best time for dolphin swim at Discovery Cove? - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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I have my DC confirmation and it states that the dolphin swim times can be reserved up to 48 hours before your visit. I'm wondering if it's better to do the swim in the morning (will the water be colder in the AM?) or in the afternoon after lunch. I'm thinking our 2 sons (12 & 9) might be better off doing the dolphin swim in the AM because by afternoon they may be tired after swimming all day.
I'd love to hear from those of you who did the dolphin swim part at DC.
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I'd love to hear some answers as well. When we last went, we didn't have an option on the dolphin swim times - we were told when we arrived in the morning. I seem to recall we had a swim around lunchtime, as we did the swim and then had a late lunch.
We didn't have that option when we went. I would think the water temp will not differ as they can't have too much variance for the dolphins. I would recommend doing it earlier than later. I know the photos and such available for purchase take a bit to get printed, etc. The complimentary photo they took of us, took forever to get as they were way behind. Ours was right around 11 if I remember correctly. I know we ate lunch afterwards.
Have fun!
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Denise
Counting down to....
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Thanks for the replies! I think I will definitely ask for a time before lunch and hope they will accomodate us. I'm also thinking of surprising my husband with the special event package---for our 17th anniversary since we'll be there for it! I believe they have a dolphin come up to you with a buoy with a special message on it. I have to check on the details...price...availability, etc.
I arrived at Discovery Cove around 9 am and my dolphin swim time was around 11:15. I did the swim and had lunch afterwards. The water temperature felt like 60 degrees and never changes. After being in the water for a few minutes, you get used to the cold.
I suppose you could request a specific time, though.
We did DC just last Saturday. We also did not have an option; we were given our time when we checked in. Our swim time wasn't until 12:40, and I think that was perfect! We don't have kids, though, it was just me and my husband. The water temp is always around 74 degrees for the animals (thank God for wetsuits). Our pics and videos were ready for us no problem when we left around 4:30-5:00. I, personally, was glad to have eaten lunch before my dolphin time, and we were able to snorkel and do the Lazy River a few times each! Have fun when you go!!
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Brandi
Bakelins chillin' at the pool after a fun week at Disney!
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Love the picture! I think we'll have to get the wetsuits...I don't want all of us to be shivering! Did you wear the wetsuits all day or just for the dolphin swim?
Another question---they say they give you a sample of the special sunscreen and that you can buy more there. Is it pricey? I think I read online they use a special Panama Jack sunscreen that's safe for the animals and I think at the Panama Jack site it was about $7.00 a bottle. I was just wondering if the price is much higher buying it there. I know we'll all need more than just the sample because we're all very fair.
We have gone twice and both time were a little different first time I we got a 9:ish time then second was around 10:30 or so. Both times seemed to be good for us. Kids were 10 and 11 at the time. They enjoyed it much. We kept our wetsuits on the whole time as they helped the boys float a bit in the lazy river. Kept you a little warmer also. This was an awesome experience for us. We loved it. Just wish there was a little more time with the dolphins. We Had Capricorn both times. If you get him tell him the Coulombe's said Hi.
I attempted the vest for, oh, about 5 minutes. Then Tom talked me into the wetsuit. THANK GOD he did. We wore ours all day. They certainly help with the cold water, and the staff told us to wear them in any water with animals.
We never even bought the sunscreen. The samples they gave us were plenty for us (and my hubby has a bald head). We got 2 samples each in our bags, and with the wetsuits, you didn't have as much skin to cover. I never even checked the price on it. Sorry I can't help you there.
I WILL recommend water shoes, though. I grabbed some at the WalMart before we went ($4.88) and they were great, especially in the coral reef. You can't wear them with the dolphins, but I wore them all day otherwise!
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Brandi
Bakelins chillin' at the pool after a fun week at Disney!
Thanks again for the replies! Great info! Now we're all extremely excited!
Brandi...thanks for the info on the sunscreen and wetsuits. I'll make sure we all get them---we'll be warm and it will cover us up from the sun too! I'm glad they give you a couple packs of the sunscreen too.
We had a 9:00am time, and we really liked it, since we got to do the swim straight away and never once looked at the clock the rest of the day. We had a most relaxing day that way...You're going to love it! We are a super-fair family of 5 and the samples of sunscreen were plenty for us. We reapplied mid-day, and no one got sunburned (which is a miracle in itself ).
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