Crystal River Manatee Snorkeling and Everglades Airboat Tour

Though the trip with dolphin tours was fun, the booking agent, Viator, needs to get their act together. When I booked our manatee snorkel and airboat trip, I called Viator instead of booking on their website as I had questions. One question was, do they offer pick up at our hotel? Their website says “pick up at select hotels“ The lady on the phone said we were staying at a selected resort. I asked several times and she assured me we would be picked up at the hotel. Well, when I called to confirm pick up, Dolphin Tours told me they do not pick up at hotels and had to meet at a designated location. So, we had to hire a taxi to take us to the meeting point. A 15 minutes ride and an added expense we weren’t planning on. Also, I asked about the breakfast. The Viator website say, “all you can eat breakfast”. We thought that was a good deal as we were traveling with to teen age boys. We told the boys not to eat as we were headed to a breakfast buffet. Well, when we got on the bus, we were handed a sack filled with a cold (almost frozen) crescent roll, jelly, Capri sun, sunny d and yogurt. Not the best choice for 2 growing boys and a person with diabetes. I wish I could copy and paste the Viator ad where it clearly states hotel pick up and all you can eat breakfast. The breakfast, lunch and excursion that dolphin tours provided was good, but was not as advertised by Viator. Viator definitely needs to get their act together and update their ads.

The guide was not familiar with the excursion and mentioned this a number of times, there is no where to practically change at the Dive centre and things felt a little amateurish. That said we had a really enjoyable day overall. Saw Wild Dolphins as well as lots of Manatees and a calf.

So, this is not...jump in the water and there are manatees...one must look for them, find them...and then proceed cautiously and carefully so as not to disturb them in their natural habitat...do not touch them says the guide...what to do if one little one is so curious about these 'new friends' it snuggles up and 'tastes' your diving mask...what graceful and totally amazing creatures. Thanks a million for allowing us to experience this part of the Everglades - it was an amazing experience. Together with the fun of the air-boat ride we had a wonderful day away form the rides and other experiences of Orlando.

It was a cool wet day, but once we were in our wetsuit and in the water this didn't spoil the day. At first the water was murky but the guides know exactly where to look and quickly found a manatee grazing along the bottom. They slowly rise about every 3 minutes to breathe and it was amazing to float beside these magnificent creatures. Shortly after the guide took us to the truly beautiful crystal springs where the water was warm and as clear as any swimming pool and another Manatee to swim with. Finished with a walk through a wildlife park to see more Manatees and local wildlife. Great experience.

We had a great time and saw a lot of Manatee- it was the end of winter/early spring- the Manatee had migrated from the West Coast to spend thee winter in the warmer Florida waters, so there were hundreds! The water is not cold so don your wetsuit and mask and jump in! The airboat ride was excellent and we saw many alligators. We also dropped into a zoo for rescued animals.

The Crystal River trip was awesome! It was a jam-packed, long day, but well worth it. Our driver was very knowledgeable about Florida and was very friendly and entertaining. The snorkeling portion of the trip was awesome. While only a few manatees swam outside the protected area, it was very cool to see the ones that did swim by and to see the others surface to get air. The captain and snorkel guide answered many questions and it was obvious that they take protecting the manatees seriously. They also took us to another location where we snorkeled over a spring and saw many varieties of fish. After the snorkel trip, we went to a wildlife state park and then took an airboat ride and saw alligators on the river banks. We were provided with a very nice breakfast and lunch and thoroughly enjoyed the day.

We saw so many Manatees! Amazing creatures and great Everglades Airboat tour, too! So glad we did this while vacationing in Florida!

Very well run trip - and essential given the lack of customer around when we reached both venues. Nice swim with wild manatees and strict but admirable enforcement of keeping your distance! Airboat tour was OK but almost nothing to see - try Orlando Wetlands Park if you want to see alligators - and the usual showboating pilot. Wildlife caged area was pleasant and almost the only way to see many of these animals. Breakfast and lunch were more than adequate!

This was an amazing experience. It was the high point of my vacation. Kate and Austin were terrific. Kate captained our boat and Austin led us in the water. I would do it all again. Madelyn was the tour leader. She was funny and knowledgeable about each part of the tour. A great overall experience..

It's very good trip. My kids like the this tour very much