Dolphin Encounter at Chankanaab National Park

new2cruising2006: You can check the port schedule here: http://cruisett.com/ports.php?PortID=155&date=42

 

So I talked to the people at dolphin discovery, and they require a ticket/booking number from Norwegian passengers in order to get the 2 for 1 deal. I ended up booking through http://cozumel-tours.com/dolphin-swim-adventure.htm in order to get the early booking discount, but just got 15% since I'm only 30 days out. They have a graduated discount based on how far in advance you book. Another thing to note is that if you use American Express they charge you in Pesos, whereas if you book with Visa or Mastercard they charge you in Dollars. I didn't know that until after I booked, and don't know what effect it will have on the price, except for the AMEX currency exchange fee.

 

If you cancel more than 4 days in advance you can get all but 10% of your fee back. If your ship doesn't dock or is late you have to get a letter from the ship and fax it to them as proof, and then you can get all but 10% back or a 1-year voucher for the full amount. If they cancel you due to weather you get a refund.

 

Because I couldn't get the 2-for-1 deal, I only booked the swim for my two older kids. They said there's a sea lion show included, but that it would cost the rest of us an extra $15 or so at the park. Anyone have experience with that?

 

Thanks!

Scott

That's interesting - I booked last week, and I just had to tell them which ship and what day. I am actually on an NCL cruise, but I didn't have to give them a booking or ticket number.

Our experience at Chankanaab: We were there April 2010, and a woman was there taking lots of pictures of her kids the entire time. I was hoping for the same experience this time.

First of all, I booked this online using "ecommerce" and I put in "Elation." The swim was 1/7/12. No one questioned anything when we checked in. I was told several times by each person we checked in with that cameras were not allowed. I had to pay an extra $5 to be able to go on the outside deck with my 12 year old. I kept my camera hidden and took a few quick pics. A grandmother was also on the outer deck freely using a waterproof camera. They told her she could not do that, but the participants could use the waterproof camera and take pictures of each other. I questioned one of the workers about whether or not I could take pictures from the dock. He said only paying participants can use cameras. So, if you can, bring a waterproof camera!!

Also a new change since our 2010 swim, they no longer print pictures. Everything is on the computer. You can pick which pictures you want and they will burn a disc. Single pictures are $30 each to a disc. For one participant, it was about $95 for the disc of all the pictures. They did have a package for the disc and 2 printed pictures. They also had packages based on the number of participants that you want pictures of.

I am booked for the Royal Dolphin Swim and am curious about the biodegradable sunscreen policy. Does anyone have any experience with any of these sunscreens? Are they effective? I understand they are sold at the park, but is there anywhere else they can be bought other than online?

I just booked the royal swim by phone today, and we are on Norwegian, and I wasn't asked for a booking number. They just asked the ship and arrival date. It sounds like it depends on who you talk to. I knew about the 2/1 deal from their website and the rep gve me the deal w/o me even having to mention it.

Another great reason to NOT book on the ship is the flexibility it will give you at this park. Chankanaab is a beautiful beach and a great place to spend the day without being rushed back to the ship. The taxi ride is very short so missing the ship is not an issue. The beach is man made and built on a coral base. This means a great beach with good snorkeling. It's a bit tough getting into the water due to carved out steps in the rock but once in it is devine.

We went a few years ago when there wasn't all this hassel about being a Carnival passenger or not. The dolphin experience was incredible and the professional pictures we purchased were worth every nickle (to us) given the huge smiles on all of our faces (including our teenagers:)). I locked up my camera in one of their lockers and brought it out later when I went snorkeling.

I'm glad I didn't fool with it as it would have distracted from the experience. You are in pretty deep water and for much of the experience you have to swim out into the bay for the dophin to do it's pushes and rides. For this reason I suggest caution when bringing young children. They won't be able to participate in the exciting events and may be frightened when doing the dolphin kiss or hand (flipper) shake. During our encounter, there was another family that had a young child and he was scared through out the event and was not up to the swim out into the bay.

My answer is "I'm sailing in" which is true in a bigger sense. I sail a Cat thru BVI several times a year and regardless of the type of boat we basically are sailing (as in set sail). Unfortunately, they put us in a position of having to scoot the truth in order to have a great family experience.

My answer is "I'm sailing in" which is true in a bigger sense. I sail a Cat thru BVI several times a year and regardless of the type of boat we basically are sailing (as in set sail). Unfortunately, they put us in a position of having to scoot the truth in order to have a great family experience.

Ok, I'm jealous now:cool:

I have a picture of our approach to Jost Van Dyke from a catameran ride we took last year after sailing in to Tortola on Celebrity on my computer desktop. The island was gorgeous!! Sailing the BVI on a catameran sounds amazing.

As for Chankanaab, the impression I got from the posts here is that the issue is with Carnival - some sort of exclusive deal made with the park for their passengers. We ran into a similar issue in Belize where we went on a "Raiders of the Lost Mayan Caves" excursion (we were also sailing with Carnival at the time). We could only take it if we booked through the ship even though the business offered it privately. However, in that case I didn't mind as the drive to the venue was quite far and the risk of missing the ship was higher than I'm comfortable with. If you're coming in on a private catameran to Cozumel, you shouldn't have an issue.:confused:

Another great reason to NOT book on the ship is the flexibility it will give you at this park. Chankanaab is a beautiful beach and a great place to spend the day without being rushed back to the ship. The taxi ride is very short so missing the ship is not an issue. The beach is man made and built on a coral base. This means a great beach with good snorkeling. It's a bit tough getting into the water due to carved out steps in the rock but once in it is devine.

 

We went a few years ago when there wasn't all this hassel about being a Carnival passenger or not. The dolphin experience was incredible and the professional pictures we purchased were worth every nickle (to us) given the huge smiles on all of our faces (including our teenagers:)). I locked up my camera in one of their lockers and brought it out later when I went snorkeling.

I'm glad I didn't fool with it as it would have distracted from the experience. You are in pretty deep water and for much of the experience you have to swim out into the bay for the dophin to do it's pushes and rides. For this reason I suggest caution when bringing young children. They won't be able to participate in the exciting events and may be frightened when doing the dolphin kiss or hand (flipper) shake. During our encounter, there was another family that had a young child and he was scared through out the event and was not up to the swim out into the bay.

By pretty deep water do you mean over your head water depth where you are treading water the whole time?

By pretty deep water do you mean over your head water depth where you are treading water the whole time?

There are really two sections. The first section is right off of the pier. The water is about chest deep as you stand on an underwater ledge. It is from here you do things like the dolphin kiss and shake the flipper. The second is where the exciting stuff takes place. For this you swim out about 30 to 50 yards from the other area into the bay. Yes this is well over your head but you have a life jacket on and the trainers are keeping a watchful eye on you. My dw had no problem and she is not a swimmer.

I'm not sure what all is offered now but when we went for the one event you swam out with a flutter board, pointed yourself back towards the main area, and the dolphin came up behind you and pushed you in (very fast) with his nose on the bottom of your foot. For the other event you would swim out, put your arm out, and the dolphin would come up beside you so you could hold his dorsal fin and he pulls you back. It is incredible!!

For adults and older kids I think it is fantastic. Personally I would be reluctant to take younger children in unless they are fearless in water, fearless around strange animals, and you're content to have them do just the flipper shake and kiss as they won't be able to do the swim out. The terrified child I saw was about 5 and his family and the trainers spent a considerable amount of time trying to convince him to swim out and interact with the dolphin.:( Of course when this happens the adults aren't having a great time either and the experience is a bit pricey if you're not having the time of your life. Of course every child is different.

For our family - 2 adults and 2 teenagers, it still stands out as one of the most memorable things we have done.:)

I also think Chankanaab is worth going to (or at least it was before all the hurricanes) even if you don't do the dolphins and I would return in a heartbeat.:D

I should qualify that by saying it is not a great beach for kids (or anyone for that matter) to just run out into the water. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, it has a fantastic sand beach but the water entry requires stepping down through steps cut out in the rocks. Good for snorkeling - bad for just running in.

By pretty deep water do you mean over your head water depth where you are treading water the whole time?

You have on a life jacket the entire time. It is required, so it does not matter how deep it is. You stand on a ledge at the edge of the pool while waiting your turn. Very easy.

I am booked for the Royal Dolphin Swim and am curious about the biodegradable sunscreen policy. Does anyone have any experience with any of these sunscreens? Are they effective? I understand they are sold at the park, but is there anywhere else they can be bought other than online?

I use Blue Lizzard. I get it at CVS pharmacy. Works well.

Pic of me:

Pic of my son:

Sorry they are so large, I am a novice. LOL

How deep is the water for the manatee and sea lion swim?

How deep is the water for the manatee and sea lion swim?

We were on a ledge like the dolphin swim. The water is fairly deep, but you have on a good life jacket. Nothing to worry about.

How good is life jacket during dolphin push or belly ride? enough to keep a 200 lb person (who can not swim at all) above water?

Hi everyone...has anyone used to NCL discount yet when not actually on NCL? Also what are thoughts on the middle package vs the royal swim? Middle package for 2 with 25% off is $50 less than royal swim, and I'm not sure if it's worth that to be able to have the pull and standing ride. (Royal swim also doesn't get the belly ride). So seems like it's just a net of 1 additional thing.

Incidents of them insisting on proof of NCL (stateroom keyy) else charging full regular rate have been reported. (this seem to be recent development)

Just returned last week with 4 of us doing the push, pull and 5 of us doing the encounter. Reg life vests in all sizes from infant to xxl adult. Encounter group was 10 people and lots of time with dolphins. Chest deep water. Standing on grid in water you can hold chainlink fence behind you for balAnce. Take a waterproof camera ( allowed). Planned to buy photo package but price was $197-$400. Insulting and they were not negotiating. Our camera pics came out awesome. Push pull group also enjoyed but felt most of their time was focused on getting pics taken. Dolphins were amazing and worth the $$$ but Encounter was enough.

I have planned to book the royal swim through the dolphin discovery website independently for next April. We are a four person group, and through their website it would be less than $400 for all four of us. (There is an early booking discount that gets one ticket for free) The same excursion through Carnival would be $756! That is $350 more to go through the ship.

 

My dilemma is this: apparently they have a non compete clause that doesn't allow cruise ship passengers (on certain lines, all the lines owned by Carnival included in clause) to book independently. In order to book it, you have to lie. Great. Not sure how to handle it, and keep hoping that someone will pipe in who has done it recently, as this appears to be a new change in policy.

 

I have two 15 year olds with me, one of whom has never traveled before, and I really want to do this. I'm not crazy about lying, and would prefer not to have to do that, but $350 price difference is pretty big. If we were talking a $100 difference, I could swallow that, but...

 

So, what to do? Has anyone done this recently? Can I get away with saying I'm at a hotel? Honestly, it would be cheaper to book a room for a day than to pay the Carnival price.

 

We spend so much money on the ship (last year our S&S bill came in at $1600) that I do not have guilt about not booking through the ship. I (and the girls) have my heart set on being able to do a dorsal swim...

I had this same problem trying to book parasailing in Cozumel. The only problem is that if you say you are not with a cruise ship, they have limited slots available reserved for cruise ship passengers only & you can't book those early times when ships are in port. If you say you are staying at a hotel, they might only let you book at late afternoon times. :rolleyes:

Hi everyone...has anyone used to NCL discount yet when not actually on NCL? Also what are thoughts on the middle package vs the royal swim? Middle package for 2 with 25% off is $50 less than royal swim, and I'm not sure if it's worth that to be able to have the pull and standing ride. (Royal swim also doesn't get the belly ride). So seems like it's just a net of 1 additional thing.

I booked the Royal Swim and I am on NCL Spirit. They asked me for my reservation number. They also mentioned we may need to show our Cruise card when checking in as well.

Just an FYI.

If I have missed this question and answer on here I'm sorry. I've read somewhere on cruise critic sometime ago on a post but, can't find it now as to lockers to store your passport, wallet, extra clothes etc. while you swim with the dolphins.

Can anyone tell me if they lock & are safe or how that works. All in our group will be doing the dolphin excursion so will be no one to hold our items.

Thanks

Marcy

If I have missed this question and answer on here I'm sorry. I've read somewhere on cruise critic sometime ago on a post but, can't find it now as to lockers to store your passport, wallet, extra clothes etc. while you swim with the dolphins.

 

Can anyone tell me if they lock & are safe or how that works. All in our group will be doing the dolphin excursion so will be no one to hold our items.

 

Thanks

Marcy

We were just there 2/28. There are FREE lockers right by the dolphin swim area. They are kind of small probably 12x12 concrete boxes built into the wall. DH was a bit worried about how secure they were. The front is slightly see through so don't put anything on the front that is vauable or you can make out what it is. I wasn't worried about it and at times we were really far away from it and my $1200 camera was in it.

When you get there, go to the right inside the park and to the end and you will see them. They all have keys in the lock, put your stuff in and shut the door, turn the key and you are set.

Hi everyone...has anyone used to NCL discount yet when not actually on NCL? Also what are thoughts on the middle package vs the royal swim? Middle package for 2 with 25% off is $50 less than royal swim, and I'm not sure if it's worth that to be able to have the pull and standing ride. (Royal swim also doesn't get the belly ride). So seems like it's just a net of 1 additional thing.

Hi there,

We just returned (literally last night :( ). We sailed on RC Freedom of the Seas. I booked the NCL deal by calling, I booked this in late January/early February, can't remember exact date. I did some quick research to see if any NCL ships were in port the same day as us - it worked out. We arrived on March 9th, with our confirmation in hand. I was only asked once which ship we arrived on. I told them the Pearl and did not need to show proof of any kind. That was the only time I was asked. The funny thing was we had a group of 12 including five children who had on RC Muster station wrist bands on, nothing was said when the staff put their wrist bands on them for entry into the park. So long story short - we had no trouble booking the NCL deal and sailing with RC.

We booked the Royal Swim and each of us absolutely loved it! This was an experience of a lifetime. Our group ranged in age from 8 to 63. Glad we did it. I thought the Royal Swim was well worth the money. We also had some free time with the dolphins and were in a larger area than where the other dolphin encounters take place. This was the highlight of our trip.

After the swim we went to the beach area where we did some snorkeling - again this was amazing. I do have a caveat - there is really no walk in beach area if you are wanting to wade in. Well there is, but it is really small. The snorkel area has steps and gets deep pretty quickly, lifejackets are required but are available free of charge on the beach. I did not feel "nickled and dimed" here, meaning there are plenty of beach chairs and loungers available for use and are free. The food and drinks were reasonably priced. We did not use the pool, but it looked nice, but smaller than I thought it would be. The swim up bar was not in operation. The lagoon area was pretty. I did not see the shows, but my girls went with someone else from our group and they enjoyed it.

All in all this was a great day. I'm glad we went and wouldn't trade the day for anything, but if we go again I think I would look for another beach. We like to just walk in cool off, maybe hang out in the water for a while to relax, float on a mat or something and this was not the place for that. But if we wanted to swim with dolphins again I would come back here in a heart beat. I would recommend taking water shoes to get in the area for snorkeling.

Good luck with your plans!

Do you need to have biodegrabable (don't know if I spelled that right) sun screen to swim with the dolphins

Thanks,

Marcy

Do you need to have biodegrabable (don't know if I spelled that right) sun screen to swim with the dolphins

 

Thanks,

Marcy

Recommended, but no one asked us what type of sunscreen we were using.

Are they allowed to go at least to the dock area to observe kids? what fee they charge for "observer"?

Any restrictions from visitoes bringing theor own food/water to the park?

thnx

Recommended, but no one asked us what type of sunscreen we were using.

Thanks so much