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Swimming with Dolphins


GeorgeC

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Hi,

I have a sailing booked for March of 2020 to the Western Caribbean.  We will be stopping at Coco Cay, Costa Maya Mexico, Roatan Honduras, and Cozumel Mexico.  The only thing my daughter has her heart set on is swimming with dolphins. 

Can anyone  recommend the best place to go for this type of excursion (with RC or through a third party)?

Thanks!

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Hello @GeorgeC, welcome to Message Boards,
We chose to make the Dolphin Encounter in Costa Maya (but you have the Dolphin Swim option too).
The company that does it is Dolphin Discovery and it is cheaper to do it through Royal Caribbean than to
hire it directly with the company.
I don't know if it's the best place or not, because in Cozumel and Roatan we had other plans.
We liked the experience and everything is very well prepared (lockers, changing rooms, showers, etc.)
What are really expensive are the photos (40$ for one photo and 240$ for the 65 photo pack) I would like them to
include one photo per person in the price of the excursion.

I hope you enjoy it a lot (specially your daugther), it's a beautiful experience
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17 hours ago, GeorgeC said:

Hi,

I have a sailing booked for March of 2020 to the Western Caribbean.  We will be stopping at Coco Cay, Costa Maya Mexico, Roatan Honduras, and Cozumel Mexico.  The only thing my daughter has her heart set on is swimming with dolphins. 

Can anyone  recommend the best place to go for this type of excursion (with RC or through a third party)?

Thanks!

We did the dolphins in Jamaica, which was less expensive then the Bahamas but more expensive than Mexico.  You could compare prices on the excursions.  I agree with @MDIAZ72 that the photos are expensive.  However, we have a delightful picture of our son being kissed by a dolphin that we very much treasure.  Our take away is that a dolphin swim is worth doing once so long as the facility has a reputation for treating the dolphins humanely  - some companies are not so good in that department.

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@ChessE4 and @MDIAZ72 Thanks for the feedback!  I am specifically looking for an excursion that would have some interaction, like where she could 'surf' on one of them.  I have seen some YouTube videos where people were doing this, but wasn't sure which excursion they were actually on. 

I was just on the cruise planner, and it looks like Cozumel has the most options for all excursions, not just a dolphin encounter, this is going to be a very tough decision!

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3 minutes ago, GeorgeC said:

@ChessE4 and @MDIAZ72 Thanks for the feedback!  I am specifically looking for an excursion that would have some interaction, like where she could 'surf' on one of them.  I have seen some YouTube videos where people were doing this, but wasn't sure which excursion they were actually on. 

Take a look at the offerings at Dolphin Discovery in Cozumel:  https://www.dolphindiscovery.com/cozumel/

This would be easy for you to schedule on your own provided you know the ship's itinerary, but if you see the ship excursions mention using this vendor the different options on the site explain what "behaviors" that the interaction will come with.  They do a good job of spelling out everything that comes with each package so you can plan your visit.  

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  • 3 weeks later...

We did dolphins in Jamaica and that was our least favorite.  We always do the ones where we get to be in the water with them and Jamaica was the least interactive FWIW (if you ever go there).  Do as much research as you can because they are not all the same.  It is TOTALLY worth the one where you ride on a board and get pushed.  In regards to pictures...negotiate!!!!!  Be willing to walk away and then hang out a little.  Show interest but not at their insane prices.  We saved a TON of money on a group disc of all pictures.  Its like buying a car.  Your daughter will LOVE it and have to do it at least once!!!  

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We booked through Royal for Cozumel and it was cheap and the kids loved it. It was from Dolphin Discovery at Chankanaab.  We didn't have a lot of time to do anything but the dolphins and a quick lunch and dip in the pool but for what we paid for a family of 5 we were super happy.

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  • 5 weeks later...

I'm going to piggyback off this post. I have always wanted to swim with the dolphins as well.  Like you, George, I'll be going to the Western Caribbean (Harmony) over Thanksgiving.  I don't want to go if it is in a swimming pool or unnatural environment for the dolphins. I also don't know how to find out if a place humanely treats dolphins as stated above.  I've only been on one cruise (hooked....planning my Alaska cruise now!) and have never done an excursion from a 3rd party. 

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

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I did lots of research before deciding to do our dolphin swim in Cozumel with Dolphin Discovery at Chankanaab. Supposedly the setting & the treatment of the dolphins is more humane (I've heard Costa Maya is the worst). We are doing the Royal Swim since it includes the "surfing" plus a photo package. I booked directly with Dolphin Discovery, but they have this option through RCC as well.

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4 hours ago, kelliejkunz said:

I did lots of research before deciding to do our dolphin swim in Cozumel with Dolphin Discovery at Chankanaab. Supposedly the setting & the treatment of the dolphins is more humane (I've heard Costa Maya is the worst). We are doing the Royal Swim since it includes the "surfing" plus a photo package. I booked directly with Dolphin Discovery, but they have this option through RCC as well.

We took our kids here also.  They had a super cheap deal through RC one day that beat booking direct.  We enjoyed it and the area seemed nice.

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