Everglades Tour recommendation?

[PRH]

We have a full day before our cruise out of Miami.  We’d like to see the Everglades.  Any tour providers recommended?  We’ve looked at viator and trip advisor but wondering about your experiences.  Is it worth going?  Anything else you would recommend?  Thanks 

[Paulinda]

Our cruise ship offered a couple of end of cruise excursions but we sailed back into Port Everglades not Miami.  We did an Everglades Airboat tour at Sawgrass recreation Park.  I believe we paid about $60 pp for the excursion.  It was basically a 1/2 hour bus ride from the terminal to the park and 3-4 hours at the park.  We were then bused to the airport terminal for our flight home.

 

This excursion consisted of a 1/2 airboat ride searching for alligators and other creatures.  Because it was kind of cool out we never saw one on the airboat part of the excursion.    Too cold for the gators to surface I guess.  We then spent a bit of time at various wildlife enclosures that contained different 'rescued' animals.  It wasn't exactly what we envisioned the 'Everglades' to look like but I've been told Sawgrass Park is part of the Everglades.  Maybe there are better tours from Miami. 

 

The other excursion offered by the ship was an inter-coastal river tour of various areas in and around Ft. Lauderdale.

 

Check your cruise lines website to see if they offer anything. 

 

 

[BNBR]

Sawgrass Rec is definitely "everglades".  It was Marjory Stoneman Douglas, which is unfortunately a well known name now... Who called the everglades a river of a grass.  I'm not sure what you envisioned but the everglades really is just a ton of a tall grass with a few scattered trees and what not. 

 

Miami has some great airboat/everglades tours and they pretty much all go out around the same area.  I'd check with your cruise line for their tours as well. 

[coondog99]

In 2017, our group of six did the tour below before cruising the next day. It was a great tour and my on-line review is included.

 

https://www.theriverofgrass.com/

 

 

Great experience!!

Our party of six ranging from ages 11 to 73 booked this tour in advance for a Friday afternoon while we were travelling from Canada to Miami for a cruise departure.

Everything went according to the instructions provided at booking as we drove from the meeting point to the boat launch where we met "Steve" the guide. The adventure began as Steve manoevered the boat out into the Everglades stopping periodically to educate us on the history of the area including the current and future state of the park.

Steve was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and answered any questions we had.

The wildlife we were able to observe was very exciting and we were not disappointed viewing many different birds, alligators (big and small), fish, etc

The tour was definitely a highlight of our trip and I would certainly recommend it to anyone interested in a educational and nature tour in an airboat. Thanks to Steve for making it that much better!

Tip: bring sunscreen and sunglasses. Water was provided.

 

[Alberta Quilter]

Looking for a private tour operator that does similar tours but picks up in Port Everglades.  I'd go with the ship tour (on a turnaround day) but the airboat ride is only half an hour.  I think an hour would be better.  The ship tour reviews indicate the ride is too short.

 

Thanks for your help!

[phabric]

16 hours ago, Alberta Quilter said:

Looking for a private tour operator that does similar tours but picks up in Port Everglades.  I'd go with the ship tour (on a turnaround day) but the airboat ride is only half an hour.  I think an hour would be better.  The ship tour reviews indicate the ride is too short.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Would also like a name of a company that picks up from a FLL hotel.