Discovery Cove or not?

[rapunzal]

My nine year old daughter loves dolphins...we are staying at Royal Pacific for 5 nights. My six year old son loves animals too! Is it worth the extra $1000 for the four of us? I would have to then rent a car to get to DC. Going to US and IOA and Sea World the days we are there. Would it be too much to do. We have been to all these parks before and know how to handle them. DC is the only trip we haven't done yet. Also thinking $1000 could buy me a new livingroom carpet! Thanks What do you think...pros and cons

 

[Ruth B]

Hi
i would definetly do it. We stayed at RP last Oct(great resort) plus your get front of line access. I think you could easily fit it in. I did the DC family sleep over with my son(!!) ( which is $70 extra), if you have a chance to do this, it is worth the price. You get to camp on the beach( and hear the dolphin playing through out the night) have family activity, dinner and breakfast and are the first people in the park in the morning.
Even without the sleepover i think it would be worthwhile( esp as your daughter like dolphins) the whole experince is amazing(dolphin swim, snorkleing, bird bit) and feels very relaxed.
You could get the i-trolley from universal. there is a free trasnfere between SW and DC( small phone box that you call from in SW car park) i would not bother hiring a car. best wishes Ruth

 

[rapunzal]

Can you give me the details about how to use I-trolley? Is it easy...would we be able to get there early enough...what about a taxi? Thanks

 

[Ruth B]

Hi
i think that I-trolly has a website if you 'google it. Its a standard price (.75c i think?) for a one way trip( and SW is nearly at the bottom of the route)- i think it takes about 20-35 mins depening on time of day. We were staying on i-drive(just down from RP) and left the hotel by 8ish and was at Seaworld before it opended.
Towncar's do transfere from hotels to resorts( i did 3 last time and it only added another $30 onto the airprort roundtrip cost). We found that i-trolley worked fine. best wishes, Ruth

 

[robvia]

DC is worth it.
It would be better if you could stay at the Renaissance Resort for 2 nights. This hotel is located across the street from SWF. That way you can walk back and forth to SWF, and they have a shuttle that will take you over to DC and back. The Renaissance has good rates for the holidays, like July 4th. Club level is nice and worth the extra money, they have a club room with breakfast, and snacks at night.
It's best to rent the car. The I-trolley won't get you to SWF in time. The rental car gives you convience, even if it costs money for gas/parking. And it's not hard to ping pong between the parks. Here's my report from a few years ago.
http://www.nogodforme.com/SeaWorld1.htm
Scroll to the bottom of this page to see a picture of the phones.
http://www.nogodforme.com/IOA072905.htm

 

[markh]

It's definately worth it - one of those once in a lifetime memories. My kids (and I!) will never forget it. If you can, go for it.

 

[snoopy_mom]

We just went in August, my daughter is 8 and my son is 10. My daughter is still talking about it daily, writing about it in school. We actually did the Trainer for a Day program, which was worth the extra money. It was like having a private tour guide. They only allow 18 TFAD people a day, and spilt them into groups of 6. I thought the day would be over-scheduled but it was not. DC is such a nice break from the crowds - we were not rushed once all day. Very relaxing, and very beautiful.

 

[Rpsemont]

Go with your gut! $1000 is alot of money!
DD (10) and I just did this our last trip. I had received an unexpected bonus and thought I might never be able to justify that amount for a single day again. In hindsight, we did have a really nice day; but if I had to choose between spending $500 for 2 of us to do DC again and an extra trip to Fla in the winter with $100 RT airfares and 3 nights at an inexpensive hotel, I'd go for the latter.
A few thoughts from our trip...
We did the dolphin swim first thing so we had the rest of the day at the park
When I called DH at around noon time, I told him him DD enjoyed the dolphin swim, but was scared of the stingrays in the pool, Was scared of the stingrays in the coral reef, and was scared that a bird would land on her in the aviary. I was REALLY regretting the purchase right about then.
Later, she did warm up to the stingrays and actually really enjoyed going in that pool. She became very proficient with the snorkel in the lazy river, but still wasn't too thrilled about the the coral reef because of the really large stingrays there. And she loved swimming around the lazy river. We stayed until closing and since we're taking a cruise next November I've chalked it up to a great "trial run" for opportunities we'll get for our shore excursions. Plus, maybe she'll do the snorkel at TL.

IF the $$ are a big concern, maybe consider just letting the kids to the Dolphin Swim

 

[IrishMermaid]

My nine year old daughter loves dolphins...we are staying at Royal Pacific for 5 nights. My six year old son loves animals too! Is it worth the extra $1000 for the four of us? I would have to then rent a car to get to DC. Going to US and IOA and Sea World the days we are there. Would it be too much to do. We have been to all these parks before and know how to handle them. DC is the only trip we haven't done yet. Also thinking $1000 could buy me a new livingroom carpet! Thanks What do you think...pros and cons

Not only was it worth every penny..we are dying to go again! We were there in July and it was an amazing day. If your children like animals this place is fantastic...everything is hands on and the park is breathtaking...my 10 yr old still talks non stop about it..the whole day..