The first week of this past March, we paid $6/tray of 3 fish at Dolphin Cove. We spent $30 for 5 trays. Ouch. 4 trays of 3 fish apiece would have cost $24 there.
At Pacific Preserve (sea lions) on the same days, fish was sold for $4/tray (or 3 trays for $10, plus an extra tray free) - same size trays, same size fish as that at Dolphin Cove. We paid $10 for 4 trays of 3 fish apiece! What kind of fee policy is that?!!!?! The same purchase cost
$24 in one food shack and
$10 in another shack at the same park on the same day???
What a huge mark-up they put on the dolphin's fish!
At Sting Ray Lagoon, it was $4/tray (I think, but I'm not as confident as I am about the other prices) for several tiny fish or pieces of squid. The food items were smaller so harder to compare pricing.
We asked the person manning the food shack at Pacific Preserve whether the fish sold at any of the animal food locations is treated with vitamins or altered in any way and we asked if it could be fed to other animals within the park safely. We were told it was
not treated in any way and that there was no safety issue involved in feeding it to other animals as long as it's fed promptly so it's fresh. However, the total amount of food sold at each exhibit area is weighed so that it's known how much has been provided to that group of animals. If enough people were to try to bring food from one area to another - and immediately feed it to the animals (so it doesn't have time to spoil in the heat) - it could supposedly throw off their figures, so they strongly discourage this. They also don't want people to see others doing this, who may not understand the fresh/spoiled issue.
It made sense to us that they don't want people to carry food between exhibit areas. But why the
price-gouging at Dolphin Cove??!? Perhaps they have to account for the budget separately in each exhibit area.
Still, for the customer/guest, it's horrible PR to price the same item so differently in different areas of the park. JMHO. And now I'll step off my soapbox, thank you.
