Dolphin Cove w/Cruise Line or Dolphin Discovery on own?

Hello friends,

Our 21 year old really wants to do a dolphin experience. Carnival's excursion is to Dolphin Cove; I contacted them and am unable to make an independent reservation. The other facility, "Dolphin Discovery" does allow independent reservations, is a little less expensive, but seems to have a lesser reputation. My sister and I just want to watch. Any suggestions or information would be appreciated!

Two years ago we did dolphin cove through Celebrity. It was well worth the money. We enjoyed the nature walk (which is short) from the bus to the faculty after we were dropped off. After the swim you dry off and have the opportunity to see their other aquatic life such as lobsters, crabs, urchins, etc. The bus then picked us up and took us to 7-mile for some beach time.

I'm wondering too, can you just take a cab and do it on your own for less than what the cruise lines charge? Has anyone done that?

I'm wondering too, can you just take a cab and do it on your own for less than what the cruise lines charge? Has anyone done that?

I checked into that. Dolphin Cove has contracts with the cruise lines so they don't let you make independent reservations. However, Dolphin Discovery does allow you to make your own reservations; their reviews are not as good, though.

We went to Dolphin Cove, and it was really nice. I think RCCL uses Dolphin Discovery now which just looks like swimming pools.

I did the "Royal Swim" at Dolphin Discovery in Cozumel. It was a great experience.

We were a group of 10 and we booked on our own. We even got a discounted rate because of our group size.

We took a van from the port over to Chankanaab Park. It was a 10 minute ride and inexpensive.( I can't remember what we paid)

I'm scheduled to go back to Cozumel in July and will probably visit there again.

My wife always wanted to swim with Dolphins, it was a dream of hers for years. Whenever we were near an area that had a facility, it was either way too expensive or they were booked for the time we were there. While researching Grand Cayman for excursions, we came across Dolphin Discovery. We booked the private swim for her, and I and my DMIL watched. To make a long story short, the ship was late, and she was worried they would give away her spot. When we finally arrived, it was NO PROBLEM. She spent over an hour with two dolphins swimming with her, doing tricks, flying out of the water like superwoman with the dolphins pushing her. I have never seen her so happy! :D It was a week before the smile left her face, and it returns whenever that experience is mentioned. She came home with a CD full of pictures, and uses it as a screen saver on her PC. It was an experience of a lifetime for her. Book the appointment, and get ready to have one happy kid, :)

We just went to Dolphin Discovery on March 26th. We had a great experience and were very pleased with the entire program. While we did book through RCCL, they arranged for taxis to and from the park which only took about 10 minutes each way.