Chankanaab Dolphin Push/Pull...Then What?

[smogfarmgirl]

Booked the Chankanaab Dolphin Push/Pull through Celebrity. It ends at 1PM...what do we do after that? I’ll take recommendations! This is our first cruise, first excursion, and first time in Cozumel. Ship leaves at 5PM. 

[c-leg5]

2 hours ago, smogfarmgirl said:

Booked the Chankanaab Dolphin Push/Pull through Celebrity. It ends at 1PM...what do we do after that? I’ll take recommendations! This is our first cruise, first excursion, and first time in Cozumel. Ship leaves at 5PM. 

Lots to do at Chankanaab - take a look at their website. It is easy to spend a day there.
 

If the meeting time Is late I would let the excursion desk know and see if you can meet them there and get an independent taxi earlier in the day if you have arranged the excursion through the ship and not independently.

Edited February 6, 2020 by c-leg5

[smogfarmgirl]

1 hour ago, c-leg5 said:

Lots to do at Chankanaab - take a look at their website. It is easy to spend a day there.
 

If the meeting time Is late I would let the excursion desk know and see if you can meet them there and get an independent taxi earlier in the day if you have arranged the excursion through the ship and not independently.

Thanks! I didn’t realize we could stay after our excursion ended. Excursion starts at 9:30  so we will just take ship transport there. If we stay do we just tell them we will get a taxi back later?

 

also, what time should we leave to go back to the ship (leaves at 5). Guessing the “never left behind” doesn’t count once we’ve abandoned our original pickup time, lol. 

[smogfarmgirl]

2 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

Lots to do at Chankanaab - take a look at their website. It is easy to spend a day there.

That helped, thanks! I didn’t really get that it was a huge park, we just booked the excursion through X’s site. 
 

A couple questions since it sounds like you’ve been there...

How much is the fish spa, lol?! Definitely gonna need to being cash for that!

 

Is the Tequila place included? Our our package says it includes lunch buffet and open bar. 

 

 

[JohninDC]

Taxi back to the ship will take 10+ minutes and should cost about $12.  I would leave NLT 4:00 ships time to be sure you don't miss the ship. Use a watch, not your cell phone, as ship time may differ from local time.

[smogfarmgirl]

Also is the swim up bar in the pool included in the “open bar” it says you get booking through Celebrity?

[Tapi]

We did the Dolphin Swin at Chankanaab in 2017. We booked it independently and took a taxi there. Considerably cheaper (like less than half the cost) than booking through the cruise line. It all went well and taking our own transportation to/from Chanknaab was very easy. Tons of taxis waiting by. 

 

I do want to give you a bit of feedback about the experience though. When we first arrived at Chankanaab, dolphins looked happy, frolicking in the water. But once we got in the water with them, I noticed that some dolphins had several scratches along their bodies, and some of their noses were mangled, with some cuts and deformities. This, needless to say was a cause of concern, so I got online after the experience and learned about the less than humane treatment that these dolphins endure. The mangled noses were a result of the constant pushes that they perform. As much as we enjoyed getting to see these creatures up close, I now wish that we’d never participated in this excursion. 
 

Had I known then what I know now, I would’ve selected a different activity. I’ve learned that there are places where you can swim up close with dolphins in their natural habitat where they are not enclosed or expected to perform tricks. 
 

Just some food for thought. 

Edited February 7, 2020 by Tapi

[JustinPlusLauren]

Swimming with dolphins is super cruel. I highly recommend that you don't support it.

 

https://justinpluslauren.com/swimming-the-dolphins-the-dark-truth/