The Twelve Days of Swinter: From Castaway 'Key' to a Partridge in a Palm Tree!

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

The trainers give them fish from coolers as rewards for following commands.

Salvador did a few tricks for us and then it was time for the families to get into the action. We got lucky and were in the first group. You walk down a few steps and stand on a suspended platform in waist high water. You have to be careful though because the platform is slippery and it moves about a bit. The water underneath you is 20-30’ deep according the BL website.

While we were all getting situated, Salvador swam off and did a few flips out of the water. While he was showing off, I noticed these beautiful fish swimming all around our legs. I dipped my camera under the water and ended up with one decent shot. Their colors were so vivid!

And while I was down there taking pictures, look who popped up right in front of me!

He rolled over on his back for us to rub his belly.

(Sorry these pictures aren’t the best but I was too close to the action and had nowhere that I could back up.)

We all got hugs…

And then we got big, sloppy, wet kisses with a hint of fish!

He let us rub our fingers across his teeth although we were a little hesitant about that.

Salvador decided that he was getting bored with us so he took off and did a few more midair tricks.

When he swam back in, he made a few loud squeals and clicks and the trainer told us that meant he wanted to show us his shark impersonation.

It was really cute!

He was such a gentleman through it all that we each gave him a stinky treat.

He got a few more belly rubs out of us and then went down the line and danced with each person. Now that was funny! The expressions on the men’s faces were priceless! This one man had been kind of hesitant to participate the whole time and when Salvador went up for a dance the guy didn’t really want to do it. Well apparently Salvador took offense and made this really loud ‘raspberry’ noise right in his face. It was hilarious! It totally cracked his daughter up (she was probably 3 years old) and she yelled out, “Daddy, he far**d on you!” Oh my gosh! That man turned ten shades of red and the whole place exploded with laughter! You just NEVER know what will come out of the mouths of babes!!!

After our dance it was time to say goodbye. He waved his little flipper at all of us.

They have a photographer there that takes individual and family pictures that you can purchase in the gift shop after your session ends. These are the ones they took of us.

I was next to DH in this picture but I cropped myself out. There is NO WAY I was posting a picture of myself in a bathing suit and with that mop of wet hair that Salvador created! Picture Medusa in a typhoon and you’re close. Trust me, it wasn’t pretty!

We had a wonderful time doing the dolphin encounter and I would recommend it to anyone! It was one of the greatest things I’ve ever experienced! A major highlight of the trip!

Stay tuned! More Blue Lagoon to come!

Up next: The third day of Swinter: Part 3

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

JUST GORGEOUS!

That water is incredible. How awesome to be going on a dolphin adventure! So how warm was it that day?

We were posting at the same time. The rest of the update is up now.

It was 86 and humid that day. It was overcast most of the day but b/c of the humidity, it still felt really hot. We stayed in the water all day and it felt great! If it was that warm in late October I can't imagine how hot it is in the summer!

ACK!!! I am not seeing a next post.

I am trying to be patient and remember you have a life and are doing us a favor with this trip report. I am trying.. really I am!

Loving the TR by the way.

Try refreshing. There are 3 posts and they are all up now. We were posting at the same time.

Uh.......... HELLO?????????

You had a camera in your hands.

WHERE IS THE PHOTO??????????

Oh believe me! I have LOTS of pictures of her! Unfortunately she was in my line of fire for every picture I took in the water. I cropped her out of all of them that I could and I blurred her out of the rest. She's the hot pink blur in several of the pictures. Much to my dismay, this will not be the only time you see her.

 

[mom2rtk]

We were posting at the same time. The rest of the update is up now.

It was 86 and humid that day. It was overcast most of the day but b/c of the humidity, it still felt really hot. We stayed in the water all day and it felt great! If it was that warm in late October I can't imagine how hot it is in the summer!



Try refreshing. There are 3 posts and they are all up now. We were posting at the same time.



Oh believe me! I have LOTS of pictures of her! Unfortunately she was in my line of fire for every picture I took in the water. I cropped her out of all of them that I could and I blurred her out of the rest. She's the hot pink blur in several of the pictures. Much to my dismay, this will not be the only time you see her.

Oh you're no fun! Inquiring minds want to know. Or inquiring eyes want to see...... Or is it SO bad that you'd get banned from the DIS??????

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Oh you're no fun! Inquiring minds want to know. Or inquiring eyes want to see...... Or is it SO bad that you'd get banned from the DIS??????

It's definitely nothing I could post on the DIS. But trust me, you really DON'T want to see it.

 

[sharonW]

very awesome, what a unique experience!!! I can see many wonderful memories were made on your trip! lovin it!!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

WOW what an awesome day!! Well, except for little miss naked. Good grief.

Anyway -- what an incredible experience for all of you. And look at that clear blue water. I just love all your pics. And you are right -- those buildings look just like CBR!!


Can't wait for more!!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

very awesome, what a unique experience!!! I can see many wonderful memories were made on your trip! lovin it!!

Oh yes, this was a trip of a lifetime for us. I had always wanted to take a cruise, visit a tropical island, see that clear blue water, and get in the water with dolphins, so I got to check a lot of things off my bucket list on this day!

WOW what an awesome day!! Well, except for little miss naked. Good grief.

Anyway -- what an incredible experience for all of you. And look at that clear blue water. I just love all your pics. And you are right -- those buildings look just like CBR!!


Can't wait for more!!

It was a totally awesome day! One of the best vacation days I've ever had. I loved every minute of it... well, except for my time with 'that woman.' She did ruin the mood for a while. I still can't believe she wore that to a family type outing. Everyone at the dolphin excursion was a parent with small children, so her attire was REALLY inappropriate.

Anyway, I sure hope you still have that cruise booked b/c I really want you to go and hear your opinions on everything. As much as you love a tropical theme, I just know you are going to enjoy it.

 

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

Salvador decided that he was getting bored with us so he took off and did a few more midair tricks.

This picture made me

 

[sharonW]

so true Rink, you killed many birds with one stone!! I have seen those turquoise waters in Bermuda, they are beautiful! Most definitley this is the trip of a lifetime, how do you plan to top it???

 

[kittylady1972]

Oh wow, just when I had convinced myself we would just stay ONE THE BOAT and not venture off on any excursions...you post this report and now I'm thinking about changing my mind! AWESOME photos...now off to price out the excursion to see how much extra I'll need to save for our trip!

 

[mickeystoontown]

I don't know how it happened but I stopped getting emails when you posted updates. Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter 'cause I found the thread and subscribed again and I'm all caught up and I promptly forgot half the stuff I wanted to comment on.

We are considering doing the dolphin excursion in May. I've heard some say that the water was cold and others didn't mention it. I am betting I could put up with a cold water for a while if I were able to dance with a dolphin.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Oh I know what I wanted to comment on....the fish extenders. Is that something that most of the cruisers do? If so, how does that work?

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Rinky, what gorgeous photos! I bet you almost had to pinch yourself, believing that you were finally there.

The dolphin encounter sounds like so much fun. Don't crop yourself out of photos though my friend. I have seen photos of you and you are pretty. You're way too hard on yourself.

Ew on the nasty swim suit. Yuck.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

It was a totally awesome day! One of the best vacation days I've ever had. I loved every minute of it... well, except for my time with 'that woman.' She did ruin the mood for a while. I still can't believe she wore that to a family type outing. Everyone at the dolphin excursion was a parent with small children, so her attire was REALLY inappropriate.

Anyway, I sure hope you still have that cruise booked b/c I really want you to go and hear your opinions on everything. As much as you love a tropical theme, I just know you are going to enjoy it.

Well unfortunately I did cancel our May 2013 cruise we had booked. We had a lot going on and I still wasn't 100% sold on the cruise for the price, so I cancelled. That doesn't mean we aren't going to cruise in the near future, but we are still undecided at the moment. Although you are making a very good fight for it!! What an awesome excursion!

Don't crop yourself out of photos though my friend. I have seen photos of you and you are pretty. You're way too hard on yourself.

I agree with Kelli!! Don't crop yourself out of pics! I know I look like a total dork in lots of the pics I post in my TR!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

You had a better boat ride over than we did. The first boat (like yours) got full so we had the "extra" boat. Not as big or nice, and no tour guide Barbie telling us what we were looking at. But - we still got the same pictures as you!! So beautiful there.

I can't believe how some people are - no sense of what is good/bad, right/wrong... Then again, maybe she was European. That kind of "suit" is perfectly acceptable there...

I thought the Dolphin Encounter was SUPER fun too! We had a couple other families and we all seemed to "get along" and we kept bumping into one of them on the ship later! I agree that you should not have cropped yourself out - you probably have the biggest smile on your face from having so much fun!
It was cute to hear all the squeals and laughs on the video! DH got a little splash from the dolphin after he said the kiss was kind of salty!

When we went it was March and the water was kind of cold, and you're not in the sun, so the water was a bit too chilly for my taste. But out in the sun it was nice.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

This picture made me

It does look like the amazing flying dolphin doesn't it!

so true Rink, you killed many birds with one stone!! I have seen those turquoise waters in Bermuda, they are beautiful! Most definitley this is the trip of a lifetime, how do you plan to top it???

I did! I've always been infatuated with anything tropical, so this trip made many dreams come true for me. And as far as topping it... well, I can't afford to do that anytime soon! I wanted to rebook while on the cruise and do the 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise to the Virgin Islands, but that didn't work out for me. More on that to come...

You went to Bermuda and made it back... I didn't think that ever happened! I bet it was beautiful though. There's really nothing like that gorgeous water!

Oh wow, just when I had convinced myself we would just stay ONE THE BOAT and not venture off on any excursions...you post this report and now I'm thinking about changing my mind! AWESOME photos...now off to price out the excursion to see how much extra I'll need to save for our trip!

I think lots of people stay on the boat in the Bahamas but I think Blue Lagoon is a real jewel. If I had to do it all over again, I'd absolutely go back. There is a dolphin 'swim' and a dolphin 'encounter'. The price difference is huge! The swim is in deep water and the dolphins push you across the lagoon by your feet. The encounter is in shallow water (b/c of the platform) and you don't 'swim' around with them. I actually used my shipboard credits and some Disney Visa points to pay for it and it didn't cost me a dime! Have fun deciding!

I don't know how it happened but I stopped getting emails when you posted updates. Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter 'cause I found the thread and subscribed again and I'm all caught up and I promptly forgot half the stuff I wanted to comment on.

We are considering doing the dolphin excursion in May. I've heard some say that the water was cold and others didn't mention it. I am betting I could put up with a cold water for a while if I were able to dance with a dolphin.

Don't feel bad. The same thing happens to me. The DIS really needs to fix whatever the problem is there.

As for the water... I think it depends on when you go. I knew I wanted to go at the end of summer b/c the water is always warmer then than it is in the spring. I would say that it was cool but not cold, but it was sooooo hot that day that the water felt perfect! (It was 86 and very humid) I am super hot natured though, but my DH is cold natured and even he thought it was a nice kind of coolness to the water b/c it was so hot. I think the water over there stays a little cooler b/c it is shaded with those awnings all the time. The water in the beach area felt much warmer to me. Either way though, after a few minutes, you'll adjust and you won't be thinking about it with all that's going on. That's just my opinion though. I wear flip flops almost year round, so take it for what it's worth.

Oh I know what I wanted to comment on....the fish extenders. Is that something that most of the cruisers do? If so, how does that work?

No, only a handful of people do the FE. We had 14 families in ours. It's a Dis thing. I just googled 'fish extender october 27-30 disney dream cruise' and I found it that way. (The search function on the DIS never works for me.)

Basically you just go to the thread that's setup for your cruise and tell them you want to join the FE group. They will compile a list of everyone who is participating (with stateroom #s, sexes & ages so you know where/what to give). Then you just make or buy things for each person in the group and they do the same for you.

Once you get on the ship you go to each stateroom on the list and drop off your goodies in their FEs hanging outside their door. They do the same for you. You can deliver them at any point in the cruise and you will get stuff all along as well.

We thought it was fun and my DD LOVED it! Just know that it will take time away from your cruise to make the deliveries and there is a lot of walking involved going to different floors and front to back on the ship. It is a BIG ship! But if you are ok with that, it is a lot of fun. The homemade stuff is the BEST! I got some great things and I'll show pics of all of it soon, as well as pics of what I gave. Here's a thread that has some terrific homemade FE gift ideas if you are the crafty type:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1980639

Rinky, what gorgeous photos! I bet you almost had to pinch yourself, believing that you were finally there.

The dolphin encounter sounds like so much fun. Don't crop yourself out of photos though my friend. I have seen photos of you and you are pretty. You're way too hard on yourself.

Ew on the nasty swim suit. Yuck.

I did say over and over that I just couldn't believe I had finally made it to a tropical island! I want to go back so bad!! It just opened a whole can of worms!

You are too sweet. I will say that I wasn't as outrageous looking as thong girl, but I was giving her a run for her money! It was a really, really bad picture of me though.

Well unfortunately I did cancel our May 2013 cruise we had booked. We had a lot going on and I still wasn't 100% sold on the cruise for the price, so I cancelled. That doesn't mean we aren't going to cruise in the near future, but we are still undecided at the moment. Although you are making a very good fight for it!! What an awesome excursion!

I agree with Kelli!! Don't crop yourself out of pics! I know I look like a total dork in lots of the pics I post in my TR!

Oh Shelly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so upset that you cancelled! If you thought you were getting weak, you should have sent me a PM! I could have written you a 10 page response again and talked you back into it! What am I going to do with you!!



So what is the new plan? Are you back looking into Hawaii and DL?

And you do NOT look like a dork in any of your pictures! And if you did, I bet you wouldn't post them either!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

You had a better boat ride over than we did. The first boat (like yours) got full so we had the "extra" boat. Not as big or nice, and no tour guide Barbie telling us what we were looking at. But - we still got the same pictures as you!! So beautiful there.

Wow you must have had a much larger group going than we did. That one boat wasn't even close to being full. And don't feel bad about missing tour guide Barbie... we had tour guide Ken and his accent was so thick that all I could really understand were the names of the celebrities!

I can't believe how some people are - no sense of what is good/bad, right/wrong... Then again, maybe she was European. That kind of "suit" is perfectly acceptable there...

I thought about that too that maybe she was European, but still... the place was FULL of little kids and they were all staring at her. Poor things are probably scarred for life!

I thought the Dolphin Encounter was SUPER fun too! We had a couple other families and we all seemed to "get along" and we kept bumping into one of them on the ship later! I agree that you should not have cropped yourself out - you probably have the biggest smile on your face from having so much fun!

I did have a huge grin and a huge mess of a head!

It was cute to hear all the squeals and laughs on the video! DH got a little splash from the dolphin after he said the kiss was kind of salty!

They are natural little comedians aren't they. I could have stayed there with that dolphin all day. Those trainers have the best jobs ever!

When we went it was March and the water was kind of cold, and you're not in the sun, so the water was a bit too chilly for my taste. But out in the sun it was nice.

I agree that it feels cooler b/c of the shade. The beach area felt much warmer to me too.

replies in blue

 

[disneybarbie]

Hi Rinky, really enjoyed reading about your Dolphin Encounter at Nassau - we did the same excursion during our cruise and loved it so much! Definitely something we'll always remember - we're hoping for our next cruise to do a dolphin swim in Gran Cayman.

How exciting too that that was the first time you set foot outside the USA during a Disney cruise!


Emma x

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Sarah said she wants to be a dolphin trainer after we did that too! She has a list of potential careers and 75% of them involve animals. I told her to study up on the sciences!!

 

[Moodyzblu]

The dolphin encounter looked so awesome .. but my guys wouldn't do it. But I would love to !!
Love the pics you got (even the ones with the blurred out "lady".