Dolphin Experience

[bobsval]

We're cruising on Voyager of the Seas later this month out of Galveston. We want to do a Dolphon experience at Cozumel or Montego Bay. We'd like it to be more than a look/listen only experience, want to interact with them but don't believe in riding them. Has anyone gone to either destination and had a meaningful experience without riding them? I know we could pay the big bucks and just opt not to ride them, but also am leery of patronizing any place that allows riding. Thanks.

[WeBeGone]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

All the places in Cozumel offer both dolphin experiences at 2 different prices.

I don't know about Montego Bay.

[Bonnie J.]

Check the 'seach' section here on cruisecritic. Type in swimming with dolphins and I'm sure you'll get a lot of info on that.

We have watched this in the Cozumel national park, Chanknaub. They have a swim with and encounter. The encounter is a waist of $$ as far as we're concerned. You stand in waist deep water on a platforn and a dolphin swims by so you can touch them. Then the dolphin squirts you. He does some tricks but youy can watch this from the beach.

The swim looks fantastic. You can tell the dolpin's trainer you don't want to ride them. Tey do pull you around and will push you up out of the water on your feet' Then you go straight up.

You can book this yourself at Chankanaub.com.

[Karysa]

We had a great experience watching 3 small dolphins playing while we were on a speedboat in Belize on an excursion to go swimming with stingrays and nurse sharks out in open water. One of the staff on the boat noticed the dolphins so they turned our boat around and cut the engines. We got to watch them play with each other and put on a show for us for 4 or 5 minutes until they got bored and swam off. It was an unexpected treat for us.

[Griswolds]

We went to the Dolphin Discovery in Tortola. I dont think you could actually "ride" the dolphins at any of these places. Where we went you could hold onto them and they pull you through the water and they can push the bottom of your feet and lift you out and across the water (like skiing). There was also an option just to get in the water with them and touch them but no actual swimming with them.

[valnales]

Thanks to all for you input...upon further research, we've decided, as animal lovers, we cannot patronize any of these dolphin "experiences", if they allow riding of any kind, they're likely not treating the dolphins well. We realize now that dolphins shouldn't be captured for entertainment purposes and/or bred in captivity. I hope we're lucky enough to see some playing in the "wild" as some of you have.