Dolphin Island Park — Attraction in Higüey

I see a lot of negative comments about Dolphins in captivity, I guess these people should let all their pets out too and cry out for everyone to not keep their pets, dogs, cats, etc and for this to be abuse, too, since it's really not a whole lot different.

These Dolphins actually live longer and are happier and well taken care of, and they don't have to run the risk of having their lives taken by a predator. So, who wouldn't want to live a cushy life, no matter what animal they are?

Anyway, aside from this rant, my wife and I went here last week during our week stay in the DR. There's plenty of room for the dolphins to swim and the sharks too. The trainers do seem to take really good care of them, and they seem loved. The dolphins are happy to interact with humans and have fun as well.

Our trainer was amazing. We had a smaller group than the group I saw come in after us, so we got to take turns to have more time playing with the Dolphins and swimming with them. Our trainer was also knowledgeable about the dolphins and was able to answer a lot of our questions, making it fun and interactive.

The big negative, of course, is the price. I think it overpriced. I get paying the large initial fee to join the excursion, although this could probably be cheaper. With the price of feeding and training and maintaining the Dolphins, I get, it can be a bit pricey, but during peak times, they're easily making thousands of USD a day. So someone is likely making mega profits.

The pictures were double the expected price we were thinking the photos should be worth. But they prey on people's desperate need for wanting photos with Dolphins for a possible once in a life time chance, or maybe it will be with how expensive it is.

So unless this is something you really want to do, be prepared to pay upwards of almost $500 USD for the entire thing if it's a small family. I know with just my wife and I, and with the photo package, we paid at least close to $400 USD for the two of us...

Mixed Feelings About Visiting ... We recently visited this place and I’m left with very mixed emotions. On one hand, my 11 year old son was absolutely thrilled. For him, it was an unforgettable experience seeing dolphins up close, touching them, and interacting with these incredible animals. His excitement was genuine, and I can understand how magical that moment felt to him. On the other hand, as an adult and someone who cares about animal welfare, I couldn’t ignore the conditions in which the dolphins were kept. The space seemed far too small for such intelligent and active creatures. It felt heartbreaking to think about their lives confined to such limited enclosures, so far removed from their natural environment. I sincerely hope that Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) will take a closer look at facilities like this one. Is it truly legal or ethical to keep dolphins in such small, unnatural spaces??? If you are someone who deeply cares about animals, I would honestly advise against visiting places like this. It’s likely to leave you feeling sad and uncomfortable. So overall, our experience was very conflicted: joy and amazement from a child’s perspective, and concern and sadness from an adult’s...

If a zero was possible for a review dolphin island park deserves less and warning to all tourists don’t do business with them run in the opposite direction. Their cancellation policy is so ridiculous that doctors and staff at the resort I stayed in agree. Basically for a cancellation you gotta get a doctors note. Yes you read right for cancellation you need to see a doctor just a way to keep the money. So after I get the doctors note I returned before the time the representative said he was done for the day but was no where to be found. Even though I ended up getting my money back with help from the general manager of the resort but the whole back and forth ruined my entire trip.The representative’s name is Jamie Diaz and the people at dolphin island park are horrible people and have no problem in finessing tourist out of their money. Besides all that the day I leave I’m out for a walk and noticed one of their drivers staring at me trying to provoke or intimidate me while having customers riding with him. I pray 2025 is they last year in business they are just...