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lovenmickey
05-04-2007, 07:34 PM
Tell me all about Discovery Cove.... we are considering spending a day there in Dec with our 6 year old son. Please tell me everything there is to know.

StillSimbaGirl
05-07-2007, 11:23 AM
Well it's really beautiful and it's a lot of fun.

I might, if I were you, wait until the 6 yo is a little older unless he he is a strong swimmer. They do have life preservers etc, on hand.

You will see plenty of kids his age, but I don't think he would be allowed to do the dolphin swim...and the tropical area is really best if the kid can snorkel - otherwise, you can't really see the fish that well.

It's an expensive day - and unless you and your spouse want to take turns not swimming with the dolphins or not snorkeling etc. I would hate to pay all that money just for a really great lazy river.

That said, Discovery Cove is amazing. Take it slowly; there is no need to rush for anything - there's plenty of time to do everything. The food is great and is included. The only thing you have to do in a timely fashion is sign up for the dolphin swim. Then show up on time for your dolphin swim!

There's the saltwater area - you can feed the stingrays and swim with the tropical fish.

There's the lazy river you float through - which leads to an aviary. Lots of birds...a tiny deer or two. Really lovely.

We loved it and can't wait to go back. Also, when your kid goes - make sure he can hold a snorkel in his mouth - I know that sounds stupid - but if the child has lost a couple of teeth, it's really hard to do!

merlinmagic4
05-07-2007, 11:47 AM
A six year old can definitely do the dolphin swim.

We went in 2003 when my son was six and he loved it! The pictures are absolutely priceless! I remember my husband being miffed about the cost of the photos but they were so worth it (I bought the whole CD).

We were disappointed when they had to close the snorkling pool because someone got sick in it. It really limited what we could do, especially since my DD was only 3 and didn't do the dolphin swim.

The bird aviary was a lot of fun.

The lazy river is great but be warned that it is deep in some spots and there is a bit of a current. It was fine for my 6 year old but a bit harder for my 3 year old.

It is a great, lazy day. They only let 1000 people in so it is not crowded. I believe all your food (lunch, snacks, drinks) are included now which is nice.

We'll go back someday...........

RenDuran
05-09-2007, 05:00 PM
We loved our day at Discovery Cove, but not everything was perfect.

Personally I was disappointed with the amount of time we had with our dolphin. We were put in little groups of like 8 people and the dophin would visit with each person for a minute or two. The basic dolphin info was pretty good and we also learned about our dophin's background, which was cool, but also sad.

My daughter was only 6 at the time and the spot where they put her wasn't good for someone her size. She kept floating off and then we would get in trouble for not keeping her right with us!

The sting ray pool was one of our favorite things to do. The lazy river wasn't much fun, though, with two little kids. It would have been great with just two adults or even big kids that could swim unassisted!

aprilisis
06-01-2007, 03:48 PM
Does anyone know how far in advance DC ususally books up? I want to go in the first week of December, but I am not sure when to book.