Dolphin Experience-Long and Honest

[excellent]

Buyer beware with this excursion.

 

 

The Dolphin experience in Antigua was no more than an exercise is trying to get the passenger to spend more money. With a charge of $160.00 per peson for this trip it was very apparent to me that the entire experience of swimming with the dolphins is no more than that.

 

 

We arrived at the location of the excursion at approximately 9:45am. We were then given a normal overview of the entire opeation, shown a place where our carry-ables were to be stored and then ushered out into a back area that contained several other activities that were not part of the advertised experience. I have had experience as an Operations Manager with Space Camp in California, built it from scratch and know how a fee-based program is to be presented in order to maximixe time and keep customers interacting with expectations that are based solely on advertising.

 

 

There were several of these diversionary activities that include wading in a stingray pool, meeting a macaw parrot, and a tree-sloth. Please don't get me wrong, I did not expect to have the entire time "swimming with the dolphins", advertised words not mine. But I do have an issue of how these other activities were presented....I've never met a tree-sloth, or pet a nurse shark so 'm glad I got to do that. These diversionary activities were set up as photo/video opps. so that they could have another opp. to charge you for photos and video. The presentation of these activities were NOT educational and consisted of staff making sure that each person had been photographed with the various animals with most of the time spent positioning each person(s) to "capture the experience" again advertised words, not mine. When your photo had been taken you were left to stand and wait until the other participants photos were taken, so alot of standing around and no presentation about how, why, what. I even asked a question regarding what a tree sloth eats, I said they must be herbivores, and the woman did not know what that meant, remarking that she "thought" they ate meat but did not know what type. Sorry, but you take care of it and you don't know what it eats??? I could not have been the first person to query that question......

 

 

After the activities with the other animals we were brought into the main house and shown a video about basic dolphin information, mostly just a liabitlity video sprinkled with just enough basic info. to keep you from going to sleep. Then we were shown the lifejackets and how to put them on, told that we were NOT allowed to take any form of camera with us in or around the water. This is one reason why I bought an underwater camera, but I understand why they say it because I'm sure someone has dropped one in the lagoon and has not had a positive effect on the animals. After the initial reaction to the let down of not being able to take my own pictures I decided that while my wife was in the water what would stop me from standing outside, on shore, and snapping a few pics of my wife? .......The fact that you had to walk clear around the lagoon to get to the area where your "experience" would take place, about 100-200 yards total, kind of hard to use a fix-focused lens to get any worth-while pictures. Once we walked the distance over it became VERY apparent why they did not want any camera's around, as we were broken up into groups of ten, a small armada of camera and video personnel had arrived and began the tedious positioning, yet again, of each person(s) to capture the "experience". Each process of interacting with the dolphins was designed SOLELY to take a picture or video of the event, since once the picture/video was snapped/taken you were left to yourself in the water with no other information on what you were seeing or why it was being done. We were also lined up in a way that only aided the process of video/photography and not maximizing any time you had in the water with the animals. There was one person who had a video camera and was not taking part in the actual swim itself, so he was able to video his wife from the shore and hopefully got a good shot. This only happened after several loud arguements with the staff since they realized that they were losing an oppourtunity to sell a video to that one customer. I spoke with him afterwards and he shared the same feeling s on how this was "presented" and more importantly advertised. The video's could be purchased for $60.00, photo's were $12.00 each, and beleive me there were alot of them.

 

 

The total time we spent in the water with the animals amounted to about 20 minutes or so. Most of which was spent positioning the individuals of the group to "get the shot". I have been an ocean person for all of my 34 years and have a great respect for the ocean and it's inhabitants, I was a litttle apprehensive about this excursion to begin with since I really do not agree with exploitation of animals for fun and profit. I was assured MANY times that this was not the case with this operation. I surf regularly and have had a more intimate encounter with dolphins on my own surfboard then this experience....plus I did not have to pay $320 for two people to do it. I did it because my wife, who is not an ocean person, REALLY wanted this one thing out of all of the trips offered.

 

 

I have never felt more taken advantage of from a standpoint of what was advertised and what was presented. I trade stocks for a living and I see blatant manipulation every minute of every day.....suffice to say that this "experience" is a great example of capitalism for the unaware, and beleive me I am aware, I make my living on the premise of it.

 

 

Dealing with Princess has also been an act of utter frustration. I immediatley went to the excursion office to register a complaint. Of course I was given the obigatory form to fill out which is when I realized the game that is played here. The "Purser" tried several times to divert attention from the issues I was raising and even tried to suggest that I did not know how to run a business since obviously they had to (Dolphin Experience) make a profit. It was a smoke and mirrors approach to dealing with any complaints, the form does not even use the word complaint....they are issues, LOL! I was given a form letter that stated they would get back to me on the last day of the cruise, again making sure that the issue was dealt with AFTER I was off the ship and the next customers were being tended to. Prior Princess cruisers will understand it when I say I did not have an "excellent" experience......

 

 

I run a successful business that makes a serious profit...but I do not do it at the expense of ripping off my clients. IF I practiced the same principles of business that the Dolphin Experience did then I would have no customers and I would be well on my way to the poor house. They are a captive audience business, if you don't want to do it you don't have to. I do not have that luxury in my business.......

 

 

This is, of course, my opinion and I am sharing MY "experience". It is but one opinion and can be taken for what it's worth. It all depends on expectations and I pride myself in not setting mine too high with anything I do, you are less likely to be let down when you do. Mine were really not that high to begin with but I feel completely ripped-off and I am now the problem, from Princess' standpoint , than the actual tour operator and the concerns that I have raised with them. I cannot be the only one......

[missmissypie068]

I had a similar experience swimming with the dolphins ( eh, make that dolphin) and sea lion in Cozumel. We felt it was a total rip. Touristy, we only had maybe 23-25 minutes with the dolphin and the entire time was one big push to get you to buy their expensive videos and pictures at $28 a pop. We had fun for what little time we had, but for the money.......no way I'll ever book a tour like this again. Some guy on the Cozumel boards disagreed with my opinion saying that "those people" are there to make money and that it doesn't bother him at all. So, I guess it's to each their own. But, after Cozumel there's no way I'd try this in Antiqua.......glad you shared your experience so people can at least know the flip side.

[luvmykidz]

Thank you so much for your honest post. We were planning on doing the dolphin experience despite some significant hesitations (the same ones you expressed). Thank you for helping me save $320 on an excursion that would have upset me too. I think we will find another alternative.

[OCruisers]

Excellent .... Thank you for taking the time to give a DETAILED review of what to expect from this excursion! Feel sure it will be a great help to others who are considering it!

 

Thanks again! OCruisers :cool:

[Atiya]

Thanks for the heads-up! I was considering this excursion despite my reservations about whether they are being nice to the dolphins, but I want to interact with the animals, not just pose for photos.

 

Btw, in case you're still curious, you were right about the sloth. They are entirely herbivorous--the reason sloths are so slothful is that the leaves they eat have a low nutrient content, so the sloth doesn't want to use energy unnecessarily. Sloths are so cute.... :)

[Liz54]

I just posted a question about the Dolphin swim on another string. Thank you for posting this - with a family of 5 to consider this would have been a big downer!

Also, we've just saved up to $800.00

[Antiguan]

http://old.handzon.com/dolphinproject/subdetail.cfm?menu_id=537&submenu_id=318

[Brooklin North]

Excellent, Thank you for your, what I believe to be, honest opinion of this excursion. RCCL has introduced what I think is the the Angilla location of this company into their excursions. I was on the fence about it, although I had booked it. I was excited about being in such close contact with what I believe to be awesome creatures. But the conditions etc... had me nervous.

 

I had even checked out the company's Web site.... DUH!!! Guess I was fooled, anyway we just cancelled as your review put me on the RIGHT side of the fence.

 

I'll watch the wide open ocean and see them ( i hope!!) the way they were intended to swim.

 

Thanks, Lori

[fin]

My thanks to the author of this thread for his comments. Apparently there are now more similarities than differences among the various entities promoting and operating these kinds of experiences.

 

My experience was on the island of Roatan and took place last week. I entered the program with the same misgivings as have been voiced by several others here, but was assured that these dolphins were well treated and in fact that they enjoyed the encounters with humans.

 

As I was satisfied with one touch, the remainder of the time was basically spent watching others 'hold' them or get 'kissed' by them for the photo ops. In my case, cameras and video cameras were banned for the first 15 minutes of the encounter, but then permitted for the balance of the time spent with the mammals.

 

Single prints were sold for USD ten apiece or a CD/video could be purchased for more, but I do not remember the price as I did not buy them. We were told that several of the animals being presented had been born at the facility and were often taken to the open ocean for a 'run' and that they always returned on their own, because this was, after all, their 'home'. Perhaps it is true.