Time for Dolphins?

[LVGlenn]

We'll be stopping at Nassau on our RCL cruise in November and really want to do the full on Dolphin Swim as opposed to the Dolphin Encounter, and the swim program is not offered as an RCL excursion. Our itinerary says we'll be in Nassau from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. I've checked the web site for Nassau Dolphin Encounters, and they say they have departures at 8:30 and 10:30 and that the swim program is about three hours. It appears they have the same schedule for the encounter program sold through the ship. So, my question is, do we have enough time on this short stop to do the swim program? I wouldn't want to schedule the 8:30 departure thinking that the chances of being off the boat by then (not to mention getting my wife up by then but that's another story) are not all that great. If the 10:30 departure is for three hours and therefore gets back around 1:30, well that's cutting it pretty close for a 2:00 sailing.

Has anyone done the full swim program on this kind of itnerary? It seems to me it should work since the schedule is the same as with the encounter, but something seems a little off about this. Thanks in advance for any advice. :)

[krisesch]

I am dying to know the answer to this question as well

[LVGlenn]

Krisesch, the short answer to the question is "no." I called Dolphin Encounters in Nassau directly, and they said there would not be enough time on that itinerary. Also, I noticed on RCI's website that they are not even listing the encounter as an available excursion for that itinerary anymore.

One alternative we're looking into - because we'll be spending a day in Orlando before we leave - is Discovery Cove. That's a sister park to SeaWorld Orlando that also offers Dolphin Encounters.

[Nliedel]

Discovery Cove is awesome and MORE Than worth the HUGE amount of money you will spend there.