Disney Destiny - Day 3: Dolphins in Cozumel

Today is our first port stop of the cruise -- Cozumel. We've been to Cozumel once before on a Fantasy cruise - I recall we did a chocolate tour because things were just opening again for covid and shore excursion options were limited. Fast forward to 2026...there were SO many different fun things to choose from! I forgot to mention that when we left Port Everglades, there were actually 7-8 different ships all leaving that day - no wonder so many people got stuck in traffic. Even here in Cozumel, I think there were at least 3 ships around -- we disembarked right next to another cruise line and I almost stopped for pictures before Baba pointed out they were not for our cruise. 

We got a close up of the Norwegian ship (the ship to the right of this photo) -- it had a twisty water slide going from like deck 13 or something ALL the way down to like deck 5. The twins were a little jealous. They kept bringing up the Princess cruise this trip as well...I hope this is just their cruise repertoire broadening...and not a sign of Disney fatigue!

The excursion we booked today was at Dolphinaris; we got the "swim with dolphins" package. None of us have ever done a dolphin encounter before so this was sure to be memorable.

We booked LaoLao as an observer because she wasn't so keen to interact with dolphins...and also this way she could take photos of the rest of us. I had heard that the photo packages for Dolphinaris is where they really make their money. The fee for the excursion itself actually seemed reasonable -- but I was told photos would cost like, $500 or something crazy like that -- also they don't let you pick like just a couple photos, you have to buy the whole lot. So we equipped LaoLao with Baba's new Pixel 10 in hopes that the more powerful optic zoom would be sufficient.  

We were in a group of 10 or so, luckily we were standing on the side that was more likely to get front-facing photos from LaoLao. First the dolphin did various tricks, making noises, rising high out of the water, waving its tail, etc.  

We then each got some individual time to hold the dolphin, stroking it's stomach and back. I wasn't really sure what I was expecting but the smoothness and the "I'm holding a large rubber barrel" feel was not what I imagined. I think I thought there would be some hairy parts...or more uneven texture somehow. But it truly felt like it could have been a very large plastic/rubber toy!

Then each person ran through this routine where they would get kissed by two dolphins and then "dance" with the dolphin holding their flippers. 

(The video keeps not processing...might need to wait until cruise ends to update this one). 

Then we formed a large circle for the dolphin to pass in front of us, but there was an older woman who kept breaking formation and getting too far forward, so this just turned into the dolphin circling us like sharks waiting for a meal. 😆 

Here's the last part where the trainer told us to splash the dolphin as a joke...which Maddie (our dolphin) responded to by hugely splashing us. Don't engage a dolphin in a splash fest. You will absolutely lose. 

We did not have a ton of time before the shuttles were going back (the encounter probably lasted 30 minutes or so but there was a good bit of waiting time beforehand and briefing etc) so we didn't do any snorkeling or kayaking (we didn't feel too bad about that because the snorkel area didn't seem like it would be that interesting - being so close to land and cut off from the ocean).

We did have time for lunch (ordered from a menu, included in the excursion price) -- it was decent, nothing amazing, but this will be our only "Mexican" food outing of the entire cruise, so it seemed appropriate. Nice view of the ocean at least!

After getting back on the ship, I decided to do a load of laundry with all our wet clothes and then also get our fish extenders together to distribute. Delivering things up and down the ship apparently makes pirates tired. 

But no rest for the busy! Soon enough it was time for dinner again, this time at Pridelands (Lion King themed). This is the equivalent to Tiana's on the Wonder where there is an actual show as part of the dinner. They ran through some of the Lion King songs but then also had a few African-inspired songs that I hadn't heard of before. The singers were really impressive!

I had read a lot of reports about the food being a bit blah...but we actually thought it was pretty good! And this was after I had an afternoon brisket/ribs snack too. R's prime rib was very juicy.

L went for the shrimp curry - she really really enjoyed it. Like maybe favorite dish of the cruise level good. 

Other things we tried: shrimp and grits appetizer -- I liked this - very flavorful. The roasted chicken was also flavorful, but not as impressive because Costco makes a great roast chicken. 😆 Baba got a coconut soup appetizer that he said was pretty bland. 

After dinner we decided to finish up the interactive ghost hunt. Photo proof of our success!

Sorry forgot dessert photos -- more sundaes...

My coffee sugar-free dome. This is a great choice for someone who doesn't want anything too sweet.

I think R got the creamsicle cheesecake, which everyone agreed was a little too saccharine sweet.

We also passed out some of our Lion King gifts during dinner -- glad others will enjoy those bags and books more than us!

In case you hadn't noticed already, today is pirate night. So even the towel animals got into the spirit -- this towel monkey is pretty impressive!

Tonight was the flagship broadway-level production of Hercules. 

Excited for the show to begin!

After the show, which I thoroughly enjoyed, Hercules being one of my favorites from the 90s Golden Era (L and R concur, they particularly liked the muses and the double casting joke by Hades 😆), we went back to the staterooms to get sweaters (turns out unnecessary, Bahamas in February is much warmer than January in Ensenada) and headed back out for the Pirate Parlay Party. As with all Pirate shows, Captain Hook swung in for an appearance:

Hook helped kick off the fireworks. The show seemed similar to other Disney cruises but the photos of the fireworks actually came out very clearly. The red and blue tube here at the bottom is part of the Aqua Mouse track. 

As you can see, there were lots of people, but it wasn't like sardine packed, which I feel like previous Pirate Night crowds have been. Not sure if it's because the ship is bigger so more viewing areas, or if people on this cruise are just not as participatory in the classic Disney Cruise experiences?

Shot of the grand finale:

And the cruise is now officially more than halfway over. *Tear* -- tomorrow is our second (and last) sea day...and also Lunar New Year!