Ocho Rios Dolphin Encounter

[24 FAN]

I am sailing on the Crown Princess in a few weeks and i want to book the Dolphin Encounter on Ocho Rios. Does anyone have any feedback?:)

[tkebrad]

DW and I did the dolphin encounter and the dunn's river fall combined tour on our carnival cruise a couple years ago. We had a great time. As for the dolphin encounter: You get about a 1/2 hour in the water with one dolphin. It's more of an educational experience. Not really playing with a dolphin. They are very watchful of how you touch them, to make sure you are not mistakenly hurting them. This was a pleasant surprise. I was afraid that it would a little less structured than it was.

There is an small shark/sting ray pool, gift shop and a snack shop their also.

any other questions, let me know,

[24 FAN]

Thank You Very Much For The Input. I Am Travelling With My Wife And 2 Children And They Have Wanted To Do This For Years.:)

[vacationhappy]

We loved it!!!! It is one of my family's favorite excursions -

[SingerEsq]

We did one in Hawaii. Good to hear they're protective of the animals in Ocho Rios too.

 

If they have a choice, go for the most time offered with the dolphin. We had the choice of two packages. One was in the water encounter (petting, etc.). The more expensive one included some "swim" time with a dolphin (ours was named Maui). They show you how to handle the dolphin and the trainer is in the water with you. It was great. I think we had 45 minutes instead of 30 and it was worth it! Your kids will love it!

 

We were suckers and bought all the pictures and a video and don't regret it.

[Chesty]

My wife and I did this exact same shore excursion...Here's a breakdown::

Everyone is divided into a group of about 6-7 people. Each group gets in the water with a trainer and their own dolphin. The trainer has the dolphin do a number of tricks for the group (jumping out of the water, swimming around, etc.)

Then each person gets their individual picture taken "kissing" the dolphin (it's kind of neat watching the dolphin swim up to you and sit there waiting for a smack on the cheek).

Finally, families and couples can get their group picture taken with the dolphin.

The tour sells pictures afterwards, along with an entire video if you want it. Some of the pictures were really good, but I wasn't too impressed with the video....but see for yourself.

Overall I loved it! You're only in the water for 45 minutes or so but the experience was definetly worth it.

Hope this helps...

[Paulras]

I did the Dolphin swim when I was in Jamaica a few years ago (not on a cruise). It was great. But I don't think the excursion that Princess offers is the most interactive option.

 

Princess is offering the Swim Encounter but I did the Swim with Dolphins Package which is more interactive. I was able to hold onto two dolphins' fins while they pulled me through the water. They also jumped over us and pushed us through the water with their noses on our feet. It was pretty wild - definitely an unforgettable experience.

 

I booked it directly with the company: http://www.dolphincovejamaica.com

 

I don't remember how much it was but I remember that we save about $25 per person compared to what our hotel tour desk was charging. The company even picked us up right at our hotel. You may be able to save money over what Princess charges.

[SingerEsq]

I did the Dolphin swim when I was in Jamaica a few years ago (not on a cruise). It was great. But I don't think the excursion that Princess offers is the most interactive option.

 

Same with Hawaii. The Princess excursion only offered the "Dolphin Encounter" at Sea Life Park (the only provider on Oahu). We went directly to the provider and found the "Dolphin Adventure" which offered more time and a chance to swim with "Maui."

 

See if you can find the SE provider on the web and look into booking directly.

[Love Boat Dream]

I did the Dolphin swim when I was in Jamaica a few years ago (not on a cruise). It was great. But I don't think the excursion that Princess offers is the most interactive option.

 

Princess is offering the Swim Encounter but I did the Swim with Dolphins Package which is more interactive. I was able to hold onto two dolphins' fins while they pulled me through the water. They also jumped over us and pushed us through the water with their noses on our feet. It was pretty wild - definitely an unforgettable experience.

 

I booked it directly with the company: http://www.dolphincovejamaica.com

 

I don't remember how much it was but I remember that we save about $25 per person compared to what our hotel tour desk was charging. The company even picked us up right at our hotel. You may be able to save money over what Princess charges.

 

I just contacted dolphin cove. They told me that the ship books all of their slots when it is in port so we would have to go through a ship excursion to do this. :(

[where next?]

If you've never done a dolphin encounter/swim program you will enjoy this because you'll have nothing to compare it to.

 

I did a swim program with my daughter in the Bahamas that was much better as you actually really get to swim with the dolphins, after instruction. There were only six of us and we each had time with our own dolphin. We'd swim under the water and the dolphins would dive with us. What a neat experience. They actually look at you!

 

My son and I did the Jamaica program this April and it was nothing like my Bahamas experience. I thought of it as a photo op with a dolphin, not a swim at all.

 

The difference is probably in part to the fact that we were on a land based vacation in the Bahamas and shipboard in Jamaica.

 

Hope that helps!

[24 FAN]

Does anyone know how deep the water is at the Dolphin swim in Ocho Rios?