Dolphin Excursion book with Carnival or direct?

[carmal]

We are interested in the Royal Swim in Cozumel. I have read its better to book direct than through Carnival. I see where you can book on the Dolphin Discovery website. We are going in March, how soon do you recommend booking? Is it safe to book with your credit card on their website, or is it better to call? Do you refund you if you have to cancel? I also see that you can book direct through Chankanaab National Park. Is it better to book with one over the other? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I would prefer to get the 11:00 time slot, so maybe the earlier I book the better?

[Ship Addict]

We booked direct the morning we left for the cruise. We saved quite a bit. The cost when booking direct was I think about 20% less than going thru Carnival. Plus we went in September, so it was considered off season and we got a further discount on that.

 

We booked the 9.00 slot and actually were late cos the ship was late docking in Cozumel. We arrived at about 9.15. No problem. They just moved us into the next time slot. There were 8 of us so we practically had our own group. There was just one other small family with us.

 

You will have a BLAST! One of the best excursions I have ever booked. (we did the regular swim, not the royal, but still . . . )

[mxylpic]

We are interested in the Royal Swim in Cozumel. I have read its better to book direct than through Carnival. I see where you can book on the Dolphin Discovery website. We are going in March, how soon do you recommend booking? Is it safe to book with your credit card on their website, or is it better to call? Do you refund you if you have to cancel? I also see that you can book direct through Chankanaab National Park. Is it better to book with one over the other? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I would prefer to get the 11:00 time slot, so maybe the earlier I book the better?

 

I always book through the Cruise Line (i've done both Carnival and RCCL). You may save some money booking direct with the provider, but the plus side with booking through the cruise line is that if you are delayed they will wait for you. but for an ealy excursion this might not be a concern.

 

I would always book ASAP as things fill up. I did a dolphin swim in Nassau off of the Sensation in 2006 and it was a great experience. I'm not familiar with the Cozumel programs but get a "full swim" if you can and not just an "encounter" in which you stand on a platform and just get to pet the dolphins.

 

Enjoy your Cruise. Cozumel is next on my wish list.

 

Cheers,

 

Ed

[Jumpthemoon]

I always book my Caribbean excursions with shoretrips.com. The groups are smaller, more intimate, and they have never missed a return to the ship. We used them in Australia, and while the cruise lines used a huge bus, we had a small van. They are also a little cheaper.

[Life's a Beach!!]

We booked directly through dolphin discovery for the royal swim. The 9 and 10 spots were full so we are doing 11. They stated that if our cruise misses this port for whatever reason we will be fully refunded. I did get this in writing. I called directly and they were very nice on the phone. It was quite a bit cheaper than booking through Carnival. I think they said it was an $8.00 cab ride. Have fun.

[brcruiser]

We booked online for last December through Dolphin Discovery for the Royal Swim. The royal swim option was not available through Carnival, only directly through Dolphin Discovery. Our port itinerary was changed due to a storm. We went to the port a day earlier than scheduled. A call to the company and they gave us the option to cancel with full refund or they would reschedule us on the day we were going to be in port. We found them to be reliable, easy to work with and it was a great experience. The time slots did fill up quickly especially early in the day, so don't wait to book. There are other things to do in the park before or after your dolphin swim and the cabs were waiting outside when we were ready to leave. It truly was one of the best excursions we have ever done. You can negotiate the price of the pictures and video at the end when they show you your video and photos. Figure out what you want and offer them a price. We waited until the rush was over and they were willing to work with us on a price for multiple photos. Their photos turned out much better than our camera so I am glad we bought them.