Chankannab

[worry wart]

Anyone been to Chankannab? Was it nice? How is the snorkeling? Do you have to book the dolphin swim in advance?

[Cotton]

I watched the dolphins, but didn't swim w/them.

 

Chankanaab is a great place to spend part of the day on Cozumel. I've been there twice, and the snorkeling is fantastic! There are underwater statues, and so many fish were all around me. I loved it. The entrance to the water is a bunch of craggy rocks, so they're a bit slippery, just go in slowly. Don't miss the gardens, and other areas, as well.

 

Edited to say that I haven't been to Chankanaab since the last hurricane, so I just hope all is still intact.

[gibsones175]

The snorkeling is very good. The park is immaculate, anything you want is there. Go to www.cozumelinsider.com for Dolphin swim inf and booking. I will be doing it for the second time next week.It is great fun, my son doesn't want to do any excursions but that. You can rent fins and mask and they give you the snorkel to keep. I think it is 10-15 dollars total for all day. There are many fish and underwater object to see in the snorkel area. Also, you may run into a few Iguanas along the shore.

[FlaBubba]

We went to Chankanaab back a few years ago, it was great. We are going back in March on the Glory. There is a website for the park that will tell you all you want to know, just google it up. Great place to spend the day or even a few hours.

[A&Jfamily]

Anyone been to Chankannab? Was it nice? How is the snorkeling? Do you have to book the dolphin swim in advance?

 

We did the dolphin encounter there last March and it was wonderful! We opted for that rather than the swim b/c we have a 4 year old and he was too young. We had about 30 minutes in the water with the dolphins; there were 4 total - 2 moms and their babies (too cute!). We got to kiss them, hug them, pet them etc.

 

I made arrangements in advance, on line thorugh their website. It is a beautiful place. The have nice gardens, good facilities, and a beautiful lagoon (natural formation) that is behind the beach that is loaded with iguanas and tropical fish.

 

The beach is a little different as it is raised - there is a bulkhead (for 90% of it) that butts up against the sand. You have to step down stairs carved out of dead coral to get into the water - so once you are in, you better be able to swim. They have fairly good snorkeling fish wise but he coral is not that great. Also, much of it is in 12+ feet of water, so if you want to see something, you need to dive down. The do have one small cove area that is beach like, and the coral is much closer up, but we didn't go over there. If you are looking for snorkeling, I would say that Tabayana Beach (Roatan) or Belize has better.

 

They also have a nice pool. We enjoyed that before it was time for our dolphin encounter and then went to the beach after it.

 

That said, we had a great time and the dolphin encounter was more amazing than I had ever imagined. I liked being able to do it somewhere that was in a natural environment and then have the beach afterward.

[PhoenixDawgCruising]

I was there in April, a terrible place if you have a toddler, totally unsafe, because there are no rails or anything at the water line, just a sharp dropp off into jagged rocks. They wouldn't even let us sit down at the tables with sun umbrellas unless we purchased food. Personally, I hated it and thought it was a tourist trap.:mad:

 

It was also very over-croweded due to the cruise lines overselling the tour all at one time, so we actually wound up leaving, going back to the ship, adn getting a refund.

 

When we arrived at our tour time, we were told that the dolphins "were tired" and we would have a 1-2 hour wait, only there was no safe place to wait with my then 3 year old. He was old enough to be on the tour as a paying participant, but there was no safe place in the park for him to play and wait.

 

If I ever went back (which is highly doubtful), it would be solo, without a crowded tour group.

 

I know lots of folks love it there, I hated it, so now you have both perspectives.:)

[A&Jfamily]

 

He was old enough to be on the tour as a paying participant, but there was no safe place in the park for him to play and wait.

 

 

Did you see the lagoon area where it was a typical beach? How about the pool - did you know that was there? How about the lagoon and the iguanas?

 

My son was 3 (almost 4) and he loved every second of it. Sure, we had to keep an eye on him when we were over by the main beach area with the bulkhead, but we just got chairs back under the palm trees (a good 40 yards from the water) and he played in the sand with shells.

 

I thought it was a wonderful family park. I am sorry you had such a hard time. Then again, we were there early in the day and it was not crowded at all.

[Cotton]

I wasn't even aware they had "tours" to Chankanaab. I've just grabbed a cab and gone on my own.

 

Yes, the little cove/lagoon is a lovely area, not deep anywhere, and you walk from the little beach right into the water, like any shoreline. Can't miss it; you must pass by it to get to the other beach/snorkeling area.

 

I saw several iguanas in the gardens, but none on the beach itself. They were sunning on large stones, staring back at me, never moving.

 

I've also sat in the snorkeling area, in their lounge chairs under palapas, and was never approached to buy any food. I did call a waiter over once for a drink.

[rhecker]

we go to chakanaab everytime we go to Cozumel. My DS loves swimming with the dolphins.

He has done every program they offer. We never book this one through the ship. I usually book it online before we go. You can catch a cab to the park. It is only a 10 minute ride. The park is beautiful since it has been fixed up from the last hurricane. They have a great pool with a swim up bar and a couple of fast food type restaurants. There is a great beach area too. The last time we went it was apparently not the busy season and my son got to do the dolphin program with only 3 other people. He got alot of dolphin time. I believe it was Febuary because we get our Mardi Gras break at that time.

[Irishlinny]

We LOVED Chankanaab on our Legend cruise in 2007. Booked thru Cozumel Insider and for the Dolphin Swim (but not the Royal Swim) it was a little over $100 per person and you had use of the park for as long as you wanted. The Dolphin Swim was awesome, but even if you don't do it, there are many other things to do. We went in November....weather was perfect and it was not crowded at all. We had lunch at the outdoor restaurant (right on the beach) and were serenaded by a mariachi band. Good food! Loved the idea of the swim up bar in the pool, but the water was very cold that day for some reason.

I highly recommend it...something for everyone...very clean and pretty. I'm not sure about the poster with the toddler issues...the lagoon, the pool and the playground would be perfect for toddlers. They also have mini replicas of ruins that you can walk thru, and gardens that we didn't end up getting to see. I really thought this was a great place that had something for all age groups and most interests!

[Nanatochase]

I love Chankanaab Park. We were there last year and I did the Royal Swim. What a fun thing to do. We went over to the beach, didn't get in the water, just sat under the umbrella and enjoyed the scenery. We booked directly through Dolphin Discovery.

 

A&J Family, I see you are from Virginia. So am I...What part are you from?

[A&Jfamily]

Nanatochase:

 

We are neighbors. We live in Suffolk, but I work in Chesapeake.

[Nanatochase]

A&J Family...I wasn't trying to be nosy, just wondering. When I see someone from Virginia, it's fun to see how close they live to us. We live in Chesapeake (as you can see). We both worked in Chesapeake, but are retired.

[yst347]

It's a great place to relax. you can see the cruise ships docked in the background.

 

 

Here is a family having a "Dolphin Encounter".

 

 

This lagoon in the park is full of beautiful fish.

 

 

It's a beautiful park, enjoy your day!

 

[SunnyinMA]

In case anyone needs it: My son is doing the Royal swim next month so he gets in to the park for free, but I found this coupon for myself: http://www.cozumelinsider.com/images/specials/ChankanaabCoupon.pdf since I'm not doing the swim with the dolphins and have to pay the park fee.

[ShedQueen77]

Click the Inspiration link in my signature to read about our Chankanaab experience. We did the dolphin encounter and booked it in advance through the park directly. Much cheaper and you might want to book in advance because if there are a lot of ships in port, the time slots fill up quickly.

[TennisLover]

We booked our dolphin experiences ahead of time online. This way, we could be sure to get the time we wanted. We weren't thrilled with the beach but liked the pool there. Took a cab on our own from the port.

 

A friend of mine just got back from a cruise and stopped in Cozumel. He booked a dolphin swim of some sort with a new place there. Here is the website. He loved it.

 

http://www.dolphinaris.com/Cozumel/

[jam82]

I've done it a couple on times. The Royal swim is worth the money. I would book it direct. I would also book it earlier in the day than later. They often run late. Have fun.

[saltmom1]

I did not like Chankanaab. WAY too crowded for my liking. The water was VERY rough the day we went ( not the fault of tghe park, I realize, just did not contribute to the day.). The stairs are narrow are I was forced back down and got on the wrong side of tg he jagged rogged rocks being slammed into the rocks by the extremely rough waves. I would not do a dolphin swim, just personal beliefs. I don't thinl I would ever go back. If you have the slightest mobility issue, this is not the place for you as far as getting into the water.

[Mrsg324]

I loved it there. I did the Dolphin Swim but next time, I'll take a cab there on my own, book the Dolphin Swim that does the foot push for much less than I did the swim only for.

[danech]

Kids and I loved the park. Snorkeling was great. Lots of pictures of my daughter and/or I sorounded by lots of fish. Great lagoon with lots of eguanas, which my son loved. You would have to pre-book, as we did, if the dolphin swim was full. It was great!

[A&Jfamily]

A&J Family...I wasn't trying to be nosy, just wondering. When I see someone from Virginia, it's fun to see how close they live to us. We live in Chesapeake (as you can see). We both worked in Chesapeake, but are retired.

 

I hope you have a great trip on the Glory and hope that you post a review. We are going on the Glory in August.

 

And, no, I didn't think you were being nosey at all! We live really close. In fact, I am typing this from Great Bridge...

[Nanatochase]

A&J Family...we live in Great Bridge. Right close to City Hall. Small world isn't it? Speaking of the cruise...we were on the Glory last April and loved the ship, so we're talking our daughter this time. It's her first cruise and she is so excited.

[A&Jfamily]

Nanatochase:

 

I was on the Valor in 2007 - so I kinda know what to expect. We did the Legend in 2008, and actually liked the layout/size of the Spirit Class a little better. But, we had done Western twice, and are going with some 1st time cruisers, so I thought Eastern would be best. We wanted to go out of a port we could drive to, to cut down on expenses.

 

Ever been out of Jacksonville? I scheduled a last minute cruise about a week or so ago on the Fascination b/c CCL was running special rate for residents of VA and it was too good a deal to pass up. So, once I signed up for that, any thoughts of flying in August to Orlando went out the window!;)

[Nanatochase]

A&J Family... I've never been out of Jacksonville. We love Port Canaveral. We went on the RCCL Mariner twice from there and then the Glory and now the Glory again. We'd rather not fly, so we drive down a few days before and just take our time. Have you left out of Norfolk yet? We went on the Victory in October. It was kinda nice leaving from a port that is only 20 minutes from your house. And being home within 20 minutes of getting off the ship. But, I'd rather drive. Seems more like a vacation that way. We've done the Western route so many times. The Eastern route just once. But I loved the Eastern. Our next cruise (after this one) will probably be to the Eastern. When we went, we only had 3 ports, but that was fine with us. The islands were so beautiful. Fortunately, we are retired and can book last minutes cruises if we want. I hope yall have a good time. Keep in touch.