Dolphin Swim with NCL

I see two dolphin options on the NCL site....

Dolphin Swim & Ride All Inclusive and Dolphin Encounter All Inclusive. Descriptions are pretty bad. I assume you get to ride with the one and not with the other. Does anyone know the differences between the two? I see some age requirements, only listed for snorkel and kayak etc.... not for the dolphin stuff. My dtr will be 6 the week we get back, and is over 4 feet tall.

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This is probably the easiest port to do this on your own and not pay the inflated prices of the cruise lines. Check out Chankanaab's (which is a national park with tons of stuff to do there before/after the swim) and their dolphin swim is Dolphin Discovery (google it). With the dolphin swim you get admission to the park which has beaches, snorkeling, zip lining, pool, replica self-guided tour of mayan ruins, free sea lion show, and most people (including us) reports back that they were given the manatee swim for free with the dolphin swim. Amazing place. :)

Is it by the port?

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Is it by the port?

 

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They are both close to the port. There are 2 dolphin swims in Cozumel and one of the two is where the ships excursion will take you anyhow.

Here's a map to show you. Up toward the right is the piers for the ships (there are 3 of them). Then work your way down and you will see Chankanaab. It's about a 15 minute ride from the port. :)

I just did the all-inclusive swim and ride at Dolphenaris (the other one) with my 8 yr old last week on a Celebrity cruise. Considering round trip transport was included, it actually was not any cheaper to do on our own, so check prices. As to which dolphenarium to swim at, that may depend on your child. There is more to do at Chankanaab (you can also swim with manatee, it's in a big park with beach, etc). But the dolphin part is literally in a fenced off part of the ocean, with fish, etc in the water. It might be scary for a six yr old. At Dolphenaris, the dolphins are in man made pools that open to the ocean. Probably less comfortable for them, but maybe better for a young child. There is also a protected snorkeling cove which is so full of fish, rays, etc that it is like swimming in an aquarium. My daughter really loved the experience. So check with NCL as to which place it goes.

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It looks like NCL goes to the dolphinaris. It says the price for an adult is $149 and children are $119. At Dolphin Discovery an adult is $139 and $89 for children. However they are always having deals. Right now they have something that says 50% off swims and it includes the dolphin swim and you also get the manatee swim with it. If you book ahead of time (I believe at least 7 days in advance), you get a discount. If you watch the site, they have specials all the time buy one and get one free or $1. We've done that in the past.

As for the descriptions... The "encounter" is usually for those that are not tall enough for the "swim". They get to stand on the wall in the water and interact with the dolphins (kiss, wave, pet and so on). If your daughter is over 4' then they allow them to do the actual swim with the dolphins. I know at Dolphin Discovery, they also have what they call a "Royal Swim" which also includes 2 dolphins coming up under your feet and they push you up out of the water riding them. My oldest daughter (who was 23 at the time) did this and had a blast.

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My other daughter was 3 at the time and could only do the encounter but had a blast.

Then we did the manatees for free as well.

Whatever you decide to do, I'm sure it's going to be a memorable experience for your 6 year old. :)

You mention your dtr was able to zip line, where was that at?

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You mention your dtr was able to zip line, where was that at?

 

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I mentioned that Chankanaab has a zip line there. When we were there last, the zip line wasn't there yet, so we did not get to do that at the time. I was just mentioning that they have one there now (things to do before/after the swims).

However, she did zip line when she was 3 years old in Roatan with Boddens tour and she had a blast. :)

We booked the lost Maya Mayan thing....

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