mouseclick1
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2000
We went to DC on July 9, which was my son's birthday. It was awesome! We arrived around 8:40, and were assigned a 10:40 dolphin swim. It was sunny when we arrived, so I thought we would definitely miss the daily afternoon shower with a 10:40 time. I was kind of wrong, but I'll get to that later!
There was a bit of a line when we arrived, but it wasn't bad at all. A man was walking around with a two-toed sloth, which helped distract the people in line. Before we knew it, we were checking in. I had let them know it would be my son's 11th birthday when I made the reservations. The girl checking us in wished him a happy birthday, then gave him a voucher for a free smoothie.
They led us into the park in small groups, and gave us the necessary info. This is also when they take a complimentary group photo. We then headed off to get our gear. I was torn between getting the shorty wet suit or the basic vest, and went with the vest. I didn't want to be hot all day and thought I could tough it out during the dolphin swim. BIG MISTAKE! I should have gotten the wet suit. If you hate cold water, go for the suit!
We camped out near the lazy river. This area was a lot of fun, and the only warm water in the park! Half way throught the river we got out of the water and went through the aviary. I couldn't believe how the birds just land on you all over. At one point, my 12 year old had six birds on his arms and vest, and one on his head! Be careful of birds that land on parts not covered by your vest. Even though they are friendly, their claws can scratch you. My husband and son both had scratches on their arms that were visible for a few days. It was a cool spot, though, and we enjoyed watching the many different kinds of birds. There are also a couple of little deer that were so cute! We then went back into the water and finished the course.
Our swim time was quickly approaching, and the sky was really clouding up. We headed over to our cabana, and then it started raining very hard! It was only 10:40 a.m., and it was pouring! We were in the cabana for maybe 15-20 minutes (?) while we heard the info regarding the swim. By the time we went into the water, the rain had already let up and it was somewhat sunny again. The swim was great, and we were actually in the water longer than I thought we would be. The water felt ice cold, but I could handle since it was so cool to be with our dolphin, Natalie.
After the swim, we went to look at our pictures. I knew ahead of time that I would get 1 family pic, and one of each of my boys. We also got the snow globe for a total cost of $63 with tax. It was tough to stick with only getting 3 pictures, and I kind of regret not purchasing more now.
After the swim we had lunch which was very good. Then we headed over to the coral reef. Ice cold water again, and it was clouding up and the air was feeling very cool. This was the point where I really wished I had gotten the wet suit. I only went in the water up to my hips, and didn't really get the full experience of this area. Next stop was the stingray lagoon. I remember thinking "I hope stingrays like warm water", but apparently they do not! Water was freezing, but you can easily just walk around this area and not really swim. My boys and husband fed the rays, but I was out of the water by the time they did this. They thought it was pretty neat.
I started raining again, and my boys went back into the lazy river. I sat under an umbrella with my husband. Though the rain didn't ruin the day, it did take a bit away from the overall experience. We left around 3:00, and I'm sure we would have stayed longer if the weather was more cooperative.
We spent the last day of our trip at SW. The park was not crowded and we easily got to see all we wanted in 1 day. We were extremely tired, having put in a 12 hour day at WDW the day before, so we were not up for a long day to begin with. Journey to Atlantis was closed down due to mechanical problems in the day, so we never got to ride it. We were at the park from 2 - 5:30 in the afternoon, then left to pick up a pizza and eat in our room. We headed back to the park around 7:30. JTA was running by now, but I did not want to get wet so we didn't ride it. Instead we went on Kraken. I had not planned on riding this coaster, but it was a blast! There was about a 5 minute wait in the evening, and we rode it 3 times in a row! We then saw the evening Shamu show, grabbed some ice cream and went back to our room.
I felt the whole experience was well worth the $199 per person, but my husband did not. He really like DC and enjoyed his time with the dolphin, but didn't feel it was worth the cost. I think DC will definitely be a once in a lifetime thing for us, but we may head back to SW again in a few years. My kids think Kraken is the best ride they have ever been on!
I would be happy to answer any questions!
There was a bit of a line when we arrived, but it wasn't bad at all. A man was walking around with a two-toed sloth, which helped distract the people in line. Before we knew it, we were checking in. I had let them know it would be my son's 11th birthday when I made the reservations. The girl checking us in wished him a happy birthday, then gave him a voucher for a free smoothie.
They led us into the park in small groups, and gave us the necessary info. This is also when they take a complimentary group photo. We then headed off to get our gear. I was torn between getting the shorty wet suit or the basic vest, and went with the vest. I didn't want to be hot all day and thought I could tough it out during the dolphin swim. BIG MISTAKE! I should have gotten the wet suit. If you hate cold water, go for the suit!
We camped out near the lazy river. This area was a lot of fun, and the only warm water in the park! Half way throught the river we got out of the water and went through the aviary. I couldn't believe how the birds just land on you all over. At one point, my 12 year old had six birds on his arms and vest, and one on his head! Be careful of birds that land on parts not covered by your vest. Even though they are friendly, their claws can scratch you. My husband and son both had scratches on their arms that were visible for a few days. It was a cool spot, though, and we enjoyed watching the many different kinds of birds. There are also a couple of little deer that were so cute! We then went back into the water and finished the course.
Our swim time was quickly approaching, and the sky was really clouding up. We headed over to our cabana, and then it started raining very hard! It was only 10:40 a.m., and it was pouring! We were in the cabana for maybe 15-20 minutes (?) while we heard the info regarding the swim. By the time we went into the water, the rain had already let up and it was somewhat sunny again. The swim was great, and we were actually in the water longer than I thought we would be. The water felt ice cold, but I could handle since it was so cool to be with our dolphin, Natalie.
After the swim, we went to look at our pictures. I knew ahead of time that I would get 1 family pic, and one of each of my boys. We also got the snow globe for a total cost of $63 with tax. It was tough to stick with only getting 3 pictures, and I kind of regret not purchasing more now.
After the swim we had lunch which was very good. Then we headed over to the coral reef. Ice cold water again, and it was clouding up and the air was feeling very cool. This was the point where I really wished I had gotten the wet suit. I only went in the water up to my hips, and didn't really get the full experience of this area. Next stop was the stingray lagoon. I remember thinking "I hope stingrays like warm water", but apparently they do not! Water was freezing, but you can easily just walk around this area and not really swim. My boys and husband fed the rays, but I was out of the water by the time they did this. They thought it was pretty neat.
I started raining again, and my boys went back into the lazy river. I sat under an umbrella with my husband. Though the rain didn't ruin the day, it did take a bit away from the overall experience. We left around 3:00, and I'm sure we would have stayed longer if the weather was more cooperative.
We spent the last day of our trip at SW. The park was not crowded and we easily got to see all we wanted in 1 day. We were extremely tired, having put in a 12 hour day at WDW the day before, so we were not up for a long day to begin with. Journey to Atlantis was closed down due to mechanical problems in the day, so we never got to ride it. We were at the park from 2 - 5:30 in the afternoon, then left to pick up a pizza and eat in our room. We headed back to the park around 7:30. JTA was running by now, but I did not want to get wet so we didn't ride it. Instead we went on Kraken. I had not planned on riding this coaster, but it was a blast! There was about a 5 minute wait in the evening, and we rode it 3 times in a row! We then saw the evening Shamu show, grabbed some ice cream and went back to our room.
I felt the whole experience was well worth the $199 per person, but my husband did not. He really like DC and enjoyed his time with the dolphin, but didn't feel it was worth the cost. I think DC will definitely be a once in a lifetime thing for us, but we may head back to SW again in a few years. My kids think Kraken is the best ride they have ever been on!
I would be happy to answer any questions!
I am looking forward to this so much, it really is a once in a lifetime opportunity!
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