Dophin Swim, Book thru Ship or Park?

[juanacruz]

SHOULD WE BOOK THIS TOUR DIRECTLY THRU THE SHIP OR GO TO THE PARK AND BOOK. WILL THE SHIP ALLOW YOU TO PAY A SMALLER AMT. JUST TO OBSERVE. iF WE TAKE A TAXI TO THE PARK IN COZUMEL, WILL WE BE ABLE TO GET TICKETS TO PARTICPATE IN THE DOLPHIN SWIM?

 

[CozSally]

There are several options for booking the dolphin program apart from the ship. However, they do sell out. If you wait until you arrive at Chankanaab, it is doubtful that you will be able to participate in the swim. Try www.dolphindiscovery.com or www.cozumelinsider.com

 

Enjoy!

[girasol]

http://compassionatetraveler.org/art/2004-09-05.htm

 

http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Cabana/4580/captivedolphins.html

 

http://www.hsus.org/ace/12616

 

http://www.inkokomo.com/dolphin/captivity.html

 

http://www.gsm-ev.de/texte/delfinegefangeneng.htm

 

http://www.wdcs.org/dan/publishing.nsf/allweb/436A168EDDF41AF0802568F60029CE3A

 

http://www.sailhawaii.com/campaigns.html

 

And there's more where those came from. Please think twice before you contribut to these cruel money driven programs.

 

After Hurrican Ivan, the new Dolphinarium was shut down. None of the Dolphins from that facility have been accounted for according to reports. Experts and officials say there is strong evidence that most or all of them perished after being put in the back of a truck and transported to small pools. Atlantida officials claim they were transferred to Cancun, but there are no official records of this.

 

The Chankanaab Dolphins also suffered severe trauma after being put in a local hotel swimming pool rather than being allowed to seek refuge in their natural environment.

 

Of course it's your choice, but you should at least be making an informed choice.

[tutak]

Enjoy the dolphins. That's why they were put here.

[girasol]

Enjoy the dolphins. That's why they were put here.

 

What an unbelievably ignorant (read uneducated) statement. They WERE NOT put on this earth to be in captivity so that tourists could have amusement. There's nothing wrong with swimming with them, in their NATURAL environment, and there are programs for this all over the place.

 

If people want to swim with them and contribute to this morally corrupt business, that is their perogative, but I think they should be aware of what the consequences are.

 

However, I will not aurgue with you, you aren't worth it; unless perhaps you were in captivity as well. Were you put here for that reason? Don't think so. Rest my case.

[sheilb4]

I booked on line with www.dolphindiscovery.com before I went on my cruise last month....the Royal swim. My lifetime dream!!!

It was cheaper than the ship excursion, and I have to say it was an absolutely wonderful experience that I will do again in June! can't wait!

The park is just a 5 minute drive from the dock and is a $10 taxi trip. I arrived an hour early, so they let me watch the sea lion show for free.

[caroliemarie]

Did the dolphin encounter on our last trip. We got to meet some really happy dolphins (just joking). Okay, not going down either side of the argument but this thread isn't about immorral dolphin practices - put that on a different link. :) Anyways, really though, it was the best part of our entire trip. You can watch without paying for the swim/encounter. You just stand a short distance away. Many people were doing just that.

[ladycaveat]

Sally is right . . . book either through Discovery or Insider . . . not the ship. Cab fare is $10.00 (and that's not per person). The last time I was in Cosumel, I booked the swim with Insider and it was the highlight of my cruise. The dolphins are so friendly, sweet and playful . . .

[unique]

Sally is right . . . book either through Discovery or Insider . . . not the ship. Cab fare is $10.00 (and that's not per person). The last time I was in Cosumel, I booked the swim with Insider and it was the highlight of my cruise. The dolphins are so friendly, sweet and playful . . .

 

I contacted Discovery Cove myself twice. They even sent me this email

 

Please let me know where you read this information,as all of the passengers of the cruise ship goes through the shore excursion manager, we do not accept independent booking from passengers of cruise ship as the cruise pre-booked the spaces and we do not have any spaces to sell.

 

It kind of makes me mad because based on the call and the email I did book through the cruise ship and am paying 139.00 per person.

[juanacruz]

Sounds like several of you have booked this tour directly. Have many of you booked it on-line. I want to make sure if I pay for it, that my reservation is actually there. $125. is a savings compared to Princess prices. I know if I don't book thru the ship and wait until we get to the Park, that it will be sold out. Let me know ifyou have booked and paid for this online and if it was safe. My kids really want to do this and sounds like many of you had a lot of fun. How is the rest of the Park?

Thanks for the info.

[juanacruz]

Another thought. If I book directly and the ship is late, that could be a problem. If I book throught he ship, then the ship assist you in either getting your money back or getting to the tour. Any thoughts?

[juanacruz]

I just found out that the Dolphin Swim is booked and only a waiting list available. Does the waiting list help? Do you think I can get tickets through Discovery at this late time. We are crusing March 12 week of spring break.

[joni2001]

I booked the Royal Swim for 3:00 on 2/10 through www.cozumelinsider.com . We plan to spend the morning at Paradise Beach.

 

I received a confirmation back very quickly. As of today, my credit card has not yet been charged. I was told it would go through about a week before my cruise.

 

Good luck with your reservations! Of all the things we have planned for our cruise, I think my kids are looking forward to this the most.

[momsoftwins]

i was at dolphin discovery on thursday the 20th and swam with the dolphins ..i went thru dolphin discovery online and booked my myself. it worked great for me

[Butch2099]

We were just there the 1st week of the year and it was a last minute decision to go do that. The ship wanted $100+pp to do the pet the dolphins tour. You don't swim with them, you go into the tank and you get a kiss and get to shake hands so to speak. This is one of the only dolphin tours kids can do. We got off and 2 of the stands that sell excursions where you get off the ship told us they were sold out (it was about noon). A 3rd person said there was 11 cruise ships in port that day and he also was sold out but we might want to try to go to the park directly and see if they could fit us in or if someone else was delayed or didn't show up we might be able to get in their spot. So we took the $12 cab ride over and they said there was space available. I just wanted to watch my wife & daughter go and it only cost me admission to the park and I was able to stand above them in the tank (right by the photographer) and get this..It was only $75 for my wife and because my daughter was only 4 she was FREE! Only had to pay for a childs admission to the park. Instead of $300 from the ship itwas only about $120 with admission & cab fare. Also beware of the island time difference when you talk to them about what time slots are available. They told me 2:30 was available and that sounded good but that was 3:30 ships time and the last tender left at 4:30 cutting it close but we were able to go inside and get in a group almost as soon as we walked in the door.

[juanacruz]

So, do you think we'll be able to get Dolphin Royal Swim tickets at the park. It would only cost us a taxi ride and it's only $12. admission into the park. I'm sure that the Dolphin Swim will cost less if you can get tickets there. I'm worried they'll be sold out. My ship is already on waiting list for the Dolphin Swim

[tymaboy1]

How far in advance do you think it should be booked? We plan on going in July, I,m sure there will be more travlers at that time of yr.

[Butch2099]

If you are sure that's what you want to do there, I would reserve it directly with the park. I think they have a website, not sure what it is though. It was a $12 taxi each way, although we did throw in with some other people going back to the same ship and we split the fare. Make sure you ask before you get in the cab how much it will be, it will avoid any questions later. They did have a list of people & show times going on and we were lucky to get in as fast as we did. With 11 ships in port I'm sure someone won't show up. But if I were to go in the future I would arrange it with the park. The ship would have cost a lot more for me just because my daughter was free and I didn't want to swim with the dolphins, just watch. Admission to park was $12 for an adult and $6 for children. The swim itself was $75 for an adult, and my daughter is 4 and she was free, I'm not sure what the cutoff age is though. There are other things you can do there like a sea lion show and there are grounds & other things to see, it's not just a dolphin swim, there is a small beach there too. We ate at the bar/restaurant was there also,service was shaky but the food was good.

[Lsimon]

The web site is www.dolphindiscovery.com

 

Book early - they fill up fast. Leave extra time - they run behind and you'll want to see the video and prbably buy it - it takes a little time after your swim for this. I'm normally not one for buying video's from such events but this one was awsome! Very well done!

[simkoreb]

I booked through the ship, and am very very happy I did. There was a medical emergency, putting us in Cozumel a few hours late. The ship was able to bump us the the late afternoon swim. I'm very lucky I didn't book this by myself, since I usually always do. Just make sure you know what happens in case the ship doesn't dock or docks late. It was the highlight of my cruise, and I was actually in tears when I first heard we were going to be late. It was our honeymoon and this is the only thing I REALLY wanted to do. Whew, did I luck out!