Freeport Dolphin Swim & Encounter Excursion Reviews

Awesome fun...but very expensive ($140 pp) for a 2.5 hour trip with roughly 40-45 mins watching the dolphins and 3-5 minutes one on one time with your family with one of the dolphins. Bus ride was good....this elderly driver "Dez" or "Desmond" i think was very good and shared a lot of info about the culture etc. Too little time in Freeport, had to come back to the ship at 1 pm. The Boat ride was entertaining with 2 young boys (captains) goofing around and also letting kids drive the small boat..overall good fun. Our sons had a blast.

Provider: Carnival Cruise Lines

My sister & I did the dolphin encounter. From the UNESCO building, you board a boat (small water ferry) to the island. On the way out, the captain took by way of the ocean and on the way in, she took through the waterways so we had a different view. When you go to the island (you can't really tell it's an island), you get off the boat and they separate group going on the swim vs the encounter. You can see the dolphins jumping around in their holding areas. Before you get in, the trainers give you some brief history and go over some instructions. While we were there it was freezing! but it was worth it! You sit on 2 sides of a square pool area. The 2 dolphins will splash & squirt you on command. The 2 trainers will each take 2 people in the water at a time with them, standing waist deep on a platform (climb in/out on a ladder). If you have a child, you will hold them. The trainer calls the dolphin over so you can pet/stroke them, the dolphin will give you a kiss (they have a photographer there too), and then they have the dolphins do some more jumps. You will definitely get wet. Bring a camera that can get wet. Bring a change of clothes and a dry towel--don't take them anywhere near the dolphins no matter how cold you are. Patrick and Phillip do a really good job with the dolphins and the people, both were very patient. A few people in our group spent $12 for a full body wet suit, great investment if you are in the least bit cold. There were 2 kids in the group, both around 3-5yo, one of them wasn't the least bit afraid, the other was terrified so it is probably hard to tell how a child will react. My aunt came, they brought a chair for her to sit by the water and watch. She didn't pet or kiss the dolphins but they did make sure she was soaked by the end (we tried to hide a dry towel behind her). After it was over, there was a fire pit that warmed everyone up in a matter of minutes. We all hung out and talked until the boat was ready to take us back to the main area. After that, we walked over to the market and did some shopping. We missed the bus back to port, so we walked across the street to the casino and caught a taxi back to the port. The taxis at the market wanted $27 but at the casino we found a driver who was willing to take us for only $10.

Provider: Carnival Cruise Lines

The excursion itself was an experience my girls will never forget. However, we were made to wait at the doc for 45 minutes because the boat never came to pick us up. The cost was $150 per person. So for my daughters and husband it was an additional $500.00. Far more than when we flew to the Bahamas and booked the excursion ourselves.

Provider: Carnival Cruise Lines

Was an awesome experience. Underwater cameras aren't allowed, but pictures and video from dock are allowed. This was much cheaper than buying all of theirs.

Provider: Norwegian Cruise Line

The lagoon swim was absolutely outstanding. The boat ride to the facility was beautiful, the guides were helpful and humorous, and the swim was incredible. Well worth the price!!

Provider: Carnival Cruise Lines

My daughter and ex signed up for the dolphin swim. It was everything advertised for. They had a good time. My sons and I went to the over priced carnival run port shops right off the boat. That sucked.

Provider: Carnival Cruise Lines

Everything was fantastic, even saw wild dolphins on the way to the lagoon. Well worth the price of admission.

Provider: Carnival Cruise Lines

This was simply amazing. We took a cab from the port to Unexso. From there, we took a leisurely ride by boat to the Dolphin area. The dolphin trainers were fantastic. We pet dolphins and had a private dolphin show. The boat was late picking us up, so we had no time back at the port for shopping. I would have liked an hour buffer so we could have done some more shopping in Lucaya.

Provider: Carnival Cruise Lines

Mostly everything I've read about Freeport on these boards was very negative. Are you nuts!!?? This place is spotless, untouched, just absolutely beautiful. We were only there from 7:00am till 2:00pm and I wish we stayed there longer. I am looking forward to coming back here very very soon. The swim with the dolphins excursion at UNEXSO was top notch, a-one, best excursion I've ever done in my life. You take a 20 minute boat ride out to the lagoon where the dolphins are and what a great scenic view. Just breathtaking!! They take 2 people at a time in the water with 2 dolphins and your with them for about 20 minutes petting them, giving them commands and finally getting a ride by holding there fin. They also have many macaws and a tortoise. There gift shop is huge and the quality of everything they sold was very very good. This place is very clean also. Very impressive!!! I recommend this excursion to all.

Provider: Carnival Cruise Lines

Wonderful experience! I was there on Tuesday at 9:30am and I had the most amazing and fun time at the Dolphin Encounter. Highly recommend to all. The entire staff was very professional, knowledgeable, funny and all around great! Excellent!

Provider: Norwegian Cruise Line

We enjoyed the five minutes with the Dolphins and LOVED the people. Did not like the 3 hours of sitting and waiting that goes with this excursion. I am glad I did it but wont again. Freeport has great people and try the barbecue shack (its turquoise blue with green coconuts around it closest to the departure areas) and try the jerked chicken and coconut water!

Provider: Carnival Cruise Lines

Awesome!!!

Provider: Carnival Cruise Lines

Absolutely amazing excursion out of Unexso, literally assigned one dolphin and just told to go ahead and swim with it. He never left my side and was very curious and fun to swim with.

Provider: Carnival Cruise Lines

Our family took the excursion to Unexso for the dolphin encounter. (2 adults, 3 children ages 5,8,10) We were greeted by a friendly tour bus driver who provided us with some facts and history about the Bahamas. The ride was comfortable and gave us a glimpse of the island. We were taken to the Unexso resort where we entered through a gift shop and were given a cute t-shirt and the passes to get on the boat that would take us to the dolphin retreat. Once again we were welcomed by the boat captains who were quite entertaining. The boat ride to the retreat was smooth, relaxing and absolutely beautiful. The boat captain also kept us entertained with stories and facts about the island. Once we arrived at the retreat, we were taken directly to the dolphin area to receive information and instructions regarding our experience. The trainers were so patient and knowledgeable which was great considering most visitors were families with young children. I will be honest, I was skeptical about this experience partly because of the price and also because I'm not a huge fan of sea life, however, it was spectacular. Everyone had the opportunity to get in the waist deep water and truly have a close encounter with the dolphins by petting and hugging them. Despite my hesitation, I felt very safe and had no problem with my kids being in the water with the dolphins. There is also a photographer who captured each of us getting "kissed" by the dolphins. The pictures were fabulous and cost less than $10 each but well worth it for a once in a lifetime opportunity. In addition to the dolphins, the retreat has exotic birds that freely fly around. We were also able to have the birds put on our arms to hold, which I took pictures of myself. The return trip back to the ship was just as enjoyable. My husband and kids agreed that this was the highlight of our entire trip!

Provider: Carnival Cruise Lines