Discovery Cove - Trainer for the day worth the $$?

[dumbledee]

Hey guys!

Looking for a bit of advice for my trip next year. I've been looking at the trainer for the day experience offered at Discovery Cove, it sounds great but is quite expensive so before I jump in and book anything I wondered if any of you have done this? I've done a dolphin swim in Mexico on a previous trip, so wanted something a little different. Plus it will be a solo trip so I thought it might be a nice opportunity to mix with some fellow sea life fans and learn a little from the trainers.

Thanks in advance :smiley:

 

[MrRoamer]

I'm not sure how different the trainer for the day dolphin stuff is from the Dolphin Swim Package, but the dolphin swim package was super disappointing when we went 3-4 years ago. Discovery Cove is a really amazing park and is a lot of fun though. We are going week after next and are debating on whether or not to do Sea Venture just because of how much of a bummer the Dolphin Swim Package was.

I would say try looking for videos on youtube to see if they can give you an idea of what the experience will be.

 

[dumbledee]

Yeah my sister & her partner did the dolphin swim last year when we were there, I opted for the non swim package and just watched them do theirs, it didn't seem as good as the one I did in mexico which is why I was contemplating the trainer for the day. I would love to hear your thoughts on the Sea Venture if you do decide to do it :smiley:

 

[Journey_On]

I have not done Trainer for a Day at DC, but from the description on the website, it sounds really cool. I wish they gave a passholder discount, or else I might have done it already. I have done the Marine Mammal Keeper Experience at SW (twice, in fact), and I LOVED it. MMKE and TFAD sound similar in that you get to go to backstage areas of the park, have up-close encounters with animals, and follow an animal care specialist or trainer much of the day.

I have done SeaVenture, however! Twice, too. It's a fun experience. Even cooler if you are not scuba-certified. You get to see neat stuff up-close, and some other cool stuff which I won't mention because I don't want to spoil anything for you. You are even allowed to bring your own cameras, or you can rent one for extra $$$.

If you have any other questions, let me know.

 

[AK-Jake]

The Dolphin Swim experience is only 30 minutes...that's not much time for the extra $110 I paid to experience it. Yes, all of your food, drinks, snacks, equipment rentals, souvenir snorkel, unlimited admission to SeaWorld/Aquatica etc. is all included, but I found the Discovery Cove experience as a whole to be higher than I'd be willing to pay again. The SeaTrek is an extra $59, and I think you're crazy not to add that in if you're spending the day at DC. If you're looking to do Busch Gardens, that's only $25 additional.

The park is a wonderfully unique experience...but it's not cheap. There are better Dolphin Swim experiences out there that offer more time/better experiences for less money. I'm glad I did it...but I'll never do it again. I found myself forcing myself to slow down, take it easy and just relax, or I would have been bored out of my mind!