Dolphin Life Key Largo — Attraction in Key Largo

I really wanted to be blown away. Based on such great reviews and speaking to one of the staff, we were expecting at the very least (for $125 per person!) we would be able to take our own pictures of the dolphins up close. This was no swimming, just a "deluxe" interaction standing on the dock. What we LOVED were the dolphins. Incredible, smooth creatures. The trainers were friendly and enthusiastic and enjoy what they do. The dolphins are just beautiful and a pleasure to spend time with and a unique experience. What we did not love- sitting for 30+ min for the briefing, followed by what truly felt like 10 minutes of actual interaction with the dolphin. Its completely understandable that the timing can't be predicted due to letting the animal decide its comfort. However, then the HUMANS could take that probability into account and make up for it by not then rushing the people off the dock after paying so much, just to fit in the next group, and told you can spend as much time as you want watching the rest. When I called beforehand to ask for details of exactly what the price included, I was given the idea of a calm one on one experience and told that there wasnt really a time limit, it takes as long as it takes! At the end, one member of our party was surprised at how short it was and asked if she could touch the dolphin once more and was declined. My mother, who didn't know until we were standing there, couldn't get on her knees comfortably missed some of the best interaction- for the same price. It left us feeling very taken advantage of and I hate to say that. But I'm really upset. $30 for one photo. $45 for a bunch sent digitally. I kindly told one of the staff that I was surprised at how short this was. I am not looking for feedback or explanation, if this weren't considered a non profit and I wanted to believe it helps these animals, I would demand a refund. But this is an honest review for others, especially families who dont have hundreds of dollars to spend. It should be fully understood what is included in the price for a very short amount of time...

My daughter had an awesome experience when she was able to finally get in the water prior to that it was a nightmare setting up the actual encounter I set up online thinking it would be more convenient automatically it bump me to the very next day when I was trying to schedule for a Tuesday we took the trip from Fort Lauderdale out to key Largo and when arriving at the specific time I had requested I was told that my reservation was made for the next day at that time the secretary seem very confused and could not help me then she attempted to reschedule for another day and time I was not happy due to the fact that we had already driven an hour and 45 minutes just to be there that day and my daughter was being surprised this completely ruined any chance of surprise after several minutes of standing and waiting for something to happen the lady finally says she has an opening at another location and she can put us in there then asks for an encounter viewer fee of $40 for the for adults to watch my daughter in the water we paid for that because we expected to be at the other location she took the money and charge the card then told us oops I actually can't get you in there there was no sympathy or compassion this place seem to only care for the money I asked for a refund they continuously try to reschedule so ultimately I decided to reschedule when my daughter finally got into the water it was amazing I don't know if I would return to this location due to the unprofessionalism of the front office but the trainer that my daughter was with was amazing and she made us feel like family we Alphonse and Bob it was an unforgettable experience hopefully next time they can get their stuff together there was not even a discount offered or any type of an extra add-on for the mix-up they didn't even attempt to return my extra $10 because my father could not make it to watch my daughter he had to work on the reschedule day so I would say this company thinks a lot about...

I would highly recommend this place for anyone looking to engage with dolphins in a comfortable, safe setting! My husband and I came here a few weeks ago while on our honeymoon, and we both agree it was the highlight of our vacation! One big reason we chose this place is because it functions as a non-profit, with a genuine focus on the comfort, health and safety of the animals in their care. We appreciated that this was an activity based experience, not time based. In other words, we weren’t just given a time limit, but rather, we got to engage with the dolphins for a prescribed amount of activities regardless of how long that took, all according to the comfort and stamina of the dolphins. At no point did it feel as though the dolphins were being forced to perform or do something that they did not WANT to do, which also made my husband and I feel very safe and comfortable. Staff were very friendly, informative, and knowledgeable about the dolphins and the specific types of engagement available. We chose a hybrid experience where you spend some time with the dolphins in deeper water (dorsal and pectoral fin rides) and some time in shallow water engaging in specific activities with the dolphins. While I would highly recommend this experience, if you’re unsure of being in the water with the dolphins, I would still recommend that you pay the small fee to watch the activities from the observation deck—it is well worth it. Dani, the trainer that conducted our experience was highly professional and knowledgeable, and set any nerves at ease by clearly explaining what we would be doing with the dolphins before we went in the water. The entire process was truly once in a lifetime, and when it was over we were encouraged by staff to stick around and watch the dolphins during feeding time, which was an entertaining experience in and of itself. If we are ever in Key Largo again we will...