Dolphin Encounter - Book through Carnival?

[jstarrett]

I am reading that on the forum, but I've gone through the process on the actual site and it doesn't appear to ask for cruise info.

 

We do NOT like booking excursions through companies on Cozumel. We always rent a car for $40 a day and do our own thing. We want to take the kids to the dolphin encounter but I certainly don't want to be on the "ships" time of taking us there and back.

 

Can someone point to where it says they won't book you if you are on Carnival, because I all but hit pay via paypal and the site doesn't seem to care.

[wareaglefan444]

I am reading that on the forum, but I've gone through the process on the actual site and it doesn't appear to ask for cruise info.

 

We do NOT like booking excursions through companies on Cozumel. We always rent a car for $40 a day and do our own thing. We want to take the kids to the dolphin encounter but I certainly don't want to be on the "ships" time of taking us there and back.

 

Can someone point to where it says they won't book you if you are on Carnival, because I all but hit pay via paypal and the site doesn't seem to care.

on saturday,i booked through dolphinaris.com when i got there we had our carnival beach towels and both kids had there muster station wrist bands on and not one word was said dont worry about it

[k2excursion]

I am reading that on the forum, but I've gone through the process on the actual site and it doesn't appear to ask for cruise info.

 

We do NOT like booking excursions through companies on Cozumel. We always rent a car for $40 a day and do our own thing. We want to take the kids to the dolphin encounter but I certainly don't want to be on the "ships" time of taking us there and back.

 

Can someone point to where it says they won't book you if you are on Carnival, because I all but hit pay via paypal and the site doesn't seem to care.

 

If you go through the checkout via paypal, it doesn't seem to ask that question. It looks like that's the way around the rule. If you were to go through the regular checkout from their website, it requires you to say either what ship you're on or what hotel you're staying at. Some people have reported that they skip that question, but that's not possible. It is required to book the excursion from the regular checkout. And once you click that you're on Carnival, a blocker pops up over the billing info and the "Book" button disappears. Some people lie and say they're at a hotel or on another cruiseline. But it looks like the paypal checkout is the way to honestly get around this. They may ask afterwards, but by that point, you're already paid & booked, so you can just avoid answering.

 

Dolphin Discovery does have a good reputation. But look at their terms & conditions carefully. I've warned people about the risks of going around the rules, and people have flamed me, saying that I'm wrong. But according to their terms, if your ship doesn't make it to port, you can either reschedule within the next year or get a refund minus a 10% penalty. If your ship doesn't make it and the ship you said you were on makes it, which has happened to me with Cozumel, they'll know you were lying. And their terms state that in order to get the refund, you must send them a letter from the cruiseline about not making it into port, and once they see it's from Carnival, they'll know you were lying. Will they give the refund anyway? They might, but they wouldn't really be obligated to. If you say you were at a hotel and your ship doesn't make it, they'll want to see a letter from the airline as to why you couldn't make it to Cozumel. They do allow for changes or cancelations (10% penalty) more than 4 days prior, for those that may change the dates of their trips. But within 4 days, no refunds unless it's because of the airline or cruiseline. It may be just a slight risk, but I've missed Cozumel 3 times out of 7 possible times. Some people have faith that Dolphin Discovery won't hold it against you if you're caught in the lie, or that they won't catch it, but I'm not so sure. After all, they arranged this morally questionable policy with Carnival. How would all this apply to someone who is ignorant of the deal they have with Carnival, and the person booked directly through paypal? That's the big question.

[Colorado Kat]

Last fall, I had intended to swim with dolphins at Chakanaab. But I had a funny feeling, and did not pre-book. I confirmed how many spaces were still available a week before the swim. I decided I would just take my chances when I got there.

 

Good thing. Ship never made it to Cozumel that time. Next week, I am again looking forward to swimming with dolphins, and did go ahead and pre-book, and pay my money. I hope I'm lucky this time!

[jstarrett]

How would all this apply to someone who is ignorant of the deal they have with Carnival, and the person booked directly through paypal? That's the big question.

 

 

Exactly! I didn't know until I came poking around here 2 days ago. I had no clue and was going to book on my own 45 days before our cruise since you get a nice discount.

 

And I probably still will.