Cozumel - Dolphinaris Excursion Thoughts?

[GurtlerFamily]

We have three young girls, two-5y/o's and one-3y/o, and would love to do the dolphin encounter in Cozumel. Has anyone else on here done that and have any opinions of it? I've found it online, I've questioned if booking through the ship is worth double the price as they have online, any bad experiences? Thanks.

 

[CinderellaDream]

We did the dolphin encounter through Dolphin Discovery inside Chankanaab Park in Cozumel. I made a reservation directly with them and was able to choose a time better for us than the ones offered through the ship and it cost less. We took a taxi from the port to the park and had no trouble at all. It was a wonderful experience! But just a word of warning, cameras were not allowed and they really try to sell you the pictures they take (which were great). I think for all of the pictures it cost almost $300 for our family of four so any savings on the tickets were used up on what I spent on pictures.

The park also offers a lot of other great amenities so you can't go wrong with a day there.

 

[texasgingerbread]

Chankananaab is awesome. I'd just book thru them and save the money. It's easy to grab a cab both ways.

 

[WardFam]

They also have a Groupon right now that I used in October - worked out great!

 

[czmom]

I'd love to know about Dolphinaris too! We are booked for next Sunday We did have to go through DCL though as everything in Cozumel is closed on Sundays. I guess they are only opening for cruise passengers. They won't let me book on my own.

 

[Mr. Drauer]

we did Dolphinaris through Disney - it was great, but one thing to keep in mind is that the smaller kids may struggle to be in the water since the ledge that you walk out on is at least 3 feet deep and in tidal waters. My 3YO would not stand, and we had to hold her, which was tough with her life jacket and mine, making it almost impossible for her to get any of the dolphin interaction. The water does move up and down, so you have to be able to stand and balance to get the interaction. Other dolphin encounters (Jamaica Dolphin, Cayman Dolphin) are in a bit shallower water and easier to achieve the interactions. Dolphinaris does have a great pool/swimming set up that you can use all day, and they were not nearly as pushy on the photo purchase as others.

Edit - here is a picture: you can see the people getting in the water on the stairs, and the approx level of the water with the trainers and people in there.

 

[GurtlerFamily]

I'd love to know about Dolphinaris too! We are booked for next Sunday We did have to go through DCL though as everything in Cozumel is closed on Sundays. I guess they are only opening for cruise passengers. They won't let me book on my own.

I wondered about that. Ours will be stopping on a Sunday as well. Anyone else have these issues on a Sunday?

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

I would say, with kids that age, you have to ask yourself, "How will I feel if one/two/all of my children decide at the last minute that they don't want to do it?"

If you are the kind that feel, "Well it's a good experience for them no matter what, and at least they saw us do it, and they will be braver next time," then go for it. Maybe they will do it no problem.

But if you are the kind that feels, "What a waste! All that time and money and they didn't even get in the water!," then don't do it. There is a decent chance they won't be willing to do it.

We did a dolphin encounter (on Grand Cayman) and the family next to us had a boy, maybe 6 years old. At first, he wanted to do it, but then when it came time to actually get in the water, he wouldn't get in. His parents gently tried to persuade him, and the staff encouraged him, but when he still wouldn't get in, they let him stay on the edge and watch. Then, when he saw everyone else do it, he jumped in and got his turn. But it could just as easily gone the other way.