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Is Swimming With Dolphins In Atlantis Worth the Money?
Cruising to Nassau and not sure what to do for an excursion, or maybe you saw an awesome excursion to swim with the Dolphins in Atlantis at Paradise Island to experience that magical moment but your stuck with the question “Is Swimming With Dolphins in Atlantis Worth the Money?”
That’s how we were feeling before we decided to go for it. In this post, we are going to share with you our experience and our opinion and hopefully help you make a decision if you should book this as an excursion or not.
Before we get into the content, you can check out the resort or book a trip to Atlantis.
Carnival’s Excursion – Atlantis Dolphin Cay Deep Water Swim and Aqua-Venture
When we had the opportunity to swim with dolphins, we were on our second Carnival cruise and we were stopping at Nassau. We were interested in the Atlantis Dolphin Deep Water Swim and Aqua-Venture which was nearly $300/pp to participate. It was a tough decision to decide if we wanted to spend nearly $600 for one day of fun but we decided to go for it.
After looking at the facts, we knew we would experience something we heard was extremely awesome and we would be able to see the whole Atlantis water park, so we reached into our pockets and bought the excursion. The excursion included about a hour swim with the Dolphins, and a full day at the park where we were able to ride their water rides and experience the park and beach.
What Is The Process?
Once we arrived to Nassua, we took a taxi to Atlantis. (You can also buy a taxi on your own to see Atlantis without buying an excursion through carnival.
They had a guide there who took us on a walk to get to the Dolphin reservation. They had a lot of Dolphins in the water interacting with several instructors. Upon arrival, they gave us a short course along with wet suits and snorkel gear. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to bring cameras into the water so we didn’t get to capture any pictures or videos.
They did however have a photographer that was able to capture the picture below for us for a price (maybe $20-$30).
So, What’s it Like to Swim With Dolphins?
Once we got into the water, we started by simply touching the dolphins as they swam close to us. I would tell you what they felt like but I don’t want to spoil that surprise. Following this, we went to the deeper end where the dolphins came to us and we could look at them under the water.
The people in our group seemed very uneasy with them and I felt that way too. I remember a dolphin started to come up to me and I felt nervous and started backing away from it. The instructor told me that it can sense I’m afraid and it is coming to comfort me. Once he told me this I was mentally able to calm down and the dolphin stopped.
Andrew is not one to keep quiet and he likes to take advantage of every situation possible so he asked the instructor if we were able to hold onto their fin and get pulled through the water like you see on movies. The instructor told us we could do that so, what did we do?
We got cheesy and went under, found a dolphin, grabbed its fin together, and got dragged through the water till we couldn’t hold our breathes any more. This was an absolute blast for us.
After we spent a few minutes asking questions and interacting with the dolphins, we had the opportunity to be pushed through the water by the dolphins.
We were given a boogie board to hold onto, held our bodies stiff, and the instructor told the dolphin to put its nose to our foot.
While staying still, the dolphin pushed us through the water at a speed that must have been nearly 15 mph. This feeling was so unreal and magical that a beautiful creator could be so smart and so strong to push a body through the water at such a force. They were so sweet and gentle and we absolutely loved them.
Why You Should Swim With Dolphins
Below this section is our opinion on why you should swim with dolphins.
If your wondering if it’s worth the money, we would say it ABSOLUTELY is worth it. It’s a once in a lifetime experience and seems to be extra special in Atlantis vs. other places we’ve seen.
Swimming with the Dolphins is really such an awesome experience. They’re so gentle and playful and while you may feel adrenaline you also feel like a little kid experiencing something brand new.
What About the Aqu-Venture in Atlantis?
If you’re wondering if you should see the water park along with your time with the dolphins, we suggest that you do, especially if you are adventurous. The water park is surprisingly intense. The slides and even the so called “lazy river” were the most intense we’ve ever seen.
Funny story: While we were in the lazy river, which felt more like white water rafting, we went through a rough part and Andrew totally flipped. This was hilarious and you will really enjoy the water park especially if you enjoy adrenaline.
Note: The dolphin swim is also kid friendly we saw many kids there as well as in the water park. There were plenty of kid areas to enjoy if you are traveling with kids.
Now, are you ready to skip the cruise and spend a whole week in Atlantis? You can book a stay in Atlantis here.
Have you ever swam with Dolphins? Let us know your experience below!
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