you were going to Sea World your DC admission covers 14 consecutive days of access! That's how I rationalized the cost.
Great thought on weather watching! We too can be flexible, so I'll be weather watching come January.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

We went last December and it was the coldest day of our trip (around 55-60 degrees) and it was raining. We did the dolphin swim and it took a few minutes to get used to the water (as well as the Grand Reef), but the water in Serenity Bay and the Windaway River was SO warm . I just floated around there most of the time! And they do have heat lamps around the eating areas so that helped (although the sun had started to come out by lunch time). To be honest, except when we first got into the water at the dolphin swim and the Grand Reef, I don't really remember ever being cold.

We're getting married there this December so I'm crossing my fingers and toes that the weather is decent! Otherwise our guests may leave after the ceremony and find a warm way to spend their day .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We're getting married there this December so I'm crossing my fingers and toes that the weather is decent! Otherwise our guests may leave after the ceremony and find a warm way to spend their day .

Wow.....how awesome! What a wonderful place to tie the knot!

 

[danceintherain]

You read my mind!

I'm tentatively planning a trip to Disney for our anniversary in January. The original plan was to go to Universal for the first time (the Harry Potter pull is too great) but I might be pregnant during our trip, so I'm thinking we may save Universal for a time when I'd actually be able ride more. I started considering Discovery Cove, but I'm also worried about the cold.
I'm glad to hear that it's not too bad.

The complimentary SeaWorld admission is also nice as I haven't been since I was about 5, and DH told me recently that he has never seen a live aquatic performance! He also wants to "ride" a dolphin (I blame Psych for that) and a dolphin interaction is probably the closest he'll ever get (don't worry, he won't actually try to climb on one...). We could always do the interaction at Disney, but I've loved the idea of Discovery Cove with all the other things you can do there, and it's nice that we can take turns doing the interaction while the other one entertains the baby nearby. We'll just have to go back in a couple years, when DS is old enough to do it.

Gina - I just popped over to your trip report and I don't think I can use your gauge of cold weather, since you're from Canada and all. I was just in Arizona a couple weeks ago, and was shivering when I got out of a heated pool there. The wetsuits do sound helpful.