Admission for a day to DC with the dolphin experience seems to range from $229 to $399 on the current calendar, with the most common price at $259. Sounds really expensive. But here's my math:
--it includes a 14 day unlimited admission to Sea World and Aquatica, and online that costs $119.
--Parking at the other parks is $15, and is included "free" at DC.
--Breakfast and lunch are included, and unlimited. Disney buffets cost upwards of $30 each at Disney, but I'll be conservative and say you would spend about $30 for both at a typical theme park.
--You can eat all the snacks you want. I know some people loaded up all day; we were too busy to st and eat, but we each got a couple of soda/tea/bottled water drinks, and at the end of the day got a drink for the road and either some chips or pretzels, and my oldest son got a banana. I saw a lot of people loading their bags with all kinds of snacks. And alcohol drinks like beer, margaritas, wine, etc. are included that we didn't partake in. So my $10 estimated for snacks at any other theme park is also conservative.
--you get a snorkel to take home, and similar ones on Amazon are around $16-$20. It is not a fancy one, or a "dry" snorkel, but it is not a super cheap one like my kids got at home.
--you get your entry photo printed out and given to you complimentary, and similar photos at a ride or event at another theme park would cost you $12-16; other single photos here were $25.
So it is about $204 on the conservative side for the "extras" that are included here. So the actual admission, to the dolphin experience and the other park areas, (including rental of the mask and wetsuit or vest, and a sample of sunscreen to wear, which I didn't include above) is really ranging from $25 to $195, with a most common cost of $55.
Then, checking online, several Key West snorkel trips (with no dolphin interaction) are $40-60 per person, for just a few hours off a boat. And other Florida dolphin structured swims are priced at $150-$280 per person, with no other activities included. Here you get some nice snorkeling on an artificial reef, a nicely done structured dolphin encounter, as well as a very nice aviary and bird feeding experience, and otters and marmosets and sharks to view, other animals brought out to meet (we saw a sloth, lesser anteater, a spiny lobster, and a lizard), a lazy river and freshwater lagoon to explore.
It is really a good deal! My kids, 10 and 11, loved it all as much as I did! I was really scared to spend the money, especially when I had to do it at one of the more expensive times. But now, even my husband says it was totally worth it.
--it includes a 14 day unlimited admission to Sea World and Aquatica, and online that costs $119.
--Parking at the other parks is $15, and is included "free" at DC.
--Breakfast and lunch are included, and unlimited. Disney buffets cost upwards of $30 each at Disney, but I'll be conservative and say you would spend about $30 for both at a typical theme park.
--You can eat all the snacks you want. I know some people loaded up all day; we were too busy to st and eat, but we each got a couple of soda/tea/bottled water drinks, and at the end of the day got a drink for the road and either some chips or pretzels, and my oldest son got a banana. I saw a lot of people loading their bags with all kinds of snacks. And alcohol drinks like beer, margaritas, wine, etc. are included that we didn't partake in. So my $10 estimated for snacks at any other theme park is also conservative.
--you get a snorkel to take home, and similar ones on Amazon are around $16-$20. It is not a fancy one, or a "dry" snorkel, but it is not a super cheap one like my kids got at home.
--you get your entry photo printed out and given to you complimentary, and similar photos at a ride or event at another theme park would cost you $12-16; other single photos here were $25.
So it is about $204 on the conservative side for the "extras" that are included here. So the actual admission, to the dolphin experience and the other park areas, (including rental of the mask and wetsuit or vest, and a sample of sunscreen to wear, which I didn't include above) is really ranging from $25 to $195, with a most common cost of $55.
Then, checking online, several Key West snorkel trips (with no dolphin interaction) are $40-60 per person, for just a few hours off a boat. And other Florida dolphin structured swims are priced at $150-$280 per person, with no other activities included. Here you get some nice snorkeling on an artificial reef, a nicely done structured dolphin encounter, as well as a very nice aviary and bird feeding experience, and otters and marmosets and sharks to view, other animals brought out to meet (we saw a sloth, lesser anteater, a spiny lobster, and a lizard), a lazy river and freshwater lagoon to explore.
It is really a good deal! My kids, 10 and 11, loved it all as much as I did! I was really scared to spend the money, especially when I had to do it at one of the more expensive times. But now, even my husband says it was totally worth it.
