Carnival's Dolphin Swim vs. Discovery Dolphin

[donoiv]

Anyone have any experience with either one? I have a 6 year old... Carnival says there is no age min... Discovery says it's 8... I think my 6 year old... who will be closer to 7... can pass for 8. How do they verify?

 

Either one better than the other?

 

JD

[Brendarudd28]

I can't speak on the child's age issue as it was just my boyfriend and I that did this excursion. However, I LOVED Dolphin Discovery. We got the Royal Swim in Cozumel for far less then even the cheapest program through Carnival, plus we got some time with the manatee. I loved the park that it was in. It had a great pool and locker/bathroom area. You get free admission to the park, but he were meeting our cruisemates at Paradise Beach after the swim and needed to scoot so we didn't explore the park.

I've read on a few posts that Dolphin Discovery no longer books cruise passengers though so you may want to investigate that. People are saying to just get the name of a hotel to give them when you books. I looked on their website and there's no mention there of not booking cruise passengers. They even have cruise specials.

[k2excursion]

I've read on a few posts that Dolphin Discovery no longer books cruise passengers though so you may want to investigate that. People are saying to just get the name of a hotel to give them when you books. I looked on their website and there's no mention there of not booking cruise passengers. They even have cruise specials.

 

Unfortunately, it is true. You cannot book through them on your own anymore, if you're with Carnival. They have an agreement with Carnival, which I see as unethical; but hey, it's a foreign country. They have this agreement with some cruiselines, but not with others. They don't have it with Royal Caribbean, for one. Those passengers can book on their own. When trying to book directly, if you click that you're on Carnival, a blocker comes up, preventing you from continuing the booking; and it tells you that you must go through the ship.

 

OP, since you have to book through the ship, the ship would know the age of your child. Other than that, I don't know how they would verify. Maybe it's part of the agreement that Carnival can send kids under 8 there.