We did the "Royal Swim" at Chakanaab on our April 23rd cruise. Our DD is 12 and was able to swim with the dolphins and do the sea lion swim. Hard to compare the two experiences. The dolphin swim is in a large section of water and you have interactions with two dolphins, such as holding their fins while they "transport" you, thrusting you up in the air while they use their bottle noses to push against your feet and swimming with you. It's truly an incredible experience. The swim with the sea lion, on the other hand, is in a confined shallow (4 feet) salt water pool. The sea lion, Carla, is absolutely adorable. She is a real ham, who loves to get kisses, and is very engaging. The interactions are really photo ops, Carla swims up to you and kisses you on the cheek, and you get to "hold" Carla for another swim op. It's mostly attended by mothers and daughters, my DH was the odd "duck". My DD and I thought it was adorable, my DH didn't like the fact that we were all in the same pool with the sea lion. As for the show, we didn't see the whole performance, having missed the first half, I thought Carla was by far, the best actor in the lot. It was geared toward younger kids, and the male actors need better microphones. It was a cute performance and a break from all the snorkeling and water activities.
