Swimming with Dolphins!

[Zereouem]

Hello to all, we are coming to visit orlando in March with Disney trips being the focal trip, my husband and son (8yr) , this will be the first time we visit the area, I personally always wanted to swin with the dolphins, so now my husband said he wont mind and my ds said the same. I wanted to know if they change their mind and say no, will they be able to enter park and wait on me while i swim with dolphins and take pics. We are a military family and that will be my only interest is swimming with dolphins and then leaving after that. Ok maybe viewing other things, but will they have to pay as well, i guess is my question
Thanks to all whom reply!

 

[happymommy]

I looked into that for our spring break, but I'm going solo with the kids (and we're planning on only going to Seaworld this trip). The dolphin encounter is at Discovery Cove, which is separate from Seaworld. It isn't cheap - last I looked it would cost about $170 for a non swimmer and $250 or so for a swimmer to enter. For me to take the kids and let them both swim and me watch, it's still about $700 for a day. It's an all day thing, with meals and other swimming - and I'm not quite sure if you just get into the water with the dolphins and pet them or if you actually "swim" with them.

Look up their website for more info. I don't see any military discounts, just the free Seaworld tickets for military. I'm using Amex points for our Seaworld tickets, and waiting to see what the weather may be in March to see if we want to fork over so much $$$ for Discovery Cove (especially since my husband isn't going, so we may skip that).

 

[smitette]

we went to Discovery Cove in 2008(I think) and that was the most relaxing and fun day that we have ever spent in Orlando! You can swim/snorkel (they have perscription mask if you need them also!!) in the tropical reef at Discovery Cove and it was an awesome thing! You can lay out in the sun, eat, see the sting rays, go to the bird aviary, float on the lazy river..It is a great way to spend the day and it is so pretty!!

 

[ccgirl]

We just went to Discovery Cove last month. I cannot recommend it enough. My DD8 liked it more than WDW. There is so much more to do than I thought. We got an amazing deal with American Express. The dolphin swim was $125 for my DH and DD each. I did a non dolphin swim and that was $45 and my DS2 was free. That price also includes 7 day admission to either SeaWorld or Busch Gardens. So we went to both parks for less than the admission of Sea World. Plus, at Discovery Cove all food/snacks/drinks are free for the entire day. This includes beer and wine. There is just so much to do other than the dolphin swim. We went in the sting ray pool, snorkeled and saw the most amazing fish, went around the lazy river, swam in the heated pool. My DS2 built sand castles on the beach as my DH and DD swam with the dolphins. It really was absolutely amazing!

To answer your question, I am not sure if you can downgrade. I know I asked if I wanted to swim with the dolphins that day; could I? They said as long as there was availability I could pay extra for that when I checked in.

 

[Disneymommy2006]

Has that American Express deal ended?
Also, we are planning on going in June. My 6 year old is thrilled about the idea of swimming with the dolphins. We went to SW last summer and he LOVED it! However, my older son is a little apprehensive. He is just that kind of kid....I payed for him to swim b/c I was afraid with it being summer that there would be no availability if he changed his mind and wanted to swim. I would be fine not to swim and do all the other stuff along with him. I'm just afraid once we get there he would regret not doing it. My question is what if he really doesn't want to when we get there?? Would that money just be lost? I think he would maybe even do everything except for the actual swim when you hold on to the dolphin b/c we would all be there with him together. How do the trainers handle this kind of thing? Has anyone had any experience like this with a child that might be a little afraid of this experience??? Thanks for any help!!!

 

[ccgirl]

Has that American Express deal ended?
Also, we are planning on going in June. My 6 year old is thrilled about the idea of swimming with the dolphins. We went to SW last summer and he LOVED it! However, my older son is a little apprehensive. He is just that kind of kid....I payed for him to swim b/c I was afraid with it being summer that there would be no availability if he changed his mind and wanted to swim. I would be fine not to swim and do all the other stuff along with him. I'm just afraid once we get there he would regret not doing it. My question is what if he really doesn't want to when we get there?? Would that money just be lost? I think he would maybe even do everything except for the actual swim when you hold on to the dolphin b/c we would all be there with him together. How do the trainers handle this kind of thing? Has anyone had any experience like this with a child that might be a little afraid of this experience??? Thanks for any help!!!

I am not sure if it has ended or not. The code was amxdm10 if you want to try it. As long as you have paid for the dolphin swim they will let you go in the water with the dolphin. If you are nervous, they will not make you swim with them. My DD8 was a little nervous. They let my DH swim out with her but then she swam back with the dolphin alone. I don't think they would give you any type of refund when you go there as you had already taken up some of the reservations. Have fun!

 

[JLR]

1. People who enter the park but don't swim with the dolphins have to pay the non-swim rate (day resort) ($149 or $169), and thes swimmer pays the swim rate ($259 - 289). This includes
- breakfast, lunch, snacks, and beverages including some alcoholic beverages(8am - 5:30pm).

- The opportunity to spend time in the aviary and feed the birds (the food is free and educators/handlers are in the rooms to help you)

- the opportunity to feed, wade with, touch, and snorkel with stingrays (with their barbs removed)

- the opportunity to snorkel with other tropical fish in a different area

- the opportunity to swim in the warm lazy river (the areas with animals are cold for their health) which runs through cavern and through the aviary.

- there are lots of chairs and it is a beautiful beach.

- Some educational activities throughout the day
It is wonderfully relaxing and I think you would be shortchanging yourself to rush in, swim with the dolphins and leave. We were there all day and wished we had more time in the coral reef area and the aviary.
Your admission also includes 7 day admission to SeaWorld (or you could choose Busch Gardens or Aquatica).

2. The dolphin "swim" consists of the following:
- an educational meeting in one of the cabanas.
- assemble as a group of 8 participants in one of the lagoons. Your non-participants can come and watch from the beach there and take photos if you like)
- you wade in with your trainer and a dolphin is invited to swim over. If the invited one doesn't feel like it, they'll invite another one (no dophins are forced). (In our case another dolphin kepts swimming over to tease Iggy, our dolphin) The trainer will teach you some things about the dolphin as it swims around you and you get the opportunity to touch the dolphin. Then the groups are allowed to take pictures with the dolphins and I think one of our group members had a non-participant who was allowed to get in the photo.

You can see one group behind us still working on the education wade part. You do not need to swim for most of the encounter.

I can't imagine that your kids wouldn't want to do this. (By the way - you can see in the background some of the full life vests that are available. We were required to use them for the optional activity we did which ended with the two-foot push. They were surprisingly comfortable and you could not sink wearing one of those!) The actual swim part is brief. The strong swimmers were invited to swim out and be towed back by the dolphin. The anxious people (one little girl and one elderly grandmother) were allowed to walk back on a ledge and were also towed back. There would not be any shaming if someone decided they didn't want to do this.

Look at this face though!

 

[ccgirl]

Love your pictures Julie! Thanks for sharing. The food really was delicious and all you can eat. As you said, we wished we had a second day. There was so much to do! Did someone else in your party take those pics? They were awesome.

 

[JLR]

Love your pictures Julie! Thanks for sharing. The food really was delicious and all you can eat. As you said, we wished we had a second day. There was so much to do! Did someone else in your party take those pics? They were awesome.

Thanks cc girl! The pics with the dolphin were taken by the adventure photo people - we got the photo CD. I took the others with my cheap ($129) little fuji finepix digital (underwater safe) camera Z33WP. IT took great underwater pictures and was unpredictable on land - some good some bad.

 

[Disneymommy2006]

Thanks everyone! LOVE those pictures. How much are the ones they take at DC?

 

[JLR]

Thanks everyone! LOVE those pictures. How much are the ones they take at DC?

I ended up spending a lot - watch out for that post dolphin swim euphoria! I had not planned on getting much but you see the great photos. I didn't do too badly after the first dolphin swim, but then the second experience. I felt like since I'd gotten certain shots with the one dolphin I needed them with the two dolphins. It was euphoria, I'm telling ya.

I got the videos of both our dolphin experiences, the photo CD and a whole bunch of pictures (some were part of a package). I wish I had just got the video and and the photo CD for 2 reasons: 1. cost and 2. carrying back a poster and all the photos in their cardboard frames and the book I think all that was in the realm of $400! I think getting the video and photo CD a la cart would have been less than $200 but I'm not sure.

 

[JLR]

BTW if you want to see the whole DC day - click on my TR below and then at the end of the first post are links to my DC day.