A few questions about Dolphin Encounter

[Nickymouse]

We are interested in doing the dolphin encounter during our 4 day cruise. When you make reservations through DCL, the boat ride to get there and back is included, but it seems like you might have to wait around for a boat to take you back. While waiting, is there anything else to do at this location? Also, can I reserve the Dolphin Encounter on my own and just get a cab to and from the location? Would this alternative save me time or money or both?

 

[Irishmom23]

The Dolphin Encounter is located right at Blue Lagoon Beach, just a short walk from the dock. We did the Blue Lagoon Beach Day excursion and spent the morning and early afternoon swimming and then walked over to Dolphin Encounters for our 1:30 PM swim I had booked on my own. I found Blue Lagoon to be very pretty, with clear blue water. My 2 DD's swam all day and had a great time.

 

[el_tigre]

I reserved the Dolphin Encounter on my own when we did it. The Dolphin Encounter is on it's own island, so you're still going to need to take a boat to get there. If you book on your own, you will need to take a cab to the Paradise Island ferry terminal and take the boat from there.

The advantage to booking it on your own is that it is cheaper than booking through Disney, but the disadvantage is that if the Wonder has to skip Nassau at the last minute, you're still stuck paying for it.

We did have a bit of time between the Encounter and getting back on the boat. I think we waited about 45 minutes. They have a decent sized gift shop (where you can buy a video of the Encounter along with some nice photos) and there's a place to get snacks and drinks as well. They also have tables outside looking over the ocean where you can relax before going back. I'm not sure if you can go to the beach at the Blue Lagoon, but it probably wouldn't be worth it. By the time you got all settled, it would be time to return to the ship.

 

[onemichelle]

I just booked the dolphin encounter on my own for our four-day and it is $75 a person. The cab ride to the ferry you pay for on your own but the ferry to Blue Lagoon Island is included in the encounter price. Also, the lady at the encounter told me since I was on the Disney Cruise that I could take their ferry dircectly back to the Wonder after the excursion. I had read that somewhere else on these boards and she volunteered that. I thought that was great! Have fun!