how bad is the DC experience in cold?

Charlies_Mommy

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jul 5, 2017
Hello!
We recently booked our 1st trip to DC for the end of this month and after doing so, the weather turned. It looks like it will be cloudy and a temp in the high 60's. The ticket is non-refundable, so we will be going, but in your experience, how bad is it going to be? Going to put on a stiff upper lip and enjoy it, but we are cold-blooded animals at heart and I am worried about swimming in that!
Thanks!
 
Our first visit to DC (of 7) was in January, and it was NOT a hot day. The wet suits will help keep you comfortable more than you think they will, as that's what they are designed to do. The Freshwater Oasis and Wind Away River are bathwater-warm, so if you're feeling chilly, those are good places to go to warm up. DC also has large outdoor heaters in various locations throughout the park as well (and especially in the dining area), so you can stand under one of those to dry off/warm up when needed.

You mentioned your trip isn't until the end of the month, so another thing to keep in mind is that long-range Orlando forecasts aren't very reliable. Anything more than a few days out is most likely subject to change, possibly several times, before the actual date rolls around. So don't fret, that projected cool day may turn out to be nicer than you anticipate. Fingers crossed!
 
FYI update .... today is 22 Jan 2020 ... many of the Orlando water parks are closed due to cold temps .... there are freeze warnings. It DOES get cold in Orlando from time to time.

Discovery Cove is NOT one of the parks listed as closed, Aquatica IS. The water at DC is heated but not what I would call warm (felt nice in July ... cooler than my pool tho) .... they can't do much about the air!!!!!
 
FYI update .... today is 22 Jan 2020 ... many of the Orlando water parks are closed due to cold temps .... there are freeze warnings. It DOES get cold in Orlando from time to time.

Discovery Cove is NOT one of the parks listed as closed, Aquatica IS. The water at DC is heated but not what I would call warm (felt nice in July ... cooler than my pool tho) .... they can't do much about the air!!!!!

p.s. from FAQ:


The temperature of our pools remains constant throughout the year. The fresh water Serenity Bay, Freshwater Oasis and Wind-Away River are maintained around 85-86 F (30 C). The salt water Dolphin Lagoon and The Grand Reef® is maintained around 76-77 F (25 C).

If you're from up north, this IS gonna feel like bath water to you!!!! I grew up swimming in the great lakes and small ones in Wisc' and they never get this warm :rotfl2:
 


A couple years ago in dec we went aNd ate did breakfast did our dolphin swim hung out until lunch and then as sad as we were it was just too cold to enjoy much
Later that week all water parks closed. We had spent a couple of hours and it was miserable ..
Hopefully it warms up for you ..
we are going this year in August hoping to actually relax a bit and enjoy
 
Keep in mind, even though ur tickets are non refundable, u can change the day u go. If it looks like its going to be rain or be cold and u have some flexibility, call and reschedule ur date.
 


I had no idea you can reschedule your DC day due to expected weather issues! We are going back the first week of June and that is something that has always worried me because waves of bad weather can pop up just a couple days out and potentially significantly affect your time at DC. I know that afternoon showers and thunderstorms are routine in Orlando in the summer and there isn't anything you can do about that.
 
from FAQ:

At Discovery Cove, we recognize that vacation plans sometimes change. To accommodate this, we will allow one complimentary date change prior to your visit. Further changes to your itinerary will be provided for a nominal charge of $50 per change. If you need to reschedule your Discovery Cove visit, one complimentary date change is allowed, pending availability. Bookings made within 14 days of original reservation date will be booked at the original rate. Bookings made outside of that time will be subject to change based on seasonal rates for the new date chosen.

In the event a named tropical storm or hurricane approaches Orlando, Tampa, or a guest's hometown, the parks will reschedule or refund any vacation package and/or individual park tickets booked through SeaWorld Vacations, Busch Gardens Vacations, DiscoveryCove.com, SeaWorld.com, Aquatica.com, BuschGardens.com, or the call center. The parks will not apply any cancellation or change fees for this service.
 
I’ve done cooler days in Dec, Jan & Feb. your adrenaline will be running full steam to help you not feel cold lol

In all seriousness, only once in Feb were we more than a bit uncomfortable. That’s coming from up north where I gladly the first to take (a brief) in my pool as long as water temp is 66 degrees.

the wet suits do help a lot & somehow if it’s a sunny day it just feels warmer overall

Two days I exchanged my full ‘wet’ wetsuit for the half leg version. Not sure how happy they are about it. After an early dolphin swim and then the snorkel lagoon done before 11:30 am, it was nice to be dry to sit & warm up before lunch & the aviary & lazy river afterwards
 
I had no idea you can reschedule your DC day due to expected weather issues! We are going back the first week of June and that is something that has always worried me because waves of bad weather can pop up just a couple days out and potentially significantly affect your time at DC. I know that afternoon showers and thunderstorms are routine in Orlando in the summer and there isn't anything you can do about that.

Yes and they have always been very accommodating, hassle free every time I needed to make a change. I also go around xmas time which is a very busy time of year and still have had no issues changing my DC dates. I cant speak first hand for the additional charge if u needed to reschedule more than once but I've called and changed my date the day before and there were no fees at all, really fast, easy and hassle free and even though it was the day before, it was still only about a 18hr notice. Now, I dont know this for sure but I'd bet as long as u had a legit reason for needing to reschedule more than once, u could probably get any additional fee waved. I've been to DC several times and I've rescheduled my dates on few different trips and from what I gather, that fee is there to prevent people from just rescheduling over and over again just to get the hottest and sunnier day, so if u actually have a legit reason outside of weather, call and ask to speak with a customer service manager and i bet they wave the fee. But hey, most of time u dont need to change more than once and u can do that for free for any reason whatsoever. Also, keep in mind that DC only books a limited amount of guests per day and there is a risk of NO Availability on the new date u wanted and therefore u either keep ur original date or choose another date that's available, I've always called the day before and have never encountered this issue but just know it's there and possible. One last suggestion I always tell people, if ur going to do both DC and WDW on the same trip, try to book DC back to back with an off(rest) day so if the weather does turn bad, u at least have the next day open to reschedule. Example...book Monday DC, Tuesday off day nothing planned, Wednesday WDW and so on. This way u have the option to keep or change ur DC date but if u book say, Monday DC, Tuesday WDW, Wednesday WDW, Thursday WDW, if weather is bad Monday, u cant just call and reschedule all ur WDW plans, u already have all ur FP setup, dining setup and everything planned out for WDW and u cant make changes to that, so try and give ur self a 2 day floating window when planning out ur trip. Good luck and great weather, we love DC, especially the all u can drink all day, I highly recommend the drink upgrade package, well worth it.
 

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