Dolphin Discovery Costa Maya

Fantastic experience: Good food. I drank so much strawberry margarita I thought I there was blood in my stool.

Fantastic experience: Absolutely beautiful location. All ages can enjoy. Music and vibes was amazing.

Positive experience: Swimming with the dolphins was really fun. Staff was good at their jobs. Not sure why they have sharp rocks in the pool where they make you stand. Flat cement would be better. I cut my foot. They don't allow you to take pictures and their picture package for 3 people was $210 a bit pricey. Would have enjoyed an upgrade option to swim a few times with the dolphin. You get one short chance and the first time you aren't really sure how to do it.

Fantastic experience: What a great experience we had! Jair was great at explaining us everything and Nala is the sweetest We cannot recommend this activity enough

Fantastic experience: Amazing experience! Julian our trainer and our dolphin Freida were fabulous. We booked through our cruise and was all very simple. Recommend 5STAR!!!

Fantastic experience: We did the Dolphin Encounter. We each got to do 4 activities with the dolphins. There is a photographer assigned to each group to get good pictures of your experience. We really liked the trainer that led our group.

Fantastic experience: It was an interesting experience. People are very friendly and helpful. Love it. I recommande. Thank you for all. See you next time

Negative experience: A single family photo (without the dolphin in it) is $100, costing more than the experience itself. Individual photos of a single person are $38 (which actually was $57 with tax/fees). You aren't allowed to take your own photos. I was very shocked by the prices. In the US, the most photos cost is usually $20-25, even in Hawaii and Disney parks. It's obvious Dolphin Discovery makes their money by scamming people on their memories.

Fantastic experience: Pleasant place. Alot of variety for shopping. Places to sit and drink and eat. Very laid back with entertainment too.

Fantastic experience: Don't go to the "taste of Mexico" restaurant. It's the first restaurant you encounter. Walk another 50ft and you can have dinner at a beach front restaurant.

Positive experience: Did the Dolphin Swim Adventure experience while here on a stop and it was very organized, the trainers and staff were professional, and the dolphins were great, but you don't get a lot of time with the dolphins for what you pay and the photography prices are insane, just a heads up. You can easily spend $200+ on a few pictures if they are with more than one person. Overall, the experience was good, but the photography is where they hit you hard for money.

Positive experience: I was not looking forward to this excursion, but I had a great time with my granddaughters. We swam with the dolphins, Alex (I think) was a great trainer and ensured that we had a great time.

Positive experience: Great visit with the dolphins and Manatees. The usual tourist trap is their outrageous price for digital photos since they do not allow cameras or your GoPro!

Fantastic experience: Did the dolphin encounter with Julian he was great.. would recommend anyone to do this.

Fantastic experience: I enjoy it and you and the family should definitely try it

Negative experience: Very small area for the poor dolphins- You are also bugged and haggled a LOT by the locals on this little island- Dolphins space is very very concerning - Very small — and you can see the trainers making them do things- pretending to feed them fish and not feeding them :( so sad to watch and see. It was very busy in the dolphin cage- packed with soooo many tourists Very hard to move around . Just my personal travel experience

Fantastic experience: Loved this experience!!!! We had nala and Elena and Julian was our trainer. Best time we have ever had. Truly a once in a lifetime experience!!!!! Loved all the photos they took for us!!!!! The dolphins were amazing and so very smart! I love how they are cruelty free when training the dolphins. Our trainer was very helpful in explaining how they trained using only positive reinforcements. Highly recommend. You will not regret it!

Fantastic experience: Did the dolphin swim thing and it was actually a blast. Staff were really good, the animals seem like they are taken care of. They do hit you for like 140 bucks for photos at the end so just expect that if you want them. The photos were good though. For whatever reason they like to put too small of a size life jacket on everybody and it was pretty funny actually. They provide lockers, rinse down showers and a few changing rooms. This is right in the port area so you don't have to take a cab to get here or anything.

Positive experience: It's nice sometimes when everything you can ask for is right next to the cruise dock. It was expensive though. Ie: $16 chips and salsa.

Fantastic experience: Wonderful, kid friendly water park and resort. It was nice to have lounge chairs by the beach as well as umbrellas since a big rain storm came in. The all-you-can-eat buffet/drink was wonderful.

Negative experience: The vendors in Costa Maya were relentless. Drove us crazy. Did not find a decent restaurant to eat at. The dolphins were upbeat and very active. Was back on the cruise ship as soon as we could. Would not go there again. The bird sanctuary was well taken care of. It was the highlight of our offshore excursion.

Negative experience: The dolphins and experience was amazing. However, the price of the photos are EXTREMELY OUTRAGOUS! The representatives make you buy ALL photos in your group in order for you to get the family photo. I was grouped with extended family and was forced to purchase a package for 7 ($380+) in order to receive the group photo. I offered to purchase ALL MY photos and the family photo but they told me all or nothing. Most of the photos are duplicated - just different exposure (color/black & white). My nephew, 8 years old, got scared and didn't participate once he got in the water so the only photo of him was in the group photo and, of course, they wouldn't give me my money back for his ticket either. Their solution was to retake the group photo to only be me and him. They claim their photos are competitive to the market but that is completely inaccurate. I was on multiple excursions during the week at multiple ports and NONE of them were this high!

Fantastic experience: This was awesome especially with little ones who can't swim with dolphins which they offer as well I would literally move here just to be able to go here any time I wanted to

Positive experience: Not a great experience. We were sold tickets from the cruise port to spend the day a private beach with chairs and umbrella. Was not impressed.

Positive experience: Traveled here as part of Princess Cruise, the Regal Princess. You can't get a feel for the local culture. It's a port built by the cruise lines. There were FOUR ships at the port. Way too crowded. Nothing here you aren't already doing on the cruise ship. Best choice would be an excursion in this location.

Fantastic experience: Rare find at portside, a fully enclosed dolphin show and customer experience oppprtunity. Get inside with the dolphins, for a fee, and swim, or stand around the portside activites and shopping, and watch trainers show off the mammal's abilities. Costa Maya, Mexico

Negative experience: If you enjoy seeing intelligent animals in captivity who are forced to perform to get their food, kept in tiny pools and robbed of their lives, families and freedom then this is the place for you. If you are empathetic and love animals you'll boycott this horrible torturous circus. If you don't go they'll soon close down and no more dolphins will have to suffer.

Positive experience: My 9yo and I did this excursion and it was worth every penny. We worked with trainer Alex and we got to play with Frieda and the male dolphin. My husband decided not to do it with id so luckily he was able to take pictures and video for us. The only reason I can't give 5 starts is the cost of the photos. It was way over priced. We're talking well over 140 for both of our photos. The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. My husband did mention to me that we were first in the water and last out and we got the most rides out of all the groups. Alex was so awesome! He really made the experience super special and helped our daughter over come her initial fear at the beginning of getting into the water.

Negative experience: Bro . This was so wack. They removed the hammock chairs in the water, which was the best part of the place. You have to pay to sit. They make you buy drinks or food. That's so stupid because that just makes me not want to go. Why is everything such a money grab nowadays. The chairs don't even look nice. Watching the dolphins was fun, so if you like that, you can watch them for free. They also had flamingos you could look at as well. Overall, it was a mid experience. I was on a cruise, and this spot was just a tourist trap. Lots of shops if you like to buy souvenirs. But if you don't and just like to walk and experience. They only had the dolphins & flamingos for free. You had to pay for the birds. And no beach just a pool.

Positive experience: The arrival was a little disorganized. Lots of waiting. The experience was fine. They then try to rob you for pictures for hundreds of dollars. Wanted almost $250 for a few pictures for our family. What a rip off For some other reason the cheaper pricing they show online you can’t book. You need to book with the cruise line for double the price.

Positive experience: The experience was much better than one’s we’ve done in the post past! My only reason for not giving 5 stars is the expensive photo package! Photos should be included or reasonably priced. We had Rupert, Nala the Dolphin and I can’t remember the trainers name but she was great also!

Fantastic experience: Our guide and handler Julian was amazing and very courteous. Our photographer Tona took some amazing shots. Of course we can’t forget about the Star Sofia who was very well trained and extremely friendly.

Fantastic experience: A BIG thank you to Julian for educating and letting us have a GREAT experience with Fernando & Sophia. It was our first time swimming with dolphins and it was the GREATEST experience. Also thank you to Alma for capturing the best photo of these memories. DEFINITELY will recommend to anyone wanting a dolphin experience ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fantastic experience: I signed up for this as an excursion with Royal Caribbean. Julian was our guide as we interacted with Fernando and Sofia. I have always wanted to be around dolphins from a young age and I finally had the opportunity as an adult. I would love to return to actually with them as well as both the encounter and swim experience are in the same area.

Positive experience: This was one of the stops on the Wonder of the Seas cruise. It was my least favorite location out of all the places we visited. I say this because the location felt very touristy. When you get off the boat, you walk directly into a shopping plaza, and EVERYONE is chasing you down trying to sell you something. If you decide to leave the market area, I highly recommend booking an excursion because all the areas around the market are small, full of local vendors chasing people down to sell their goods. We decided to take a taxi over to this small beach strip, thinking that we would be biking downtown along the water, and it was not that at all. Only a small portion of the beach was accessible and it had a lot of trash littered in the water. The bikes were all old and rusty, and the "downtown" was just vendors. It was not what I expected, is all

Positive experience: I would have given a five star review but the photo package is very expensive. You can't use a cellphone so you have no choice but to buy their photos. Overall the place is great, the experience is unforgettable and the sea lions and Manatee are awesome. Highly recommend.

Fantastic experience: My Husband and I went to Dolphin Discovery, Costa Maya as an excursion on our cruise. It was probably one of the most amazing experiences we’ve ever had. My husband even asked if he could “Have a Sophia” Probably not the easiest pet to own. Highly recommend booking with Dolphin Discovery.

Negative experience: Love the experience. Very upset, however, when we were finished and purchased all the pictures that I noticed, my younger son did not get to high five the dolphins or get the kissing photo. That was very important to me, and the rest of my family of 6 did it. He was just left out, and we didn't notice until we arrived home. Very disappointed

Fantastic experience: This excursion was amazing. The trainer was awesome and engaging. You get a lot of interaction with the dolphin. I would definitely do it again. Just know that water was COLD, lol.

Fantastic experience: Hands down the best experience of my life! They are all about education of marine life. I got to watch a baby dolphin nurse on mommy. They have no predators and are treated for any illnesses. They live an average of 20 years longer than they would in the open ocean. Universities visit yearly. And you can be a dolphin trainer for a day. It was absolutely amazing.

Fantastic experience: This was my first time “swimming with the dolphins“.. what an incredible experience… The dolphins are so wonderful, and were very well taken care of. They have a beautiful environment in which to live and engage with humans. The staff was outstanding. Our facilitator Itzi was especially informative, patient and good with us and the dolphins ..

Fantastic experience: We had a great time here getting to swim with the dolphins. This was one more bucket list thing for my wife and she loved it.

Negative experience: I was extremely disappointed with how my 8year old daughter was treated at this excursion. She was passed out multiple times without having an opportunity to have the dolphin pull or push her. She sat in the water the entire time with no attention given to her to interact with the dolphin. The instructor was horrible and did nothing to assist. We paid for the experience and only got a picture of her holding her hands out with the dolphin. She traveled far for this experience and it was nothing like it advertised. I complained to management and was offered another time to try again, but of course the time was at the same time we were expected back on the cruise ship. DO NOT PAY FOR THIS EXCURSION. The pool is small and dirty. They cram over 5 groups in the same pool with very little room to experience an encounter with the dolphin. There was no organization or order of who goes first, second and so on. Adults were jumping in front of others and taking multiple turns when others didn’t get a chance to work with the dolphin. The Instructir even said “My dolphin and I have little experience working with children and I will need help”. When help arrives, it was time to exit the pool. I’ve been on several dolphins excursions and this was the worse I have ever seen. My daughter was heartbroken from this experience. It was sad to watch the lack of professional and the loss of a promised wonderful experience. Thumbs down. Do not pay for this excursion with this company or at Costa Maya.

Fantastic experience: It's a little cost but best for the kids as well as adults. Touching and playing with dolphin experience and taking cutest pictures. However, the picture package is very expensive. That's why they don't allow you to bring a camera with you.

Fantastic experience: Awesome experience. Our 15 & 12 year Olds loved it. Even the grandparents did it and had a blast. You actually swim with the dauphin and it pulls you and pushes you through the water. Have someone standing by to take pictures because the ones they sell are very expensive.

Fantastic experience: These Dolphins are soooo.... sweet!! I have gone swimming with Dolphins before in Vegas. It was a much different experience, but equally as Wonderful!! They are so intelligent. When you go on the boogie board they circle around you & then go behind you & lift the back of your foot & boogie board & give you a super fast ride..... my foot slipped off of her fin that she placed behind my foot. I thought ok that's it.... no water ride for me but she went up ahead & around again because she decided I deserved another chance. I was really shocked that she was so kind hearted to do that for me If you love Dolphins you will love swimming with them ❤️ Do it!! You won't regret it.

Positive experience: Once in a lifetime experience, Dolphins are amazing and the trainers are very good. Reccomend having someone with you to take pictures, you can't take cameras or phones down by the pools and pictures taken by staff are very expensive and you get what they take. Had a large group and every picture had one person in it, very disappointed.

Negative experience: Please do not pay this business to see these poor enslaved dolphins. They are in super small concrete tanks. About the equivalent of a goldfish in a fish bowl. This was so heartbreaking to see . You can see in the photos the ocean is on the other side of the concrete wall that is enslaving them. They have to be thinking “I am so close to freedom” but they are being held as prisoners. I don’t care if the company follows whatever rules they claim they follow for animal welfare. This IS NOT the best welfare for these animals. These dolphins are being enslaved for “Dolphin Discovery” to make money. These animals deserve to be in the ocean swimming not performing tricks for tourists. If people would stop paying for this excursion they would have to shut it down and hopefully free these dolphins.

Fantastic experience: Hands down the best dolphin encounter I've had. The dolphinarium is within walking distance of the cruise port, right inside it in fact. Excellent service and facilities. I didn't buy the cruise excursion as I was on my own and able to simply walk in and get a better deal.