Cozumel Dolphin swim info quick

[BillyMetz]

OK fellow cruisers this is what I come to depend on this board for. We will be stopping in Cozumel on a RCCI cruise in about three weeks. At the last minute my dear wife and sister-in-law have decided they want to do the Dolphin Swim and Snorkel Adventure offered by Royal Caribbean. If I want to book this on line before we sail I have to do it within the next week or so. Need opinions quick from anyone who has done it. What do you think? Good idea? Bad idea? Etc.

[Travelight]

We are going to Cozumel on Fantasy in May. I booked my daughter (22)for the Royal Swim (a dolphin pushes you through the water by your feet) through Dolphin Discovery Cozumel on-line. It was $135, which includes park entry fee but not transportation. There are other options (just touching and not getting in the water, and a swim encounter $99). I called them to see if the packages were available for the sea lion swim & dolphin swim, but they are not ready yet (the sea lions aren't back yet following the hurricane). Go to www.dolphindiscovery.com and check it out.

[geeandp]

Absolutely fabulous idea. I just did it in Nov with my sister. She hasn't stopped talking about it yet. We bought the pics and DVD. Watch that, you can bargin with them if they think you won't buy the whole deal. For me, it was worth the money more than any other excursion. We were in the water for a good while, and they took their time with us making it a good experience. We had a boy in our group that was nervous and they got a girl who works there to go with him. It was the highlight of the cruise for us. The are gentle and amazing animals. The price is better than Orlando prices. You will love it!

[BillyMetz]

geeandp, was your excursion a ship sponsored trip or one you booked through a private company? We plan to do it but I am just trying to decide between the one Royal Caribbean offers or another company.

[plannermom]

Book it on your own through dolphindiscovery.com. It's cheaper and it's the same thing--we did it 2 weeks ago!

[Dgonza]

I agree, book your own www.dolphindiscovery.com Thats what we are doing next month. I personally wont take any ship sponsored excursions. Most of the time I can get the same excursion cheaper, and with out being hoarded like a bunch of cattle. Good Luck!!

[tweety522]

I agree, book your own www.dolphindiscovery.com Thats what we are doing next month. I personally wont take any ship sponsored excursions. Most of the time I can get the same excursion cheaper, and with out being hoarded like a bunch of cattle. Good Luck!!

 

 

Thanks for the Dolphin tips. How long of a Taxi ride to the park? Do you know how much the ride is? I was trying to decide what time to book the swim for? Sorry for all the questions, but since you have already booked you trip I thought you might know.

 

Thanks

[kenf333]

Thanks for the Dolphin tips. How long of a Taxi ride to the park? Do you know how much the ride is? I was trying to decide what time to book the swim for? Sorry for all the questions, but since you have already booked you trip I thought you might know.

 

Thanks

Taxi should only be 10/12 dollars for up to 4 people one way.

[BillyMetz]

Most people on here recommend doing the excursion through Dolphin Discovery, possibly the Royal Swim for which the site shows a $139 fee and it last a bit more than one hour. The excursion offered by the ship is over three hours and is $145. Anyone know why the extreme difference in length? Is it a one hour ride to the park from the ship? Can not figure this one.

[BillyMetz]

Most people on here recommend doing the excursion through Dolphin Discovery, possibly the Royal Swim for which the site shows a $139 fee and it last a bit more than one hour. The excursion offered by the ship is over three hours and is $145. Anyone know why the extreme difference in length? Is it a one hour ride to the park from the ship? Can not figure this one.

[newt98]

are you 100% certain the $145 RCCL excursion is the Royal Dolphin Swim? you should double check that. the park is only about ten minutes from the port. chances are, the royal swim through the ship will be close to $200. but anyway, if it is 200 through the ship, book the trip yourself, grab a cab, about $10-15, then you can stay as long as you want to at the park to snorkel. we just came back from a princess cruise, and i booked the dolphin swim on my own because the ship excursion lasted four hours, and they took you to a shopping complex. it's easy to do on your own, this was my first trip and it was great.

[dolfansam]

The Dolphin Swim excursion from RCCL is not the Royal Swim. It does include a Kiss, A Belly Ride and Hug. It does not include the foot push. I did this last year and it was an absolute blast. If you plan on going through RCCL, I advise booking now, because it sells out quickly. It may already be sold out. Do not wait until you board, we made that mistake once.

[BillyMetz]

dolfansam, I think I am to late already. I understand you have to do online booking no later than 10 days out. I am at that point today.

[whale-watcher]

we just came back from a princess cruise, and i booked the dolphin swim on my own because the ship excursion lasted four hours, and they took you to a shopping complex.

this was NOT the case as of last month on Princess...we booked the royal swim through princess last month, and there was no stop at a shopping complex...we rode by cab both to Chan and back to the pier (we did board the cabs by the shopping area across from the pier). We had the option to stay on at Chan as long as we liked after the swim. We had plenty of time to snorkel and relax a bit before returning to the pier, and they offered to provide us with a cab voucher if we wanted to stay even longer than the last "scheduled" departure. Unless things changed a lot in the last month, there is very little difference between the cruiseline-sponsored royal swim and the same excursion booked on your own, except that we were able to purchase observer tickets through the cruiseline, and these did not seem to be available on our own. These tickets allowed my mom and DW, who did not want to do the actual swim, to observe from VERY close range and take some wonderful photos and video (more than making up for the cost difference of the excursion). Another advantage of booking through the cruiseline is guaranteed tendering in time for your swim (in the event you don't dock at Cozumel). If neither of these factors is important to you, then you might as well book on your own, but otherwise the two experiences are identical. The price difference was not huge when you factor in the cost of the cabs and admission to the park itself.