Help please!

[UGAFan0829]

Hello everyone!
My husband and I are taking our very very cruise on the Wonder next month. We set sail on Jan. 13, and are very much looking forward to it.
I was wondering if anyone might be able to help me decide on some shore excursions for the trip. I would REALLY love to do the Dolphin Encounter while in Nassau, but I'm a little concerned about the length of time for it. I noticed that on the Disney Cruise site the time alotment for Encounter is 4-7 hours. Does it really take that long? My only concern is that I am red-headed, so I burn easily and I wouldn't want to be in the sun that long. It would make the rest of the trip miserable to say the least. It would be really great if there were some shade somewhere, but I definitely don't want to be in the sun for that amount of time. Also, would any recommend this excursion. I know sometimes people go on these things and never actually see a dolphin. It is a little more expensive than the other excursions, so I want to make sure that we get our money's worth.
Also, if you don't mind are there any other excursions that you veteran cruisers might recommend?
Thanks so much for your time...I must say this place is AWESOME, and I can't wait to set sail!

 

[faireygod mother]

We are on the cruise after you. I highly recommend the Dolphin encounter. It is a conyained area and you are not in the sun the whole time. It takes about 45 minutes via boat to get to the island where it is located. The island had tress, not sure of its condition since the hurricane. It was quite beautiful. You can also purchase the video of your experience with the dolphin. Hope this helps. Have a great holiday and a wonderful cruise.

 

[Babyboohunk]

We were on the 12/5 Wonder and we went on the Blackbeard Cay excursion at Nassau. I would highly recommend this excursion. We have young children and this was perfect for us -- not too long (I think we left at about 10:30 and returned at 2:00) and really a beautiful little island. It was just about a 20 minute pleasant ferry ride to the island. The main draw there is the stingrays which you can snorkle with and feed. Lots of folks were doing this, but my kids were not interested in getting in the water, just watching. Basically, we set up camp on some of the many lounge chairs and just enjoyed the sand and beautiful water. DH took a jetski ride while we watched and the kids played with their sand toys. They served a hot dog/hamburger lunch which was included. It was kind of like an un-Disneyfied Castaway Cay day. Very relaxing and fun for all. Plus, we got back early enough that we could have shopped if we wanted to, but we just went back to the room and got cleaned up and played around on the boat the rest of the afternoon.
Stacy

 

[LissafromSJ]

We just returned from 7 days in Nassau, and really explored all it has to offer. We stayed on land (taking our first Disney cruise next November), and did the Dolphin Encounter with myself and five kids (my three and niece and nephew). It was our highlight - after a twenty to thirty minute intro, you are in the water face to face with dolphins for a good hour at least - maybe more. We had been told 30 minutes, so I'm not sure if we were lucky or if everyone goes that long. We were pushed sailing through the air, got to kiss and hold them, dance, rub noses - it was unbelievable! If you can swing it with the time, I'd have to say don't miss this. It was the adventure of a lifetime!
PS: If you don't want the expensive photos, position someone with a came (my husband got the same shots their photographer did) on the observation dock, which costs about $25 I think. Also, I'm an animal lover and did some research on this facility and they are very well respected. Have fun!