Bahamas dolphin encounter and beach day - help

[mjthecruiser]

Has anyone done this excursion in the Bahamas? We are traveling with our grandchildren,daughter, son in law and the other set of grandparents. The other grandparents do not want to do the dolphin encounter. Can they watch their grandchildren? If they book this beach day, can they travel with us?

Edited March 21, 2019 by mjthecruiser

[LeeW]

Assuming this is Atlantis, probably not.  The dolphin area is inside the Aquaventure park and we got wristbands to enter that area of the park.  In our case it was a dolphin/Aquaventure combo.  To get to beach from dolphins you have to walk most of the length of the water park after the dolphin encounter, so you would be escorted there.  Don't recall any beach-only packages, but that is cruise dependent.  If so, the other folks would go to beach on a different path and not by the dolphin area.

 

Problem we had was 4 year old pet the dolphin but when it came time to hold it she freaked and headed for shore.  Wound up being an expensive tour.  There are tables and umbrellas there so people can watch water activities but the only people we saw there were in wet suits waiting for their encounter.  She did love the kids area in the water park even though she was too short for any of the big slides.

 

We weren't that impressed with the beach and certainly wouldn't pay Atlantis prices for it.  The water park/dolphin package is worthwhile, but very expensive ($200+ pp).  They often have sales on the Cruise Planner and you need to book a sale.  And keep watching prices and cancel/rebook as needed to get the best price.  One of the best offers we have seen was dolphin plus "free" Aquaventure.  It was cheaper than dolphin alone.

 

Two other points:  First, when you leave you can walk through the aquarium area as you head for the bus.  Nice, but not worth paying separately for it.  Second, bring credit card AND photo ID if you want to buy any food/drinks at Atlantis.  No cash sales and no sale without photo ID.

 

And check the Nassau board for lots of comments on Atlantis.

[mjthecruiser]

This is a different dolphin encounter. It is on Blue Lagoon Islad.

[LeeW]

Haven't been to Blue Lagoon yet (have had port changes multiple times) but will be there in a couple of weeks.  As I recall from researching their web site it is possible to view dolphin encounters for beach guest (complimentary observer status).  But, like most dolphin places, they want you to buy THEIR photos and restrict photography in the area.  You will probably go over on the same boat (ship tours leave from pier, not the general public area).  Web site: https://shop.dolphinencounters.com/

[DreaminofOz]

I took my 3 year old grandson to Blue Lagoon in January. It was absolutely the highlight of our trip. He really enjoyed his time in the water with the dolphins. I had to hold him the entire time, but they were really good about making sure that both of us got the chance to do each interaction with the dolphins. 

 

They do allow for 'observers' so if the other grandparents did not want to actually interact with the dolphins, they would not need to pay for that. But they do require an adult for each child. So someone would need to go with the children during the interaction time. 

 

We also enjoyed the beach after our time with dolphins was completed. You can also walk around and see all the dolphins and other sealife that they have on site. They currently have a baby dolphin (was 8 wks old at the time of our visit). 

 

I don't think you will be disappointed in this excursion. My grandson keeps asking to go back :)