Dolphin Discovery Cozumel

[DreaminDisney]

Has anyone done this? It sounds really neat and I think our kids (4 & 7) might like it. Any opinions on this? Is it worth the money?

 

[SJCSuzy]

We did it last Aug with our 5yo DD and 9yo DS. It was a great day. The kids still talk about it and love to look at the pictures. We had some waterproof cameras with us and they also take a picture of each person kissing their dolphin. We booked it thru Disney but I've heard you can book it a little cheaper directly. Let me know if you have any more questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

 

[justcruisin]

We loved the swim and I believe your kids will love the encounter. It is expensive but worth it. Chakannab is a lovely place. Don't miss the sea lion show, though the cost is extra, maybe $5 per person. The day was wonderful.

 

[joyv]

my friend and her family did this excursion last summer but went to the providers directly (same one fro Disney). They saved some money and had a blast. They even paid for the video, which was well worth it. They were able to swim with the dolphins. They they were told to stretch their arms wide and the each arm was pushed by the dolphin to propel them above the water. The dolphins also propelled them above water by pushing their feet. I saw the video and it was great - good quality. Her 7 yr old is an excellent swimmer and this was fine for her. I am not sure if the 4 yr old will be ready for it, although her son was also 4 and had fun watching instead. Good luck and hope you have fun if you decide to go

 

[DreaminDisney]

Thanks everyone for your responses.

My Son has his heart set on this. Couple problems......One, he isn't an excellent swimmer and the other problem is our 4 year old can't swim. I was hoping I could kinda just hold her. Do you think she could just watch instead like joyv mentioned her friends Son did. I know she wouldn't have a problem doing this and would enjoy just seeing them, but is it allowed?
Would we still have to pay the 90.00 for our 4 year old to watch?

Debbie

 

[disneyfreak1]

I believe you are talking about two different things: 1) is the Dolphin Encounter, which is offered by Disney and 2) is the Dolphin Swim which you can book directly at www.dolphindiscovery.com. Any age child can do the Dolphin Encounter because you stand on a waist deep platform submerged in the water. For the Dolphin Swim, children must be 8 years old. My son will turn 8 right before we cruise in June and I am also trying to decide which one to do. They both sound really cool! I would appreciate any advice from anyone who has done these. I can swim, but I am not an expert swimmer. Would the Dolphin Swim be o.k. for me? Do you wear life jackets?

 

[DreaminDisney]

I was getting the 2 mixed up and the Dolphin Encounter is exactly what we want to do because you stand on a waist deep platform submerged in the water..... Perfect for our Family
This will be great for us.

Hopefully someone else can answer your question about wearing life jackets (I'm not positive but I thought I'd heard somewhere you did)

Happy planning!

Debbie

 

[two4ruff]

We booked through Dolphin Discovery directly and I asked about the lifejackets - Yes, they have them available! I was concerned my 8 year old would be so overwelmed by the dolphins, he would forget how to swim! From what I understand, they are required.(They were very prompt about answering all my email questions.)

Good Luck!

 

[mcnuss]

believe you are talking about two different things: 1) is the Dolphin Encounter, which is offered by Disney and 2) is the Dolphin Swim which you can book directly at www.dolphindiscovery.com.

You can book either program directly with the provider. It does fill up fast though, because they hold a certain number of slots for cruise ship excursions, so if you even think you want it, book it and make sure you know their cancellation policies. We did not do it, but it looked very fun. And it seems to me that EVERY one regardless of age was wearing a flotation vest, I suspect that it is mandatory.

 

[NYdiscuisers]

Hi,
Does anyone know if the dolphin encounter can be booked through e-mail? The website seems to indicate that you need to print out a form and fax it to them. Is there another way?

Thanks.

 

[moocow35]

Hi,

They need a copy your signature, which is the reason for the fax. They told me I could scan a copy of my signature and email it to them. I faxed them the form, seemed alot easier.

Robin ºOº

 

[pagemaker]

we did the encounter on the 11/23 cruise.
here are a few tips if your book it thru disney...

•even if you have late reservations for the encounter, get to Chakannab as early as possible...if you book thru disney you are entitled to a whole day at the beach, so get every penny of it. just show up for the earlier excursion group leaving the boat and explain that you want to spend the whole day there. they will be more than happy to take you there earlier than your encounter reservation.
•wait for a taxi with seatbelts...you'll wish you had them as soon as the drivers pulls away from the curb.
•before you stick all of your belonging in the lockers provided make sure the lock really works...there will be run on lockers when you get there so try the lock out first...we picked one of the broken ones and didn't realize it until we tried to lock it to no avail.
•wear water shoes for the encounter...the platform you stand on is super slimy.
•be prepared to hold onto the little ones or they will float away...although everyone wears lifevests (there are childrens sizes too) keep in mind that the platform you stand on is at least 4-1/2 feet below water and the kids won't be able to stand on it anyway so you have to hold on to them tightly because the dolphins make a lot of waves and there is a slight undertow action going on...dd6 thought it was hilarious when she started to drift.
•staff will take great photos and video footage of the encounter...for a price...you might want to haggle a bit.

although I thought this encounter was bit pricey for all of maybe 30 minutes, I have to say that it was the highlight of our cruise and my kids still talk and laugh about it.

deb

 

[DreaminDisney]

Thanks Deb for all the info! Very helpful!

Debbie