SW & DC as promised

Julma

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 3, 2003
Messages
284
We decided to spend Monday 4/18 at Seaworld. We took a cab from RPR at 8:30 am. It was about a 15 minute ride and cost $20, which included tip. RPR does run a shuttle, but we were told by staff it ran to SW at 10 AM and made a return run at 6:45 PM. I am not sure how accurate this is, but it is what we were told. Seaworld was nice. We had purchased a day at Discovery Cove which included admission to Seaworld. We had to show our Discovery Cove reservation at guest services and in we went through a separate enterance. We saw everything. The coaster members of my family loved Kraken. It was the highlight of their trip. Very smooth. I would not skip anything. Lunch was just okay and expensive. We did not do Shamu or the Underwater Shark dinner which I am sure would have been much better. Don't miss the underwater viewing areas. They can be easily missed and they are great. The one with the killer whales was so much fun. They come right up to the glass and seem very curious. If you wave your arms they go into their routines. It was a blast. Great photo opportunity. Another not to be missed is the hospitality center, free beer! We left Seaworld about 4:30 having seen and done it all. It was a nice relaxing day.

Discovery Cove is wonderful and even worth the price. If anyone has ever cruised, it is very much like a private island. We left RPR at 7:50. Again we took a $20 cab ride. We got to DC about 8:10, while we were not the first there, we were one of the first. We had a 9:10 dolphin swim. Three of us opted for vests and my husband took a wetsuit. The water is not that cold. Being from Massachusetts, it was no colder than any part of the Cape and warmer than most. If you take a wetsuit for the swim you can switch later to a vest. We had Hutch. A very fun and playful dolphin. The interaction is great. There are four of us and if, I mean "when" I do it again, I may chose to do two and two, so one group could take pictures of the other group during their swim. Do not put your own sunscreen on. They will make you wash it off. They provide a sunscreen that is safe to use in their water. The lazy river was fun. Snorkling was great. The aviary was cool. The birds will land on you and you can feed them. Find out what time they are feeding the stingrays and be a part of it. I think I like this as much as the dolphin swim. It was really cool. Find your seats as soon as you can. We were near the eating area. It was a nice area with both shade and sun. Be aware of the traffic patterns. There are areas, especially near the entrance to the lazy river, that see a lot of foot traffic. The food was very good. My son was debating over what to get and they told him he could pick one and if he wanted to come back and get the other he could. They did not check off anything when you went to lunch, so I am sure if you were really hungry or did not like what you chose, another meal would not be a problem. Watershoes are not a bad idea for DC. There are many areas where if you are not careful you could get hurt. Forget pedicures ladies, what ever is in the water eats right through the paint on your nails. We packed a change of clothes in ziplock baggies and showered and changed before we left. They have nice facilities to do that. There are also plenty of towels stacked in various locations. We left around 4:30 having had a great day.

Any questions, fire away.
 
Thanks for the great report! What do you mean by "seats". Do they assign lounge chairs, etc? Do you think the dolphin swim would be good for a animal loving seven year old? How long was the dolpin swim? Thanks!
 
By seats, I do mean lounge chairs. You can leave your towels on them to "save" them. There are plenty of chairs, but not as many umbrellas. We chose chairs under an umbrella and among trees. You are in the sun a lot when you are doing the activities. It was nice to relax in the shade.

The dolphin swim would be great for a seven year old. It is not very long. You head out in groups of about 8. After a short film you head into the water up to about your waist. The trainer talks about your dolphin. The dolphin does some tricks. The whole swim last around 30 minutes. I did not keep track, so I hope that is about right. You get to feed and touch the dolphin. Then you have a one on one kiss with the dolphin. At the end, two people at a time swim out about 30 yards (again guessing, I may be off) and the dophin will pull you in one at a time. Cool! You really get a feel for how powerful an animal it is. Then it is goodbye and you are ushered off to look at the photos they have taken. These are expensive. They are nice pictures and you will want to budget some in, but try not to buy on emotion. You can get caught up in the moment and spend a lot of money. We bought 3 5x7's for about $55.

Another tip for everyone...you can take your mask in the water with you. I suggest you do this. It is neat to see the dolphin turning underwater. If most of your group has a mask the trainer will have the dolphin do underwater tricks. It added something.

And another...we were supposed to do the DC on Sunday. It was going to be "chilly" Sunday morning, so Saturday I checked on-line and they had openings later in the week. I called and you are allowed one change day without penalty we were able to change the date no problem.
 
wow! thanks for the great report! we are soooo looking forward to our day at discovery cove... and hoping to find a way to get a day at seaworld as well (esp since it's included)... thanks for sharing!
 

My family of 4 was at DC in November and our dolphin was Hutch too! We thought he was just awesome, and fantastic with my 2 ds's! By the way, our trainer said he was born across the street in Sea World to mom, Starkey (thus how he got his name Hutch - not perfect, but close!)
 














Save Up to 30% on Rooms at Walt Disney World!

Save up to 30% on rooms at select Disney Resorts Collection hotels when you stay 5 consecutive nights or longer in late summer and early fall. Plus, enjoy other savings for shorter stays.This offer is valid for stays most nights from August 1 to October 11, 2025.
CLICK HERE













DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest

Back
Top