Dolphins: Blue Lagoon or Discovery Cove

[Sarahraegraham]

Hi everyone! DH and I just booked our first ever Disney Cruise. We’re adding a short 3-day cruise to our week at WDW in October. I was reviewing the availabile excursions at Nassau and saw the dolphin ones at Atlantis and Blue Lagoon, and we both agree that a dolphin encounter of some sort is something we’d like to do. After debating between Atlantis and BL we decided BL would fit us better. However, being that this is our first cruise we’d like to maximize time on the ship, and if we skipped BL we would just stay onboard that day. So I started looking into other options in the Orlando area and found Discovery Cove. I know nothing about DC, so I was hoping you all could provide some insight into if that might be a better choice for us. We would just stick it in a spot of our WDW week. I have some mobility issues and use an ECV in the parks (I can walk and stand just not for super long distances or periods of time) and I would probably not want to bring that with me to DC. I’m not very keen on swimming as recreation, although DH enjoys the water. I’m not sure how intensive a day at DC would be. Can any of you comment on the difference between the dolphin encounters and if you think DC might be better for us? Cost is a non-factor, just FYI, and we’ve been to WDW a few times so it’s no big deal to cut some things out to make it work if we need to.

 

[mevelandry]

Honestly, I'm against dolphin swims for ethical reasons to begin with... But I'm not your boss and I haven't seen Discovery Cove BUT I gotta tell you:

Blue Lagoon is a nice place to go to the beach and I haven't seen how employees interact with them but the conditions in which they keep their dolphins look simply horrible.

They are kept in the ocean but inside a very small enclosure and it looked like they had less than 6 ft deep to swim in. I can't swear they did not have a second enclosure but I can just tell you that the one I've seen dolphins swim in all day that day felt incredibly small.

They looked miserable.

So I personally would avoid them.

 

[fdefulvio]

Balmoral Island is another option. I booked the Dolphin Encounter through Costco which has great rates, plus an additional 10% off with code COSTSHRX. Their excursion insurance was also reasonable.

I thought I was booking Blue Lagoon until my ticket info was emailed. Reviews seem to be comparable.

The biggest complaints that people have are the high cost of pictures/video, which I’ve come to accept.

 

[dcassetta]

Have you seen the board on Discovery Cove? https://www.disboards.com/forums/sea-world-discovery-cove.32/

 

[Sarahraegraham]

Have you seen the board on Discovery Cove? https://www.disboards.com/forums/sea-world-discovery-cove.32/

I have not, thank you!

 

[RllngRckBrw]

We went through the same decision making process a few months back with many of the same considerations. We take our trip next month and decided to go with Discovery Cove. The deciding factors for us were the maximizing of time on the ship and the extras included with a day at DC (sting rays, other exhibits, included food and drink etc.). It just felt like for us DC, while more expensive than an excursion, was a better value as it was more of an experience than an excursion.

 

[Sarahraegraham]

We went through the same decision making process a few months back with many of the same considerations. We take our trip next month and decided to go with Discovery Cove. The deciding factors for us were the maximizing of time on the ship and the extras included with a day at DC (sting rays, other exhibits, included food and drink etc.). It just felt like for us DC, while more expensive than an excursion, was a better value as it was more of an experience than an excursion.

Thanks for the input! I’m leaning toward DC as well.

 

[codygirl5150]

DD and I went to DC a few years ago. It was the most amazing experience and one of our favorite vacations ever! Snorkeling with giant sting rays, dolphin swim was great and limited to small groups (6-8) with dorsal fin tow, very relaxing, all food and drinks included (including beer/wine). Beach lounge area is right next to the main salt water lagoon, they even had sand wheel chairs if you need one. They limit the # of people in the park. I’d go to Orlando just for a day at DC. You will not regret it!!!

 

[lunaland]

From an animal welfare standpoint, DC without a doubt. For the record I am very supportive of marine parks and have visited both. DC was also a lot more fun of an experience, overall. I bring everyone I travel with there. I would not return to Blue Lagoon.