Discovery Cove

[wendy_uk]

Can any tell me if it is worth considering a visit to Discovery Cove in February or will it be just to cold. Just I dont want to book it and then find out we will freeze to death. This would be a major part of our holiday money, so it is as good as it says??

 

[micles]

Don't no about the weather outside, but was at discovery cove early april last year and outside weather was great. The water temperature is what is cold. The water in the dolphin swim and with the tropical fish is not heated and we found it to be cold even in april. Loved discovery cove and would do it again in a heartbeat if wasn't so pricey, but for a once in a lifetime chance was well worth it. You get very special treatment and to interact with dolphin was so cool. How many people do you know that can say they have kissed a dolphin.

 

[Sian]

We did DC a couple of weeks back and it was about 74 degrees and sunny, the best day of that week. We found the water to be fine, the pool with no fish was positively warm and the fish and dolphin pools were cooler but still ok. We (myself and two sons) enjoyed the day very much but I did not want to swim for more than an hour or so and it was rather cold for sunbathing. The boys played in the water for longer but even they did not want to stay the whole day. If you think you will be back in warmer weather, I would save the experience to get the most out of it. There is not much 'to do' so good enough weather to hang around is quite important IMHO. Having said that, if this in your one chance, get the full wet suit and go for it.

 

[SheriB]

For the amount of money you will be paying, I'd wait until it was a better guarantee of warmer weather. We went in July, when it was unbearably hot, and the dolphin swim water and snorkeling water was cold (although you get used to it). If it were any cooler than 80 degrees out of the water, I don't think we could have endured the cold water part. There is a heated, no fish, chlorinated swim area that's really neat and fun, but for the money, I'd want to be sure I could do everything and not freeze. Just my opinion. Good luck, whatever you decide.

Sheri

 

[vernon]

It is really down to luck if you get decent weather or not, pretty much anytime from Mid Nov to Early April you can get hit with a cold snap. There are a few things to take into consideration as you weigh up the gamble. I would say you have an 80 per cent chance of good enough weather at that time of year, but I am designed for cold weather so others ( skinnier chappies) may disagree with that figure . Check out the "average temps" for that time of year but I would think the highs are in the 75-80 range.

1) What feels FREEZING in summer when the air temp is in the 90-100 range doesn't feel quite such a nasty shock when the air and water temps are closer together. It's unlikely that you'll get weather that means the day is a complete blow out, it's just a question of how much you can make of the other attractions. At the very least there is the dolphin swim, some time in the aviary, lunch and hopefully a couple of visits to each of the coral reef and stingray lagoons.

2) DC is A LOT OF MONEY, but it does include a weeks worth of travel to Sea World. by making the most of those tickets, ie using 3 or 4 half days at SW coupled with other excursions everyone feels like they have had a "park day" but you're not left exhausted from trolling round any number of queues and rides all day. If it's a major issue, then I'd be tempted to leave it until I revisited at a warmer time.

3) You're coming from the cold UK, if you book your visit to DC within the first couple of days in Florida it is still likely to feel quite warm to you, even if it's only in the low 70s.

4) The smaller and younger any kids are, the more they will feel the cold and the less time they will be able to stay in relatively cool water. If they are under age 6 or quite skinny it is likely they will REALLY feel the cold. Their ability to swim is another factor. If they swim quite well, then it's likely they will keep warmer than if they just "bob about" in the pool.


I do think it's a shame that DC doesn't have some sort of contingency "shows" or "edutainment" they could put on in this situation (or summer thunderstorms for that matter) It would be really easy, IMHO, to have a small theatre/covered area where they could put on a bird/reptile display or "meet and greet". It would be a relatively low cost item, but would add value to the park on the occassions the weather puts a bit of a downer on the "regular" offerings. Two slots of half an hour each would really give people the feeling they had recieved their monies worth as it would give them something to do while getting warm enough to chance another dip in one of the pools.

Anyway I digress, in answer to your question " is it as good as they say it is? "
IMHO yes it is, but do keep a healthy dose of realism in your expectations as it can sometimes be difficult to live up to the highest hopes.

 

[DDinGA]

Ok vernon, now I'm nervous. I was planning a trip for the beginning of April and now I'm afraid it may not be hot enough for DC. We went to WDW the beginning of June in 2001 and it was HOT, too hot for park touring for us so we thought April might be better. Help me decide, those of you who have been in April. TIA

 

[micles]

DDinGA - We went to DC in early April last year. The weather was perfect. The water in the dolphin swim was cold but you get use to it. The water in the "river" where you snorkel or float was great and the water with the tropical fish was cold but again you get use to it. I would do it again in a heart beat.

 

[DDinGA]

Thank you micles. I feel better now.

 

[Silver]

Is DC worth doing if your family are not really water babies and unlikely to do much snorkelling. I know the dolphin encounter is a unique experience, but would we have enough to do other than that. It is VERY expensive for a family of four so I would want to make sure we had enough to do other than the dolphin encounter.

Thanks everyone.

 

[vernon]

DD,
I went in early April and it was beautiful weather in in 90s. I would say you have a 95 -97% chance the weather will be perfect for your trip. It is a tiny chance you'd get a cold snap that would take it down to the 70s. Even at that ( 70s) DC is, IMHO, a "doable" experience for most of the population.

Silver the snorkling is very controlled in an enclosure for the swimmers. There are so many beautiful fish to see, without havingto fight waves or tides, I think almost everyone will be suprised how much the enjoy the activity and how much time they spend there. The Stingray lagoon is in a pool that's about 3 feet deep so you can just stand up as the rays swim about and through your legs which is fun. If you think that is going to be of limited interest to your group then maybe you'd be better to pass as you correctly state it is an expensive ticket.

 

[SpottyDog]

Wendy, when we went (Mar 2001) it was chilly and too cold (for us) to do much more than one quick 'tour' of each area. Whilst we did enjoy the day and wouldn't quibble at the cost,given the experience, I would be inclined to recommend it as a warm weather event if only to get yer money's worth.

Julie, if yer not gonna enjoy the water experiences, then I'd say the DC cost for a family might be a tad high for what amounts to a half hour dolphin experience where you actually spend 3-4 minutes each with the dolphin.

For them wanting a dolphin experience but worreid about the temperature and/or cost, why not try one of the many dolphin experiences on the Gulf Coast? Yes, it's a long way but it's only 90 minutes by car and you were gonna spend the day at DC anyway. And $800, for a family of four, will go a long way, maybe even spread to an overnight stop?