Swimming with Dolphins

[thespian]

We are sailing on the Mariner on the Western Caribbean and we want to swim with Dolphins in one of the ports (Cozumel or Ocho Rios) but don't know which one to choose. We would appreciate any advice as we have never cruised in the Caribbean before. Many thanks.

[ritak]

My suggestion would be Cozumel. And maybe then you could do the Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica which was really fun, too. My children did the Royal Swim in Cozumel a couple years ago and loved it. There is also a dolphin "encounter" which is a less expensive, but Royal Swim has much more interaction with the dolphins.

Have a great time!

[willysgrandma]

I also recommend Cozumel - it is one of the best dolphin encounters around. But book quickly, they sell out very early.

[Nukesailor]

We did the Royal Swim with the dolphins on Cozumel, at Chankanaab, a little over a week ago. It was excellent, far better than what is offered through the ships. I would recommend booking for an 11AM, 12PM or 1PM swim, assuming you need to be back aboard the ship at 4:30PM. If you book online, the swim time is Cozumel time, which is Central and will be 1 hour behind the ship. You should allow about 2 hours total time for the swim. They show a video about dolphins and what to expect, then take you out on the dock for the swim itself. They will issue lifejackets to all. During the swim, they take a video and still photos. After the swim, they will edit and show the video of your swim and you can see the photos they took. Price for the video was $50 (worth it!) and you can get various packages of photos.

 

Getting to Chankanaab is very easy; go to the cab stand at the pier entrance (International Pier, most likely) and tell the dispatcher you want a cab to Chankanaab. Cab fares are posted - Cost is $10 per couple, one way. The ride takes maybe 15 minutes.

 

Park entrance fee is included in the Royal Swim (normally $16). When you get to the entrance, there is a representative there with a list of names. He/she will give you a wristband for park entry. Once you get in, check in at the desk to let them know you are in the park. Park facilities include chairs/lounges under palapas and trees, very nice and FREE! Lockers are available in the Dolphin Discovery area and are also free. Two restaurants and some snorkel/dive shops. Lots of clean restrooms. People are very friendly. Good snorkeling, but there is no real beach there - lots of rocks along the shore. You get in and out via steps with handrails. There's also a small cove with a tiny beach and a playset for children. Chankanaab makes a nice day in itself. Getting back to the ship is also easy. There's a line of taxis at the park waiting to take people back. We thoroughly enjoyed our day there and will return.

 

Ocho Rios - we just did Coyaba Gardens and Dunn's River Falls. In the past we've done the river rafting and plantation tour. I can recommend either of these.

 

Art

[Dreamz2cruise]

DEFINATELY Cozumel!!! My daugher did this last year and I was very impressed with how they treated and cared for their dolphins. They are about the animals - not making a buck and it shows.

 

The facilities are beautiful (even being refurbed at the time) and the water is so blue. They will also let me on the dock to take pictures while she was doing her swim. I have the most amazing pictures - ones she will never forget (this was a life-long dream of hers). They take pictures that you can buy too - (which we did out of courtesy to them) but I had tons on my digital camera that were just as wonderful.

 

Have fun and definately do this at Coz!! :)

[BigDawgRonAZ]

We did the Royal Swim with the dolphins on Cozumel, at Chankanaab, a little over a week ago. It was excellent, far better than what is offered through the ships. I would recommend booking for an 11AM, 12PM or 1PM swim, assuming you need to be back aboard the ship at 4:30PM. If you book online, the swim time is Cozumel time, which is Central and will be 1 hour behind the ship. You should allow about 2 hours total time for the swim. They show a video about dolphins and what to expect, then take you out on the dock for the swim itself. They will issue lifejackets to all. During the swim, they take a video and still photos. After the swim, they will edit and show the video of your swim and you can see the photos they took. Price for the video was $50 (worth it!) and you can get various packages of photos.

 

Getting to Chankanaab is very easy; go to the cab stand at the pier entrance (International Pier, most likely) and tell the dispatcher you want a cab to Chankanaab. Cab fares are posted - Cost is $10 per couple, one way. The ride takes maybe 15 minutes.

 

Park entrance fee is included in the Royal Swim (normally $16). When you get to the entrance, there is a representative there with a list of names. He/she will give you a wristband for park entry. Once you get in, check in at the desk to let them know you are in the park. Park facilities include chairs/lounges under palapas and trees, very nice and FREE! Lockers are available in the Dolphin Discovery area and are also free. Two restaurants and some snorkel/dive shops. Lots of clean restrooms. People are very friendly. Good snorkeling, but there is no real beach there - lots of rocks along the shore. You get in and out via steps with handrails. There's also a small cove with a tiny beach and a playset for children. Chankanaab makes a nice day in itself. Getting back to the ship is also easy. There's a line of taxis at the park waiting to take people back. We thoroughly enjoyed our day there and will return.

 

Art

 

I agree 100% with Art! We did the Royal swim as well and it was well worth it! Booked it on our own and saved a bunch of money! We booked online through Dolphin Discovery. I've provided the link to the Royal Swim info at Dolphin Discovery. Click here

 

I had my picture taken holding on to a dolphin and being pulled through the water! It was a blast. Click here to view the photo!

 

You've got to do Dunn River Falls in Ocho Rios. In the past, I've used Peat Taylor having heard good things from these boards...and you will love him.

Click here for Peat's website. He will come and pick you up right outside the cruise ship gates, then take you where you want to go. For us, he took us to Dunn River falls then showed us the sites in Ocho Rios. For lunch, he drove us back to the ship. After lunch, he came back, picked us up and dropped us off for shopping. An hour later, we met him and he took us back to the ship. Now, that's service! For the latest cruise critic link on Peat Taylor, Click here

 

Having said all of this....since this is your first time to the Caribbean, you may want to book your tours through the ship, just to make sure. We've sailed the Western Caribbean at least 3 times and don't mind booking tours off ship.

 

Anyway, I hope this information helps! Have a great cruise!!

[ggprincess2004]

We are Royal Dolphin Swim junkies! Do it in Cozumel, cough up the bucks for the Royal Dolphin Swim and plan to pay for photos and a video/DVD as well (we spend about $200 on pics, etc. each time).

You will not be disappointed. We love it - and sail the Western Caribbean itinerary just so we can do this over and over.

Also, if you are calling in Grand Cayman, go to Stingray City and play with the stingrays. They are Southern Rays, docile by nature, used to interacting with people and being fed. We take a catamaran to the sand bar and have a great time there, as well.

[thespian]

Hi Folks

 

Many, many thanks for all your advice. Sooooooooo looking forward to it! We've just got back from a fabulous cruise around the Greek Islands and Turkey so it's lovely to have such a special cruise to look forward to. My only concern about not going with a ship tour is what happens if the ship can't dock because of weather conditions - can you get a refund or do we just have to chalk it up to bad luck? Also how soon do we have to book? Many thanks.:)