Did you know Walt Disney World offers many behind the scenes tours at the parks? I recently did Dolphins In Depth at Epcot. Dolphins in Depth is an interactive dolphin experience with 3 dolphins involving a backstage tour, a lesson about the dolphins, and the chance to meet them.

The tour costs $199 plus tax before any discounts. Park admission is not required and wet suits are provided. It runs every day starting at 9:45am and is 3 hours.

It’s limited to 8 guests and there are always at least two cast members with you. This makes the tour small, intimate, and a great opportunity to ask any questions you want.

We took a mini tour to find out more about the dolphins and how they are cared for. The tour includes their kitchen, where they hang out behind the scenes, and the manatees.

Next, you’ll get a chance to see how dolphins learn and play games with a front row seat reserved for you. They are shown one photo and then have to choose which photo out of the three are the same.

Next, you get to meet the dolphins! As interaction is not guaranteed (it is up to the dolphin), only one photo per person is allowed. This part lasts around 30 minutes and is perfect if you can’t swim!

We split into two groups learning hand signals to do tricks before taking photos. The dolphins were really playful, so we were fortunate enough to be allowed a second photo each. The cast members explained afterwards they only initially take one as sometimes the dolphins are not in the mood.

This ended our tour and we returned to the dressing room to get showered and change. We received a code to download our photos (included in Memory Maker if you have it) and a free gift, which in our case was a beach towel.

Overall, while it was expensive, it was well worth it. The chance to meet the dolphins and find out all the information in such a small group was definitely worth the price. If you are looking to do something different in the parks or are celebrating a special occasion, this is great. A portion of your tour cost also goes towards Disney’s conservation fund. If you are looking for other unique activities involving animals, you can also check out The Caring for Giants Tour.

Holly