Hope you won't mind me adding: I did the Beluga backstage encounter some years ago and had a great time. I thought it was well run: we all had to wash hands, wear protective clothing, no make-up or jewelry. My group of 3 individuals got to meet several of the whales and do some training with the dominant male. They took pictures and gave us a disk after: if I did it again I would ask the others if they'd like it if we all got a full set of the pictures, as the ones I was given were ones mainly of me and I'm sure I was on others I didn't get. Not a complaint, just a tip! It was very funny seeing one where I'd been totally engrossed rubbing moulting skin off a beluga (yes, they moult!). In the picture there's loads of people pressed up to a window inches behind me, and I'd never even noticed them!
On the trip we also got to see the back of some areas of the indoors aquarium tanks, got a talk, prepared food and were lucky enough to get an extra and have a little encounter with a sealion doing tricks within feet of us (and showing off to us like mad it seemed!)
