Is the Dolphin Quest Excursion Worth the $ ?

[M-E-K]

Hi! We are sailing on the Spirit on the 24th. Wondering if the Dolphin Quest Excursion (at $230 per person according to their website) is worth the money. We have four people in our party so it will be close to $1000 (yikes!) gone in 1/2 an hour. My two sons are 12 and 13 so they are at the prime age for this type of thing, I'm just a little suprised at the price tag. Also, are there coupons available maybe? Any input is welcome. thanks - maggie

[CruisnGram]

I can't comment directly on DQ as I've never done it. However, I did Dolphin Discovery in Cozumel and it was fabulous. An experience of a lifetime.

 

Whether it's worth the price or not can only be your decision. I do know that Dolphin Discovery was not that expensive. It was $140 for their best program which included about 40 minutes of dolphin time. We got a hug, a kiss, a handshake, a fin pull and a foot push. Lots of touching and interactive time. I was reading the info on the DQ site as I was considering doing a dolphin excursion again while in Bermuda. I must say that they are very sketchy as to exactly what the program entails and what you get for your dollar. It looks as if the interaction is much less then what we experienced in Cozumel. And frankly, I thought their prices were outrageous. However, they have the market cornered on Dolphins in Bermuda and if you want to experience Dolphins, you pay their price. I've never seen any coupons or any other discounts offered.

 

It truly is a lot of money, so perhaps the alternative would be to just enroll your two sons, and not the adults. That would be half the costs.

 

CG

[Pickels]

Hi! We are sailing on the Spirit on the 24th. Wondering if the Dolphin Quest Excursion (at $230 per person according to their website) is worth the money. We have four people in our party so it will be close to $1000 (yikes!) gone in 1/2 an hour. My two sons are 12 and 13 so they are at the prime age for this type of thing, I'm just a little suprised at the price tag. Also, are there coupons available maybe? Any input is welcome. thanks - maggie

 

Encounters with dolphins is a great experience. BUT, $230 per person is very, very high. We did a Dolphin Encounter in the Mexican Riviera earlier this year and it was $100 less. I'd check out some other Dolphin encounters. ;)

[sparks1093]

We had the same quandry for our Bahamas cruise next year- there are seven of us and at $125 for the least expensive excursion it adds up. For that excursion I think we only get 15 minutes in the water and there is limited interaction. For us we decided it wasn't worth it and will arrive in Florida a day early and go to Sea World the day before the cruise starts instead.

[CruisnGram]

Encounters with dolphins is a great experience. BUT, $230 per person is very, very high. We did a Dolphin Encounter in the Mexican Riviera earlier this year and it was $100 less. I'd check out some other Dolphin encounters. ;)

 

The problem is Pickles, DQ is the only dolphin encounter place in Bermuda. There is no competition. So if the OP wants to do a dolphin encounter while on their Bermuda cruise, it's DQ or nothing. I too would advise them to not spend that kind of money and to wait and do it somewhere else. But if this is the only cruise they have planned, then this may be their only chance to experience the dolphins.

 

CG

[emste]

CG,

We are doing a Dolphin Quest excursion in Hawaii in a few weeks. If you would like I can let you know how that one was. Let me know.

[Redbird54]

Hi! We are sailing on the Spirit on the 24th. Wondering if the Dolphin Quest Excursion (at $230 per person according to their website) is worth the money. We have four people in our party so it will be close to $1000 (yikes!) gone in 1/2 an hour. My two sons are 12 and 13 so they are at the prime age for this type of thing, I'm just a little suprised at the price tag. Also, are there coupons available maybe? Any input is welcome. thanks - maggie

We just came back from Bermuda and let me tell you my children enjoyed every second on Dolphin Quest. The smiles on their faces was worth every cent. Although I am not an expert of the subject, my observation was that the dolphins were treated very well and appeared to be given lots of attention and rest. There are 8 dolphins participating in Bermuda and they are continually rotated. Two of the dolphins were born in captivity and seemed to be adapting very well to the TLC they were getting from the staff.

[sourpatch326]

I've never done dolphin quest personally, but it seems expensive.

 

I did, however, do the dolphin swim, push, pull in cozumel and it was the best thing I've ever experienced and it only cost like $130. We got to pet them, hold them, kiss them and they pushed us on a boogey board and also pulled us by their fins....

 

so maybe if you look into the other ports of call and see if they offer a less expensive dolphin experience??? you're talking a savings of $100 pp...$400 total! which is a lot of money for basically the same experience.....

[SueCTlady]

My family also wants to do the DQ when we are in Bermuda. I went to the website and they have i think about 4 different prices...ranging from $60 -240 i think. So check it out...much cheaper than booking thru NCL. :) Sue..10 days until embarkment in boston!!!! WOO HOO!!!

[yoyocruiser]

Forgot to add this.

 

When we were in Bermuda this year we went to observe the Dolphin Quest. It was so itneresting that we spent an afternoon there. I have to say that it looked totally fascinating. The groups were very small, it seemed there was almost one to one attention. The participants were very happy, I certainly did not see anyone who appeared to think that it had been too costly. If you did decide to jus have the kids do it, I can tell you that it is extremely interesting just to watch! In fact, as a spectator you can get very very close the way that it is set up. I was very surprised that we were able to get that close without paying the fee or actually being part of the program. For this reason I would recommend anyone to go watch. I felt just watching was one of the highlights of our trip.

 

yoyocruiser

[prg2101]

Hi! We are sailing on the Spirit on the 24th. Wondering if the Dolphin Quest Excursion (at $230 per person according to their website) is worth the money. We have four people in our party so it will be close to $1000 (yikes!) gone in 1/2 an hour. My two sons are 12 and 13 so they are at the prime age for this type of thing, I'm just a little suprised at the price tag. Also, are there coupons available maybe? Any input is welcome. thanks - maggie

 

 

 

Aside from all this other mumbo jumbo posting you see above:rolleyes:....did you

check on NCL website about excursions that include the DQ? I dont know if they have one or not....worth checking, we have seen the DQ twice(never did it though) and it is truly an experience especially for your two sons.....some people just like to watch the show too(cheap way to do it, FREE:D)....I would see if they have an excursions for it first and compare pricing.....