Nassau dolphin excursion - Atlantis or blue lagoon - which would you choose?

[LHM2001]

Has anyone done either (or both!) of these port excursions and if yes which one do you think is better? I've got 3 boys (ages 7, 9 and 11) and this is our first cruise (first tropical island experience too!!!). Very excited but having trouble picking port excursions. We will be there in early February so wondering if blue lagoon will be warmer (more protected). But Atlantis looks super fun. Help!!!

[kimkarli]

I have done Blue Lagoon and it was really fun!! I do not have anything to compare it to. We chose Blue Lagoon as it was much cheaper. We did the dolphin encounter. It was good. The beach there is just okay.

[scootch]

OOOppppss... didnt' read you whole thing. Did the sea lion encounter at Blue Lagoon and just went to Atlantis for pools/beach. Atlantis hands down. We went thru Comfort Suites to save a little time and to go on our own time(which I LOVED).... My girls were super bummed that our Disney Fantasy trip did not stop at Nassau this time. We had done Discovery Cove in Florida though, so Blue Lagoon wasn't even close to that experience.

[mom4fun]

I was wondering which one was better also and if the sea lion was better or the dolphin?

[neg58]

Originally Posted by mom4fun

I was wondering which one was better also and if the sea lion was better or the dolphin?

We just did the Blue Lagoon this past monday, Dolphin Swim. My daughter really loved it. The people were very friendly. I went as an 'observer' and got to take pictures and watch the whole thing. She was in the water over an hour. There were 9 people in her group and all got to hold, dance, pet the dolphins, and then were pushed across the pond by one. The encounter groups were on platforms, about waist high in water, and they also got to pet, hug, dance with, etc., but didn't do the swim across the pond. It was perfect for the younger kids and would have been enough for me. We could have stayed and swam at the beach but my daughter was cold and wanted to get back to the ship.

The next day I was talking to a family with young kids (4 and 6) and they'd done the encounter at Atlantis. The mom told me they knelled in the water and the younger kids got to be pulled around the pond holding the dorsal fin. I think Atlantis is a lot more money?

I liked the boat ride to blue lagoon very much. About 30 minutes, and you get to see fancy houses, including Tiger Woods' and Michael Jordan's.

Nancy

[mom4fun]

Originally Posted by neg58

We just did the Blue Lagoon this past monday, Dolphin Swim. My daughter really loved it. The people were very friendly. I went as an 'observer' and got to take pictures and watch the whole thing. She was in the water over an hour. There were 9 people in her group and all got to hold, dance, pet the dolphins, and then were pushed across the pond by one. The encounter groups were on platforms, about waist high in water, and they also got to pet, hug, dance with, etc., but didn't do the swim across the pond. It was perfect for the younger kids and would have been enough for me. We could have stayed and swam at the beach but my daughter was cold and wanted to get back to the ship.

The next day I was talking to a family with young kids (4 and 6) and they'd done the encounter at Atlantis. The mom told me they knelled in the water and the younger kids got to be pulled around the pond holding the dorsal fin. I think Atlantis is a lot more money?

I liked the boat ride to blue lagoon very much. About 30 minutes, and you get to see fancy houses, including Tiger Woods' and Michael Jordan's.

Nancy

I read on the booking site that if your child was 12 and under they had to be booked with an adult not just an adult observer but on the atlantis one they could have just the observer if they were over 10.

[angelinaxox]

I have done the dolphin encounter at the Atlantis in 2010 when I stayed there and the dolphin swim at the Blue Lagoon just this past summer while traveling on the Disney Magic and we were in port. Both were enjoyable and well-organized but quite different experiences. I was glad I did the encounter first as I was nervous. I did this one solo as my sister with whom I was traveling with did not care to do it. At the Atlantis, we had to wear wetsuits and we were in shallow water in which we kneeled in a line. We were taught hand gestures to get the dolphins to do tricks. With this interaction, each person in the group would get a chance to interact with the dolphin doing one task (such as hug) and then we would move on to the next one. I was lucky as I was chosen to do an extra one. Prior to going into the water we had a lesson in a room. I was extremely hot sitting in the wetsuit. We were then divided into smaller groups of about 10 and assigned a dolphin that we would go into the water with.

When I did the dolphin swim this past summer, I went with my brother, sister in law and their three kids ages 7, 10 and 12 to a 12:45 p.m. excursion. We had to take a boat ride to get here and it felt like a long ride but not sure exactly how long it was. This time we did not wear wetsuits but instead were given life vests to help keep us afloat in the water as the water was deep. (Water socks were not allowed to be worn in this encounter.) We were once again in a group of 10 with two dolphins and had to stay in a line in the water which was hard to do wearing the life vests. Two at a time we were called forward to interact with one of the two dolphins (kiss, etc.); no hand gestures were taught like at the Atlantis. After this interaction, we all got out of the water and sat on the pier while we were given directions for our swim. One at a time, we entered the water for our dolphin swim, which was a push by the dolphin's snout on our feet. What an amazing experience. None of the kids had any trouble completing this excursion, although my 10 year old niece got a little nervous when she had to kiss the dolphin in the first part of the excursion.

Like I said, I really enjoyed both but was glad I did the Atlantis one first as I was nervous. But I know my nieces and nephew loved doing the swim at the Blue Lagoon and they are around the same ages as your three kids.

[nhgirl]

Before our cruise I had the same question. So I searched this forum and Cruise Critics boards. Most people seemed to like the Blue Lagoon so that is what we did. I am sure Atlantis is quite nice too. But I was very satisfied with our Blue Lagoon experience.

[Disney Dreams]

Originally Posted by angelinaxox

...When I did the dolphin swim [at Blue Lagoon] this past summer, I went with my brother, sister in law and their three kids ages 7, 10 and 12 to a 12:45 p.m. excursion. We had to take a boat ride to get here and it felt like a long ride but not sure exactly how long it was. This time we did not wear wetsuits but instead were given life vests to help keep us afloat in the water as the water was deep. (Water socks were not allowed to be worn in this encounter.) We were once again in a group of 10 with two dolphins and had to stay in a line in the water which was hard to do wearing the life vests. Two at a time we were called forward to interact with one of the two dolphins (kiss, etc.); no hand gestures were taught like at the Atlantis. After this interaction, we all got out of the water and sat on the pier while we were given directions for our swim. One at a time, we entered the water for our dolphin swim, which was a push by the dolphin's snout on our feet. What an amazing experience....

The bolding above is mine. I did the Dolphin Swim at Blue Lagoon. It was October a few years ago. We my experience was very much the same as described above and one of the most amazing things I have ever done in my life (and I have done some pretty fun stuff!). There are very few moments in my life that match the feelings I had in the moments the dolphins pushed me across the lagoon. SOOO amazing! I have a souvenir magnet photo of me and "my" dolphin on my bathroom mirror. It is nearly the first and last thing I see every day and almost three years later, still leaves me smiling on even the roughest days. I have never been to Atlantis so I can't compare, but I can tell you I will NEVER forget the amazing experience I had with "my" dolphin at Blue Lagoon.

I just wanted to comment on the part above that I bolded. Everyone in our group was issued wet suits to wear and life jackets. Not sure when angelinaxox was there, maybe the time of year is the factor here? They had a large selection with a variety of sizes for kids and adults. Also, I am a very strong swimmer and told them I did not need a life jacket. They said that it was a requirement to get in the water with the dolphins. As much as I hated wearing the thing (more specifically the way it pulls me UP constantly) I understood their position, and of course obliged without a further word. Otherwise, my experience was just as angelinaxox described.

I still remember our "trainer" guiding me through what she called my "Date with a Dolphin" from shaking his "hand," hugging him, dancing with him, feeding him, and getting a kiss. And then, at the end, the forever-memorable foot push across the lagoon.

I also wanted to add that I really enjoyed the boat ride there and back. We went by some VERY swanky homes that were gorgeous to see and they point out the area where "Blue Lagoon" was filmed. For me, I looked at the boat ride as part of my excursion and really liked it.

HTH,
Dreams

[mom4fun]

Has anyone done one of the excursions with the sea lion? Also, are the the deep water experiences better than the shallow?

[LHM2001]

thank you all so so much!!! this is really helpful!!!