Blue Lagoon Dolphin Encounter vs. Swim

[cmyers2]

I know this has been asked before but I just wanted to know if it is worth the extra $300 for my family to do the Dolphin Swim vs. the Dolphin Encounter. I know the big difference is the "push". Anyone done both and could give advice. We are going in January so I was wondering about the "cold" water too. Thanks in advance!

 

[bahacca]

I know this has been asked before but I just wanted to know if it is worth the extra $300 for my family to do the Dolphin Swim vs. the Dolphin Encounter. I know the big difference is the "push". Anyone done both and could give advice. We are going in January so I was wondering about the "cold" water too. Thanks in advance!

I was debating the same thing as well. I came to the conclusion that this would probably be a one time thing, so I figured I may as well spend the extra and get the "push" as well. Otherwise, I'm sure I'll be kicking myself saying "Man, now if I want the push i have to shell out ANOTHER $300!" I've never done it and have wanted to for a long time. My girls will be 6 and 7 and are really looking forward to it. The only draw for the encounter at Atlantis is I THINK it included time at the waterpark or their discovery? I figure we live close enough to Sea World in CA and they are too small to even go on a lot of the stuff at the waterpark, so wasn't really worth not being able to use those amenities as well.

 

[Lisa Lisa]

My DH and DD did the swim in February, and it was an absolutely incredible experience. Definitely worth the money, in our opinions. That was the only excursion we did, though, so we were willing to put all our $$ there.

The push is not the only difference between the swim and the encounter. In the encounter, you are in shallow water interacting with the dolphins. In the swim, you are in deeper water and have a wider variety of interactions with the dophins. You get to "dance" with them and see them swim through the lagoon with their entire bodies out of the water, pushing only with their tails. I went as an observer and got some incredible photos. Check out Blue Lagoon's web site, if you haven't already, as it will help you get a good feel for the differences between the two experiences.

http://www.dolphinencounters.com/programs-all.php

ETA: The water was a little chilly, but the wet suits (which are provided) helped. My DD is very averse to cold water, but she was so excited about what she was doing that I don't think she really noticed!

 

[BeardedDragons]

The push is not the only difference between the swim and the encounter. In the encounter, you are in shallow water interacting with the dolphins. In the swim, you are in deeper water and have a wider variety of interactions with the dophins. You get to "dance" with them and see them swim through the lagoon with their entire bodies out of the water, pushing only with their tails. I went as an observer and got some incredible photos. Check out Blue Lagoon's web site, if you haven't already, as it will help you get a good feel for the differences between the two experiences.

http://www.dolphinencounters.com/programs-all.php

Totally agree with Lisa Lisa - there is much more to the swim. Our swim group was in the water with the dolphins noticeable longer than the group that was in the encounter. We also decided before we went in the water that we would be buying the "photo album" they offered. We were the only ones in our group and they went above and beyond to ensure they got lots of great pictures for us. Highlight for my son was his dolphin foot push was from Jake. Jake starred as Flipper in the Disney movie. After the swim we also had time on the island which was beautiful and lots of fun - we checked out the turtles and sea lions, played a giant game of chess, lounged around in hammocks, there was an inflatable play area in the water, decent lunch. Was a full and very memorable day! Well worth the extra in my opinion.

 

[chateau]

I LOVE the diversity of people depicted in their photos!!! I've always loved that about Disney too.