Atlantis/Swim with Dolphins

[katboferguson]

Me and my ds10 and ds11 will be on the Wonder this coming July for three days. I think my boys would love to swim with the dolphins, and I would love to tour the Atlantis. Would we have time to do both? Also ,I noticed that they give you life vests at the dolphin swim. Does it matter if we are not the best swimmers? THanks for the input.

 

[videogal1]

Me and my ds10 and ds11 will be on the Wonder this coming July for three days. I think my boys would love to swim with the dolphins, and I would love to tour the Atlantis. Would we have time to do both? Also ,I noticed that they give you life vests at the dolphin swim. Does it matter if we are not the best swimmers? THanks for the input.

I did the Atlantis tour and swam with dolphins in Tortola in November....not Disney. Either would make a nice full-day outing with time left over for eating, resting, shopping, stuff. In Tortola the dolphin swim was held in different pools that were open to the bay, we all wore flotation devices, supplied, and the weaker swimmers got lots of help in standing in one place and not getting wafted away by the dolphins' wake. Drive time between the two plus changing time would just about make it impossible to do both in one day...For your boys...Do the swim. Atlantis is not as spectacular an excursion for kids...compared to swimming with dolphins, I think...

 

[katboferguson]

thanks for your reply.

 

[chasbos]

Remember that if you book through Disney you will only have the Dolphin Encounter (which my dd's 13, 11, 9, 6 absolutley loved). You stand on a platform and the dolphin comes to you and you get to feed, hug, dance, and feel there teeth.

We did not get to see any of the swims as they all happen at the same time.

It was a highlight of ours.

 

[Tink&SquirtsMom]

I asked this the other day and didn't get too many replies. I think I'm going to contact the dolphin swims company directly and ask how long the program is (we would be doing the encounter, not the swim). I do know that from Atlantis it is only a 5-10 minute walk to the ferry for the dolphin swim (have to check in half hour early) and its a 20 minute ferry ride. So consider an hour at least for transportation between Atlantis and the dolphin swim.

We are considering doing the Atlantis beach day which leaves at 9, arrives at Atlantis around 10. Then leaving Atlantis around 12:30 (hopefully we would have had enough time to explore the Dig, etc) to catch the ferry for the 1:30 dolphin encounter. After the dolphin encounter ferrying back to Atlantis, and spending whatever remaining time (if we have any) there and then catching the last Disney shuttle at 5 back to the ship. For us, given my kids ages, it works out to be only slightly more the just booking the disney dolphin excursion (I would be booking Atlantis through Disney, and booking the dolphin encounter directly, which would make my 3yo free). I just want to be really sure I can make the times work out and that we will not feel to stressed or rushed. If I can't get enough reassurance on that we will just do the dolphin encounter and I will just have an excuse to to go back to Nassau to see Atlantis someday.

 

[chasbos]

The ferry that leaves Blue Lagoon Island from Disney/Atlantis leaves at 2:00 and 4:00. Now there was another ferry that came in and left while we were on the island but those people got off and back on at the Dolphin Encounter. We got let off onto the beach and then had to walk to the Encounter area. So I am not sure where that other ferry came from.

The ferry that we came on to the island did not leave the entire time we were on the island (so it stayed there from 11:00 - 2:00)

Your best bet is to call the Dolphin Encounter and ask about ferries.

 

[katboferguson]

thanks for all the info. After thinking about it today, I decided to go ahead and book a room at the Comfort Suites and just spend the day at Atlantis. After looking at pics of the pool slides and the dig I think my boys will be happy enough.