Dolphin encounter and cameras

[skittl1321]

No, we very definitely pre-booked and pre-paid for the Manatee encounter package; we had different color wristbands from the people who booked just the dolphin portion.

 

Apparently, we were short changed. Luckily, my kids don't come on this website, so they won't know how disappointed they should be.

 

 

That's really sad :(

Was it awhile ago? Maybe the manatees couldn't do it yet? I do know I had to do the hug/kiss/handshake with Angel, because Quixote and the other one whose name I forgot weren't able to do that part, so I assume they don't know how.

Edited January 2, 2014 by skittl1321

[CleveRocks]

November 8, 2013, less than 2 months ago.

[DisneyFamily123]

Celebrity Cruise read details about the Dolphin Push Pull Swim (and Manatee Interaction) excursion and it included that we may bring a waterproof camera into the water with the dolphins. But every review says not allowed. I called Dolphin Discovery today and they said no…….??? I sure hope Celebrity is correct. I have a great pocket size camera that is waterproof and does HD video. I've read reviews that stated outrageous prices for pictures and CD's with digital photos --- like $200 to $400!!!!! But I also heard that they will negotiate down to somewhere around $150-200 for all the pictures. Still outrageous but I guess I have no choice. Here's hoping they negotiate reasonably. I'd be very happy if I got a CD with 139 photos (like the prior poster) for 900 pesos (about $70?).

 

I also heard you cannot wear any rings or jewelry when doing the dolphin activity. Best to leave at home or in a safe on the ship.

Edited January 2, 2014 by DisneyFamily123

[CleveRocks]

When we did it 2 months ago, cameras were strictly prohibited. No problem with rings was ever mentioned. And I specifically asked and was permitted to wear my wristwatch.

 

With shore excursion detail questions, I'd ALWAYS believe the actual operator over the cruise line.

[Sarasa]

No, we very definitely pre-booked and pre-paid for the Manatee encounter package; we had different color wristbands from the people who booked just the dolphin portion.

 

Apparently, we were short changed. Luckily, my kids don't come on this website, so they won't know how disappointed they should be.

 

That is terrible! :mad:

 

Actually, the same thing almost happened to us. I was worried because our 1pm dolphin swim didn't really start until almost 1:40pm so I kept asking the guide who led our group if we would be okay for our 2pm manatee swim and he kept reassuring me that he would bring us to the manatees right after the dolphins so everything would be fine. When I reminded him again at the end of the dolphin swim, he led our entire dolphin swim group to the manatees for what I believe was the 10-15 minute manatee-extra. The other participants in our dolphin swim group were delighted that they somehow ended up with a manatee bonus but I was not happy and told the guide that we paid extra for the full-blown encounter, not the bonus. He was surprised when I showed him the wristband (we had three wristbands, one for each activity that we paid for) and he ended up taking my family back to the front at which point we ended up with the 2:30pm (really 2:45pm) group, which already had 10-12 people. The trainers were very surprised by the size of group.

 

Even though I loved interacting with the manatees, the trainers essentially ignored us in favor of the other 2 families but I think that had more to do with race than anything else (and that's an entirely different story). We did get lettuce and photos but we didn't get any of the explanations that the other families got. BTW, I firmly believe Dolphin Discovery screwed up because the 2pm group that we should have been with only had 6 people (this was the group that in the water with the manatees when the guide led us to the enclosure for the "manatee extra").

 

If nothing else, I think these stories should serve as warnings to others who book more than one activity to make sure that they actually get the full experiences that they paid for (or just book one activity until Dolphin Discovery gets their act together)!

[Sarasa]

When we did it 2 months ago, cameras were strictly prohibited. No problem with rings was ever mentioned. And I specifically asked and was permitted to wear my wristwatch.

 

With shore excursion detail questions, I'd ALWAYS believe the actual operator over the cruise line.

 

Agreed, no cameras allowed and always believe the actual operator over the cruise line. One of the women in our dolphin swim said she just did the same excursion earlier in the year and they allowed cameras so she did not realize she would not be able to use her camera. Watches are allowed but no loose jewelry. I also had a wristwatch on but my brother-in-law removed his because he was worried that the size of the dial would scratch the animals.

 

BTW, the "almost 25% discount" appeared to be a fixed amount because the sales person pulled out a little cheat sheet that showed prices based on numbers of participants and CDs.

Edited January 3, 2014 by Sarasa
ETA info re discount

[happybooker1]

Particularly if you are quiet about it &'do it away from the other ppl or wait until the photo area clears out.

 

It is, after all, in Mexico.

[Sarasa]

Particularly if you are quiet about it &'do it away from the other ppl or wait until the photo area clears out.

 

It is, after all, in Mexico.

 

FWIW, we were the only people left in the store since it was pretty much Chankanaab's closing time and while it is Mexico, Dolphin Discovery appears to be a fairly large operation so I don't know how much latitude the individual agents may have. I will say that even though we were the only ones in the store and we tried to negotiate with them on the costs for at least 15 minutes, they were unwilling to back away from the $419 (and some cents) for the 3 CDs for the family of four. They did end up throwing in my pictures as well even though I joked that I would pay them $500 to not include them. ;)

 

Nevertheless, it certainly wouldn't hurt to try and best of luck to everyone who does! :)

[skittl1321]

I'd be very happy if I got a CD with 139 photos (like the prior poster) for 900 pesos (about $70?).

 

I think they price per person in your group. This was for a single person, not a family or couple.

[DisneyFamily123]

$419 is a LOT of money for pictures. How many pictures were there? Makes me think twice about Dolphin Discovery. I wonder if Dolphinarius at Cozumel is a similar rip off.

 

FWIW, we were the only people left in the store since it was pretty much Chankanaab's closing time and while it is Mexico, Dolphin Discovery appears to be a fairly large operation so I don't know how much latitude the individual agents may have. I will say that even though we were the only ones in the store and we tried to negotiate with them on the costs for at least 15 minutes, they were unwilling to back away from the $419 (and some cents) for the 3 CDs for the family of four. They did end up throwing in my pictures as well even though I joked that I would pay them $500 to not include them. ;)

 

Nevertheless, it certainly wouldn't hurt to try and best of luck to everyone who does! :)

[Sarasa]

$419 is a LOT of money for pictures. How many pictures were there? Makes me think twice about Dolphin Discovery. I wonder if Dolphinarius at Cozumel is a similar rip off.

 

Oops! I didn't realize there was a follow-up question to my post and this will most likely no longer be of any help to anyone since it's been more than year but I think we ended up with around 350 photos so it was probably close to the $1.25/picture that was quoted earlier.

[kc58ab]

Glad we did the dolphin swim back in 2006 :) you could use your own camera, and I did. Also the pictures were around $10 a piece and the video was reasonably priced too (although that was VHS days).

[MelodySchl]

Who did you all book with for the Dolphin Encounter? I tried to book directly with Dolphin Discovery but when I went to pay it said I couldn't book with them that I had to book directly with the cruise line, Carnival. I think I can book with Cozumel Insider, but haven't seen a lot about them on the different forums. Can anyone offer advice on who to book with? Thanks in advance.

[trnsfrguy]

Who did you all book with for the Dolphin Encounter? I tried to book directly with Dolphin Discovery but when I went to pay it said I couldn't book with them that I had to book directly with the cruise line, Carnival. I think I can book with Cozumel Insider, but haven't seen a lot about them on the different forums. Can anyone offer advice on who to book with? Thanks in advance.

 

When my group booked Dolphin Discovery last October, we just called them and booked it. We never told them what cruise line we were with. I don't even remember if they asked.

[breeze123]

We just did the Dolphin Push, Pull and Swim at Dolphin Discovery in March. Absolutely no cameras allowed. Anyone in your party that is not participating can take photos from a walkway at the opposite side of the encounter. You would need a really good zoom lens to capture things and most of the activity is facing the other way (towards their photographer).

 

That being said, we felt like it was a great experience and while the photos were pricey, we knew this in advance and were prepared to pay. There were over 80 photos of my daughter and I so it was about $1.75 per photo.

[Cruznjuly]

Who did you all book with for the Dolphin Encounter? I tried to book directly with Dolphin Discovery but when I went to pay it said I couldn't book with them that I had to book directly with the cruise line, Carnival. I think I can book with Cozumel Insider, but haven't seen a lot about them on the different forums. Can anyone offer advice on who to book with? Thanks in advance.

 

 

This worries me because we are also coming in on a Carnival ship. Booked directly with dolphin discovery online. We typed in all of our information, including that we were coming in on Carnival, and it appears that we have a booking. Maybe I should call and confirm.

 

As for Cozumel insider, I would doublecheck that their prices are the same as booking directly. They do not give you an amount before you put in your credit card information, so I emailed them to confirm, and they never did confirm the price. Sort of sketchy if you ask me!!

 

 

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[MelodySchl]

I was able to see their prices before we booked. Seems expensive, but have heard such bad things about booking with the cruise line so I went for it and booked with them. We got a 20% discount for booking when we did, so we saved about $60 total for the two of us. We also get to swim with the manatees as part of our package. I was actually contacted by someone from Texas to confirm our booking. I guess I'll see what they're really like after we do the excursion.

[Cruznjuly]

I was able to see their prices before we booked. Seems expensive, but have heard such bad things about booking with the cruise line so I went for it and booked with them. We got a 20% discount for booking when we did, so we saved about $60 total for the two of us. We also get to swim with the manatees as part of our package. I was actually contacted by someone from Texas to confirm our booking. I guess I'll see what they're really like after we do the excursion.

 

 

Good luck! Have fun! [emoji4]

 

 

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