Dolphin Encounter & Stingray City - Anyone done this

[Ms Jo UK]

We are Sailing on Carnival legend in April. We are cosidering doing the tour below. I am looking for any feedback on this that I can get. Cost is $100. This is a Carnival tour.

Dolphin Encounter & Stingray City
Enjoy your day in the waters of Grand Cayman interacting with dolphins and stingrays.

On this excursion you will:

Depart from the pier and take a short drive, in air conditioned comfort, to Dolphin Cove where the fun begins.
Stroll through the tropical trees where you’ll come face-to-face with beautiful birds, fluttering butterflies, and possibly iguanas, and feel the cool ocean breeze that engulfs you as you approach the dolphin area.
Get a personal introduction to the dolphins while standing in waist deep water and enjoy the opportunity to pet, kiss and play with these friendly mammals.
Depart Dolphin Cove’s private dock in the comfort of a spacious boat and ride out to the Stingray City Sandbar.
Listen as the crew provides an introduction to the family of Southern stingrays that comes out to greet you.
Interact with these unique creatures as they glide among the swimmers, giving you the opportunity to touch and photograph them.
Return to Dolphin Cove to explore, relax, or enjoy shopping for souvenirs.
Have the option to be dropped off at the world famous Seven Mile Beach to enjoy at your leisure, on your way back to George Town for more shopping

TIA

Jo

[jpg1747]

I just did the Dolphin Swim and Stingray Encounter. It was one of the best excursions I've ever done. My only regret is that I didn't buy any pictures, even though they're very pricey. The folks that run the excursion are very nice, knowledgeable and very professional.

[Ms Jo UK]

jpg1747

hank you for responding, I am so glad you had a good time.

Jo

[dab777]

My daughter, her friend and I will be going on this excursion in January. I will post a review then. From everything I have read both the dolphin swim and swimming with the stingrays get rave reviews from past guest. That is one of the reason we chose this excursion.

[przyk]

Carnival lists a $100. dolphin encounter and a $150. dophin swim. Does that mean on the encounter you just pet the dolphins and not get all the way in the water with them to swim, or what is the difference?

I believe the time with the dolphins on either is listed as 40 minutes.

I am also just beginning to look at non Carnival dolphin encounters. The first one I looked at was dolphin discovery at $119, not including transportation to and from the port. That doesn't soud like it's much cheaper considering about $40.00 round trip taxi fare.

I am just beginning my research, so hopefully I will find more info, but I would really appreciate any tips.

And finally, we are visiting Grand Cayman and Cozumel. The dolphin encounter is our primary port excursion, so is either Grand Cayman or Cozumel better for swimming with dolphins?

[mom23guys]

I just came back from the Dolphin Encounter and Turtle Farm through Princess. It was great. We were in the water with the dolphins for 45 minutes to an hour. We petted the dolphin frequently., kissed it, had it kiss us, and danced with it. We were on a platform where the water was chest high(I'm pretty short) We then swam out and the dolphin splahed us, waved to us with its flipper, and sang "Happy Birthday" to me since it was my birthday.I enjoyed it so much I'm making my DH go with me when we return in March..

[barbaraanne]

Originally Posted by mom23guys

I just came back from the Dolphin Encounter and Turtle Farm through Princess. It was great. We were in the water with the dolphins for 45 minutes to an hour. We petted the dolphin frequently., kissed it, had it kiss us, and danced with it. We were on a platform where the water was chest high(I'm pretty short) We then swam out and the dolphin splahed us, waved to us with its flipper, and sang "Happy Birthday" to me since it was my birthday.I enjoyed it so much I'm making my DH go with me when we return in March..

We're planning on using this same tour through Princess in February. How much time did you get to spend at the turtle farm? Do you think they would drop us off at seven mile beach on the way back? Did you think the tour was worth the price?

thanks!

[Candygal1234]

We just got back from our cruise on Dec. 27th. We did the Dolphin Swim and Stingray City excursion. The price was $150 per person and it was totally worth it. Half of us did the "encounter" and the other half did the "swim". The swim by far was worth the additional money.

We put on life jackets and were split up into small groups of 8-10. We had a large group of over 100 people and they handled this very efficiently. If you chose the swim option, they had you jump in the water and swim to your designated area. We were able to touch and kiss the dolphin. We were given belly to belly rides with our dolphin. Being in the water and swimming the dolphin was completely worth it. We looked over at those that were just doing the encounter and we were glad we chose the swim option. They didn't get in the water very much. We spent about 45 minutes in the water with our dolphin which was awesome.

The only downside is the price of the pictures. Because you're not allowed to bring your camera with you, you're kind of forced to buy their pictures. The CD was $70 and the DVD was $60. You could get both for a "reduced" price. The single print outs were $15 each. We ended up buying the CD b/c the pictures were so great, but we also split the cost with another couple in our group which was perfect. Also, if you need to wear glasses be sure to bring a back strap or they won't let you wear them.

The stingray part of the trip was also a lot of fun. It was a 30 minute boat ride out to the sandbar. However there were sooooo many people out there trying to do the same thing as us. We got to hold, kiss, and pet the stingrays. We felt safe the entire time. This excursion was definitely the highlight of our trip! We also wished they would served lunch or a snack of some sort. I would definitely pack a snack or sandwich for this excursion.

[Love Boat Dream]

We were on the Crown Princess 2 weeks ago (New Years cruise)

We did the Dolphin Swim and Stingray City through the ship. It was a very enjoyable trip. Not too many people in our group. It was run professionally. the boat we took to Stingray City was nice and dolphin Cove is brand new. It was a very enjoyable day!

When we got back, there was even time for a little shopping before getting back to the ship.

[PrincessNancy]

Originally Posted by Love Boat Dream

We were on the Crown Princess 2 weeks ago (New Years cruise)

We did the Dolphin Swim and Stingray City through the ship. It was a very enjoyable trip. Not too many people in our group. It was run professionally. the boat we took to Stingray City was nice and dolphin Cove is brand new. It was a very enjoyable day!

When we got back, there was even time for a little shopping before getting back to the ship.

We are signed up to do this tour for our upcoming cruise on the Crown in March. What time did you choose? There are three times listed: 8am, 9am and 10am? Do you think it is better to go earlier to avoid the crowds with the stingrays? The price is really good, too...only $129 to swim with the dolphins and snorkel with the rays! It's a great deal!! I've seen the dolphin encounters for that price.
Thanks so much!
Nancy

[sunluva7]

We're thinking about the Dolphin Swim and Stingray City excursion on the Emerald in August. I noticed the dolphin portion takes place at "Dolphin Cove". The description for the Dolphin Encounter and Turtle Farm takes place at "Dolphin Discovery". Are these two separate places? Which is better?

My daughters want to swim with the dolphins. The Dolphin Discovery website lists three different swims: Royal swim, Lovers' swim, and swim adventure. It doesn't list a "dolphin encounter" anywhere. Is this something special they offer just the cruise passengers?

I was thinking of booking the Swim Adventure on our own at Dolphin Discovery, but I don't know how far away it is from the port. With transportation to get there, will we be saving much money on our own vs. the ship's excursion?

Any ideas?

[SF]

Also interested in any replies since we are thinking of doing the Dolphin Swim and Stingray excursion when on the Crown Princess.

[SF]

Also interested in any replies to the above questions since we are thinking of doing the Dolphin Swim and Stingray excursion when on the Crown Princess.