Dolphin Swim in Cozumel

[khoffman923]

I'm a first time Disney Cruiser with our family cruise set for July 2006, Western . I'm looking into various shore excursions through Disney and other excursion companies and see the Dolphin Swim at Cozumel. However, after reading all the descriptions, it appears not all Dolphin Swims are equal. Disney has theirs pretty much listed as getting in the water and getting a "kiss". No real swimming activity with the Dolphins. If I book a Dolphin Swim with Dolphin Discovery, I can actually swim with the Dolphins with the price being very similar. Can anyone provide an opinion whose booked the Dolphin Swim at Cozumel with Disney or with Dolphin Discovery or any other Excursion company? I would rather book through Disney but my whole family really wants to interact with the Dolphins so I want to be sure I'm getting what I pay for. Also, has anyone had any experience with booking with Dolphin Discovery and having to cancel? The Dolphin Discovery website indicates they will refund money, including if the cruise ship can't dock, but I'm curious to see if they are fairly good about doing this (just in case as I'm cruising during the good ole hurricane season ).

Karen

P.S. By the way, thanks so much to everyone on these boards. I have been learning so much the last few months. You all are just AWESOME!

 

[NowaSki]

We did the dolphin "encounter" in Cozumel through DCL this pass April. You are correct, you do not swim with Dolphins. You get into the water and stand of a platform (about 3.5 - 4 deep), and interact with the Dolphin. The Dolphin does the usual tricks. You get to pet the Dolphin, and each guest gets a turn at holding onto the dolphin's flippers, get a kiss from the dolphin on your cheek, then kiss the dolphin on it's nose. There is a videographer, and a photographer. The total time in the water is about 30 minutes top. Afterwards, they show you the video, that you can purchase on DVD. I bought the DVD, and I was the only one in my family to kiss the dolphin, so I bought the picture of me kissing the dolphin.

We have small kids so it was good for them, though dd freaked out a bit.

They do a great job with the DVD. The one problem with this excursion was getting to there. Everyone meets at the Buena Vista Theater (Movie Theater) at about 11:00. There was the Dolphin Encounter group, and the Sea Lion Encounter group, about 100+ people. We then walk off the ship together, down the pier, through the shopping mall, to the Taxi stand. Then one by one they load you into cabs, it's about a 20 minute ride to the park. Then they break you up into groups of about 15. We didn't actually get into the water until about 1:30. This was the biggest drawback. If you book it on your own, you can just get off the ship as soon as it docks and grab a cab to the park.

After the program we enjoyed the beach for a few hours before heading back to the ship. It is a very nice park, and wish we had had more time to explore.

Oh yeah, the best part: our dolphin's name was Ariel!

Also, the platform is slippery and can be hard to keep your balance, especially when the waves pick up.

 

[PrincessCindi]

This is a GREAT question and I hope I can help. I had the same question before I did this excursion as well.
The Dolphin encounter (booked through Disney) is a good one 25-30 minutes where you get to touch the Dolphin ... part of which is spent in waist high water.
The Dolphin Royal Swin is a GREAT one. You get to spend about 1hr with the Dolphins and actually swim with them . But heres the difference. You are in a bigger pool with less people. You not only get to touch and kiss as in the encounter but you get to do the foot push where the dolphins push you out of the water like you are water skiing ... its the coolest .. dont think they can get you out of the water???? Think again .. my husband is 6 foot 3 in and a body builder and the look on his face was priceless when he came soaring out of the water. You get to do the dorsal tow where you hold onto their top fin and pull you along. You also get free time to play w/ the Dolphins. I cannot say enough about this excursion .. it was the best money I have ever spent! You can get a full refund if the ship cannot dock.
Chankanaab has tons of other things to do as well ... Mayan Ruins replicas ... snorkeling, Sea Lion shows. Just hop in a cab from the dock and you are there in 10 min. Anyone that just wants to watch you swim w/ the Doplhins are welcome to come and stand on the dock and take all the pictures they choose. They also take a video of your entire swim that you can purchase at the end.
I was also hesistant at first to do this w/out going through Disney but you will NOT be sorry!!! It is an experience of a lifetime

 

[khoffman923]

Thanks so much for the info. PrincessCindi, did you book through Dolphin Discovery, so I would be OK to use them? Also, what time did you book for? If I remember, the on-shore time at Cozumel is 10:30AM and I think there was a 10AM Royal swim and the next Royal swim was at 2PM. Does this sound right?

My kids are the most excited about this shore excursion so if I have to spend extra money on anything, I really want to be sure I get everything right. And, I'm glad to know those dolphins can handle our plus size men. My DH floats around 250 lbs. and I'd love nothing more than to see a dolphin pushing him out of the water.

Also, are there lockers to place our valuables while we swim?

Karen

 

[OurDogCisco]

We did the Dolpin encounter through Disney and personally I'd book it on your own. As the above poster stated you wait an awful long to get to the excursion. It would be much quickier on your own. I thought this was a huge waste of time!

I've never personally booked on my own through them. But I did for a tour in Grand Cayman and it worked out wonderfully.

I'd use my American Express card and I've never had trouble disputing charges. Not sure if they accept them but you could always try.

Tina

 

[NowaSki]

Thanks so much for the info. PrincessCindi, did you book through Dolphin Discovery, so I would be OK to use them? Also, what time did you book for? If I remember, the on-shore time at Cozumel is 10:30AM and I think there was a 10AM Royal swim and the next Royal swim was at 2PM. Does this sound right?

My kids are the most excited about this shore excursion so if I have to spend extra money on anything, I really want to be sure I get everything right. And, I'm glad to know those dolphins can handle our plus size men. My DH floats around 250 lbs. and I'd love nothing more than to see a dolphin pushing him out of the water.

Also, are there lockers to place our valuables while we swim?

Karen

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Karen,

You can make reservations online at their website:

Dolphin Discovery

Yes, onshore time is 10:30 am. On our cruise we were delayed a bit because we had to wait for another ship to finish dock across the pier from us.

It looks like the Royal Swim is either 10:00 am or 3:30 pm. There is also the Swim Adventure which is at 12:00 pm.

Yes, they do have lockers for you to store your stuff.

Have fun!

 

[SuzPasq]

This is a GREAT question and I hope I can help. I had the same question before I did this excursion as well.
The Dolphin encounter (booked through Disney) is a good one 25-30 minutes where you get to touch the Dolphin ... part of which is spent in waist high water.
The Dolphin Royal Swin is a GREAT one. You get to spend about 1hr with the Dolphins and actually swim with them . But heres the difference. You are in a bigger pool with less people. You not only get to touch and kiss as in the encounter but you get to do the foot push where the dolphins push you out of the water like you are water skiing ... its the coolest .. dont think they can get you out of the water???? Think again .. my husband is 6 foot 3 in and a body builder and the look on his face was priceless when he came soaring out of the water. You get to do the dorsal tow where you hold onto their top fin and pull you along. You also get free time to play w/ the Dolphins. I cannot say enough about this excursion .. it was the best money I have ever spent! You can get a full refund if the ship cannot dock.
Chankanaab has tons of other things to do as well ... Mayan Ruins replicas ... snorkeling, Sea Lion shows. Just hop in a cab from the dock and you are there in 10 min. Anyone that just wants to watch you swim w/ the Doplhins are welcome to come and stand on the dock and take all the pictures they choose. They also take a video of your entire swim that you can purchase at the end.
I was also hesistant at first to do this w/out going through Disney but you will NOT be sorry!!! It is an experience of a lifetime

Thanks for the detailed info, Cindi. I was leaning towards doing the Royal Swim on my own and now I'm convinced. I can't wait, and I'm so glad to know that my 2yo and 7yo will be able to watch. Was the cab ride about $10 each way?

 

[PrincessCindi]

I am glad I could help.
I did book directly through the Dolphin Discovery. When I booked there was a 10:00, 12:00 and a 2:00 swim ... we did the 2:00 so we could do some shopping in Cozumel (great shopping there) and we did a tour of the Mayan Ruins at Chakanaab park. There are plenty of lockers there. I think our cab ride was $20 because we had a minivan but I am not quite sure on that. I would book as soon as you can because it does fill up fast. I originally wanted the 12:00 swim but it was already booked but the 2:00 ended up being better for us anyway. Oh and because I booked so far ahead they gave me a $10- $15 dollar per person discount.

 

[khoffman923]

OK, thanks for the opinions. I definitely feel better about doing this on my own. Cindi, how far in advance did you book to get a discount? I didn't see any discount mentioned on the Dolphin Discovery site so I was curious.

Karen

 

[PrincessCindi]

I cant remember exactly how far in advance it was but it was close to a year (maybe a little over a year). I didnt know anything about the discount until I called them to ask them questions because I was concerned if I would loose the money if the ship didnt dock. They were very helpful and friendly.

 

[ohMom]

i booked through www.cozumelinsider.com -- the previous reference company was booked up already when I check on it six months in advance

i'll give ya a report in December My DD 13 is doing the royal swim, DD almost 9 and myself are doing the encounter