I am torn about this shore excursion......

[wtch4monkeys]

My soon to be wife and I will be sailing on the Miracle on June 4th. One of the shore excursions on Tortolla is a dolphin swim. Dolphins are my fiencee's favorite animals and we got to swim with them at discovery cove last fall. I saw on this board that the animals are treated very poorly. I did some research and it looks to be pretty true. However I am unsure becasue you see things being overblown by animal lovers online (If you don't believe me search about declawing your cat) I am wondering what you all think. Is it worth doing first of all for anyone who has done it, also are the conditions as bad as the sites say. Will we really be just hurting our favorite animals to see them up close.

[yearnin4cruisin]

My soon to be wife and I will be sailing on the Miracle on June 4th. One of the shore excursions on Tortolla is a dolphin swim. Dolphins are my fiencee's favorite animals and we got to swim with them at discovery cove last fall. I saw on this board that the animals are treated very poorly. I did some research and it looks to be pretty true. However I am unsure becasue you see things being overblown by animal lovers online (If you don't believe me search about declawing your cat) I am wondering what you all think. Is it worth doing first of all for anyone who has done it, also are the conditions as bad as the sites say. Will we really be just hurting our favorite animals to see them up close.

 

I've only done a dolphin encounter but there really is something magical about dolphins and I would do it again if it weren't so pricey. I've never done the swim anywhere but Discovery Cove, as you mentioned above, is supposed to have one of the best programs out there. I would think that would be much more worth your money. Then again, anyone I've talked to who did the dolphin swim as a shore excursion, no matter how short their water time was, has just raved about it. I was in the Bahamas for ours and the dolphins had quite a large area enclosed on the beach for them. I don't necessarily think they are treated badly, but it really isn't in any animals best interest to keep them "caged". If you think she'll love it, go for it. If you don't you know someone else will.

[rada628]

I don't necessarily think they are treated badly, but it really isn't in any animals best interest to keep them "caged". If you think she'll love it, go for it. If you don't you know someone else will.

 

That is a fair assessment. I did the dolphin swim in Tortola. The trainers seemed to treat the animals well, but they had a very small swim area.

[coevan]

My son swam with the dolphins in Playa Del Carmen. This was one of the best experiences of his life. We, as parents, must say the expression on his face was priceless. BTW, he was 12 when he did this and is now 20 and a marine biology major.

[luvz2run2000]

A wee bit off topic but.....

We are looking at doing the Dolphin Encounter at Discovery Cove prior to our cruise in May. Could you share your experience their with me? It's pricey, and we're wondering if it's really worth it.

Thanks

[beaming90]

We did the dolphin encounter in Nassau and it was the highlight of my trip. I have no idea if the dolphins were treated badly, but it did not seem like it to me. It was a once in a lifetime experience for my 76 year old mom and myself! The memories we made that day are wonderful!!

[L2J]

My soon to be wife and I will be sailing on the Miracle on June 4th. One of the shore excursions on Tortolla is a dolphin swim. Dolphins are my fiencee's favorite animals and we got to swim with them at discovery cove last fall. I saw on this board that the animals are treated very poorly. I did some research and it looks to be pretty true. However I am unsure becasue you see things being overblown by animal lovers online (If you don't believe me search about declawing your cat) I am wondering what you all think. Is it worth doing first of all for anyone who has done it, also are the conditions as bad as the sites say. Will we really be just hurting our favorite animals to see them up close.

 

I think the PETA people blow things way out of proportion. If it's keeping you up at night choose another excursion. JMO.

[serene56]

Make sure that you realize the difference between swims and encounters.

Hate people to be disappointed if they expect to actually swim and only stand in the water with them,.

[wtch4monkeys]

A wee bit off topic but.....

We are looking at doing the Dolphin Encounter at Discovery Cove prior to our cruise in May. Could you share your experience their with me? It's pricey, and we're wondering if it's really worth it.

Thanks

 

Short answer YES!

 

Long Answer:

Be sure to make reservations well in advance because they will only let 1000 people in the park per day. We did the twilight discovery (Do this one if you can) we walked in and signed into the welcome center. They take your picture and put it on your ID Badge, this can be tied to your credit card in order to pay for any of the momentos that you choose to buy. As we walked into the park you are struck with how pretty it is. You walk to the lockers to drop off your bag and go into the changing rooms. These rooms are also bathrooms. They are very nice and they feature showers to clean off after. The towels, shampoos, soaps are all provided by the facility and they are all of nice quality. After you change into the wetsuit the facility provides with admission you are free to explore. I will break this down into each part of the park.

 

Dolphin Encounter-

You are given a one hour time block for you dolphin encounter. When that time comes you meet at a assigned pavilian and recieve an orientation where you can ask any dolphin question you may have. After this you are lead to the lagoon and you are taken into the lagoon by one of the trainers. It is at this point your new friend (s) will be called over to you. Each group of 6-10 are "assigned" a dolphin. You get to pet your new friend and are allowed to take pictures (Pictures are taken by the facility as well for purchase) you are in the water meeting and watching your dolphin for about 30 minutes and then you are taken back for a debriefing and a chance to view and purchase pictures.

Sting Ray Lagoon-

This was by far my favorite area. It is a lagoon that you enter and it is stocked with about 100 Rays. They will come up to you and let you pet them. It was cool, this is not a timed thing and you can go back as much as you like. The feedings are also cool becasue you get to feed them chunks of fish.

Snorkeling in the "reef"-

This was pretty neat as well, you go out into a artifical reef and swim with tons of colored fish and other tropical fish varying in size. The water is very cold here so it is kind of a shock.

The Bird Experience-

They have a 4 chambered Aviary that allows you the oppertunity to interact with hundreds of types of tropical birds. I hate birds and they freak me out, but my DF loved it! They give you cups of food that the birds will land on you to eat. It was a cool experience if you like birds.

 

Lazy River-

Not much to say about this it is a river that goes around the park. There are no animals in it, but the water is warm and it's nice to unwind in.

 

" The Perks" - One of the cool things about this park is that you don't have to pay for any kind of food or drink. There are 2-3 snack stands around the park that have snacks and food that you just walk up to take what you want and go on your way. They also have budwiser products and some kind of fruity wine type drink that is also free to take.

 

Dinner- After you are done swimming at 8 PM ish you go and change out of the wet suit and take a nice shower. You go to the dinner area and are seated. The dinner is one of the best I have ever had. Soup and Salads are given by a waitress and then you are free to go to the "buffet" it has some of the best 5 star food I have ever eaten. It has everything from fresh fish and shell fish (Scallops and Shrimp) to steak or pork. After eating you go to the desert table there are so many different types of amazing choices that you almost wish you skipped dinner all together. After your meal you are given a strawberry tux. It is really pretty and very tasty.

 

After dinner you have a last chance to parooze the gift shops before you leave and purchase any moments you want to remember your trip.

 

Make sure you save your ID badge becasue you can go to either sea world or Busch Gardens for 7 days for free with it. While the price may seem expensive when you look at all the perks you get with it it is very worth it. The dinenr itself is very fancy and would prob. cost something like 60-75 a plate if you were to go to a real restraunt. We had an amazing time and the next time we go to FL a return trip will def. be part of the itenerary.

[mumofsons]

Although small, our avitar shows us at Discovery Cove in January of this year. We did it precruise. It was the highlight of our trip! We did the whole day and enjoyed every second of it.

I realize OP has done Discovery Cove but our boys aged 10 and 12 had a wonderful time and so did we!

[chasetf]

I think the PETA people blow things way out of proportion. If it's keeping you up at night choose another excursion. JMO.

I am the farthest thing from a PETA supporter, but sometimes even the extremes have a good point to consider. Their concern would be for the exploitation of a caged dolphin and I see some validity to their concern.

 

I have no interest and would rather see a dolphin or a stingray in their natural environment. :D

[luvz2run2000]

wtch4monkeys - Thanks for the awesome description of your time at Discovery Cove. We had studied their website and read member reviews on tripadvisor and it seems like everyone has great things to say about the place. We have already made a reservation to ensure that we get a spot. We have one day pre cruise and were planning to spend it with "the mouse" but this seems so much more unique. The fact that we live about 90 minutes from Disneyland doesn't hurt either.

 

mumofsons - Thanks for the input. It sounds like the kind of place my boys would have loved when they were younger, and probably still would today. Unfortunately for them they are both adults and get to fund their own vacations now.:)