dolphin encounters on Western Caribbean cruise

[candeeapril]

We are taking the western Caribbean cruise in the spring. Which dolphin encounter would you recommend and on which island. TIA

 

[annacali]

We did the Dolphin Encounter and Turtle Farm in Grand Cayman. The facility was very clean and beautiful. We had about 15 people in our group and we each got to "dance" with, kiss and pose with our Dolphin. He also showed off several of his tricks for us. My girls were 10 and 12 and they both loved it. The dolphin swim encounter was in the pool behind us and we all thought it looked fun. It is on our list for next time. The turtle farm was just across the street and my girls were able to get in the pools with the turtles and actually touch and hold them. That was also a huge hit. Expect to pay a LOT if you want pictures-- they were $35 apiece. The price of the CD did come down significantly as I hesitated but it was still pricy.

I would try to choose the earliest time possible. We were over an hour late arriving in Grand Cayman. We were very happy to have the 10:15 appt because we were first off the ship--- the Tube was overflowing with all the people who had later times. As it was the excursion took almost all of our time in Grand Cayman-- it would have been rushed if we had started later.

 

[FindMeAFishingSpot]

We also did the dolphin encounter and turtle farm at grand cayman. One of the best experiences on the vacation. Kids were 15 and 6 and both had a blast.

 

[KBinCO]

we did the same as the others and were very happy with it. DH and I were in the water mainly to assist our 4 and 6 year olds, and didn't really feel the need to participate in all the encounters, but the trainer was very sure that we'd done what we wanted and didn't want to end things until everyone felt they had enough time with the dolphin and were able to do all the commands they wanted.

And then the turtle farm was just a bonus.
while the pics were 35 a piece, it was 40 for 3 pics. So we purchased 3/40 for both our kids and got some great pics.

However, if you are with observers (which we were), they will try to put you in the pool closest to them for closer pics. We missed this announcement so we wound up further away, but my brother or parents could have gotten some great pics/vid if we'd listened.

 

[DISNEYFAN3260]

I'm really glad to hear others had better experiences on this excursion in GC - we disliked it two years ago. Maybe they have made changes for the better, or we were just there on a particularly off day! When we did it, the transportation was disorganized, staff were quite rude, and the facility was shabby, IMO. The photo sales were a scam. At the turtle farm in particular, it seemed the animals weren't well cared for. Our kids were 12 and 14 and they enjoyed it, but we and apparently several other adults from DCL went to guest services to complain about the poor experience. I didn't know others felt the same until then, but I was immediately refunded for a portion of the excursion because CMs said they had several similar complaints that day about the facility and service and were refunding everyone, even those who hadn't asked. Great service from DCL, at least.

 

[candeeapril]

Friends of ours did the one on Cozumel at the Chankanaab national park. They hightly recommended it, but it was a few years ago that they did it. does anyone else recommend this one?

 

[RedStars]

We did dolphinaris kids in Cozumel. My kids were 3 and 6 and my sister's kids were 4, 7 and 8. The adults booked as an "observer" and we went in with the kids (required).

Food was good, open bar. The place had lockers and the staff was nice. You could go snorkeling after the dolphin thing.

The only downside was the picture cost was highway robbery so we didn't get pics.

 

[clten]

We have done the one at Chankanaab a couple of time and have really enjoyed it. It is a nice facility and they do a good job in getting everyone to have a good experience. The cost of photos are outrageous there as well -- expect that everywhere. Personally, I would narrow it down by looking at what else you might do at your destinations and if there is something else you want to do say in Grand Cayman, do the dolphins in Cozumel or vice versa.