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Swimming with dolphins has always been on my Bucket List!
When we took a cruise to Cozumel, one of the excursions was swimming with the dolphins! I jumped right on that idea and before long I had the whole family on board!
Once we arrived at port in Cozumel, our tour guide was waiting for us. They took us by vans to the dolphin facility called Dolphinaris!!
I would say the ride was about 15 minutes or so from port. It was nice to take in some of the Mexican culture along the drive! When we arrived they gave us a quick introduction and split everyone into groups of about ten to twelve people. You put your stuff in lockers and head down to the pools!
**Tip – Bring extra cash for the lockers, they do have somewhere to put items by the pools but not locked or secured. We did have phones, wallets and other items of value on us so make sure to buy a locker**
**Also bring Towels, they are not provided so make sure to either bring your own or borrow some from your ship or hotel, unless you want to kind of just shake dry like we did. Epic mom fail on the towels**
Once in the water the trainer gives you a little history on the dolphins at the facility as well as some safety tips for both the dolphins and the humans. After this quick introduction it was time to play with the dolphins! Whoo Hoo, the time has finally come for me to cross “Swimming with Dolphins” off my Bucket List!
Life vests are provided by the facility. It was a bit awkward holding a small child when both of us were in life vests. If your child is younger and can not touch the bottom that you are holding them the whole time, keep that in mind when you are deciding to book the excursion or not.
Although the group was big, everyone got a chance to do each of the different interactions with the dolphin. We even kissed the dolphins with their fishy breathe. I did partake although part of me was iffy!
Have you ever felt a dolphin before? They are a little bit of slimy and soft mixed. They are so big, yet so gentle and loving during the interactions. Playing with the dolphins surely was a unique experience, I would do it again if I had the chance!
If you read my other blog posts, you will know one of the things I always consider when booking activities, hotels or travel is FOOD! Is food included, that is a major selling point for me! One less meal we have to worry about is a win in my book!
Dolphinaris includes a lunch buffet and unlimited drinks. The lunch buffet had nachos, tacos, hot dogs, french fries, rice and beans, chips and salsa and some other options! The food was pretty good and held us over until we got back onto the boat. The drinks included both Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks! My kids were loving the frozen virgin drinks and Mommy did indulge in some of the adult beverages. Although no one told me don’t drink the water or eat the ice in Mexico until after the fact. O well I am still here!
Pictures – Yes buy the pictures they take! They do not allow you to take your own photos while in the water during the dolphin interaction. My advice to you is haggle for those pictures. At first they just seemed too expensive. When I said no thanks and attempted to walk away the price dropped drastically. I ended up buying the whole CD with all of pictures on it as well as some beautiful pictures of the dolphins that come standard on each picture purchase. They were a bit pricey but to me the memories in the pictures are well worth it! We were originally quoted a couple hundred dollars (more than just a couple) and I ended up taking the whole disc of pictures for a little under a hundred bucks.
Look I am all for tourism and supporting the locals when I travel but I also won’t be ripped off.
Mom Tip – Do your picture haggling towards the end of the day when they know all the tourist are about to leave and those dollars are about to walk out the door!
My end review on Dolphinaris : it was AWESOME! An amazing experience and if you have the chance I highly recommend checking them out. They also have numerous locations which you can check out Here!
**Tip- make sure you have a little cash for your tour guide/van driver on the way back**
Brittany | Coffee and Sarcasm says
Wow! It looks like you all had an amazing time! Absolutely something i’d love to experience with my family.
Shannon says
What an amazing experience! I never before wanted to swim with dolphins, but now I do! The tip about the locker will be super useful when we book our cruze!
Sarah Bailey says
One of my bucket list items is to be able to swim with dolphins, it is something I would absolutely love to do at some point. It looks like you had an amazing time.
Sahrish Adeel says
Wow! looks like a fun filled trip. My aim is to first learn to swim >.< and then swim with dolphins! 😀 Loved your post.
Tammy says
Isn’t that the best fun ever!! Hubby and I went to Discovery Cove in Orlando and swam with the dolphins. That had to be the best day I have ever enjoyed. Dolphins are magnificent creatures.
corinne & kirsty says
OMG must have been such an amazing experience! I would love to swim with dolphins! Sounds like so much fun!
Denay DeGuzman says
Oh my goodness! Your gorgeous dolphin pics from Cozumel just took me down memory lane. Over a decade ago in Playa del Carmen my husband accidentally deleted a full-length video of our daughters swimming with dolphins. He felt so darn terrible about it. Luckily, there was always next year to capture new exciting memories with dolphins!
katriza says
This sounds amazing! I would probably chicken out since water and things moving in the water is just not my forte! I’m sure my kids would be fascinated and love the idea though!
Pat says
wow ! how cute! this is surely an unforgettable experience! as a scuba diver, getting upclose is really something!
Amber Myers says
This would be so amazing! My daughter got to do this at Sea World and just loved it. I took the pictures because I’m always nervous in water.
Nicole Aguilar says
Dolphins are so stinkin’ cute. Looks like a good time.
Emman Damian says
These dolphins look so good! I want to swim with them soon! So cool!
Claudia Krusch says
Swimming with dolphins is something I have always wanted to do. It would be amazing to be in the water with them. I am hoping to be able to do it next summer.
dawn says
what an amazing experience! i would love to do this. i’m sure it would be a ton of fun for kids too!
Marian Mitchell says
This looks amazing. Dolphins always seem so cool. I would love to experience it personally.
Mommy Iris says
I’m jealous! Swimming or interacting with the dolphins is in my bucket list also. Hoping to tick it off soon
LavandaMichelle says
I look forward to our vacation next summer. Your Family is enjoying their time. It love the pictures!!
Kelly Hutchinson says
Swimming with dolphins is on my bucket list as well! This looks like it was so much fun! Good for you!
Ruth I. says
What a wonderful experience it is to have that fin to hand shake with dolphins. This attraction will surely entice kids to visit often.
Jessica Taylor says
I have always wanted to do this! My daughter is a bit too young, so maybe we will go in a few years so that she can enjoy it!
Kim says
My family swam with dolphins a couple of years ago in Florida and it was one of the best experiences ever!! Definitely unforgettable!