Has anyone done the dolphin swim at Discovery Cove?

[MarthaJr.]

I read a lot of reviews on the DC/Seaworld board here on the DIS and I was just hoping to gain the opinions of those who perhaps aren't so....for lack of a better word "into" the dolphin swim experience.

Is it really worth an extra $100 per person for 30 minutes with a dolphin?

Don't get me wrong....I am an animal lover, but the tightwad in me thinks this is a ridiculous amount of money for 30 minutes with the dolphin. (Probably much more like 15 min. once you are done with all of the instructions.)

What do you think?

 

[nchulka]

I'm extremely cheap also, but we did the dolphin experience and loved it . To me it was just one of those once in a lifetime things that I wanted my kids to have a memory of. Of course that meant I had to spring for the photo CD also. Discovery Cove was an awesome day, we loved it all.

 

[greenclan67]

I have to agree, I like finding discounts, and being thrifty, but we did Discovery Cove 2 years ago @ $189 a piece, and yes, you do get half and hour, you get 15 mins before the actual swim with the instructors, then a full half hour with the dolphin. It was worth every penny, and a memory out of the 4 trips to Florida, that is my kids favourite! We are going back in March, and not doing the swim just going to the park, to relax! Well worth it!

 

[skylizard]

I hesitated for a while before bookinG our dolphin experience. Like you, I didn't want to spend the $100 each for my husband and I. But I booked it and am so glad I did. We had one of the best days at Discovery Cove. it was awesome and such a great experience. We can't wait to take our niece one she is old enough to go. It's worth every penny!

 

[Whistle]

I did it 2 years ago, and it is simply AMAZING! It is not something I can do everytime I go to Orlando, but is something I think you should try. You do get a FULL 30 minutes with the dolphins (after all the instructions)-- the experience is unforgettable!!!

 

[Frothy]

It's not just about the dolphins though. Great as that is, it's a fabulous experience just being at Discovery Cove for the day. Well worth the money IMHO.

 

[Marleen2]

I hesitated too as it IS a lot of money. But it's not just about the dolphins (though that's the main goal of going). Also loved the snorkling with the giant rays, the lazy river, and the excellent food!
I even had a little "talk" with the dolphin. While we were in the water with the dolphin, I asked the intructor if they never got tired of doing the tricks. So, she asked the dolphin "Do you ever get tired of doing the tricks?" (while she signed him under water) and he shook his head. "No, you love it, don't you?" and he nodded. It was so funny!
Expensive, but memories that last a lifetime. Well worth the money spent!

 

[MarthaJr.]

Thanks everyone for making me feel better about shelling out the money for the dolphin swim. I was able to book the dolphin swim for the 4 of us at $169 each as they are having a special deal for annual passport holders.(you don't have to be a Florida resident.) I purchased an Aquatica annual pass for $117 including tax and saved $100 per person on our dolphin swim. You can also purchase the resort only for $69 per person if you have the annual pass.

I feel it is a price I can live with since you get free parking, food & drinks all day.

 

[greenclan67]

I am glad you got the better price MarthaJR. Enjoy, you will love it!

 

[kathy884]

From reviews I've read and the raving other people in our group gave about this, I know I'm in the minority, but here is my honest opinion.

I thought the dolphin swim was really lame and vastly overpriced. My husband and son thought so too. // To put this in perspective, though, we've done Dolphin experiences other places -- Key West, Puerto Vallarta, and Jamacia. All of these we less expensive, offered considerably more dolphin time, and weren't as closely supervised. It was impossible for us not to compare this experience to these other ones. (More about us too -- We love marine mammals -- think the SeaWorld marine park is wonderful, like to go whale watching, like to see Dolphins in the wild too, etc.)

You share your dolphin with maybe eight other people. The trainer touches the dolphin for a few seconds and says, now you do this. And all you get are two super short pulls that are about 1/3rd of the distance you go at other places. There are people taking pictures too, and they have you pose quite a few times. To me if felt more like a photo shoot, than a dolphin swim experience (really staged). Many people in our group spent almost as much on pictures as they did on the dolphin swim, so this has to be a real money maker. After the swim, you are ushered to an area where for about 20 minutes to a 1/2 hour you get to look at pictures and evaluate various purchase options. We bought one 5*7 for my son. Every one else in our group spent $80 or more on photos. But as I said before, they thought it was a fabulous experience. We weren't looking for momentos for remembering this. In fact I wanted to forget how much money I spent on this experience.

 

[Marleen2]

Thanks everyone for making me feel better about shelling out the money for the dolphin swim. I was able to book the dolphin swim for the 4 of us at $169 each as they are having a special deal for annual passport holders.(you don't have to be a Florida resident.) I purchased an Aquatica annual pass for $117 including tax and saved $100 per person on our dolphin swim. You can also purchase the resort only for $69 per person if you have the annual pass.

I feel it is a price I can live with since you get free parking, food & drinks all day.

Good for you!
What hasn't been mentioned here is that spending a day at Discovery Cove is a nice change to all the busy parks, it's a totally different atmosphere (at least when we went, we went at the end of September and it wasn't busy at all). Maybe it had to do with the dolphins, but to me it felt like spending a day at the wellness center, I felt totally relaxed afterwards

 

[kathy884]

Thanks everyone for making me feel better about shelling out the money for the dolphin swim. I was able to book the dolphin swim for the 4 of us at $169 each as they are having a special deal for annual passport holders.(you don't have to be a Florida resident.) I purchased an Aquatica annual pass for $117 including tax and saved $100 per person on our dolphin swim. You can also purchase the resort only for $69 per person if you have the annual pass.

I feel it is a price I can live with since you get free parking, food & drinks all day.

That's an excellent price! Enjoy.

 

[MedicGoofy]

I have to weigh in on this....as dolphins are my ABSOLUTE favorite animale, well after my golden retreiver

I say go for it. It's a fantastic experience. Where else do you get to be up close and personal with such a fantastic creature? And it's not just the dolphin swim...it's the whole day in such a beautiful park. The food they have for you. The snorkelling. Swimming with tropical fish and stingrays. AND they will be opening up another portion of the park in June (depending on when you are going). I love it there, not just for the dolphin swim.

I have done the dolphin swim two other times in other places (Mexico and dominican) and thought this overall was better. It's really the same in concept. Yes, you pay somewhat less in other places...BUT you don't get to spend the entire day in a beautiful park (unless at Mexico a XelHa- then it's comparable)....it's with a group of 8 people...and the trainers tell you what to do with the animals...and your waiting for others to have pictures taken as well.

IMO....it's worth it. I'm going for my second time in the fall to discovery cove and think it's worth every cent I'm going to pay Can't wait!! Being in the water with such a strong and magestic yet gentle and playful animal is wonderful

Hope you go and have fun!!!

 

[MarthaJr.]

Thank you all for your opinions. We are planning to go Easter Sunday. We are going to the park no matter what...we are really excited about the snorkeling and the aviary...just still undecided on the dolphin swim add-on. Seems most people really enjoy it. I just have a VERY difficult time paying $100 each extra for this animal encounter. DS16 really loves animals and wants to do it. I have a feeling he will end up being the only one to do it and the rest of us will experience it through his joy. The $300 I save for the rest of us covers most of my boarding costs for my dogs for the trip!

 

[happymommy]

Thank you all for your opinions. We are planning to go Easter Sunday. We are going to the park no matter what...we are really excited about the snorkeling and the aviary...just still undecided on the dolphin swim add-on. Seems most people really enjoy it. I just have a VERY difficult time paying $100 each extra for this animal encounter. DS16 really loves animals and wants to do it. I have a feeling he will end up being the only one to do it and the rest of us will experience it through his joy. The $300 I save for the rest of us covers most of my boarding costs for my dogs for the trip!

I plan on doing a similar thing. My kids are dying to do the dolphin swim, but I'm not really into that. The day at DC sounds like fun, so I'm taking them (and my mom) but just letting them do the swim.

I found that I can buy the Super Grover Pass for less than $150 for each of us, which gets us into Seaworld, Busch Gardens Tampa (which we will probably do), Busch Gardens Williamsburg (3 hours away - will do this summer) and Aquatica through the end of the year, plus the discount on DC (it's $69 non swim and $169 swim ). So that will fill up our week! My mom will just do DC with us for the day, so won't need any other tickets. I figure it saves us money and gives us lots to do!



It is hard to think about all that $$ - I'm so cheap on vacations!

 

[kelkel03]

i just posted about this, i really want to do it, i just checked for when we are going in May, and it is 229.00 per person for the dolphin swim, kinda of expensive, but man my girls would love it, do they ever have promotions?

 

[buzz2400]

I've been to DC twice. Each time I went was with a discount. This is how I justified the cost; get to swim with dolphin (even though you are with a group of people and only for a short time), free food and drinks throughout the day; get away from the crowds; a free day at seaworld; other swimming areas; and lifetime of memories. I did not regret either visit.

 

[act1980]

Hi all

What is the actual swim time with the dolphins? I can't imagine that you get 30 minutes each?

Also, are you put in groups with strangers?

Thanks!

 

[buzz2400]

You are in the water for about 30 minutes with a group of 8. First they line you up and introduce the dolphin to you. Then they have each family group move up to kiss it, then the next family group moves to kiss it. Then the first family group will move up and do something else, etc. Then the finale is you swim out a bit and the dolphin will bring you back. So you are with the group for 30 minutes in the water but your interaction is probably only ten minutes. It is worth it if you have never been close to a dolphin.