Dolphin Encounter's?- Western Caribbean

[MSPeeler]

I did a search but didn't find an answer for my particular question.
I am looking at doing one of the 3 Dolphin encounters below:

• Dolphin Encounter and Dunn's River Falls in Falmouth, Jamaica
• Dolphin Discovery in Cozumel
• Cayman Dolphin Encounter in Grand Cayman Islands

Has anyone done any of these encounters?

At the time of the cruise, my kids will be 4, 10 and 12 years old.
Some excursions limit us because of my 4 year old, age wise.
Will I be required to be in the water with the 4 year old?
Is my husband able to take pictures or video at all?

Also, I see a separate "excursion" for the Dolphin Discovery Observer in Cozumel and Cayman Dolphin Observer in Grand Cayman Islands, however I do not see an Observer excursion for the Jamaica Encounter, is this because everyone in our party would be on the Dolphin Encounter even if they did not want to participate (my in-laws)?

I noticed on the website, the Jamaica encounter is only 15-minutes, which doesn't seem long enough to me. The Cozumel encounter is 40 minutes. It would appear to be a no-brainer, but the problem is that my husband and FIL want to see the Chichen Itza Ruins in Cozumel, and they are totally ruining my plans, The Cayman Island one is 30-minutes, so that's not bad and I like that we won't be gone all day...

I know we can split up, but really, who wants to do that on a family vacation.
He doesn't want to miss his kids interacting with Dolphins either.

So I guess what I'm asking boils down to, is the Dolphin Encounter in Jamaica worth it? or will I feel "cheated"? The Dunn's River Falls is definitely something we want to do anyway.

Thanks for any info or input. I know I'm long winded so thanks for reading if you got to the end!

 

[lklgoodman]

My family did a dolphin excursion at Dolphin Discovery in Cozumel last Jan. The national park where it is held is really nice and has a lot to do, for free. After we were finished with the dolphins we really enjoyed everything that the park had. We saw a sea lion show, no extra cost, ate lunch on the beach, walked around the gardens, and did some tequila tasting, also free. There's also a nice pool and beach area where you can go swimming and I think you can also snorkle, we ran out of time for everything. Pics/video can be taken. We were given a free pic of our family in front of their dolphin statutes. There's free lockers to keep your stuff in. I don't know about the other places. We were going to do the dolphins in Grand Cayman's, but then I read on here that there's a greater chance of excursions being cancelled there because of tendering. Instead we signed up to do stingrays in Grand Caymans. Sure enough strong tides cancelled our excursion, along with many others. A Carnival ship tried to tender before us, gave up and left. I only mention this because if doing dolphins is a must do, you may want to choose either Cozumel or Falmouth for it. I don't know how common it is to cancel excursions at Grand Caymans, but I would have been really upset to miss the dolphins if we had chosen to do it there. Turns out we were able to do the stingrays at cc.

 

[MSPeeler]

My family did a dolphin excursion at Dolphin Discovery in Cozumel last Jan. The national park where it is held is really nice and has a lot to do, for free. After we were finished with the dolphins we really enjoyed everything that the park had. We saw a sea lion show, no extra cost, ate lunch on the beach, walked around the gardens, and did some tequila tasting, also free. There's also a nice pool and beach area where you can go swimming and I think you can also snorkle, we ran out of time for everything. Pics/video can be taken. We were given a free pic of our family in front of their dolphin statutes. There's free lockers to keep your stuff in. I don't know about the other places. We were going to do the dolphins in Grand Cayman's, but then I read on here that there's a greater chance of excursions being cancelled there because of tendering. Instead we signed up to do stingrays in Grand Caymans. Sure enough strong tides cancelled our excursion, along with many others. A Carnival ship tried to tender before us, gave up and left. I only mention this because if doing dolphins is a must do, you may want to choose either Cozumel or Falmouth for it. I don't know how common it is to cancel excursions at Grand Caymans, but I would have been really upset to miss the dolphins if we had chosen to do it there. Turns out we were able to do the stingrays at cc.

Thanks for your response. I hadn't even thought about the tendering issue. Something to consider. We will be cruising in early November next year. Not sure if the time of year makes any difference.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

We did the Dolphins on Grand Cayman. No trouble tendering that day (but it was late August, not November).

They had three levels of activity you could choose from: "Extreme swim", "swin or “encounter.”

The first part was the “encounter.” We stood (a group of about 16 people) waste deep in water in a large cement tank and the dolphin came up to us 1 by one, it kissed us, we kissed it, we held hands with it, it talked to us. (They took a picture of each action with each person.)

Then we went into a larger area with a beach (still an enclosed body of water though). We did the “swim” portion, which involved us swimming out the far end of the pond (two at a time; this was good as it gave you a chance to watch your family members do it), and the dolphin came up behind us, he put his fins out to us, and we grabbed on and he swam us back to the starting line.

Then we did the “Extreme Swim” part. So we swam (again two at a time) out to the far side of the pond again, this time we were holding a boogie board. He came up behind us and put his nose on our feet and pushed us back to the start. He was able to move MUCH faster this time with us holding the boogie board under ourselves. It was amazing.

You had a life jacket on at all times, so being able to "swim" wasn't required, but you did have to be comfortable in the water, and at least doggie paddle out for the Swim and the Extreme Swim parts. For the Encounter part, you were just standing on the edge of the pool.

As for "Observers" I can't tell you. There were people in the park who could see us from where they were standing, but they weren't right up where we were. Maybe some distance shots from there would be possible. As for cameras for the participants, they FORBID it. They said it was for the sake of the Dolphins' health, but selling their own photos had something to do with it too. We paid $250 for all the photos of the four of us. VERY expensive, but we had decided ahead of time that it was worth it to us, and I must say the pictures came out great. You want to see pictures of your kids with REAL smiles, take a picture of them riding on a Dolphin.

One other thing to consider, since you mentioned that your children are 4, 10, 12. We had one boy in our group (not someone we knew) who was maybe 10 or so; he was with his parents. He did NOT want to get in the water with the Dolphins. The guide was patient and encouraging, but didn't force him. His parents were more insistent, but still didn't insist when he refused. Then, towards the end, after he saw everyone else touching and swimming with the dolphins and having fun, he changed his mind, and the guides let him do all three parts at the end.

So, I would just say, you know your own kids best, and how likely they might be to balk at it, and how upset (or not) you will be if they don't go through with it. At the very least, they will see it up close if you signed them up for it. And who knows, maybe they will warm up to the idea!

Oh, and we did the Tulim Ruins in Cozemel, not as far of a ride as Chichen Itza, but still pretty far. It was a great day too!

 

[MSPeeler]

We did the Dolphins on Grand Cayman. No trouble tendering that day (but it was late August, not November).

They had three levels of activity you could choose from: "Extreme swim", "swin or “encounter.”

The first part was the “encounter.” We stood (a group of about 16 people) waste deep in water in a large cement tank and the dolphin came up to us 1 by one, it kissed us, we kissed it, we held hands with it, it talked to us. (They took a picture of each action with each person.)

Then we went into a larger area with a beach (still an enclosed body of water though). We did the “swim” portion, which involved us swimming out the far end of the pond (two at a time; this was good as it gave you a chance to watch your family members do it), and the dolphin came up behind us, he put his fins out to us, and we grabbed on and he swam us back to the starting line.

Then we did the “Extreme Swim” part. So we swam (again two at a time) out to the far side of the pond again, this time we were holding a boogie board. He came up behind us and put his nose on our feet and pushed us back to the start. He was able to move MUCH faster this time with us holding the boogie board under ourselves. It was amazing.

You had a life jacket on at all times, so being able to "swim" wasn't required, but you did have to be comfortable in the water, and at least doggie paddle out for the Swim and the Extreme Swim parts. For the Encounter part, you were just standing on the edge of the pool.

As for "Observers" I can't tell you. There were people in the park who could see us from where they were standing, but they weren't right up where we were. Maybe some distance shots from there would be possible. As for cameras for the participants, they FORBID it. They said it was for the sake of the Dolphins' health, but selling their own photos had something to do with it too. We paid $250 for all the photos of the four of us. VERY expensive, but we had decided ahead of time that it was worth it to us, and I must say the pictures came out great. You want to see pictures of your kids with REAL smiles, take a picture of them riding on a Dolphin.

One other thing to consider, since you mentioned that your children are 4, 10, 12. We had one boy in our group (not someone we knew) who was maybe 10 or so; he was with his parents. He did NOT want to get in the water with the Dolphins. The guide was patient and encouraging, but didn't force him. His parents were more insistent, but still didn't insist when he refused. Then, towards the end, after he saw everyone else touching and swimming with the dolphins and having fun, he changed his mind, and the guides let him do all three parts at the end.

So, I would just say, you know your own kids best, and how likely they might be to balk at it, and how upset (or not) you will be if they don't go through with it. At the very least, they will see it up close if you signed them up for it. And who knows, maybe they will warm up to the idea!

Oh, and we did the Tulim Ruins in Cozemel, not as far of a ride as Chichen Itza, but still pretty far. It was a great day too!

Thanks for the feedback. Were the options of activity level something you chose when you arrived (all included in the price of the "Dolphin Encounter")? If so, then the Extreme Swim seems like the obvious choice! Get more interaction if comfortable! Not sure my youngest will be yet, but he's a pretty gutsy 2-year old at the moment, so we'll have to see, LOL! I'll have to add in the $250 picture package because I know I will want that. Is that for the entire party or is there a limit/cap on number of people that you know of (say a family of 4 vs a family of 7)?

Thanks again!

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Thanks for the feedback. Were the options of activity level something you chose when you arrived (all included in the price of the "Dolphin Encounter")? If so, then the Extreme Swim seems like the obvious choice! Get more interaction if comfortable! Not sure my youngest will be yet, but he's a pretty gutsy 2-year old at the moment, so we'll have to see, LOL! I'll have to add in the $250 picture package because I know I will want that. Is that for the entire party or is there a limit/cap on number of people that you know of (say a family of 4 vs a family of 7)?

Thanks again!

We did the trip through DCL, so we had to pick between the options ahead of time. All of the 16 people in our group (our 4 plus 12 others) had picked and paid for the "extreme" version. People that picked other versions were in other groups. So there was a difference in price. I don't remember exactly how much, but my sense was, even the "encounter" cost 75% of the total, so adding the other two parts gave you a lot more experience for not a lot more money, even if one or two of the kids back out of part of it.

Having said that, this could be a good one to do on your own. I don't know the details (since we didn't do it on our own), but I do know that people were arriving "at the door" and buying one of the three experiences. So they hired a car or took a bus and then picked what they want. I have no idea if it sells out though. I imagine you can find some of that info from their website or from external tour groups.

As for the photos, I think deciding ahead of time is the key to being happy with it. The worst is if you are there and struggling to decide what to do, and feeling pressured. So by deciding ahead of time, you can budget for it, and be happy with your choice. As for the cost for 7, I'm not sure. My wife did the actual purchase of the photos as I was off with the boys getting lunch (at the place but an extra cost. Standard counter service food. Burgers, chicken, fries.)

 

[Mouse~House]

We did the Dolphin Discovery in Cozumel and it was great! My youngest was 5 at the time so I had to go with him as an observer (but they let me interact and be in the photos with the dolphin as well). If your husband stays out of the water he can take pictures but it might be a bit far away for good quality photos unless you have a good camera. They will make you leave all of your belongings behind though if you are in the water. They do take tons of pictures and a video of the entire experience. I was able to bargain with them and we got our pictures and video along with the pictures and video of other family members that did the actual dolphin swim for around what one would cost (I can't remember exactly). The lunch was pretty good and it is only a few minute ride from the port! I would definitely recommend it!

 

[cadien]

We did a dolphin encounter in Cabo on our Mexican Riviera cruise. Son was just a couple weeks shy of 4. The dolphin started things off by splashing us (as planned by them but a surprise to us) and that really upset him. Totally wanted to just leave. So we just let him hang back for the first 10 minutes or so and eventually he recovered and joined the group. Ended up having a wonderful time and still talks about it, two years later. So I agree with the previous poster that pressuring them isn't worthwhile but their initial reaction may not stick either.

 

[SteveMP]

Our Jamaica port canceled last year due to weather conditions, couldn't even go into the harbor so we turned around and had an extra sea day. But I did do the dolphins in Cabo a few years ago. The kids all liked it, overpriced, but another check off the bucket list. You aren't allowed to take pictures or video because they want you to buy theirs. I think we got a CD for around $30 with all the pictures. The Ruins are definitely worth it. Its something you can only see in certain areas. whereas teh dolphin encounters seem to be pretty much everywhere for the right price.

 

[princessmommyx3]

Granted it has been 4 years, but we did the Dolphin Discovery in Cozumel in 2013. It is in open ocean water and you stand on platforms, and my 3 and 6 year olds were definitely not tall enough to stand, an adult had to hold them. I think my 8 year old was not tall enough either and my husband held her. They did not allow anyone close enough to take photos, you had to buy theirs.

 

[Rabb it]

We did the extreme swim in Grand Cayman in February. It was my girlfriend's favorite experience of the trip, one of her lifelong dreams was to swim with a dolphin. I didn't really know what to expect going into it, I'm a tad bit afraid of the ocean/open water.

When we got there there were like 8-10 dolphins playing in the water, jumping around etc. It was something to see for sure. That being said you couldn't see THROUGH the water, as it was very deep, so when they went under you couldn't see where they were. As we went down onto the dock with our group we were about waist deep in water and the trainer called a dolphin named Sally over and we all got to pet her.

The trainer then told my girlfriend and I to swim out into the water, it was a bit scary I have to admit, I mean there are at least 8 of these enormous creatures in this water and we can't see through the water! Anyways we swam out there and the trainer told up to put our arms out in front of us like a zombie and sally would swim over to us, sure enough she surfaced right in front of me with her fins up, I gently grabbed on and she pulled my across the water, it was nuts! What a blast. My girlfriend went too and she was so happy.

After that the rest of the group went, then they do another thing where you have a boogie board and the dolphin pushes you across the water from behind you with its nose on your foot. That was also a blast. After the whole thing was over I couldn't believe what we did, it was a surreal experience. So glad we did it. My girlfriend will never forget it for sure, and we kept talking about it the rest of the cruise!

 

[MSPeeler]

These all sound like so much fun! I guess my decision is going to lay on time, and other excursions we decide to do. The ruins look like the "thing" to do in Cozumel, so unfortunately that one might be out. The one in Jamaica just seems so "short" to me, I mean... it might take us 15-minutes just to warm up, you know!?

Ahhh decisions decisions. Good thing I have over a year to plan!
It looks like average rainfall in Grand Cayman in November is 120MM (4.72IN) so not too terrible. (10 days on average), better than July-October!

As far as docking conditions, is that to do with fog and tide, or what?

Thanks for all the help and suggestions.

 

[SteveMP]

As for docking, some places have to dredge the bottom of the harbor to make a deep enough channel for cruise ships. Or there may be a natural "channel" already deep enough. BUt if the tides and swells make it difficult for the captain to maintain a path along that channel, they may deem it unsafe to dock and cancel for safety reasons. In other places they just dock out further and have tender boats take you ashore. BUt high swells on some of those tender boats where safety is questionable can be a little scary.

That said, if your husband and FIL drink beer, I found the cheapest coronas to be in Cozumel

Cayman Islands has a really nice Margaritaville. If you need some place to relax after the dolphins. Enjoy!

 

[MSPeeler]

Thanks!

 

[cadien]

I'm really interested in ruins, especially Chichen Itza and Tulum. (And Manchu Picchu eventually!) After reading a ridiculous number of cruise reports from all possible lines, I've decided it's just not worth it to do as a cruise excursion. You spend more time traveling to/from than being there. 1-2 hours on site wouldn't be nearly enough. So we'll actually do a land resort trip some day and spend all the time we want. Plus Xcaret, which sounds amazing.

 

[SteveMP]

I'm really interested in ruins, especially Chichen Itza and Tulum. (And Manchu Picchu eventually!) After reading a ridiculous number of cruise reports from all possible lines, I've decided it's just not worth it to do as a cruise excursion. You spend more time traveling to/from than being there. 1-2 hours on site wouldn't be nearly enough. So we'll actually do a land resort trip some day and spend all the time we want. Plus Xcaret, which sounds amazing.

Well Tulum, for sure, that is heck of a drive, most times you aren't even in port long enough for the travel. Better off flying to Cancun and doing as a seperate tour. IMO, the best cruise accessible ruins are Chacchoben from Costa Maya port. We had a lot of fun with that one and the drive time wasn't too bad. I think it was only an hour hour and a half or so.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

he ruins look like the "thing" to do in Cozumel, so unfortunately that one might be out.

I'm really interested in ruins, especially Chichen Itza and Tulum. (And Manchu Picchu eventually!) After reading a ridiculous number of cruise reports from all possible lines, I've decided it's just not worth it to do as a cruise excursion. You spend more time traveling to/from than being there. 1-2 hours on site wouldn't be nearly enough. So we'll actually do a land resort trip some day and spend all the time we want. Plus Xcaret, which sounds amazing.

If you don't mind using this same thread to talk about Ruins excursions in Cozumel, I can offer some experience here too, as we did the Tulim one.

Like your husband, MSPeeler, we too felt like we couldn't go to Cozumel and not see ruins. Like cadien, we were worried about the travel length versus the tour length. Here are my thoughts:

This was a great trip. So glad we did it. I was afraid the ruins wouldn’t be “big enough” and sure, they weren’t as big as Chichen Itza, but that would have been another hour on the bus in each direction. As it was the Ferry was ½ hour on the actually water (plus 15 minutes of loading) and about 45 minutes on the bus ride (plus 15 minutes of loading), giving us about 4 hours at the ruins. The ruins are actually quite extensive, and we got lots of great pictures and views. The tour started on the bus, with our Mexican guide of Mayan decent telling us about the Mayan culture. He said he was a descendant and actually lived in a town about 4 hours away, which he goes back to on the weekends.

We were allowed to leave things locked up on the bus with the bus driver as guard. At the ruins, the guided tour lasted about an hour, giving us plenty of time to explore the ruins (and the local iguana) on our own, and do some shopping on site. The tour guide gave out headsets, which were great so you could hear him without having to keep right on top of him. There was a small beach at the bottom of some stairs. We didn’t swim, but many people did. I went down the stairs and enjoyed the ocean views. Some of my favorite pictures of Caribbean beaches actually came from here. The shopping wasn’t huge, but big enough for us. We mostly stayed at the biggest store, since the smaller vendors were pushier. We got some souvenirs, and I got a bottle of Tequila at a very good price, which Disney held on board until the end of our cruise. Lunch was a ham and cheese sandwich and some snacks (which was a little skimpy IMO) and two bottles of water (which were much appreciated!) We got back to the cruise ship dock later than scheduled (a theme that would recur on all of our excursions), about 4 PM.

 

[MSPeeler]

If you don't mind using this same thread to talk about Ruins excursions in Cozumel, I can offer some experience here too, as we did the Tulim one.

Like your husband, MSPeeler, we too felt like we couldn't go to Cozumel and not see ruins. Like cadien, we were worried about the travel length versus the tour length. Here are my thoughts:

This was a great trip. So glad we did it. I was afraid the ruins wouldn’t be “big enough” and sure, they weren’t as big as Chichen Itza, but that would have been another hour on the bus in each direction. As it was the Ferry was ½ hour on the actually water (plus 15 minutes of loading) and about 45 minutes on the bus ride (plus 15 minutes of loading), giving us about 4 hours at the ruins. The ruins are actually quite extensive, and we got lots of great pictures and views. The tour started on the bus, with our Mexican guide of Mayan decent telling us about the Mayan culture. He said he was a descendant and actually lived in a town about 4 hours away, which he goes back to on the weekends.

We were allowed to leave things locked up on the bus with the bus driver as guard. At the ruins, the guided tour lasted about an hour, giving us plenty of time to explore the ruins (and the local iguana) on our own, and do some shopping on site. The tour guide gave out headsets, which were great so you could hear him without having to keep right on top of him. There was a small beach at the bottom of some stairs. We didn’t swim, but many people did. I went down the stairs and enjoyed the ocean views. Some of my favorite pictures of Caribbean beaches actually came from here. The shopping wasn’t huge, but big enough for us. We mostly stayed at the biggest store, since the smaller vendors were pushier. We got some souvenirs, and I got a bottle of Tequila at a very good price, which Disney held on board until the end of our cruise. Lunch was a ham and cheese sandwich and some snacks (which was a little skimpy IMO) and two bottles of water (which were much appreciated!) We got back to the cruise ship dock later than scheduled (a theme that would recur on all of our excursions), about 4 PM.

Exactly, I don't know that we will be back in Cozumel anytime soon (if at all), so really don't want him to miss out on that. Personally, I really couldn't care about the ruins. I think that's my issue with the dolphins or ruins excursion. I want more dolphins (joy of kids), he wants ruins (joy of self). I won't be taking 3 kids on an all-day expensive excursion that they are going to complain an balk at either though, you know? And that much time on transportation doesn't sound fun either!

So since my husband and FIL will almost 100% want to see some sort of historical something, that would knock out Cozumel for Dolphin Encounter for us.
If there's a chance we won't even be able to DOCK in Grand Cayman, I'm scared to book the excursion there... but then that leaves me with the 15-minute one in Jamaica, but it also in cludes the Dunn's River Falls which my FIL also would like to see, but I have a bad knee and MIL has bad ankles, so we wouldn't climb.

Ahhhh the tug-o-war is endless.

 

[lklgoodman]

Well, I think your reasons for wanting to do the dolphins in Cozumel make a lot more sense for your family than your dh's reasons for wanting to see the ruins. I love history and would love to do a lot of port excursions that focus on the history of the places we go to. However we have a young dd who can't appreciate the historical impact of places yet. So we go to beaches and other places that are a better fit for families with young kids. Has your dh really thought about what it will be like to travel on a hot bus with your kids. My dd is 9 and wouldn't care about the ruins, especially knowing she could be at a beach instead. I know my dd would be asking how much longer every few mins. Remind him, you can't just pack up and leave whenever you want. Would he really enjoy it knowing you and the kids aren't? There's a nice walking trail at Dolphin Discovery that has different replicas of the ruins and other statues. I know it's not the same as the real ones. Don't know if it would help convince him, but there's also a tequila hut there and they gave us 5 free samples of different tequilas. If you're the one who will do the actual booking, you could book what you think would be best and just tell him the ruins were all booked up, not that I would ever do that myself I think it's great you want to make your dh happy, but I think he really needs to think about what the trip to the ruins with 3 kids who don't care about them would really be like. I can't imagine doing it with my 1 dd, not fun. Also, you might think your kids won't know about all the different types of excursions if you haven't discuss it with them yet. However if they make friends in the clubs they will soon find out. Our dd started asking us if we were going on all kinds of different excursions after hearing about them from different kids she met in the clubs.

 

[MSPeeler]

Well, I think your reasons for wanting to do the dolphins in Cozumel make a lot more sense for your family than your dh's reasons for wanting to see the ruins. I love history and would love to do a lot of port excursions that focus on the history of the places we go to. However we have a young dd who can't appreciate the historical impact of places yet. So we go to beaches and other places that are a better fit for families with young kids. Has your dh really thought about what it will be like to travel on a hot bus with your kids. My dd is 9 and wouldn't care about the ruins, especially knowing she could be at a beach instead. I know my dd would be asking how much longer every few mins. Remind him, you can't just pack up and leave whenever you want. Would he really enjoy it knowing you and the kids aren't? There's a nice walking trail at Dolphin Discovery that has different replicas of the ruins and other statues. I know it's not the same as the real ones. Don't know if it would help convince him, but there's also a tequila hut there and they gave us 5 free samples of different tequilas. If you're the one who will do the actual booking, you could book what you think would be best and just tell him the ruins were all booked up, not that I would ever do that myself I think it's great you want to make your dh happy, but I think he really needs to think about what the trip to the ruins with 3 kids who don't care about them would really be like. I can't imagine doing it with my 1 dd, not fun. Also, you might think your kids won't know about all the different types of excursions if you haven't discuss it with them yet. However if they make friends in the clubs they will soon find out. Our dd started asking us if we were going on all kinds of different excursions after hearing about them from different kids she met in the clubs.

We have discussed it, and you're right. He does NOT want the kids to go either. We agree on that. I actually suggested splitting up, but I'd prefer he be with us obviously. I think he would be able to enjoy that historical stuff much more without being rushed by bored children and I'll admit, probably a cranky wife,
My FIL & MIL have already visited the Chicken Itza ruins, but FIL was willing to visit again if DH wanted to do it. I think we will just all need to sit down together and have a few discussions about it to weigh our options!