Please HELP Me Choose a Dolphin Excursion in Cozumel or Grand Cayman!

[aprilbabes]

We will be on the Fantasy this July with our 4 and 6 yr olds.
Our original plan was to do a Beach club in Cozumel - Playa Mia, Mr. Sanchos, or one of the other similar ones. In GC we thought we'd try a dolphin encounter for the first time.
Now, I'm wondering if the options for a dolphin encounter in Cozumel are better - Chankanaab, Dolphin Discovery, etc.
I would love any feedback about any of these options. I also don't know if it's better to spend the extra money and book through DCL or do it privately.
I'm so confused and our reservation window opens Monday, so I really want to have a plan!
PLEASE HELP! TIA!!!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Cozumel - Chankanaab,brilliant very well organised good pools in the sea, Dolphin Discovery good but not as good, in pools that are not in the sea so easier to get in and out but doesn't 'flush' ie our dolphin did his business in front of us. ....I will leave it there.....

Grand Cayman is better for sightseeing and stingrays and Turtles imho

 

[aprilbabes]

Cozumel - Chankanaab,brilliant very well organised good pools in the sea, Dolphin Discovery good but not as good, in pools that are not in the sea so easier to get in and out but doesn't 'flush' ie our dolphin did his business in front of us. ....I will leave it there.....

Grand Cayman is better for sightseeing and stingrays and Turtles imho

Thank you so much! Do you recommend it for young kids? DCL or book privately?

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Thank you so much! Do you recommend it for young kids? DCL or book privately?

Book with DCL they ensure safety and transport is included. They oversee the process some places may refuse bookings if you know your on the cruise.

 

[Mom of a *Princess*]

Our family did the Dolphin Encounter at Grand Cayman this past February and enjoyed it. It was a nice facility and the trainers were great. The Turtle farm is across the street and my kids loved holding the baby turtles and seeing the older turtles. Grand Cayman is a beautiful island.

 

[princessmommyx3]

My family did the one at Chankanaab 2 years ago. We did it through DCL. We were just put in a regular cab so think ahead if you want to have car/booster seats for your kids. Our cab had seat belts, and we used booster seats. The overall experience was good, it is a beautiful, clean park. The water for the dolphin encounter is deep so someone will have to hold both of your kids. Our oldest was 8 at the time (& tall for her age) and she couldn't touch the bottom. After the dolphins they let you have free time at the park. There is a nice pool and restaurant. I will caution you that the photos they take of you are good quality, but expensive. You might be able to haggle them down, but for photos of 6 of us I think the CD was $180. They do take a TON of pictures, but they take so many that they are almost all the exact same shot. I think this is how they try to justify the price. If I were you, I would see the stingrays in Grand Cayman and dolphins in Cozumel, booked thru DCL.

 

[JMHDisney]

We did Dolphinaris in Cozumel earlier this month with two 6 year olds. The pools and platforms worked well with the kids - shallow enough for them to stand. For adults, I'd try Chakanaab but with young kids this was calm and not scary. I highly recommend booking directly with them. It cost me $100 per person and that included a CD with I think 10 pictures on it for each person (so basically we got all our pics). The CDs were selling for $150 alone so had we booked with DCL we would have had to pay three times what we paid. It's a 5 minute can ride from the dock.

 

[Bill B.]

We did the Dolphin Encounter at Cozumel and really enjoyed it. It's really a pretty park there.

 

[Ariel3379]

We will be on the Fantasy this July with our 4 and 6 yr olds.
Our original plan was to do a Beach club in Cozumel - Playa Mia, Mr. Sanchos, or one of the other similar ones. In GC we thought we'd try a dolphin encounter for the first time.
Now, I'm wondering if the options for a dolphin encounter in Cozumel are better - Chankanaab, Dolphin Discovery, etc.
I would love any feedback about any of these options. I also don't know if it's better to spend the extra money and book through DCL or do it privately.
I'm so confused and our reservation window opens Monday, so I really want to have a plan!
PLEASE HELP! TIA!!!

Can I ask what you ended up doing? We are going in April with a 5 year old and have the same dilemma! Thanks!

 

[cedricandsophie]

Hi. I'm not really answering the question because I haven't been on either of these exvursions. But we have been with Dolphins twice. I'm not sure what they were called but the first was standing on a platform and touching the Dolphins as they came by. It was fun to be so close but boring. The second was the full immersion where you were actually in the pool with the Dolphins, they swam around you, wanted to be petted at length and pulled you around the pool as you held on to their fin. That was fabulous. Our grandson was 6 at the time, didn't really swim well but everyone wore a vest. I would highly recommend that type of encounter.

 

[Tasmen]

We did exactly what you were planning: resort in Cozumel an dolphins in Grand cayman. The dolphins were fun but the pictures are very expensive. Keep that in mind.

I did have to hold my child the whole time as the pool was too deep for her to stand. She's 7

 

[dizanimator]

I'm leaving for my first cruise in about 5 days, so I can only tell you what I have planned. I'm doing the dolphin trainer for a day in Cozumel so I get to spend time with the dolphins and learn about them. In Grand Cayman, I'm doing the Deluxe Stingray City Sandbar Snorkel. I've never been in the ocean, and haven't been swimming for years, so these will be a bit of an adventure. I did just get a waterproof camera for the trip, so I hope to take a few pictures. I haven't carried a camera at WDW for a while, so that's different.

 

[birdieboiler]

When we were in Cozumel we did the one at Chankanaab National Park which I believe is the Dolphin Discovery. We were in the ocean and not in pools. The discs can be expensive. I looked at the pictures and they told me the price. I told them what I could pay an they either accepted it or they didn't and they did. I believe they quoted $180 and I offered $125 for over 100 pictures. We were on a different cruise line and booked through the cruise line and ours came with a buffet lunch. Wasn't much of a lunch but it fed us. Ours was one where we learned a few of the commands for the dolphins, we got the kiss, the had touch, had a picture taken looking like we were holding them, swam holding their dorsal fin and each dolphin, we had two, pushed us with their nose in the arch of our feed across the water on a buggy board. I thought it was a great experience and worth the money. When I return to Cozumel I plan to do the excursion again as the next time we go we will have others with us that have not done it and will love it.