Gulf World Marine Park, Florida, United States

4Forddygirl 5:00 PM Jul 23, 2020

Go early before it’s too hot!
We wanted an outdoor experience and something out of the water and found gulf world. They say they are only allowing 1/2 capacity at the shows but we did not find that to be true. It wasn’t packed shoulder to shoulder but every row was pretty much full. Which we were fine with! But I feel it’s something for those very concerned with social distancing to be aware of. The dolphin show was very informational and entertaining but our favorite was the sea lion show! Overall it took a little over 2 hours to get through it. It was a nice break from being IN the water!

4Jetscv25 5:00 PM Jul 31, 2020

The dolphin swim saved the day
We have three young children ages 4,6, and 8. The park is small and only takes a couple hours to see the exhibits and shows. The animal enclosures need some TLC. We did see them building an enclosure for the seal which is nice considering his current accommodations only allow him to swim back and forth. The sea lion/ rough toothed dolphin show was good and last about 25 minutes. If you want a good seat line up about twenty minutes before the show. They do offer a single photo with the sea lion for $10 or a family photo for $20 which is done after the show. The dolphin show was good but not great and a large stadium. You also have the opportunity for a photo after the show. The stingray pool was large and the kids enjoyed feeding them and the cost per tray of food was $5. This provides for some good pictures and video. They have two alligators and a small enclosure. They have a few penguins, tank with sea turtles and sand sharks which can be viewed from above or below just remember the exhibits need some TLC. My youngest was to small to do the Royal swim with the other four of us so she did the meet n greet and she enjoyed the time she spent with the dolphin and they took several pictures. They do not allow you to take any pictures and force you to buy their pictures. Each child under 54 inches requires a paying adult for the Royal swim. The best part is being pushed through the water by two dolphins. We also got to grab each dolphin and go for a fun ride. Kids do have to swim out but don’t worry everyone wears a life jacket. I loved being in the water with the dolphins up close and personal and something the kids will never forget. The painful price for pictures for the five of us was $170. They give you a digital code and you can download to multiple devices ie phone, IPad, tablet, or computer. They are nice professional pictures but you do get sticker shock when seeing the prices. We of courses wanted the photo memories so we splurged and got the pictures. We enjoyed our day here and felt it was worth the cost for the kids to get the opportunity to swim with the dolphins.