Is the Sea Lion or Dolphin Expierience Excursion worth the $?

[ironcity1933]

I was looking at excursions and in the Bahamas I was interested by either the Sea Lion or Dolphin encounter. Has any one done these and if so is it worth the money?

[Mark_K]

I was looking at excursions and in the Bahamas I was interested by either the Sea Lion or Dolphin encounter. Has any one done these and if so is it worth the money?

Nearly everything in the world is worth it to someone and not worth it to someone else. You're the only one that can decide if it's worth it for you.

 

A much better question would be how enjoyable was it?

[ironcity1933]

Yes that is pretty much what I intended on asking with this post.

[Yo Eleven]

How much is the excursion per person?

[ironcity1933]

$115 per person, My nephew wants to do it and I was going to take him but I know that it seems like a good thing I just dont want to expect something that it is not.

[April-in-NC]

Since you mentioned Sea Lions I assume you are referring to the excursions at Blue Lagoon.

 

I did the dolphin swim there last May and it was AWESOME!!! I was uneasy about the price (I think the dolphin swim was $165 or so) and worried it wouldn't be worth the cost. I would pay the money and do it again in a heartbeat.

 

If you check out the Bahamas board there are a lot of posts and pictures of the island and the animal interactions. At the end of the day only you can decide if the cost is worth it to you.

[Yo Eleven]

$115 per person, My nephew wants to do it and I was going to take him but I know that it seems like a good thing I just dont want to expect something that it is not.

Sounds like you are close with your nephew? Is he a child? If so I say definitely go for it. Have a camera handy. You won't be sorry you spent the money. Enjoy!

[cb at sea]

I grew up in Va. Beach, where dolphins swim EVERY day and we would be close enough to look them in the eye...we were always seeing them "up close and personal", so PAYING to see them is NOT my priority! See...it depends on YOU!

[jmezmom]

We did the dolphin and sea lion swim in Puerta Vallarta last year......I know you are asking about the Bahamas.

 

Just wanted to tell you the sea lions were AWESOME.....that's my daughter and her sea lion friend in my avatar.

 

They are friendly, gentle, soft and fun.....dolphins were excellent too.....but the sea lion swim can't be done everywhere.....try it if you can!

[Gingee]

I am glad you mentioned the Sea Lion excursion in Puerto Vallarta because we are booked with that one.

 

We did the dolphin swim in Cozmuel and loved it. In the Bahamas you might want to see if you can do the dolphin swim on your own instead of cruise sponsored. It usually is cheaper. Now with Puerto Vallarta (sea lion) they don't pick you up at the cruise lines because they have some deal with the cruise ships. Anyway, the prices weren't that bad. I think $86 for the Sea Lion.

[jmezmom]

I am glad you mentioned the Sea Lion excursion in Puerto Vallarta because we are booked with that one.

 

We did the dolphin swim in Cozmuel and loved it. In the Bahamas you might want to see if you can do the dolphin swim on your own instead of cruise sponsored. It usually is cheaper. Now with Puerto Vallarta (sea lion) they don't pick you up at the cruise lines because they have some deal with the cruise ships. Anyway, the prices weren't that bad. I think $86 for the Sea Lion.

 

We did it in PV on our own.....took a $15 taxi ride to Sealife Park.

 

Got a 20% discount for booking 2 different swims and spent the day at the water park.

 

We did the swims with cruise ship people who paid a lot more than us and had to leave right after their swim, no water park.

[ehfl]

That's really a question that only you can answer. How much is it worth to you to swim with dolphins?

 

The answer is different for every person. I live in Florida, and we can go out to the bay most any day, and find a pod of dolphins to swim with. It's not a huge deal for us.

 

But for others, it would be a really fantastic experience, well worth the price.

[Murphs]

My wife and I did the dolphin program a few years ago (See picture below), and it was well worth it, pricy yes, but what an experience! The one thing I would suggest, is that you check out the link below and consider booking the dolphin swim program directly through dolphin encounters, rather than the dolphin encounter program through RCCL. Its the same company that RCCL will set you up with, and the swim program does cost a little more than the encounter program that RCCL offers, $185.00 per person, but you get to do sooooo much more with the dolphins than you will if you book through RCCL. You are in the water with them, playing with them and learning about them, their jumping over you, and in the end they do a deal where you lay flat in the water and the dolphin pushes you through the water. Simply amazing and my wife and I easily consider it the best excursion we have ever done, by far. Have a great time, whichever you choose.

 

http://www.dolphinencounters.com/programs-swimwithdolphins.php

 

Mike

[Cruzaholic41]

Realize that the swim with sea lions is usually very short. Personally, I do not think it's worth it.

[Tak8]

I have done both. I did the Swim with the dolphins in the Bahamas. It was a fun time. Got to do a lot of different things with the dolphins. I did the Sea Lions excursion in St. Thomas. It was also a lot of fun. You didn't get to do as many things wit the Sea Lions but seeing them up close and personal and interacting as a highlight of our cruise. My teenage son enjoyed both. I realize it's a lot of money, but also one of those things you do once in a lifetime. Great memories.

If you decide to do it, remember to think about the cost of photos. Yes, another expense, but who wants to do the activity and have nothing to remember the event.