Renting a Cabana @ Discovery Cove

[mjplantz]

Are the cabana's spread out throughout DC? Based on the park map:

http://discoverycove.com/Explore/ParkMap.aspx

It looks like all the buildings with white roofs are pretty scattered. Just worried that we would get one near the grand reef and would end up being further away from all the other key areas or is the distance not a big deal?

 

[bas71873]

Did you guys see that now your DC ticket gets you in to BOTH Aquatica & SW. I saw it on Facebook and I also got an email this morning that said even though I have already purchased my tickets, we get to take advantage of this offer too. We hadn't intended to do SW again, but we may have to squeeze it in now. I'm also glad I've already bought & paid for our day in August because I just checked and my day has gone up $30/pp.

 

[lauriegs]

I just booked a regular cabana for hubby since we will be there on Father's day - now I'm wondering if I should have done the premium package..not sure what we will want to do for the dolphin swim photos - probably get the cd and dvd, but printed pics don't matter as much to us, since we can have them printed at home, and I do alot of digital scrapbooking.

just wondering if I'd be able to upgrade to premium while I'm there, or would it have to be done ahead of time?

 

[Debs Hill]

Hi guys! we are considering a cabana for our July trip.........can anyone tell me where they are located? Do you get to choose or are they just allocated? Any photos?!! Is there sun and shade or are they completely shaded? What does it include?

We are not doing the dolphin swim this time so just want a standard cabana, not a package, what is the earliest I can book this?
Debx

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hi guys! we are considering a cabana for our July trip.........can anyone tell me where they are located? Do you get to choose or are they just allocated? Any photos?!! Is there sun and shade or are they completely shaded? What does it include?

We are not doing the dolphin swim this time so just want a standard cabana, not a package, what is the earliest I can book this?
Debx

The cabana has a fridge and a locker inside, if I remember correctly.

You can book a cabana without one of their packages 3 weeks out from your reservation, if there are any still available. If you want to book more than 3 weeks out from your arrival date, then you need to book the cabana as part of a package (you don't need to be doing a dolphin swim to do so....we are doing the day resort only this next trip, and we were able to book a package/cabana no problem.......they will just leave your bouy in the cabana for you to pick up when you arrive).

Hopefully someone else will have photos for you and be able to answer some of your other questions.

 

[chimo2u]

Hi Gina Fellow Canucker here! I chose to do Discovery Cove on October 1, due to Epcot being a not recommended park due to the birthday celebration/ projected crowds..... Originally our DC day was going to be Tue Oct 2, but changed it when crowd calenders began predicting Epcot as a not recommended park on Oct 1. So...... There will be 4 of us.....my 19/16 yo sons, my BFF and myself. We have been to DC once before in Sept 2009, and LOVED it, one of the most memorable days of our trip for everyone! My BFF has always had a bucket list dream of swimming with the dolphins, so I booked her and I a dolphin swim with my SW annual pass discount....got a crazy great rate! (I think it was around $169 ea) with our discount! I bought the boys non swim resort days when they where on sale with the discount for $69.......so for 4 of us, it was around $500, which is amazing because i paid over $1,000 for my family of 4 in 2009.

My question, is there shady areas to relax if I don't buy a cabana?? or would you recommend the purchase of the cabanna? I don't do well in Florida sun, and would like some place shady to relax....however, I seem to remember last time, there was so much to keep us busy, that we rarely if ever where out of the water!!! I am thinking it might be a waste of money if there are other places to relax that are shady and free. Is there a discount with SW annual pass for Cabana rentals??

I am very much looking forward to this day at DC....I will be getting my son a Sea Venture experience since he will not be doing the dolphin swim this time. I think he'll really enjoy Sea Venture. I am also looking forward to seeing the new oasis that has been put in since our last visit, and the new reef as well....
Hoping for sunny skies and nice weather on our October day

~Marie

 

[morehousemommy]

I just booked a regular cabana for hubby since we will be there on Father's day - now I'm wondering if I should have done the premium package..not sure what we will want to do for the dolphin swim photos - probably get the cd and dvd, but printed pics don't matter as much to us, since we can have them printed at home, and I do alot of digital scrapbooking.

just wondering if I'd be able to upgrade to premium while I'm there, or would it have to be done ahead of time?

We just went to DC on May 23. We rented a cabana with the premuim package! It is definately worth it. The cost of the photo cd and dvd would be $200 because we purchased the premuim package we received 25% off of the ultimate photo package(includes dvd, cd, 16x24 photo, 7 6x8 photos, 4x6 with 2 key chains and a photo alblum that holds the 6x8 photos) the package ended up costing $175 after tax. Plus with the premuim package you get a nice quality backpack, a very nice class frame, a tshirt or stuffed animal, underwater camera plus the bouy delivered by the dolphin during your swim!

We loved DC and can't wait to go back! We will also rent a cabana again in the future!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hi Gina Fellow Canucker here! I chose to do Discovery Cove on October 1, due to Epcot being a not recommended park due to the birthday celebration/ projected crowds..... Originally our DC day was going to be Tue Oct 2, but changed it when crowd calenders began predicting Epcot as a not recommended park on Oct 1. So...... There will be 4 of us.....my 19/16 yo sons, my BFF and myself. We have been to DC once before in Sept 2009, and LOVED it, one of the most memorable days of our trip for everyone! My BFF has always had a bucket list dream of swimming with the dolphins, so I booked her and I a dolphin swim with my SW annual pass discount....got a crazy great rate! (I think it was around $169 ea) with our discount! I bought the boys non swim resort days when they where on sale with the discount for $69.......so for 4 of us, it was around $500, which is amazing because i paid over $1,000 for my family of 4 in 2009.

My question, is there shady areas to relax if I don't buy a cabana?? or would you recommend the purchase of the cabanna? I don't do well in Florida sun, and would like some place shady to relax....however, I seem to remember last time, there was so much to keep us busy, that we rarely if ever where out of the water!!! I am thinking it might be a waste of money if there are other places to relax that are shady and free. Is there a discount with SW annual pass for Cabana rentals??

I am very much looking forward to this day at DC....I will be getting my son a Sea Venture experience since he will not be doing the dolphin swim this time. I think he'll really enjoy Sea Venture. I am also looking forward to seeing the new oasis that has been put in since our last visit, and the new reef as well....
Hoping for sunny skies and nice weather on our October day

~Marie

Hey there Marie ,

We did not rent a cabana on our January 1st visit, either. Like you guys, we were never out of the water.....too much to see and do!!

For this visit, we opted for the cabana simply because we figure that the heat and humidity will be a big issue for us the last week of August (where it wasnt during January). We wanted a guaranteed place to kick back and relax that was out of the blazing sun if it happens to be a real scortcher that day. Since we booked with the passmember discount and got our admission for just $69 pp, it was definitely able to be fit into the budget. I would guess you would have little difficulty finding a shady spot to camp out if you arrive early enough, so the cabana quite honestly is more of a personal preference than a necessity.

Have a great time, whatever you decide!

 

[chimo2u]

Hey there Marie ,

We did not rent a cabana on our January 1st visit, either. Like you guys, we were never out of the water.....too much to see and do!!

For this visit, we opted for the cabana simply because we figure that the heat and humidity will be a big issue for us the last week of August (where it wasnt during January). We wanted a guaranteed place to kick back and relax that was out of the blazing sun if it happens to be a real scortcher that day. Since we booked with the passmember discount and got our admission for just $69 pp, it was definitely able to be fit into the budget. I would guess you would have little difficulty finding a shady spot to camp out if you arrive early enough, so the cabana quite honestly is more of a personal preference than a necessity.

Have a great time, whatever you decide!

Thanks Gina for your reply I think we might just pass on it this time, as we are renting a CABANA at the POLY on our MNSSHP morning/afternoon for some much-needed pre-party rest

~Marie

 

[Treelight]

Just wondering about cabana attendants....does each cabana have one assigned for the day? Or does one attendant work several cabanas? Is tipping appropriate at the end of the day?

Also, does DC honor requests for certain cabanas or areas? I would rather be near the grand reef as opposed to near the freshwater oasis.

 

[Jenny3]

We just booked DC for November 11; I'm so excited and have been a total nerd researching everything, LOL

It will just be DH and I... is a cabana worth it? My DH hates the sun; are there other shady spots we can 'claim'? Does it offer any privacy? Do I get my own cabana boy?

 

[brinkley07]

We just booked DC for November 11; I'm so excited and have been a total nerd researching everything, LOL

It will just be DH and I... is a cabana worth it? My DH hates the sun; are there other shady spots we can 'claim'? Does it offer any privacy? Do I get my own cabana boy?

A cabana is definitely worth every penny! Each person (not always a cabana boy...lol) does handle several cabanas and we did tip ours at the end of the day because she was so attentive. I loved the fact that we had our locker in our cabana, and a refrigerator as well. They will bring food to the cabana, and there is a table in there if you want to sit there when you snack. We have been at the dolphin lagoon with all of the times we visited, and I love that view. The cabanas are very private, but near everything at the same time. They have great foliage around them that make them seem hidden and private, though they are right in the middle of things. I did prefer having a quiet place to rest versus being on the beach with everyone else when we wanted down time. My hubby did nap well in the lounge chairs!

 

[Jenny3]

Decided we're definitely going to go for it

Now I'm just debating whether to suck it up and do the Premium package so we can book now, or take my chances and book one 3 weeks out. I'm not sure if the extra goodies are worth the extra $, so I'm back and forth on that.

 

[bas71873]

OK. DH really wants to go back to DC this summer so I think we may go and just do the day package and not the dolphin swim since we just did that last summer. We did rent a premium package cabana and loved it (we were on the Grand Reef). Thinking this time we may take our chances and just go with a regular cabana, but I can't tell where they are on the map. Can anyone help. Also, do the regular cabanas (that you can rent 3 weeks out) have a fridge, locker & fan as well?

Also, GINA, I hope you can answer. We are annual BG pass holders (we live just outside Williamsburg) and our passes are up for renewal and I'm considering upgrading to their platinum pass. Is the discount significant for DC with a platinum pass? Right now the NON dolphin swim rate for August is $169, but I wonder if I can get that cheaper?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

OK. DH really wants to go back to DC this summer so I think we may go and just do the day package and not the dolphin swim since we just did that last summer. We did rent a premium package cabana and loved it (we were on the Grand Reef). Thinking this time we may take our chances and just go with a regular cabana, but I can't tell where they are on the map. Can anyone help. Also, do the regular cabanas (that you can rent 3 weeks out) have a fridge, locker & fan as well?

Also, GINA, I hope you can answer. We are annual BG pass holders (we live just outside Williamsburg) and our passes are up for renewal and I'm considering upgrading to their platinum pass. Is the discount significant for DC with a platinum pass? Right now the NON dolphin swim rate for August is $169, but I wonder if I can get that cheaper?

I am pretty sure all of the cabanas have lockers and fridges in them. Last August, we didn't have a premium package cabana (we had the "celebration package + cabana") and we were on the Grand Reef as well .

Discounts for SW park passholders (SW/BG/Aquatica) are far less substantial this year than in years prior. Last August, we were able to secure a non-dolphin swim day for $69 pp. This year, for the same week, it was either $109 pp or $119 (can't remember which....but I know it was one of the two). A savings off the non-passmember price, for sure, but not nearly as good of a deal as before.

 

[bas71873]

I am pretty sure all of the cabanas have lockers and fridges in them. Last August, we didn't have a premium package cabana (we had the "celebration package + cabana") and we were on the Grand Reef as well .

Discounts for SW park passholders (SW/BG/Aquatica) are far less substantial this year than in years prior. Last August, we were able to secure a non-dolphin swim day for $69 pp. This year, for the same week, it was either $109 pp or $119 (can't remember which....but I know it was one of the two). A savings off the non-passmember price, for sure, but not nearly as good of a deal as before.

Thanks. Not sure that's worth upgrading my ticket (which is about double the renewal price for our regular BG/WC passes) especially since we probably wouldn't use them for any of the other parks.

We did the celebration package too, but I don't need all that "stuff" this time, KWIM, but we liked being the grand reef because that is where we spent ALL of our time. We didn't care for the other lazy river thing because the water was too warm for us. Hmmm, decisions, decisions.

I think I'm going to call and see if there is a rate for JUST the non dolphin swim WITHOUT the included passes for SW & Aquatica. We aren't interested in doing those parks again.

 

[Jenny3]

To update this... we did get the cabana. Totally worth it! We loved having a space just for us; we overlooked the Grand Reef and were pretty private. We renewed our vows there

Oh and we did have a cabana boy! His name was Alex; he was excellent! Very attentive

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

To update this... we did get the cabana. Totally worth it! We loved having a space just for us; we overlooked the Grand Reef and were pretty private. We renewed our vows there

Beautiful pic .

 

[mndisneylovinmom]

A cabana is worth it! We didn't spend a lot of time there, but it was really nice to have a private, shaded place to go when we wanted a break. It's also nice to have a refrigerator and locked locker. We had the cabana right by the dolphin swim. It was beautiful!
I have a question though? Do you think people go in there to take pictures of their families during the dolphin swim? I caught a few people by our cabana, with a camera, looking rather guilty of something! That's the only little complaint I have about having that particular cabana -- should have a locked gate!
But, that's just our feelings!

 

[Jenny3]

Beautiful pic .

Thanks! It was just DH and I, no officiant or anything. Our cabana boy took photos for us.