The Dolphin Signature Swim or Las Caletas Beach Hideaway?

[Sunmist]

Hi Everyone! I'm heading to the Mexican Rivera on the Splendor this coming September and I'm torn between two excursions in Puerto Vallarta. The two excursions are: The Dolphin Signature Swim or Las Caletas Beach Hideaway.

I know they are completely different excursions...I like to relax and be on the beach which is why the beach hideaway looks great to me. I've also always wanted to swim with dolphins, but just wondering if it's worth the money. I've heard different opinions on the Dolphin swim...both great and not so great...so I'd love to hear your opinion on both or either of the excursions.

Thanks!

[JustJay]

You can do them both for 135 if you want to book outside of the cruise

[MSN-Travelers]

We've done Caletas about a dozen times. It's nice but you can find a nice patch of beach just about anywhere in the world.

If dolphins is on your bucket list, Cabo or Vallarta would be good choices. You may never get to a location that offers this wildlife interaction again.

Enjoy!

[scottca075]

Dolphin swims in foreign countries are very bad because you don't know where the dolphins come from. Do Google "The Cove".

Since 1972 the capture of wild dolphins has been prohibited in the US except in special circumstances. The dolphins you swim with in the US are part of a captive breeding program, that while controversial is certainly better than places in the Caribbean, Asia and Mediterranean where you have no idea where the dolphins are from. There is every possibility that they are "blood dolphins".

If you have to do a dolphin encounter do it in the US with a facility that is a signatory to the AZA Code of Ethics.

http://www.aza.org/Ethics/

[JustJay]

Originally Posted by scottca075

Dolphin swims in foreign countries are very bad because you don't know where the dolphins come from. Do Google "The Cove".

Since 1972 the capture of wild dolphins has been prohibited in the US except in special circumstances. The dolphins you swim with in the US are part of a captive breeding program, that while controversial is certainly better than places in the Caribbean, Asia and Mediterranean where you have no idea where the dolphins are from. There is every possibility that they are "blood dolphins".

If you have to do a dolphin encounter do it in the US with a facility that is a signatory to the AZA Code of Ethics.

http://www.aza.org/Ethics/

1st, shes not asking about "the Caribbean, Asia and Mediterranean ". 2nd, Instead of generalizing everything you think is right and wrong, to answer someone's question, do a bit of research on what they are asking. I emailed and chatted with one of the representatives at Cabo and Puerto Vallarta Dolphins and this is their reply:

"Hi Jayson,

We were chatting the other day and you ask where our dolphins come from.

Now I have the information and I am glad to provide it to you.

The first lovely dolphins that started the family of Dolphin Adventure in Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas, were dolphins that lived in the most populated Bays in Mexico.

With the years, there have been baby dolphins born here at our dolphin center.

Also, dolphins that were injured, stranded or left behind, are cared for, at our facilities by our amazing team of experts: vets, trainers and rescue volunteers. As a matter of fact, for more than a decade, Vallarta Adventures has been instrumental in marine and animal rescue and rehabilitation throughout the area. Our company has worked side by side with local government agencies, including the Navy, to rescue trapped and endangered whales and dolphins, manta rays, sea turtles and lost and stranded sea lions.

I hope you find the information useful!

Kind regards,

Wendy Cabrera |Online Reservations | Vallarta Adventures & Cabo Adventures |T: +52 (322) 2971212 ext 425 Toll Free from US or Canada: 1 888 526 2238 Gratuito desde México 1 800 000 0823 ext 3 Fax: +52 (322) 297 1252 | info@vallarta-adventures.com| www.vallarta-adventures.com | www.cabo-adventures.com |"



so go to Mexico and swim your heart out! :0)

[CurlyCali8]

Reading this with interest, as I'm also trying to make the same decision. Las Caletas looks like a great excursion, esp. for my 2 kids...worth the money, as it's not cheap.

On the other hand, we could also swim w/ the dolphins in PV early in the day, then spend the day exploring the Malecon & some of the older sections of town, which look very interesting.

What to do, what to do? Not too worried, as either choice looks pretty great. But there is a coupon code out for the Carnival excursions floating around right now, so I need to figure it out soon.

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

I gotta tell you that swimming with the dolphins in Cabo was one my most memorable cruise experiences and worth every single penny I paid. Much better than a beach day in my opinion. Those dolphins were cared for too and not at all something that I consider bad for the dolphins. The trainers were awesome and the dolphins seem to enjoy the interaction, especially when we get to feed them the fish. I was there twice. Once to swim and once as a spectator to my kids. Truly awesome experience.

[jmwg49]

Originally Posted by JustJay

You can do them both for 135 if you want to book outside of the cruise

? 135 IF YOU BOOK WHERE??????? When I look on the site that others mention, it says if you are on a cruiseship you cannot book with them.

I would guess that this is not something you can do 'walk up' and it must be booked in advance?!? HELP!!!

[scottca075]

Originally Posted by JustJay

1st, shes not asking about "the Caribbean, Asia and Mediterranean ". 2nd, Instead of generalizing everything you think is right and wrong, to answer someone's question, do a bit of research on what they are asking. I emailed and chatted with one of the representatives at Cabo and Puerto Vallarta Dolphins and this is their reply:

"Hi Jayson,

We were chatting the other day and you ask where our dolphins come from.

Now I have the information and I am glad to provide it to you.

The first lovely dolphins that started the family of Dolphin Adventure in Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas, were dolphins that lived in the most populated Bays in Mexico.

With the years, there have been baby dolphins born here at our dolphin center.

Also, dolphins that were injured, stranded or left behind, are cared for, at our facilities by our amazing team of experts: vets, trainers and rescue volunteers. As a matter of fact, for more than a decade, Vallarta Adventures has been instrumental in marine and animal rescue and rehabilitation throughout the area. Our company has worked side by side with local government agencies, including the Navy, to rescue trapped and endangered whales and dolphins, manta rays, sea turtles and lost and stranded sea lions.

I hope you find the information useful!

Kind regards,

Hey if it helps you sleep at night whatever. Do you expect her to say they use blood dolphins?

Are they a signatory of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Code of Ethics? Did you ask that?

http://www.aza.org/

Are they part of a captive breeding program that keeps the population healthy and diverse? How long have they been in operation? Who does inspections of their facility? What is the average life span of their captive population?

I am not in favor of banning all dolphin encounters, but I would never do it in a foreign country, particularly one as corrupt as Mexico.

It is easy enough to Google "Blood dolphins" "The Cove" "Loving Dolphins to Death" "Captive dolphins" "Terrible Journey for Mexican Dolphins" and more.

The US has very tough laws on bothering Marine Mammals and enforces it almost too well, not many countries do.

[MSN-Travelers]

Originally Posted by CurlyCali8

Reading this with interest, as I'm also trying to make the same decision. Las Caletas looks like a great excursion, esp. for my 2 kids...worth the money, as it's not cheap.

On the other hand, we could also swim w/ the dolphins in PV early in the day, then spend the day exploring the Malecon & some of the older sections of town, which look very interesting.

What to do, what to do? Not too worried, as either choice looks pretty great. But there is a coupon code out for the Carnival excursions floating around right now, so I need to figure it out soon.

We have done Las Caletas about a dozen times. Every year they add activities for the kids to make it a more attractive as a well rounded family destination. "Kids" is a subjective term and some of the activities for kids are limited to the 4-11 age range.

If dolphins is one of the things on YOUR bucket list, both Vallarta and Cabo would be good choices. If you have never been to Vallarta before, I would recommend your plan B, early dolphins followed by Vallarta tourist time.

Caletas is a great beach day but you can find a great beach just about anywhere in the world.

Enjoy!!

[CurlyCali8]

Originally Posted by MSN-Travelers

We have done Las Caletas about a dozen times. Every year they add activities for the kids to make it a more attractive as a well rounded family destination. "Kids" is a subjective term and some of the activities for kids are limited to the 4-11 age range.

If dolphins is one of the things on YOUR bucket list, both Vallarta and Cabo would be good choices. If you have never been to Vallarta before, I would recommend your plan B, early dolphins followed by Vallarta tourist time.

Caletas is a great beach day but you can find a great beach just about anywhere in the world.

Enjoy!!

Thanks! My kids are 10 & 7, so they'd be able to participate in everything. (My 10 year old is pretty tall though, and I think someone said there's a height/weight restriction for the kids zipline?)

If you've been to Las Caletas a dozen times, it must be good!! On the other hand, having never been to PV, I'd like to check it out. The dolphins aren't really MY thing...I just know the kids would love the experience. Decisions...!

[CurlyCali8]

Originally Posted by jmwg49

? 135 IF YOU BOOK WHERE??????? When I look on the site that others mention, it says if you are on a cruiseship you cannot book with them.

I would guess that this is not something you can do 'walk up' and it must be booked in advance?!? HELP!!!

I was checking this out earlier in the week. I think one of the tour booking sites, myvallartaexperience.com, offers dolphins in the a.m. and Las Caletas later. Not sure how they're offering both, which are supposed to be thru Carnival exclusively, but it's offered only on Thursdays...the same day Carnival is in PV. I don't know!! Not really looking into it, as it seems too loooog a day for us.

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

Originally Posted by jmwg49

? 135 IF YOU BOOK WHERE??????? When I look on the site that others mention, it says if you are on a cruiseship you cannot book with them.

I would guess that this is not something you can do 'walk up' and it must be booked in advance?!? HELP!!!

Best to book thru the cruiseline. The cruiselines have the market. When I tried to book directly with the facility, I was told that they won't sell you tickets if you are on the cruiseline. You can lie & say you are staying at a hotel in the area but I have heard that they will change your day/time on you to accomodate cruise pax. Not worth the risk if this is something the kids want to do.

[MSN-Travelers]

Have a photo copy of the photo/info page in passport, the phone number of the cruise line port agent, a photo ID and a credit card when you get off the ship.

For Vallarta ... Somebody in the round port building will assist you in getting touch with the ship's agent. Follow his/her instructions.

Have a great time!

[narsibvl]

We did the dolphin swim in Cabo and las caletas in PV. We had two Cabo stops and the secon one was a short stay that perfectly fitted our dolphin swim program.

[yourbuddykate]

Originally Posted by Sunmist

Hi Everyone! I'm heading to the Mexican Rivera on the Splendor this coming September and I'm torn between two excursions in Puerto Vallarta. The two excursions are: The Dolphin Signature Swim or Las Caletas Beach Hideaway.

I know they are completely different excursions...I like to relax and be on the beach which is why the beach hideaway looks great to me. I've also always wanted to swim with dolphins, but just wondering if it's worth the money. I've heard different opinions on the Dolphin swim...both great and not so great...so I'd love to hear your opinion on both or either of the excursions.

Thanks!

We are going in October and were making the same decision. We ultimately decided to go with the beach excursion. Just curious where you ended up.

[Sunmist]

We ended up doing the beach excursion, as well. It got such good reviews from fellow CC members, as well on all the reviews I googled...there was no way i was gonna pass this excursion up!

[MichelleinOC]

Originally Posted by Sunmist

We ended up doing the beach excursion, as well. It got such good reviews from fellow CC members, as well on all the reviews I googled...there was no way i was gonna pass this excursion up!

I think you really will enjoy it. Haven't gone yet right? Sept 2nd?

Sailing along the Puerto Vallarta coastline on the way down is beautiful and sailing into the dock at Las Caletas is beautiful as well.

Enjoy your day there.

[crAZytwinmomma]

We did the dolphin signature swim when my girls were 5. They loved it. We did too. We tried to book it ourselves and thought we were good but then on the day we sailed out, we got an email about being bumped (we had booked sea lion and dolphin in puerto Vallarta). We were able to still keep our dolphin spot but they gave up our sea lion one despite my protests when we arrived. So we saved $ but the hassle and disappointment of not getting to do both was at first really frustrating. Obviously we took a risk in booking ourself and we got over it and enjoyed the excursion but we ended up waiting an hour past our booked time slot because they had filled it with cruise ship passengers. We even spent the $$$$ on the pictures and were glad we did. It made for a great photo book of the cruise.

We are going on this cruise in October and we plan to do Las Caletas this time.

For those still deciding, the signature swim seemed like the best experience. If you are doing the dolphin encounter and can- do the signature swim and be prepared to overpay for some great pictures