Discovery Cove Dolphin Swim vs. Blue Lagoon (Nassau) excursion

RllngRckBrw

DIS Veteran
Joined
Feb 13, 2006
So my family is taking a 5 day trip on the disney Dream (not sure if this is better suited for the cruise board or here) next summer. We are currently planning 2 days at Disney but have an open day before we get on the ship. One of the requirements of our family is to swim with dolphins. The 2 options that we have is at the Blue Lagoon in Nassau (our only port other than Castaway) for about $950 for a family of 4 or going that open day to Discovery Cove for about $1,350 for the same 4 of us.

So, I am interested if anyone has feedback on either but preferably a compassion of both. The extras at D.C. certainly are a plus for us, we are excited to see the rest of the park and it would also give us an extra afternoon to explore the Disney Dream but our main focus is the dolphins. I have seen reviews that lead me to believe the one in Blue Lagoon may be more engaging. What would you do if in the same scenario? Any thoughts or feedback is much apppreciated.
 
We absolutely loved Discovery Cove and it is something we will do again when timing and budget allows.

We have not done the dolphin experience at Blue Lagoon, but we walked past the area when we did a day at the beach there as part of a Disney Dream cruise. Seeing that area, and the forlorn dolphin just swimming in circles, to be honest, there is absolutely no way we would do a dolphin experience there. YMMV.

SW
 
Consider, aside from the dolphin part:

Discovery Cove is a whole day experience, if you want it to be. We really enjoyed swimming beside the shark tank, lounging on the lazy river, swimming with and handling the stingrays (first time we had done that), swimming in the various themed pools (not sure what else to call them), relaxing on land, walking through the aviary. Meals were also good and they accommodated our food allergies. Even JUST those things, Discovery Cove was amazing. Add in the dolphin experience and it was even better :-) Made some great memories and we plan to go back.

We did the beach day at Blue Lagoon. It included lunch -- the meal was ok, but not good or great. We arrived with one of the first groups, and we had had our fill by lunch. We left on the first boat leaving after lunch. Basically, it is a beach. Well, a couple beaches, but a beach. They do have some nice hammocks in the shade. But the swim area is small, the water not all that clear, there is an extra fee to use the slides and such [we didn't]. Castaway Cay was a much nicer "beach day" experience. We are glad we did it, because we had heard good things, but we won't go back.

Bottom line: you get a LOT more for your money with Discovery Cove.

SW
 
Yesterday I read that DC has added a swim with sharks and feed rays option.

We're going in October and doing the Seaventure but not the dolphin swim.

DC is expensive, but it includes all your food and drinks, towels, free parking. Mainly (our thought) is it sounds super relaxing, which we will need between our Universal/IOA time and Disney. I'm afraid I can't comment on your other choice. I'm sure either one will be fun!
 


Thanks for the feedback. As of now we are leaning toward Discovery Cove because of the extra time that it allows us on the boat and it just seems like a much more relaxed way to swim with dolphins and snorkel. When factoring how this day will change the original plans we had (a third day at WDW) and not doing the Nassau dolphin swim, on snorkeling at Castaway, we just about break even.
 
We're really looking forward to our time at DC. Did you see they recently (like this weekend!) added a "swim with sharks" and a "feed the rays" encounter? We're doing the Seaventure ourselves. I'm sure you and yours will have a terrific time!
 
DC is the most magical place in Orlando - seriously. I'd opt for DC and then take your day to explore the ship. You will never regret DC!
 


Does "summer" include Sept? I ask because DC tickets are usually around $100 cheaper in Sept than July/Aug. Gets you closer to price as Nassau.
 
We did a day at the Blue Lagoon in 2011...didn't swim with the dolphins but we did the 30-minute interaction with them then spent the rest of the day at the private beach area...rented facemasks for the kids and they loved swimming in the lagoon area seeing a surprising amount of fish including small stingrays...haven't done DC yet so can't offer a comparison, but the Blue Lagoon day was alot of fun...
 
My husband and I had this same discussion. :) We are doing a short cruise on the Dream in May 2018 and had initially planned to do the dolphin swim at Nassau. Then he got to reading about it and watching videos, comparing that to videos from Discovery Cove. Ultimately, we decided to do a day at Discovery Cove before the cruise and skip Nassau. We'd both rather spend the time exploring/enjoying the ship, and everything about Discovery Cove just looks nicer/prettier/cleaner/happier than Nassau/Blue Lagoon.

While I can't speak from personal experience, the main differences I noticed between the two dolphin encounters is that at Blue Lagoon, you get pushed as well as pulled by the dolphins. I saw some people get pushed by their feet and others pushed on a wake board (sometimes both). At Discover Cove, you only get pulled by the dolphin for a short distance. Other than that, everything seemed very similar...dolphin kisses, same basic poses, pulled while holding the dorsal fin, etc. Personally, I'm okay with not being pushed by the dolphin!

It doesn't sound like it's a consideration for you, since your days are already planned...but I thought I'd mention that the Discovery Cove tickets also get you entrance to Sea World. We're going to spend a day there as well, so that enhanced the value a bit more over the Blue Lagoon option.
 
We ended up booking the Discovery Cove day as we were able to justify the costs (in our own warped ways). We also splurged for the elite package as we knew for sure we wanted dolphin photos and my father (68) would want a place to nap out of the way, so a cabana made sense.

We even extended our vacation on both ends and are including a day and a half at Sea World trying to “maximize” our money as we have never been to SW.

We decided that our Nassau day will be spent mostly on the ship, or a short stroll around the port area shops. This being our first cruise we want to spend as much time on the boat and at Castaway that we can.

Thanks to everyone for the feedback, it helped alleviate my worry and made this decision almost a no brainer.
 
Hi that is a great choice! I did both and I loved DC all around. We just did it in July and I had the elite package to our dolphin swim. It was so worth adding it for the pics,and the cabana. You will have a great time!
 
I am planning our family's first cruise (2 kids: 8 yrs and 12 yrs). We very much want to go to Discovery Cove while our cruise stops in Port Canaveral for the day, but I am nervous there isn't enough time. It isn't an official cruise excursion and I would have to arrange our own transportation. Does anyone have experience with this scenario? Is the effort worth it? There are official excursions to Universal and the Space Center. I figured this has to be just as close/far.
 

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