Dolphinaris or Chankanaab

[Tammi67]

Anyone done either of them? We are sailing on RCCL's FOS in July. My kids (10&8) want to swim with the dolphins. I've been researching and so far these seem to be the top tours. If you would give me your opinions (pros/cons) to either, I would appreciate it. TIA!

 

[loveysbydesign]

We loved Chankanaab! It was so beautiful there and only a 10 minute ride from the pier. Our kids were 10, almost 7 and 2 when we went and it was great. We loved the clean restrooms, lagoon for the younger guy and beach and snorkeling for us and the older 2. The swimming pool was nice too. We wanted to hike the trails there but simply ran out of time. Next time we will go to Chank. again and skip the dolphin part of it so we more time to snorkel and explore. We booked it ourselves through their website and it was cheaper.

 

[Tammi67]

Thank you for your input. Could you give me some details of your experience with the dolphin swim? I think I read somewhere that there is a lot of tidal movement that makes it kind of difficult for little ones. Was that the case?

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I did the Dolphin Swim Adventure at Chankanaab and loved it. You can check it out in my March 2009 trip report. We booked directly with Dolphin Discovery.

Since you actually get out to swim with the dolphin, the tidal movement wasn't that big of a deal. Of course, we were there on a relatively calm day so we really didn't notice it. You notice it more when you stand on the platform. However, an 8 and 10 year old should be fine.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

We did Chankanaab and did the Royal Dolphin Swim. First, the place is gorgeous. We loved it and would definitely go back again if are ever in Cozumel (not my favorite port).

Second, yes it is tidal. We were there on a windy day and there was quite a bit of movement. They instructed us to hold on to the bar that was at the back of the deck you stand on. It did frighten DD (she was 9 at the time) and there were times that we held on to the back of her life vest to steady her.
This was also the Royal Swim and we were at the far back of the pier and not on one of the sides (if you're looking at pictures). But again, we had a very windy day. I've posted pictures on other Chankanaab threads if you wish to see them. You might want to do a search for them as I'm at work and can't post the photos from here. Sorry.

Hope that helped.

 

[Tammi67]

Thank you both for your input. I read your trip report and looked at the pictures. I think we are leaning toward Chankanaab, but I would love to hear from someone who has gone to Dolphinaris.

 

[WiscBill]

We did Dolphinaris back in 2008. We were switched there by DCL from the Chan Park because the weather was so bad the park was totally shut down. This is a picture of the ships trying to pull into Cozumel through 30ft plus waves. The Magic was one of two ships to dock that day.

Dolphinaris was open because it is a series of enclosed pools. A group of about 10 people go to a pool with a trainer. There is usually one dolphin per pool, although in our case we had two, since one was juvenile. Each person gets to interact with the dolphin: a kiss, belly swim,etc. After that, there is a free swim period with the dolphin for about 30-40 minutes in the pool. There is bar and restaurant on site, changing rooms, and showers. The location is about 5-10 minutes from the dock. Overall, it was a great experience and I would recommend it. It is just the dolphin swim and takes about 2-3 hours in total.

 

[Tammi67]

Thanks, Bill. Your pictures are great! I guess it's a hit or miss think with Chankanaab, depending on the weather. What to do...what to do...

 

[coco1985]

Hi, I went to Dolphinaris last week during my cruise. It was an ok experience. We got to hug and kiss the dolphins but we didn't exactly get to swim with them. We just stood on a 4ft deep ledge in the pool and the dolphins came up to us and interacted with us. The trainer was leading the encounter and we were not allowed to swim out in the water with the dolphins. It was really interesting and fun to see the dolphins but I don't think it is worth the price.

Plus, during the encounter, there are photographers taking your picture, and if you want pictures of your experience, be prepared to pay. For 3 pictures it is $69. For all the pictures and a DVD it was upwards of $350. This is where they rip you off. They know that people will want the pictures, so they take advantage of that. Its a scam in my opinion and kind of ruined the whole experience for me. I wished I had gone to Chankanaab.

 

[2BoysMom]

Hi, I went to Dolphinaris last week during my cruise. It was an ok experience. We got to hug and kiss the dolphins but we didn't exactly get to swim with them. We just stood on a 4ft deep ledge in the pool and the dolphins came up to us and interacted with us. The trainer was leading the encounter and we were not allowed to swim out in the water with the dolphins. It was really interesting and fun to see the dolphins but I don't think it is worth the price.

Plus, during the encounter, there are photographers taking your picture, and if you want pictures of your experience, be prepared to pay. For 3 pictures it is $69. For all the pictures and a DVD it was upwards of $350. This is where they rip you off. They know that people will want the pictures, so they take advantage of that. Its a scam in my opinion and kind of ruined the whole experience for me. I wished I had gone to Chankanaab.

They do this at Chankanaab, too. The pictures are expensive, but good quality and no hard sell. Either you want them or not. Chankanaab also had different categories, for instance, you didn't have to buy all the photos, you could choose.

We went to Chankanaab for the Dolphin excursion in May/June 2009, we booked ourselves as well. Very easy to do. The water was very calm. In fact, I didn't know there was a "tidal issue" until I read it on this thread. It must be different at different times of the year. Was it winter time when you all experienced the bigger waves? Like I said, for us it was very calm and I had twin (just turned) 5 year olds with me. So, not big boys.....

We would do Chankanaab again as well. It had nice features, aside from the Dolphin swim.

 

[eeyoremommy]

My DS did Dolphinaris with DCL Christmas 2008 and loved it. He gets cold easy, and we had to cut his experience short. We are going next week on CCL to Chakanaab to do the sea lion swim. Several people on our cruise are trying the Royal Dolphin Swim there. We didn't know about the dolhin swim at Chakanaab but enjoyed Dolphinarius. DS turned 5 the day of the swim, and he was small for his age. I was able to go in with him to help him. I didn't feel the pressure to buy the pics, but I bought them anyway. Hope it helps. We get back on June 6. If that isn't too late for you, I can let you know how things went for us at Chakanaab (like a side by side comparison) even though we're doing the sea lion swim.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Wow, those prices at Dolphinaris are expensive.

For 9 pictures (3 of each of us) and the full video, it was $130. I really thought it was a bargain, all things considered.
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't pay $130 for that here at home but when you're swimming with dolphins and don't plan on doing it again, I buy the pictures. Okay, I just changed my mind. I just wrote out 2 checks for my DD's dance recital - $45 for the video and $105 for photos in 3 costumes. So yes, I would pay for that here at home.

And it was definitely not a hard sell. In fact as long as you don't enter the gift shop you completely bypass the pictures. Not sure how hard a sell they did with the video because DH is disabled and they were showing it on the second floor. We asked them to show it downstairs for us and they did. We planned on buying it anyway so it wasn't a big deal. I just wanted to see the quality (good) and make sure we received our video and not someone elses.

 

[stlkeeler]

Hi, I went to Dolphinaris last week during my cruise. It was an ok experience. We got to hug and kiss the dolphins but we didn't exactly get to swim with them. We just stood on a 4ft deep ledge in the pool and the dolphins came up to us and interacted with us. The trainer was leading the encounter and we were not allowed to swim out in the water with the dolphins. It was really interesting and fun to see the dolphins but I don't think it is worth the price.

Plus, during the encounter, there are photographers taking your picture, and if you want pictures of your experience, be prepared to pay. For 3 pictures it is $69. For all the pictures and a DVD it was upwards of $350. This is where they rip you off. They know that people will want the pictures, so they take advantage of that. Its a scam in my opinion and kind of ruined the whole experience for me. I wished I had gone to Chankanaab.

WOW, sounds like things have changed since last summer when we were there.

We had a great time! We did get to go out and swim with them. We started out on the platform and had to swim out to the middle of the pool to interact with them. Our dolphin wasn't performing the way the trainer wanted her to so we shared with the group next to ours. They were very patient and made sure everyone got to do everything they wanted to do. I would go again in a heartbeat.

I bought the DVD but I don't remember how much it was. But I know there is no way I would have paid $350 for it. I think it was closer to $1xx-something.

 

[cats mom]

Hi, I went to Dolphinaris last week during my cruise. It was an ok experience. We got to hug and kiss the dolphins but we didn't exactly get to swim with them. We just stood on a 4ft deep ledge in the pool and the dolphins came up to us and interacted with us. The trainer was leading the encounter and we were not allowed to swim out in the water with the dolphins. It was really interesting and fun to see the dolphins but I don't think it is worth the price.

WOW, sounds like things have changed since last summer when we were there.

We had a great time! We did get to go out and swim with them. We started out on the platform and had to swim out to the middle of the pool to interact with them. Our dolphin wasn't performing the way the trainer wanted her to so we shared with the group next to ours. They were very patient and made sure everyone got to do everything they wanted to do. I would go again in a heartbeat.

I'm guessing coco just signed up for a different program than you did. They offer several different options at both Dolphinaris and Chankanaab. You need to be sure to sign up for the one that best suits your group. For some that might mean an interaction, for others a swim.

 

[Popovich]

We did the dolphin swim at Dolphinaris in 11/08. It was the absolute highlight of our trip. The trainer was excellent with the kids, the dolphins and the parents. We did the package where you do the belly ride, kiss and 30 min of free swim with the dolphins. I liked that the swim was in enclosed man made free form pools and not in open water.

We then had lunch and time to snorkel. The pictures were amazing and not at all a hard sell. I remember thinking they were expensive, but not over the top. We got a DVD and picked the shots we wanted.

It was a clean and beautiful facility. Top notch. Very nice staff. We would do Dolphinaris again

Our kids were 9 and 11 at the time.

 

[sdjen]

Question for those of you that have done Dolphinaris.

Is there much more there to entertain you after the swim with dolphins? At the Chankanaab one it looks like there is a swimming pool etc... and you can stay longer.

At Dolphinaris is there a set time you have to catch the transport back to the ship or are you able to go whenever you want??

Thanks!

I am leaning more toward the Dolphinaris one due to the enclosed pools but want to make sure it would be worth the extra $$

 

[luvmyprincess]

** Bump ** Would like to know this answer as well

 

[sammydent]

Bumping to get some more recent responses hopefully.

 

[sammydent]

Anyone?? Pretty please?

 

[jessica29]

This will not answer your question my 2 cents book chankunab. We went and the the dolphin price included the admission. We were also upgradeing in the dolphin experience for free to do the foot push package( we were signed up for belly swim) and afterwards we also got to go in the manatee tank andtouch them etc for no extra cost. The park itself has snorling area low water geared towards kids IMO, regular snorkel lagoon, mayan replicas and walks, pool, tons of extras to keep you busy. We booked separate as the site always has deals and paid about 60 for the dolphin portion and 80 a person with admission. Hope that helps.