Discovery Cove photo package

[Picklepuppy]

I love discovery cove, but the photos are a rip off! It really spoilt our day as we couldn’t justify the price on top of what we had already paid to get in. We didn’t buy them and was then made to feel guilty by the salesman.

[toonarmani]

Originally Posted by Pupbelly

This covers the point I was going to make - It is just so expensive! Buy a cheap underwater disposable camera if needs be or be careful and use your mobile. It's these type of add ons which are just barmy yet folk feel obliged to buy them.

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The point you're missing is you can't use a personal camera in with the dolphins, so if you want photos of the experience, it's either pay for a package (or individual prints) or someone on the sidelines has to not take part and take photos for you - even with a decent DSLR, they won't be as good as the official photos given the angle etc. whereas the photographer taking them is actually in the water with you and has the ideal spot. This was our first visit and we wanted everyone to experience it and to capture the whole family, I thought 43 photos of us all with a variety of scenarios (1-1 with the dolphin, dolphin ride-along, dolphin kiss, kids shots, family shots) was pretty good (worked out <$5 each without including the extras that came with it).

For the rest of the park we used an iPhone or GoPro for capturing other photos/videos, and these were fine (didn't bother taking my DSLR+lenses)

If you pre-pay, it saves around $20 I think (we booked during Black Friday sale)

[toonarmani]

Originally Posted by PrincessBelle08

Are you allowed to wear stud earrings just checking because I know it says no jewellery but hate wearing none.

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They made my wife take them out but only for the dolphin swim (so only for half an hour), there are plenty of free lockers next to the area you can use. Fine elsewhere.

Same for other items like watches and some rings (not wedding rings, more fashion / loose fitting ones).

Sunglasses and hats are ok as long as you keep them on and not just perched on your head (glasses).

[ERICSMUM]

Originally Posted by Kezza632

Is there option to buy single photos, or is it only packages ?

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I’d like to know this too. I’m going solo and have an underwater camera for areas where it’s allowed but I would like a pic of me and a dolphin (spot the difference ?!)

[toonarmani]

Originally Posted by ERICSMUM

I’d like to know this too. I’m going solo and have an underwater camera for areas where it’s allowed but I would like a pic of me and a dolphin (spot the difference ?!)

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I think the lowest option is 4 pics for $99.

[bvh13]

When we went in 2017, we were disgusted at the price that they charge for the pictures. They do not allow you to take any cameras / phones / anything down to the dolphins with you. You can take them to the SeaVenture and other places without any problems, but nowhere near the dolphins for "safety of the animals".

If you want pictures with the dolphins, you've got to buy the ones they take for you.

We refused to pay the extortionate price they were offering us. We asked for the full price list and options available to us. At the very bottom, in very small print, there was an option to only buy a digital copy of all of your photos for $99. So between two of us, that was about 8 - 10 photos for about $99. We didn't get any physical copies, nor a DVD or a frame or anything like that. We got a link to a website to download them. It was the cheapest option that gave us all of the photos.

We still thought that was completely ridiculous so they said we could leave it for now and had until the end of the day to make up our mind.

We ended up deciding at the end of the day to begrudgingly go ahead and buy the digital only link. I've never paid for such expensive photos in my life.

Just to make things even better. A few days later, we went to Seaworld and did a couple of the behind the scenes tours there that I think included photos (or they took photos and we ended up buying them).

Anyway, we went on to the link that Seaworld provided (which was a totally different link to the one provided by Discovery Cove) and it turns out that they had somehow apparently accidentally linked us to the photos from Discovery Cove as well (yes I know they're the same company), but yeah we basically could have ended up getting the DC pictures for free it seems. But alas, we were not to know and there's certainly no guarantee that'll happen for anyone else.

So don't fall for the ridiculously expensive options they try and sell you. If you really want to have a physical copy of the photos, get the digital link and then download them yourself and frame them. You'll get every single photo they took and it'll be a lot cheaper!

[skinnybaby]

I don't know if this is still relevant as it was 2015 but I purchased just the one photo of me and the dolphin which came in a cardboard frame. However, I wish I had purchased them all, or at least a few of them.
I would have done if I had known that my ex hadn't bothered to take photos from the side as I had asked him too.