did the dolphin encounter just last week. you get taxi trip to park and entrance to the park. Once you get there, you get a short talk about dplphins and instructions, they issue you a life jacket and you go out to the pens where the dolphins are kept. You get led to a stairway that end on a steel grate platform about 3 feet underwater. You'll be standing on this for the duration on the encounter, so wear something on your feet that you can get wet and will protect your feet. You will be introduced to the dolphin, get to pet her, give her a kiss and she kisses you, and shake hands/fins. Water time lasts about 45 minutes. You can buy pictures and a video of your encounter. Afterward you can stay in the park and see the birds, gardens and swim in the lagoon. Tour personel will give you a voucher for a taxi ride back to the docks.
I will be going on the dolphin encounter this month. My girlfriend just did the one in sea world and even got to swim with the dolphins. She held on to the dolphins fin and he took her around the pool. Do they do that in Cozumel. Also I have an underwater camera will I be able to bring that with me and take some of my own shots? If not is there lockers or someplace safe to hold the camera and other things while Im with the dolphins? I am really looking forward to this excusion.
I did the Royal Swim on my last cruise to Cozumel.Yes they do allow underwater cameras and they also have lockers for your valuables.They tape the swim and you have the opportunity to purchase dvd or pics. You will enjoy this excursion,it is well worth the money.Dolphins are amazing creatures. Make sure you check the park out afterwards. They have beautiful botantical gardens along with sealions and other animals that you can observe. Have a great time.
I have a similar thread that I started about this encounter. I'd just like to copy and paste something here that I have learned that I would like to share (copied from my own post on the other thread)
I have actually decided NOT to do the dolphin encounters. I have thought about it - and prayed about it - and have realized that these dolphins are living in conditions that they are not meant to live in (enclosed/penned). Sure, they may be treated well, but I still view them as prisoners (kind of makes me think of the Planet of the Apes movies).
I have decided that as a silent protest (guess it's not so silent since I'm sharing with you - smiling) that I am not going to support these companies that keep these beautiful animals trapped.
I know many will disagree with me, but that's okay, as this is my opinion, and everyone is definitly welcome to theirs.
When I eventually go to Hawaii, I will do one of the dolphin tours there as they take you out in the open water to swim with real wild dolphins, not ones that have been forced to train.
That's one of my other objections to the whole thing - dolphins are extremely intelligent (some say almost as much as humans, some say more. Did you know that dolphins are the ONLY other speicies in the world that have sex for pleasure?). These creatures are kept in starvation while being trained - learning (quickly because they are so smart) that the only way to get food is by doing what the trainers want them to do.
I learned a lot about the way that they were treated at the following page. I would urge you to read it!
I'd love to swim with dolphins, but won't due to the nature of capture and treatment in the aquariums.
A couple of years ago cruise lines were not running excursions to dolphin aquariums due to the inhumane nature of what happens, but now they seem to have bowed to commercial pressures.
I would never tell anyone not to do it. However check out these links first to be aware of all facts involved.
Yeah... I for one could not swim with the dolphins. My kids wouldn't even go look at them at Chankanaab Park- too depressing. I think most kids/teenagers are pretty alert to animal rights issues.
I have heard that those dolphins are not even indigenous to the area. They are some other kind of "Flipper" dolphin- bottlenose, maybe??? They are trained and shipped to wherever the encounter is.
I was amazed at the behavior of the dolphins that were rescued in the Gulf this week. They had somehow managed to escape from the wreckage of a New Orleans aquarium... It brought tears to my eyes- they were so happy to see their trainers. They definitely did NOT look like the dolphins that swim beside cruise ships in the Gulf.
To tell you the truth, I felt too sorry for the stingrays to go to Stingray city!!!! Ahh!!
Posts: 488 | Location: Buffalo, NY | Registered: July 11, 2005
It was always my dream to swim with dolphins. But in the last years I saw so many documentations about Dolphins in Encounters that I changed my mind. I´ve been three times in Seaworld, everytime I felt more depressive about these wonderful animals, bottlenose dolphins en orcas. I really love them and watching them, being so dependence on their trainers, its so humiliating. I had a wonderful experience with a wild dolphin. I was walking at the beach at the Gulf Coast of Florida early in the morning and for about 1/2 hour a wild dolphin was joining me. He matched his speed to mine and we had a wonderful morning at sea. That made my made me cry.
Then, seing dolphins in Seawordl in a special pool, where you can touch them. Of corse, I touched them too, but I did not use food to attract them. But I was watching the dolphins with some kids. Everybody says, that dolphins love kids. Sorry people, what I saw was the opposite, they hated them, because many of the kids were teasing them. And sometimes the dolphins tried to bite the kids. But everybody was laughing and not understanding, what the dolphins felt.
So, all my respect to people, who decide not to go to those encounters, were they are making the big business with all these captured animals.
I prefer seeing them in the open sea, dolphins, orcas, whales or sealions. And what is a better place to see them, than on a cruise-ship.
kudos to Crystal. although you seem to be getting a lot of support from others on this site, unfortunately your view isn't necessarily the "popular" one. but like i tell my 7 year old, popular definitely doesn't make it right. again, thank you Crystal, for defending those who can not defend themselves!!!
