Is swimming with the dolphins overrated?!

My husband and I are first time cruisers. We are looking at booking our excursions and I have always wanted to swim with the dolphins. We are cruising through Carnival and we are looking at doing the VIP dolphin experience in Cozumel. It is pretty expensive which I don't mind if it is worth it. I just keep hearing it might we overrated and not worth the $300. Please help! If there is an excursion in cozumel that you would recommend please let me know!

We did the dolphin swim in St Kitts and it was worth every penny. The look on DW's face when the dolphin pushed her through the water was priceless.

I believe an excursion is worth the money when it is something you REALLY want to do, and can't normally do at home. You might try a private excursion, though - ships's tours are usually more costly.

More research here on the Cozumel board:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=210 <---click here

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We didn't do a swim but we did a dolphin encounter in Curaçao and it was worth every penny. However I may be biased because I love dolphins!

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Rather than the masses on a cruise excursion, try spending the day at SeaWorlds Dolphin Lagoon. A bit pricey, a great day with many things to do (You are in a separate park) food, lazy river, and huge swim in lagoon with stingrays etc. If I remember correctly, you get about 30 minutes in the water with a trainer, dolphin, and a small group of people. At least you know it's done "well" and the animals are not being mistreated.

Yes it's worth it, it's something special and you'll only do it once most likely.

I think it is overrated. We did it once and while it was fun, it was very expensive. I don't think the time in the water was worth it. And, since we did it, I've read about how the dolphins are treated and about how stressful it is for them. We won't do it again.

I HATE that they make the dolphins do this...it's not natural to them. They are captive...and that's cruel, IMO. I hate zoos...and hate captive animals for our entertainment. You wouldn't want to be captive....and I know those poor dolphins don't like it, either. They are mammals...just as humans are.

There is one place( the name escapes me) where the dolphins dictate whether they will interact with you or not. That would be the only one I consider since I believe that the vast majority of such excursions in the Caribbean exploit the dolphins otherwise. To include mistreatment.

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Funny.

Years ago we were in the Keys for a sailing course. One afternoon, we went to a swim with dolphins venue. We had a long time in the water with several dolphins and about 6 of us.

This place was later on an expose about how horribly the dolphins were being treated as captives, etc. BUT, the reporter did not do the venue.

There was a fence between the venue and waterway to the open sea. But the fence was to keep the boats OUT. Underwater were several LARGE holes cut to let the dolphins come and go.

We asked about it, and the dolphins would hang out for a week or so, then leave, then come back. Many times, they bring friends with them. And also train the new dolphins to the routine.

Most of the dolphins show stuff is stuff the dolphins do in nature to play.

I would go the cruise line section and the destination section to see about the exact venue you will be visiting. We also did dolphins events at other venues that were very little time in the water, with a lot of people, and NOT worth the money.

We did a dolphin swim at Dolphin Discovery in Cozumel and while it was fun, it was definitely overrated. My kids were 15, 13, and 11 and they didn't seem to think it was as exciting as it seemed before we actually did it. We felt like we were (trying to find the right word) held hostage to them. There is A LOT of just standing around waiting to get taken to your spot, standing around on the pier, standing around for more instructions, standing in the water waiting your turn to do each of the things, and just standing around and then posing, look at the photographer, etc. The whole thing that was supposed to be an hour or so ended up being about 3 hours because of all of the standing and waiting. Then add in the time they make you stand around to show your pictures and go over the costs. We were starving as it was over lunchtime. The whole thing was just an ok experience for our family. My kids never even talked about it after the fact and they were sooooooooo excited before it all. They love dolphins and couldn't wait to touch and swim with one up close.

I would go to Chankanaab my own in Cozumel. It's a great park and you can choose to swim with the dolphins or manatees while you're there. There is so much more to do than just the dolphin swim there. Be sure to download the $2 off coupon on their website. It is a quick taxi ride I think it's about $11.

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Hi

I have come to be of the thought that these sort of "shows" are unethical. I also understand that in some poorer countries tourists who buy into the "entertainment" value, help people live.

So, I can't judge, I simply won't participate. I do feel the need to point out that having wild animals perform for our entertainment does have some pitfalls. Mankind has been doing these sorts of things or worse forever, but that doesn't make it right.

We did it several years ago at Blue Lagoon off Paradise Island, Bahamas. It was OK, fairly pricey, and left me with a bad taste- seeing these very intelligent creatures being held captive.

Not judging - go ahead and do it, but we had a far better experience a year ago at Sanibel Island, Fl- We were in waist deep water about 50 feet off shore and a pari of dolphins came to check us out. They swam around us for at least five minutes- then went closer to shore where they chased fish towards the beach where they could grab them In the shallow water. A number of people on the beach reported the same experience - being checked out by dolphins.

I don't like to see tours like this because I feel it's exploitation of the animals. I don't like the circus or zoos either for the same reason. The idea of caging animals and then making them perform is just not something I like to participate in. I would prefer things like this not be offered, but I understand that if people will pay, someone will find a way to commercialize it.

The dolphins in Cozumel only understand Spanish!

Most people who do swimming with the dolphins excursions have nothing but good things to say about it.

Keith

I did a dolphin swim in grand cayman and was disappointed. Definitely overrated for me. It felt like a giant photo op (with pictures an additional of course). Time was spent getting you to the right spot, having you pose the right way, then at the last minute the dolphin swimming in to complete the pose for the picture.

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Don't do it.

http://us.whales.org/issues/swimming-with-dolphins

https://www.google.com/amp/healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/10/14/amp/swimming-with-dolphins.aspx

I would go to Chankanaab my own in Cozumel. It's a great park and you can choose to swim with the dolphins or manatees while you're there. There is so much more to do than just the dolphin swim there. Be sure to download the $2 off coupon on their website. It is a quick taxi ride I think it's about $11.

 

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This! We did it here and had a blast! Didn't feel like we were just standing around. We did the dolphin push pull. It was my 2 daughter's 16 and 21 at the time plus my husband and I. We all really enjoyed it! The disk with all the photos was expensive but my husband got it anyway.

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Hi

 

I have come to be of the thought that these sort of "shows" are unethical. I also understand that in some poorer countries tourists who buy into the "entertainment" value, help people live.

 

So, I can't judge, I simply won't participate. I do feel the need to point out that having wild animals perform for our entertainment does have some pitfalls. Mankind has been doing these sorts of things or worse forever, but that doesn't make it right.

Same feelings here.

I visited the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Oj Pejeta, Kenya. It was established with the Jane Goodall Institute to be a refuge for chimpanzees rescued from captive and abusive situations. It was heartbreaking - they can never be free because they were used as tourist attractions in their old life and learned to rely on humans for food and survival. They have a wonderful, massive, but fenced, refuge to roam "free" in, but they still have to have food brought in because they have troubles adapting to finding their own food.

If you want a dolphin encounter, take a trip to somewhere where, when you are swimming, snorkeling or kayaking around, the dolphins who are naturally in the area come up to you out of the curiosity of a stranger in their territory! It's free and the dolphins are the ones watching you!

I think that it is over rated, and flat out wrong. The dolphins are treated no better than the animals at Sea World. They are not domesticated work animals, but have been captured and are held in cages. Of all the things you can do on a cruise this is one to avoid.

So glad to see so many nays to swimming with dolphins experiences. Faith in humanity heightened!

Dolphins are very intelligent marine mammals. Did you ever think about whether they are given a choice as to whether they want to swim with you or if given a chance leave their watery cages and swim in the ocean with their family pods. I doubt that you have.

Imagine a very intelligent extraterrestrial civilization that comes to the earth to capture human specimens that they take back home to wherever they live. They keep the humans in cages so that tourists can stare at them and the really lucky ones get to go into the human cages so that the humans can be forced to do tricks and play with them. Do you think that you would enjoy that.

That is exactly what we are doing to the captive dolphins.

DON

Regardless of it being overrated its downright cruel (as are many activities involving animals in many parts of the world).