swimming with dolphins in Nassau

[teachergirl81]

I am looking at doing the swimming with the dolphins but debating between blue lagoon and the Atlantis. I have dd9, ds6, and dd 5. Can anyone give me advice on this. This is our first cruise.

Thanks!

 

[tigger2002]

My daughter really enjoyed the one at Blue Lagoon. There is also a very nice boat ride to Blue Lagoon that passes by a lot of nice homes.

 

[JimGA]

My wife and MIL did the Blue Lagoon swim and loved it. They said it was great.

 

[teachergirl81]

thanks!

 

[jcota]

Its pricey, but it is worth doing it at the blue lagoon. Once you are done, then you can play on their beach while waiting on the boats to return to the island

 

[J3nn78]

We did the blue lagoon as well and my kids loved it. They were 6 and 8 at the time.

 

[khsu]

I am looking at doing the swimming with the dolphins but debating between blue lagoon and the Atlantis. I have dd9, ds6, and dd 5. Can anyone give me advice on this. This is our first cruise.

Thanks!

Last April, we did the Blue Lagoon, and by the time our friends could make reservations, they only had the Atlantis option. Obviously, the Blue Lagoon is less expensive. It sounds like the people/dolphin ratio was smaller with Atlantis. We enjoyed our experience at the Blue Lagoon. My kids were 6 and 9 at the time. They had a great time. I did the observer option, thinking I could get some good photos of our family. I will say the Blue Lagoon makes it very hard for you to get decent pictures. Someone had a Go Pro camera (in the water), and I suspect the video came out great. We also enjoyed the beach afterwards (lunch and floats not included in dolphin excusion price, which is included in the Beach Day port adventure). To get a sense of the day, I also went to Blue Lagoon website - there are some videos on the website, http://www.bahamasbluelagoon.com/

 

[SlickWilly]

I agree - Blue Lagoon. We did the Dolphin encounter in June with our DS5&8 and we all had a great time . Friendly staff, can use your own camera, lockers, snack bar, great boat ride over. I highly recommend it.

 

[ewerstruly]

I am researching this too. I thought Blue Lagoon had younger age limits.

Khsu, I was considering the observer for photos, too. Did you not get any good ones? I heard they have you on a platform above the pool.

I also wondered how long you can hang at the beach after.

Also I guess the ride to Blue Lagoon is longer/further away than Atlantis.

 

[jpeppers]

The ride to Blue Lagoon is farther than going to Atlantis but once you arrive at Atlantis they lead you through all the stores, casinos, etc. which I would guess took about 45 minutes before you finally arrive at the water park. it took me 8 minutes to get back out on my own. The ride out to Blue Lagoon is great as they tell you about all the celebrities houses you are going by. Blue Lagoon has a very relaxed atmosphere, completely opposite of what you will feel at Atlantis.

 

[Bridget375]

We did the Blue Lagoon last week and we absolutely loved it, the boat ride over was really nice and the staff there were amazing! Would definitely do it again!

 

[khsu]

Ewerstruly, when your group is ready to "hug" and play with the dolphin, the group faces the water, so you are behind them. So I have a picture of the dolphin and my son hugging, but I can't really get a good picture of my son's face. The way it is set up, it is virtually impossible to get a picture similar to Blue Lagoon's photographers. To get good pictures, you have to be part of the encounter, not the observer. That said, I think it's a fun encounter. My kids loved it.

 

[ewerstruly]

Great thread. Thanks for the info. Guessing I will participate and not observe. Can you bring a camera into the swim area? Or are their photos good? Are there photos expensive? Can you hang out a long while at the beach after your dolphin swim?

 

[nhgirl]

Yes the pictures come out good. We purchased one 8x10 of the three of us with the dolphin and the video ($60. if I remember correctly). We already had so many great pictures on the ship we were happy with just one.

The day we were there we were the only ones on the beach. It may be because everyone else was going to lunch. We could have stayed there as long as we wanted to but we decided to take one of the earlier boats back because we wanted to check out the Straw Market in Nassau and do some shopping.

 

[Cleo123]

Can you take food from ship to blue lagoon for lunch?

 

[FamilyMan4]

Last April, we did the Blue Lagoon, and by the time our friends could make reservations, they only had the Atlantis option.

Do the bookings to the Blue Lagoon dolphin swim book up quick?
I am planning on tackling the port adventures as I do my ADR's at WDW, as soon as they allow me (45 days before the cruise if i read correctly)
I am worried over this one because I know that the Blue Lagoon site does their own reservations if you go through their website, and I am opting to book through the Disney Cruise Port Adventures page. I REALLY DONT want to miss out on this, it will be myself, DW and DD (6)
Do Disney have a set number of reservations they offer to their cruisers? or is there a possibility of the swim being book before I get a chance to book ours?

Any info or help or advice would be greatly appreciated

Thanks!

 

[khsu]

Sorry, FamilyMan4, I don't have any more insight on bookings, but I usually book port adventures at midnight on the first day I can book reservations.
Cleo123, we hung out on the beach for a little bit after our encounter and then went back to the ship for a late lunch.

Ewerstruly, for the dolphin encounters, you can bring your own camera. I thought the photos were good but not cheap.

From the Blue Lagoon website:
Our videographers will be recording your program. As the animals interact with each guest in the water, the video staff will be capturing your excitement and even a few surprises that the trainers always sneak in. The DVD also includes plenty of exciting bonus footage giving you an educational look at how we train our animals, a lesson in marine mammal history as well as a tour of Nassau's historical sites, such as the Straw Market and the Queen's Staircase. Aerial views of Blue Lagoon Island are also included on the DVD.

In addition to the professional photos and video services above, you can also take your own photos in the dolphin programs only. Cameras are NOT permitted in the Sea Lion Encounter. Cameras can appear as toys to sea lions so for the safety of our animals and your camera equipment we do not permit cameras in their habitat.

• If you are participating in the Dolphin Encounter, you may take personal photos and videos during your program
• If you are participating in the Dolphin Swim, you will be getting into the water almost immediately. During the second half of your program you may take your own photos on the platform
• In both dolphin programs, the animals WILL BE splashing and cameras are brought down on the platforms at your own risk
• We encourage you to bring a towel down to protect your equipment if it is not waterproof. Dolphin Encounters is NOT responsible for any damages to personal camera or video equipment
• Waterproof cameras can be taken into the water in either dolphin program
• If you are an Observer for the dolphin or sea lion programs, you are allowed to take personal photos and videos from the dock areas only. However, Observers are not allowed on the animal platforms or ramps at any time.

 

[Baysailors]

We did the Blue Lagoon through the ship and loved it. DD (5 at the time) still talks about "our" dolphin, Andy. We had an underwater camera, but couldn't use it. We bought the pictures they took and the DVD. Both are great quality. There were multiple time options and we didn't have trouble booking 45 days out (although, I was worried too and got up first thing in the morning to book). Have fun!

 

[kfamilylovesdisney]

We've done both. I recommend the Blue Lagoon for all the reasons posters above have given. It's a more authentic experience.

 

[FamilyMan4]

we didn't have trouble booking 45 days out (although, I was worried too and got up first thing in the morning to book).

This is my plan, I will stay up from Midnight on, refreshing the page every 10 seconds if I have to!