Manatee Encounter at Chankanaab

[cherbear4000]

Has anyone done this before? How is it? Carnival doesn't offer it, but I can book it online and take a taxi to the park. Are you allowed your own camera?

[Lionesss]

We did it as part of the dolphin push and pull thru RCI

The manatee part was second.

You walked down some steps on a wooden walkway and were able to pet the Manatee. Our DD got to feed one of them some lettuce. They are big, but, not harmful, they just want to eat the lettuce.

Kinda quick and short.

I hope you do something else besides this manatee thingie, like enjoy the park or do the dolphins.

This is the second time we did this excursion, the first time we were able to get our water camera thru, this time in July......no go....they were strict, they wanted you to buy their pictures.......in fact they did not take pictures by the manatees, they were processing them from the dolphins.......hey.....you should ask since they dont take any pictures here.....worth a shot.

 

Sea Ya

[mitsugirly]

We also did the manatee swim with our dolphin swim. My DD loved it. They fed them lettuce and they were very gentle. The manatees also did a few "tricks" (waving at everyone)...I had no idea you could train them. :eek:

 

 

 

[wantocruisemore]

We paid extra for a Manatee encounter which is different than the quick pet and swim they sometimes do after the Dolphin swim. There was just 4 of us doing it at the time so there was a lot of quality time.

 

It was well worth the money, lasted about 45 min or more. We learned a lot about them, fed them and petted them. Extremely gentle and friendly creatures. There was even a baby who really took to my daughter and seemed upset swimming in circles and sticking his head out of the water when my DD got out.

[wrigley80]

My dad and I did the Manatee encounter in December 2011 and it was AMAZING!!!!!!!! At that time it was still kinda new to Dolphin Discovery at Chankanaab Park so we were the only ones in our group so we spent over an hour and a half with the manatees. We fed them a cooler full of lettuce and then swam around with them.

We are going back to Cozumel in December and we are going back to swim with the Manatees again.....there is nothing else I would rather do :D

[rpetrillo]

Hi

How deep is the water that you are in for the Manatee encounter? Is it more than waist high? We have a non-swimmer who doesn't like to be in water more than chest high

 

Thanks

Rob

 

 

 

My dad and I did the Manatee encounter in December 2011 and it was AMAZING!!!!!!!! At that time it was still kinda new to Dolphin Discovery at Chankanaab Park so we were the only ones in our group so we spent over an hour and a half with the manatees. We fed them a cooler full of lettuce and then swam around with them.

We are going back to Cozumel in December and we are going back to swim with the Manatees again.....there is nothing else I would rather do :D

[wrigley80]

Hi

How deep is the water that you are in for the Manatee encounter? Is it more than waist high? We have a non-swimmer who doesn't like to be in water more than chest high

 

Thanks

Rob

 

I would say that it's about waist deep....my dad and I are about 5'6" or so. It's definitely not more than chest high. Go and enjoy yourself. You will stand on a metal grate and it's tough on your feet so be sure to bring aqua socks

[Rudyard]

We did it as part of the dolphin swim as well and really enjoyed it.

 

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[TwinCruiserMom]

Is it possible to reserve the Manatee Encounter when you arrive at the park or do you have to do it online ahead of time? Is it the same price ($59) if you buy it at the park?

 

I would rather wait until that day to see how the weather is before reserving. I am pretty sure we are going to Chankanaab anyhow, but if it is rainy or windy we may not want to do the encounter.

 

Not really interested in the expense of the dolphin encounters but I have an 18 year old who has loved manatees his whole life and this might be the perfect excursion for us.

 

Thanks!

[LibrarianBecky]

As long as it isn't sold out, I'm sure it's possible to purchase the excursion when you get to the park. However, I know that park admissions ($21) is included in the price of the encounters. I wouldn't want to go there, pay admission, and then pay for the manatee encounter as well. There may be a way to purchase the encounter at the entrance to the park? I'm just not sure.

 

My son is looking forward to the manatees more than any other thing from our cruise (including one night at Disney World, pre-cruise). I'm hoping for good weather, but even if it's raining a bit, we would still want to do the encounter.

 

From what I've read, they do not allow you to take your own camera. Pictures purchased through them are expensive, but according to recent Tripadvisor reviews, they are available for purchase for the manatees.

 

We'll be there in less than two weeks, so when we are back, I can report back on the encounter. If you have questions, post them here, and I"ll do my best to answer them when we get back.

 

Thanks!

[TwinCruiserMom]

As long as it isn't sold out, I'm sure it's possible to purchase the excursion when you get to the park. However, I know that park admissions ($21) is included in the price of the encounters. I wouldn't want to go there, pay admission, and then pay for the manatee encounter as well. There may be a way to purchase the encounter at the entrance to the park? I'm just not sure.

 

My son is looking forward to the manatees more than any other thing from our cruise (including one night at Disney World, pre-cruise). I'm hoping for good weather, but even if it's raining a bit, we would still want to do the encounter.

 

From what I've read, they do not allow you to take your own camera. Pictures purchased through them are expensive, but according to recent Tripadvisor reviews, they are available for purchase for the manatees.

 

We'll be there in less than two weeks, so when we are back, I can report back on the encounter. If you have questions, post them here, and I"ll do my best to answer them when we get back.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Thank you so much for the information and I would love to hear about your experience when you get home! It is very kind of you to offer the trip report and I hope that you have a fabulous time.

 

Can't think of any questions other than how much time with the manatees and how well run is the encounter. Also any advice for chankanaab park would be great.

 

Thanks!

[mitsugirly]

Also any advice for chankanaab park would be great.

 

Thanks!

 

Chankanaab has so much to do there. If you want to see tons of pictures and read my 2 reviews of our visits there, you can click on the link in my signature line. :)

[heathercruisin]

We just did the Carnival Dolphin Push Pull and Swim excursion and after the dolphins we got in the area with the manatee. But we didn't get all the way into the water, just on the platform and the water was about waist high, but you have the life vest on still so you don't have to worry about not being a good swimmer. We fed him lettuce and petted him. I'd say we were in there for about 15 minutes. Good idea about wearing water shoes - the metal platform was sharp in some areas.

[mattmom]

Wanted to book the excursion that is the dolphin swim, manatee encounter that lasts 5 1/2 hrs my son wanted to spend more than the 10 mins with the Manatees. Not available on my sailing anymore. Was there last night, now it's gone. How long does it take to get from the dock to this park? Are the cabs easy to obtain?

Thanks.

[LibrarianBecky]

If my memory serves, it is a short drive (maybe 15 minutes?) to the park. Taxis are very easy to get. They basically have a taxi stand set up, continuously.

 

 

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[mitsugirly]

Yep about 15 minutes or less depending on which race car driver you get. ;)

[CleveRocks]

Is snorkeling available at Chankanaab? We booked the dolphin push/pull and manatee encounter through RCI, and we'll still have another 4 hours or so until we have to get back to the ship. We won't have the opportunity for snorkeling at any other time, so I'd love it if we can rent equipment in the park.

 

Do they do this in the park?

[LibrarianBecky]

Yes, they rent equipment and you can snorkel right off the beach. It is a good beginner place to snorkel...it's really easy because there are fish and stuff to see right off the beach.

 

 

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[CleveRocks]

Thanks!

[mitsugirly]

I have 2 reviews listed in my signature line if you are interested on reading about Chankanaab and everything it has to offer. There are tons of pictures as well. ;)