Swim with Dolphins

I think I heard somewhere that the Shedd Aquarium lets people swim with dolphins if they donate a certain amount of money. This amount would certainly be cheaper than flying everyone to Florida to do this. Just wanted to mention this as an option in case you want to look into it.

It may not be exactly the same but the Shed Aquarium has a in interactive program with their dolphins (and whales I think.) If you can't make it to Florida it might be an affordable alternative. I think it cost a few hundreddollars and he can spend the day with the trainers. I don't think you actually swim (water is too cold) but you do get to feed touch and interact with them.
I understand his wish and think you are the coolest for trying to make it come true!
Bestof luck
Peggy

Just wanted to send you an alternative--we took our sons to Cozumel. At the time they were 4 and 6. Here's a link: http://www.dolphindiscovery.com/cozumel/cozumel-location-...

I think you can swim with dolphins at the Shedd Aquarium now for $200!

Discovery Cove in FL is amazing. I also felt they took good care of the dolphins and conducted your experience in a safe and controlled manner. Some of the ones in Mexico they just dump you in the water with the dolphins. These animals are friendly...but they are large strong animals and I think interaction should be monitored safely. You are placed in small groups and everyone gets a turn getting a dolphin "ride", "kisss", "pet"....

We went in May and the weather was great. I am unsure about the first come/first serve for sign up. The dolphnin experiece is an extra cost and I remember paying for and reserving my time when I purchased my tickets.

Also at discovery cove there is unlimited snorkeling, a sting ray bay and a free flight aviary where the birds land right on you to eat.

We can't wait until our little one is old enough to take him and we can go again!

I did it in Cozumel Mexico..LOVED IT

I went to Discovery Cove in Orlando 5 years ago. It was an amazing experience. Of course, I would have liked the dolphin interaction to be longer, but they have fabulous customer service, and there is a ton of things to do when you aren't with the dolphins -- snorkling, lazy river, swimming, etc. The food was phenomenal and was included in the admission. I highly recommend it. They only allow a certain number of people into the park each day, so it wasn't crowded at all.

If you go to Discovery Cove, make sure you get there as early as possible in the morning, because the sign up for dolphin time was first come first serve. We took a shuttle and were late, so we ended up with the very last time slot.

when Brookfield Zoo has their dolphins back you can do it there. Shedd Aquarium also offers this adventure. Also at Disney Discovery Cove or Sea World. But Brookfield and Shedd are both local places that offer it for a price.

We went to Discovery Cove in Orlando...pricey, but a great place! We took my son 2 years ago when he was 12. Check out the Renaissance Hotel as they usually have packages with Discovery. They give you free passes to Sea World which is right across the street, a free shuttle to and from Discovery and they have a fantastic pool too! Discovery Cove only allows so many people in each day and yes, you need to reserve early! We went the end of June and the weather was PERFECT! The only negative for us was how cold the water was where the dolphins are, but you wear wetsuits and aren't in for that long. It's also cold in the snorkeling pool, but the lazy river is AWESOME! It goes through a bird sanctuary where you can get out and walk around and then get back in the water. It truly was a fantastic experience. Make sure you buy the pictures they take of your dolphin swim. Again, a little pricey, but they do a great job and the smile on my son's face while hanging on to the dolphin while he took him for a ride was priceless! Have fun!

If you don't mind going a bit further to Mexico, Xcaret has a fabulous program. The dolphins can come and go, so it's much nicer for them than some of the more questionable programs. Xcaret is an eco-park that also has this great underground river you can snorkle, lagoons, beach, etc. Wonderful. You might be able to get a chep package deal to Cancun, Playa Del Carmen, Riviera Maya, or Tulum. Xcaret sends busses to all the hotels in all 4 of those areas to get you if you need transport. Also, some cruises stop there and/or Calico port and have excurions to Xcaret as well. Although the shows at night are amazing and it would be more fun not to have to hurry back to the ship before dark.

I did Discovery Cove in Orlando a few years ago in May. The weather was fabulous, as was the experience! I'd love to do it again someday! Have fun!!

Why not go to Sea World in Florida, their you can ask for an job experience, with a possibility of a internship, to a near by collage. That is if he wants to go back to school.

We went a number of years ago. It's expensive but totally worth it. We went in Key Largo and Mexico. You totally get to interact with them. Pet them. Feed them. Do tricks with them. And even 'ride them' - one time one came around each side of me and I grabbed their dorsal fins as they pulled me n another time I was belly-down in the water with my head just out of the water n my feet behind me and a dolphin came behind me n pushed my feet. It was a great experience.

Marineland in Florida started out as a studio for movies that needed underwater footage. It became the world's first oceanarium. They recently went through a major renovation and now they have a beautiful environment for going to see the dolphins. It is now a conservation center. I know that they have programs for swimming with dolphins because when we were there 2 years ago we saw someone doing it. I just went out to the website so that I could put a link in this message and saw something about painting with dolphins. I have not participated, my kids are too young, but one day we plan on taking our kids back there to swim with the dolphins.
http://www.marineland.net/

Marineland is in St. Augustine, Florida, "The Old City". St. Augustine is a beautiful place.

Good Luck,
D.

I have wanted to do this for my daughter also. I will be ionterested to read the reviews. I did have a friend whose Hubby arranged to have the dolphin bring an engagement ring and that went very well.

J.

Go to discoverycove.com. My sister is taking my niece there in April to swim with dolphins.

I have only swam with dolphins at Cabo Dolphin in Cabo San Lucas Mexico, an awesome experience and much cheaper than Florida. I don't know how the swim at discovery cove in Florida is but you should check it out. I checked it out myself, as I was just in Florida 2 months ago but it was a little pricey and I am pregnant, so I took a pass.

My husband and I did this in Mexico in a park called Xcaret outside of Cancun. Xcaret is an amazing place with a fantastic butterfly pavilion, a small zoo, boat trips out to a reef for guided snorkeling tours, in addition to the swimming w/ dolphin experience. It was expensive, but I don't remember exactly how much. Just thought I'd throw this out since with package deals sometimes Cancun type trips can cost less than trips to Florida. See www.xcaret.com. Good luck!

I to went to discovery cove in Florida. AMAZING. I little costly I think around $250.00 but it's a full day of fun and pampering. You get a free picture of your party as you walk in, they give you a wrist ban and anything you want is free (except) soviners. The food is great, the service great. They have a beautiful swim area, snorkeling and then of course the dolphin swim, I to wish we had more time with the dolphin but all in all a wonderful experience. I have heard of other places in Florida like your one responder said were I think they get more time with the dolphin. So I guess it all depends on what you are looking for. Good Luck. It sounds like a wonderful graduation present.

Actually I think the Indianapolis Zoo has a swimming with dolphins program too! Check it out - you might not have to go all the way to Florida!

I did the dolphin encounter experience at Sea World in San Diego, but am sure it is the same at Sea World in Florida. Technically there was no swimming involved, but we put on wet suits and stood on a ledge (about 4 feet deep?) at the edge of the dolphin pool. The dolphins came up to each of us for petting, dancing, hugging, fish etc. At the end, we each posed for a picture with one of the dolphins to take home. Although, we didn't actually swim with the dolphin it was still an amazing experience and I would totally do it again. It is also a lot more reasonably priced!