Excursion Questions--Can teens do them without parents?

[Cecilia V.]

We will be going on our first cruise in 2 weeks on The Liberty of the Seas and I am working on booking excursions. Because I'm a newbie and nervous, I am only going to book excursions through the cruiseline, although I realize you can spend less and get a better excursion through private vendors. But, I just don't feel comfortable doing that. Maybe, next cruise.

 

So, my teens ((17 and 14) really want to do a Dolphin Swim. They are costly ($100+ per person) and frankly, my husband and I don't really care to do it. That being said, I am NOT willing for my daughters to go off on the excursion without us being nearby.

 

So. . . can I book these excursions for my 2 daughters and my husband and I go and watch (without paying for all 4 of us)? It is just too costly for me to pay for all 4 of us just to have 2 of us watch. If we have to pay for all of us, we'll have to choose a lesser experience, such as a Dolphin Encounter, instead of the Dolphin Swim that the girls would prefer.

 

I am not trying to sound cheap. But, this whole cruise is just costing us so much that I need to try to save some money where I can. So, can just my daughters participate and we are spectators? Will they allow my husband and I to come and watch?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

[teenXcruiser]

My sister and I (16 and 17) went on a dolphin swim excursion by ourselves last year. My parents were snorkeling while we were there I believe. As for paying to watch I'm not really sure how that works.

[Caliterp07]

Looking at your itinerary, I assume you're talking about in Cozumel? If so, you'll need to pay for entry into Chankanaab park (I forget the cost...maybe $17?) You'll be able to view the pool from shore and see it happening.

 

That said, if it is in Chankanaab, I HIGHLY recommend booking through the park itself as opposed to Royal Caribbean. It's a really easy taxi ride to the park, the price is the same, and your kids will be in a much smaller group and get more time with the dolphins. We had absolutely no problem finding a taxi there and back (and it was our first cruise too!) It's the simplest of all the private excursions I've ever booked.

[madforcruising]

We will be going on our first cruise in 2 weeks on The Liberty of the Seas and I am working on booking excursions. Because I'm a newbie and nervous, I am only going to book excursions through the cruiseline, although I realize you can spend less and get a better excursion through private vendors. But, I just don't feel comfortable doing that. Maybe, next cruise.

 

So, my teens ((17 and 14) really want to do a Dolphin Swim. They are costly ($100+ per person) and frankly, my husband and I don't really care to do it. That being said, I am NOT willing for my daughters to go off on the excursion without us being nearby.

 

So. . . can I book these excursions for my 2 daughters and my husband and I go and watch (without paying for all 4 of us)? It is just too costly for me to pay for all 4 of us just to have 2 of us watch. If we have to pay for all of us, we'll have to choose a lesser experience, such as a Dolphin Encounter, instead of the Dolphin Swim that the girls would prefer.

 

I am not trying to sound cheap. But, this whole cruise is just costing us so much that I need to try to save some money where I can. So, can just my daughters participate and we are spectators? Will they allow my husband and I to come and watch?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

I think if you want to stay with RCI, you´ll have to discuss this with the shore excursions people, but I doubt they would let you go without paying. But I´m just guessing here and I think the only way to get an answer for sure is to contact RCI.

[truffles2]

There is usually an option to go as an "observer"--but you still have to pay....just not as much.

[Cecilia V.]

Looking at your itinerary, I assume you're talking about in Cozumel? If so, you'll need to pay for entry into Chankanaab park (I forget the cost...maybe $17?) You'll be able to view the pool from shore and see it happening.

 

That said, if it is in Chankanaab, I HIGHLY recommend booking through the park itself as opposed to Royal Caribbean. It's a really easy taxi ride to the park, the price is the same, and your kids will be in a much smaller group and get more time with the dolphins. We had absolutely no problem finding a taxi there and back (and it was our first cruise too!) It's the simplest of all the private excursions I've ever booked.

 

Yes, it seems that Cozumel is the best place for the dolphin swims.

 

One of my fears about booking a private excursion is about what happens if our ship doesn't make it to Cozumel (because of a change in itinerary due to weather). Will it be a hassle getting our money back?

I know that if you book through the cruiseline, this is not an issue. That is just one of the reasons why I prefer to book through the cruiseline.

 

Caliterp07, did you book your private tour ahead of time or just take a taxi to Chankanaab? If we just show up there without reservations, will we be able to do the Dolphin Swim?

[uksimonusa]

Yes, it seems that Cozumel is the best place for the dolphin swims.

 

One of my fears about booking a private excursion is about what happens if our ship doesn't make it to Cozumel (because of a change in itinerary due to weather). Will it be a hassle getting our money back?

I know that if you book through the cruiseline, this is not an issue. That is just one of the reasons why I prefer to book through the cruiseline.

 

Caliterp07, did you book your private tour ahead of time or just take a taxi to Chankanaab? If we just show up there without reservations, will we be able to do the Dolphin Swim?

 

It is best to book online, we have done this twice now, they will refund your money should the ship not make Cozumel, we even got a discount for booking online, dolphindiscovery.com

There are loads of taxis at the entrance to the port, and also at

Chankanaab to take you back to the ship or into town. You do get a better experience for a lot less money doing it on your own. Also be aware, that during the summer months, Cozumel is 1 hr behind Miami Time, and the ship normally stays on Miami time.

[bplazo]

We booked the excursion for my daughter and her friend independently with Chankanaab Park and it only cost my husband and myself for the entrance fee. We were able to watch from the deck.

 

When we were there they had two dolphin excursions an "enounter" and a "swim". If you do the encounter you just stand in line and you get to kiss the dolphin etc., however, if you do the swim you actually get to swim with it and do tricks. It is so worth it to pay more for the swim because I have never seen my teen daughter with that big of a smile before. I also had to buy the pictures and the video.

 

Is is very easy to book on your own. The park is not that far and there are alot of taxis. Just wanted to edit to say that I am not a good swimmer and I really enjoyed doing the snorkeling at their beach because I was able to stand when I needed to and there was alot of fish to see.

[Caliterp07]

Yes, it seems that Cozumel is the best place for the dolphin swims.

 

One of my fears about booking a private excursion is about what happens if our ship doesn't make it to Cozumel (because of a change in itinerary due to weather). Will it be a hassle getting our money back?

I know that if you book through the cruiseline, this is not an issue. That is just one of the reasons why I prefer to book through the cruiseline.

 

Caliterp07, did you book your private tour ahead of time or just take a taxi to Chankanaab? If we just show up there without reservations, will we be able to do the Dolphin Swim?

 

We booked it ahead of time, but we changed time slots the day of. (We had booked an 11:00 time, and changed to 9:00 so we would finish early and have plenty of time to meander through town after lunch). There were only 2 ships in port the day I was there though--if there's more than that, there might be more difficulty getting spots.

[cjkbleonard]

We always book our excursions through the ship but this was the one time we made an exception. We felt very secure booking it through the park and taxis are readily available. Booking it this way saved us money and our group was very small, it was our family of four and one other family of four. It doesn't get much better than that. Plus, we were able to swim with the manatees for free and our taxi was paid ahead of time by going through the Chankanaab sight.