Late dolphin encounter...go to park early??

[MNmom]

Just a quick question.....

If we get the later dolphin encounter through DCL...can we go to Chakanaab early with the Taxi voucher or do we have to meet back at the ship at 2pm?? Maybe we would have to get to the park on our own???

Thanks so much...everyone here has been great

 

[3MinnieMom]

We just went on the Dolphin Encounter on the Nov 8th cruise. I was bummed because our time was the 1 PM Encounter. I tried every day on the cruise to change it to one of the earlier times, but I couldn't. We were told that the taxi drivers in Cozumel are "union" workers - they will charge you a cab fare unless the tour guide is right there handing them a voucher. We went with the 1 PM group - and all worked out great (they also warn everyone to wait for the tour guide when you want to leave the park, or else you'll get charged for the return trip home). We got back to the ship by 5 P.M. - plenty of time to get ready for our early seating dinner (which is Tropical Night).

The Dolphin Encounter was GREAT (takes about 45-60 minutes, by the time you check out the pictures and video afterwards). We were releived that we didn't have too much additional time at Chakanaab Park. The "beach" is a reef beach (not a sand beach, like CC or 7-Mile Beach in the Caymen Islands). You enter the water by a stone staircase right into at least 6-7 feet of water. It is supposed to be wonderful for snorkeling - but since we only had about 45 min prior to our Encounter, we didn't want spend the extra money to rent snorkel equipment for our whole family. If you love to snorkel and bring your own equipment (or don't mind the extra cost to rent the equipment from the park), then you may want to get there earlier.

By the way...if you like the video of your Encounter, "barter" the price of the video with the employees. We were given 3 different prices by 3 different emplyees ($39, $35, and $29). Obviously, we agreed to the $29 price!!!

Have fun - our 3 dd's cannot stop talking about their Encounter with Amaya (the dolphin) !!!

 

[MNmom]

Thanks so much for the info

As it turns out we did get the 10:20 reservation so we should be just fine.

I am a little concerned about the "Beach" situation at Chakanaab. I had read that there is a sandy beachy area and a separate snorkel area. I wonder if there is a different area. Maybe the beach and the lagoon are different. I did find a website for the park with a map but it is in spanish. I guess I will have to wait for my kids to get home from school. They go to a Spanish Immersion school and are fluent in spanish.

Thanks again