Not a lot of people know this, but you can meet Disney World's dolphins at their big aquarium in Epcot. It's similar to many other swimming with dolphins encounters that you can do in Florida, but the experience is more like wading with dolphins, so if you aren't a great swimmer you don't have to worry.

Disney's dolphin encounter program is called "Dolphins in Depth." It is one of their Epcot backstage tours. I signed up to do it when I was at Disney World in January. In addition to a half hour spent in the water with the dolphins, the Disney cast members took us on a tour of the backstage areas of the Aquarium, where we learned a lot about the dolphins and other aquatic life in the Aquarium.

These are very small groups too. Disney allows a maximum of 8 people on these Dolphin in Depth tours, so you have some good quality time with the dolphins. On the tour that I did, there were only five of us so it was even better.

Then it was time to get into the wetsuits that Disney provided and we went to meet the dolphins. At the top of the dolphin tank we got into the water to stand on a waist deep platform. The trainers taught us different hand gestures for various dolphin tricks, including splashing us all with water! The best part came next, actually touching and hugging a dolphin. The trainer allowed us to rub our hands over the dolphin's skin so we could see how it feels. Afterward, I had a really huge dolphin put into my arms and had my picture taken while holding him.

It was a pretty amazing and unforgettable experience and I'm really glad I had the opportunity to do it at Disney World.