Cozumel Dolphin Swim

[mom of 4 boys]

Just checking out the excursions in Cozumel and was wondering if anyone knows the difference between two that are listed--One is called Dolphin Swim and Snorkel and the other Swim and ride. I plan on taking my 8 year old and we would both love to be able to swim with and ride the dolphins. Has anybody done these excursions???:confused:

[Nanatochase]

I'm not sure about the swim and ride, but booking directly through Dolphin Discovery in Cozumel, they call it the Royal Swim. This is where you interact with the Dolphins such as being pulled by their pectoral fins and the foot push. That's where they come up and push you out of the water by your feet. I'm scheduled to do the Royal Swim in December. Can't wait. The royal swim is not offered on the ship (Mariner) only the dolphin swim and encounter. The girl at Dolphin Discovery said booking through them you get to do the Royal Swim. The fee is about $10.00 more, but you get to do more and it includes the admission to the park, which is $16.00. So all in all, you actually save money. My friend did the Royal Swim a couple of years ago, and said it was the most exciting thing she has ever done. Sorry to talk your ear off. Can you tell that I'm excited? Have a wonderful time. When are you going?

[PrettyLA]

Do the Royal Swim, mentioned above. It is so worth it!

[mom of 4 boys]

We are going in February on Enchantment of the Seas. It will be our 1st cruise and we are VERY excited!! Really hope that the exursion I looked at is the Royal Swim you were speaking of!!

[cinnpatch]

My daughters and I did the Dolphin Swim and Snorkel back in March. It is something you have to do at least once. It really wasn't much snorkel. It is very directed. We did get to ride a dolphin once and hold it for a picture. We also got to kiss it. The snorkel gear was donned to go under the water to see and hear the dolphin. Other than that, there was no snorkeling to our disappointment.

Other tours were doing more riding from what I could see. As soon as all have had a chance to get their picture taken kissing the dolphin, you are instructed to get out of the water, turn in the equipment, and view the video that is made. The video is worth the money only to reflect back on what the dolphins do and the smiles on your kids faces when the dolphins do those things. Of course, if you are interested in buying the video and some still photos that are taken, you have to go to the gift shop to buy them. That's were they really set the hook! It can be very expensive for such a short excursion. It is a once in a lifetime experience. Just be prepared to say No or get out the plastic.

[Mrsg324]

Just got back from a cruise at the end of July. I took my daughter to do the Dolphin Swim in Cozumel.

It is well worth the expense. We booked through the ship but I will book direct next time.

The Royal Swim is where the dolphins push you up on your feet out of the water.

The Dolphin Swim is what they call the belly swim, you hold on to the fins & the dolphin is upside down.

Prices booking once you arrive at Chaanakab if I'm correct are 99 for the swim & 139 for the Royal Swim.

You also have to pay for your cab there which is 12 each way & entrance to the park is 16 each.

 

I don't know if an 8 year old could do the royal swim but I honestly think the swim would be simple.

 

My daughter got scared at first but they were wonderful & worked with her until she was comfortable doing it all.

 

There is also a ton to do at the park. There is a fresh water pool which was really nice. They have lockers taht you can put your stuff in. I will most likely spend every trip to Cozumel there from now on.

 

If you go to the parks main website, you can print coupons out for park entrance.

 

I had considered booking direct but was worried about it being sold out. There are so many different platforms where they do the swims, this would only sell out if every cruise passenger would book it.

 

We ended up buying the pics of all 4 of us & 2 videos for 200. They wanted more but we got them down close to 100 by buying them all together.

[birdylady]

We did the Royal Swim in May and it was SO WORTH every penny. We booked through ShoreTrips.com. The cost I think was $142 and that included the entrance to the park. We just took a cab over (about $10). We must have been in the water with the 2 dolphins (for our group) for about 90 minutes. It was probably the highlight of our trip. There are 'cheaper' versions of interactions with the dolphins, but we are SO glad we spent the small difference. Absolutely a once in a lifetime experience!

 

Erika

[birdylady]

(sorry for double post, system problem)

 

Erika

[BobJanice]

We did this a couple of years ago and it was terrific. We booked it directly with Dolphin Discovery. Go as you will have a great time and also buy the DVD at the end

[BigDawgRonAZ]

Hopefully these links will help you out:

 

Dolphin Discovery

 

Dolphin Royal Swim

 

Dolphin Swim Adventure. It's about $30 less then Royal Swim. We did this swim a couple of years ago and had a blast. My avatar shows me being pulled by a dolphin!!

 

Good luck!

[MakinGold]

Check with the website as others have suggested. Also, though many people complain about the cost through RCCL, it's not really that much different. You pay a little more through RCCL, but it also includes transportation to the park. The good thing about doing it on your own is you have more control over your schedule.

 

Anyway, to convert the slight different terminology between RCI's excursion descriptions and the website, I'm pretty sure that the RCI excursions are equivalent to:

 

RCI Dolphin Encounter = Dolphin Encounter

RCI Dolphin Swim & Snorkel = Dolphin Swim Adventure

RCI Dolphin Swim & Ride = Dolphin Royal Swim

[MercedMike]

Just a note here, that being less adventurous and not a strong swimmer, I was delighted with the Dolphin Encounter at Chankanaab. This is suited for folks of all ages and especially good for seniors and children. We stood on a platform in water about waist deep on adults, and the dolphin came by, kissed us, shook hands and so on. It was a lot of fun!

 

Check out our trip report and pics at

http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/mardigras2.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!