4/29/2007
Today I attended Discovery Cove and had a wonderful time with my wife and two children, ages 12 and 10. Being a relatively new and expensive Orlando attraction, may people are unsure if the very high price tag is justified by the experience. Here are my opinions:
Discovery Cove is a gorgeously landscaped theme park that allows attendees to swim with dolphins, swim with rays, snorkel in a coral reef, ride a lazy river, visit their aviary, splash about in waterfalls and dine to their hearts content. All meals and snacks are included in the entry fee. The food is very good and you can eat and drink (including beer) all day without paying an additional penny.
The park only admits one thousand people a day, so there are no lines or battling of crowds. Park attendants are everywhere, extremely helpful and very cheery. When you arrive, you get a 10-minute park orientation showing you where everything is.
The place is wonderful and my family had a great time.
Now, the Big Question: Does it justify the cost? My wife and I had the basic admission fee of $179 per person and we paid $279 for each of our kids who were included in the “Swim with Dolphins” package. List price for the day: $920. Yeah, I know, ouch. There's a discount if you book well in advance and admission to Seaworld and Busch Gardens is free if you attend.
Deciding if something is “worth it” is a value judgment and depends on many things. Are you Donald Trump or a struggling single mom? Is this your first time or your fifth? Does one day at Discovery Cove mean you cannot afford a week at Disney? Are you in Orlando for four days or two weeks? Only you can weigh these factors and decide for yourself.
Do I think it was worth the pricetag? Yes. It was our first time, my wife wanted it very much, we planned on seeing Seaworld and I can afford it (but barely).
Will I do it again? Probably not, and here’s why:
The main draw for the park is twofold, in my opinion; swimming with dolphins and snorkeling in a coral reef. The dolphin session was adequate, you get to touch and “kiss” a dolphin and the dolphin at one point will pull you along for a quick, 10-second ride. But my wife swam with dolphins in Cozumel five years ago and you got multiple rides, including one where two dolphins pushed you by the feet and then tossed you into the air, like you see in the Seaworld dolphin shows. So while the dolphin package is fun, I’ve seen better.
The coral reef, for me, was a disappointment. I’ve been snorkeling and scuba diving before, so I know what a coral reef looks like (I’ve also raised and grown corals in my home) – and this is not a coral reef. It’s a reef shaped, concrete enclosure (coated with sand) populated by large rays and fairly large but uncolorful fish. Now, having raised corals, anemones, eels, invertebrates, etc, I knew going in that there was no way that they could have such delicate life forms on display and not be smashed to bits after the first week of guests tromping all over them. But what struck me was the lack of color. I figured they’d at least have swarms of colorful damsels (small fish) hiding among the coral shaped concrete rocks, but no. I know they must have a good reason, but it was distinctly missing for me.
For my money, I’d have rather driven an hour to a good snorkeling spot on the Florida coast, rented gear for everyone for a hundred bucks and seen the real thing. Yes, in doing so you will not see the large rays, small sharks and barracuda (kept safe behind glass) available at Discovery Cove -- but you don’t necessarily need that. I have waded into the waters off Jupiter Beach and been riveted for hours at the infinite variety of small crabs, squid, damsels, triggers, parrotfish, etc that occupy a 20 foot strip of coastline. The little guys scurrying about are way more interesting.
The aviary, waterfalls and lazy river aren’t anything you haven’t seen elsewhere for much less money. And you can grab an excellent lunch anywhere for a hundred bucks. All my kids eat is mac’n’cheese, chicken fingers and cheeseburgers anyway.
Now on the plus side, Discovery Cove is convenient. It’s a nice package with a variety of things all in one place, and 20 minutes from where you are staying. Plus I don’t have to worry about dragging my kids into water without a safe standing spot no more than 15 feet away. Also, you get admittance to Seaworld and Busch Gardens free. While I don’t intend on driving to Tampa for Busch Gardens, I did save $220 on entry fees for Seaworld.
So if you’ve never been to Discovery Cove and plan on seeing Seaworld or Busch Gardens anyway, Discovery Cove may be worth the hefty pricetag, especially if you have kids and want a variety of activities all in one day.
I will close by simply stating that we had a wonderful day and my children were thrilled!
Today I attended Discovery Cove and had a wonderful time with my wife and two children, ages 12 and 10. Being a relatively new and expensive Orlando attraction, may people are unsure if the very high price tag is justified by the experience. Here are my opinions:
Discovery Cove is a gorgeously landscaped theme park that allows attendees to swim with dolphins, swim with rays, snorkel in a coral reef, ride a lazy river, visit their aviary, splash about in waterfalls and dine to their hearts content. All meals and snacks are included in the entry fee. The food is very good and you can eat and drink (including beer) all day without paying an additional penny.
The park only admits one thousand people a day, so there are no lines or battling of crowds. Park attendants are everywhere, extremely helpful and very cheery. When you arrive, you get a 10-minute park orientation showing you where everything is.
The place is wonderful and my family had a great time.
Now, the Big Question: Does it justify the cost? My wife and I had the basic admission fee of $179 per person and we paid $279 for each of our kids who were included in the “Swim with Dolphins” package. List price for the day: $920. Yeah, I know, ouch. There's a discount if you book well in advance and admission to Seaworld and Busch Gardens is free if you attend.
Deciding if something is “worth it” is a value judgment and depends on many things. Are you Donald Trump or a struggling single mom? Is this your first time or your fifth? Does one day at Discovery Cove mean you cannot afford a week at Disney? Are you in Orlando for four days or two weeks? Only you can weigh these factors and decide for yourself.
Do I think it was worth the pricetag? Yes. It was our first time, my wife wanted it very much, we planned on seeing Seaworld and I can afford it (but barely).
Will I do it again? Probably not, and here’s why:
The main draw for the park is twofold, in my opinion; swimming with dolphins and snorkeling in a coral reef. The dolphin session was adequate, you get to touch and “kiss” a dolphin and the dolphin at one point will pull you along for a quick, 10-second ride. But my wife swam with dolphins in Cozumel five years ago and you got multiple rides, including one where two dolphins pushed you by the feet and then tossed you into the air, like you see in the Seaworld dolphin shows. So while the dolphin package is fun, I’ve seen better.
The coral reef, for me, was a disappointment. I’ve been snorkeling and scuba diving before, so I know what a coral reef looks like (I’ve also raised and grown corals in my home) – and this is not a coral reef. It’s a reef shaped, concrete enclosure (coated with sand) populated by large rays and fairly large but uncolorful fish. Now, having raised corals, anemones, eels, invertebrates, etc, I knew going in that there was no way that they could have such delicate life forms on display and not be smashed to bits after the first week of guests tromping all over them. But what struck me was the lack of color. I figured they’d at least have swarms of colorful damsels (small fish) hiding among the coral shaped concrete rocks, but no. I know they must have a good reason, but it was distinctly missing for me.
For my money, I’d have rather driven an hour to a good snorkeling spot on the Florida coast, rented gear for everyone for a hundred bucks and seen the real thing. Yes, in doing so you will not see the large rays, small sharks and barracuda (kept safe behind glass) available at Discovery Cove -- but you don’t necessarily need that. I have waded into the waters off Jupiter Beach and been riveted for hours at the infinite variety of small crabs, squid, damsels, triggers, parrotfish, etc that occupy a 20 foot strip of coastline. The little guys scurrying about are way more interesting.
The aviary, waterfalls and lazy river aren’t anything you haven’t seen elsewhere for much less money. And you can grab an excellent lunch anywhere for a hundred bucks. All my kids eat is mac’n’cheese, chicken fingers and cheeseburgers anyway.
Now on the plus side, Discovery Cove is convenient. It’s a nice package with a variety of things all in one place, and 20 minutes from where you are staying. Plus I don’t have to worry about dragging my kids into water without a safe standing spot no more than 15 feet away. Also, you get admittance to Seaworld and Busch Gardens free. While I don’t intend on driving to Tampa for Busch Gardens, I did save $220 on entry fees for Seaworld.
So if you’ve never been to Discovery Cove and plan on seeing Seaworld or Busch Gardens anyway, Discovery Cove may be worth the hefty pricetag, especially if you have kids and want a variety of activities all in one day.
I will close by simply stating that we had a wonderful day and my children were thrilled!
For the fact you are getting THREE pack admissions thrown in (is there a time limit on this?)
