Help booking dolphin excursion -- Sailing on Carnival Splendor

[tbiesinger]

I am wondering if we are required to book the dolphin excursions through Carnival or if we can book them direct for private vendors?

 

Also, I have two children who can only do the interaction and 2 who are old enough to do the swim. Can I book those together? Will they happen at the same time?

 

Is it better to do the dolphin adventure in Cabo or Puerto?

 

Thanks!

[cabo helper]

You will need to book thru the ship. The Encounter is only offered on day 2 at 8:30 and 10:30. The Swim is offered on day 1 (Tues) at 10:30 and 12:30 also on day 2 (Wed) at 9:45 and 10:45.

[tbiesinger]

Are the encounter and the swim in the same area if we did them at times that overlap? Which company operates these for Carnival...maybe they could tell me.

[cabo helper]

There is only one company in Cabo...Cabo Dolphins. And yes, the pools together at the facility.

[cabo helper]

But don't forget the requirements about children...those under 10 must be accompanied in the water with a paying adult.

[tbiesinger]

Can I have one adult go with 3 children to the swim, or do we have to have 3 adults (we don't even have 3 adults on the cruise, but that is what the Cabo Tour people just told me was required when I called). I hope that makes sense.

 

They also said the kids are in 2 different tanks so we would not be able to book them at the same time and still see each other. Thoughts?

[cabo helper]

The rules of the facility are one adult in the water per child under 10yr old regardless of how the tour was booked - it is not just a cruiseship rule. And yes, even though the facility is rather small (in comparison to others on the Caribbean side) their pools are situated that you would not be able to see each other doing the activities at the same time.

[tbiesinger]

Will the dolphin swim in Puerto allow one adult to swim with my 3 children? Basically they are making it so there is no way for my 3 children to do this. We don't have 3 adults with us on the cruise to go swimming with them.

 

Are the other children/adult allowed to watch while one of the kids does the swim?

[ladygogo1]

You should go to the Cabo or Vallarta Adventures website and use the chat box at the top of the website and talk to them- I have used it in the past and they were really helpful and answered all of questions.

[cabo helper]

Cabo and Vallarta Adventures are the same company. I checked the Fun Ashore booklet for the age requirement and then just sent a msg to my friend who is the manager of the facility to clarify the adult to child question you had.

[tbiesinger]

Cabo and Vallarta Adventures are the same company. I checked the Fun Ashore booklet for the age requirement and then just sent a msg to my friend who is the manager of the facility to clarify the adult to child question you had.

 

Thanks! I will look forward to the response.

[cabo helper]

Thanks! I will look forward to the response.

I just double check and heard back from him..."Each child between 5 and 10 years must be accompanied by a paying adult in the water."

[tbiesinger]

I just double check and heard back from him..."Each child between 5 and 10 years must be accompanied by a paying adult in the water."

 

Thanks. Can I book a dolphin swim in Puerto without going through the ship?

[SNJCruisers]

Thanks. Can I book a dolphin swim in Puerto without going through the ship?

NO, unfortunately because of the exclusivity clause, all of the bookings have to be made through the ship. The vast majority if not all of the dolphin interactions will be made up of cruise ship visitors. If you are going to book one of these, book the one that gives you the most time in the water. If there are 4 levels, from encounter (1) to trainer for a day(4), book level 3...it will give you the best bang for your buck and probably 45 minutes in the water with the dolphins. I just looked it up on the Carnival site....The Dolphin Signature swim is 165.00 and it gives you 45 minutes in the water. You need to find out whether that particular tour will be offered for your sailing, as of right now, it's not being offered on the 9/23/11 sailing of the Spirit. But things are changing on a daily basis because of the flip-flopping of the days that we are visiting the different ports.

[Wavesprite]

Is there still the dolphin swim place with the water park, it's in Nuevo Vallarta? How come you can't book on your own through them? We did last October, but then a crew member from the Splendor jumped over board and we missed our excursion? We are booked again in February 2012 on the Splendor and plan on using our dolphin swim/water park pass on that day????

[SNJCruisers]

Is there still the dolphin swim place with the water park, it's in Nuevo Vallarta? How come you can't book on your own through them? We did last October, but then a crew member from the Splendor jumped over board and we missed our excursion? We are booked again in February 2012 on the Splendor and plan on using our dolphin swim/water park pass on that day????

Many of the vendors such as the dolphin providers and salsa & salsa block off all of the time slots for cruise passengers to book through their corresponding ship on the days that ships are in port. Now, it might, and I say might be different with the dolphin group in Nuevo Vallarta, because it is not in Puerto Vallarta, where the ship docks. Because of this factor, you may be able to book things independently, but I would not hold my breath about it. I would verify things directly through them and point blank ask them via email or phone. If they say it's ok, I would prefer to use email because then you have written verification via a printout.

[ladygogo1]

The water park in Nuevo Vallarta is closed right now and not sure when it will reopen. A child died there about a week ago and they cannot reopen until they have been thoroughly checked. A different child died there a few years ago also when his arm was trapped in a drain and his head was under water.

[cabo helper]

NO, unfortunately because of the exclusivity clause, all of the bookings have to be made through the ship. The vast majority if not all of the dolphin interactions will be made up of cruise ship visitors. If you are going to book one of these, book the one that gives you the most time in the water. If there are 4 levels, from encounter (1) to trainer for a day(4), book level 3...it will give you the best bang for your buck and probably 45 minutes in the water with the dolphins. I just looked it up on the Carnival site....The Dolphin Signature swim is 165.00 and it gives you 45 minutes in the water. You need to find out whether that particular tour will be offered for your sailing, as of right now, it's not being offered on the 9/23/11 sailing of the Spirit. But things are changing on a daily basis because of the flip-flopping of the days that we are visiting the different ports.

 

Carnival is only offering 2 dolphin tours in Cabo for any of the ships regardless of the day...the swim and the encounter.

[Tannison]

If you want to book independently, you can, but it requires you telling them that you are staying in a hotel. You will have to give them a hotel name, so make sure you know the name of one if you decide to go this route. You will most likely save money, but it is riskier because if the ship cancels the port for any reason you won't get a refund, so you have to weigh the benefits and the risks.

[vinandsyl]

hello all going on cruise to PV in Feb 2012. I see different things as far as booking thru ship or booking oneself, first cruise for both of us whom is better or right on this subject? I see you can save a few $$ booking oneself I understand things can happen(you tube). Thanks in advance for any more info on this

[MSN-Travelers]

hello all going on cruise to PV in Feb 2012. I see different things as far as booking thru ship or booking oneself, first cruise for both of us whom is better or right on this subject? I see you can save a few $$ booking oneself I understand things can happen(you tube). Thanks in advance for any more info on this

 

Cabo Adventures and Vallarta Adventures run the primary dolphin/sea lion excursion facilities in Cabo & Vallarta. They are the same company. They are a major excursion contractor to the cruise ship industry. Under the terms of their contracts, Cabo/Vallarta Adventures is prevented from selling excursions direct to cruise ship passengers. The cruise industry has the ability to "block reserve" all excursion slots for performances that best serve the cruise ships in port.

 

It is occasionally possible to book slots through third-party excursion brokers but your chance of success is slim and you will often have to lie and say you are a hotel/resort guest.

 

There is a second water park / dolphin show facility in the Puerto Vallarta area. It is located immediately north of the Puerto Vallarta airport in Nuevo Vallarta. You can find information on that facility and their dolphin/sea lion interaction options by doing a google search for Aquaventuras Vallarta or Splash Vallarta. While we have never used the facility, there has been a number of discussions posted here. Use the "forum search" option to look for "splash" and/or "aquaventuras".

 

As always with independently booked excursions ... transportation to/from is on you. Any savings you may have on the initial price of the excursion may be wiped out by the cost of transportation. Additionally, Carnival seems to be messing with passengers by changing how they manage ship's time vs. local time. It has become more difficult to know when the ship arrives (local time) vs. what is published in your itinerary.

 

Good luck and enjoy!