stephuney Posted April 27, 2008 #1 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Has anyone ever done this tour with Coral Breeze: Manatee Watch, Reef Snorkeling, and Beach Break If so ... tell me about your experience! Thanks, Steph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephuney Posted April 30, 2008 Author #2 Share Posted April 30, 2008 no one has done this excursion??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sugarsmacks Posted April 30, 2008 #3 Share Posted April 30, 2008 I did this tour in January. We were able to have our own boat because of the size of our group.Coral Breeze will treat you right. The beach is real nice and we were able to see alot of manatees. I will be happy to answer any questions you might have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZjones12 Posted April 30, 2008 #4 Share Posted April 30, 2008 We did this tour in March and had a blast... Coral breese or hammerhead tours will treat you right... Great private island!!!! HAVE FUN!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephuney Posted May 1, 2008 Author #5 Share Posted May 1, 2008 I did this tour in January. We were able to have our own boat because of the size of our group.Coral Breeze will treat you right. The beach is real nice and we were able to see alot of manatees. I will be happy to answer any questions you might have. This may sound like a dumb question ... but when you see the manatees, do you snorkel with them or is it like whale watching? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sugarsmacks Posted May 1, 2008 #6 Share Posted May 1, 2008 You do not snorkel with the manatees. Coral Breeze will take you to a few places in their boat to try to see them. We were lucky to see them because I hear sometimes you can't. They will turn off the motor and just coast for awhile. The manatees come up just for a few seconds but it is neat to see them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codyody Posted May 1, 2008 #7 Share Posted May 1, 2008 stephuney, if you really want an up close manatee encounter, go to Crystal Springs, FL between Thanksgiving and March. I was able to snorkle and swim with the gentle giants for about 3 hours for less than $100. WHAT A DEAL! It was my 50th birthday present to myself:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephuney Posted May 4, 2008 Author #8 Share Posted May 4, 2008 stephuney, if you really want an up close manatee encounter, go to Crystal Springs, FL between Thanksgiving and March. I was able to snorkle and swim with the gentle giants for about 3 hours for less than $100. WHAT A DEAL! It was my 50th birthday present to myself:D WOW ... thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flvol77 Posted May 6, 2008 #9 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Ok I will give you my review - We were suppose to meet at 10 am at the latest. We got to the pier at 9:50 am ship time and we waited until 10:55 am (over an hour) to leave because they tried to fill the boat up - we came very close to leaving. Mr Bigs and crew were very nice, but the tour was very unorganized, we spent more time waiting then actually doing things. We wouldn't do the tour again, we were disappointed in the amount we paid for what we recieved. I had friends that went on the ship's tours and they had a great time. It was a really long day - let me know if you have any questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZjones12 Posted May 6, 2008 #10 Share Posted May 6, 2008 The other reason you dont want to swim where the manatees are is sea crocks live in the mangroves... (: I wouldnt want to see one of them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephuney Posted May 11, 2008 Author #11 Share Posted May 11, 2008 Ok I will give you my review - We were suppose to meet at 10 am at the latest. We got to the pier at 9:50 am ship time and we waited until 10:55 am (over an hour) to leave because they tried to fill the boat up - we came very close to leaving. Mr Bigs and crew were very nice, but the tour was very unorganized, we spent more time waiting then actually doing things. We wouldn't do the tour again, we were disappointed in the amount we paid for what we recieved. I had friends that went on the ship's tours and they had a great time. It was a really long day - let me know if you have any questions. thanks for sharing your experiences Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueladybug Posted May 13, 2008 #12 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Hi Steph, we just got back from our cruise and went on this tour. It was the highlight of our trip! Bannister Island was postcard beautiful! We wished we could have stayed on Bannister Island longer. My kids and husband really enjoyed the snorkeling. They saw tons of fish, an octopus, and stingray. I would suggest applying sunscreen every hour. I'm normally okay every 3 to 4 hours of reapplying, but I got a very bad burn. We will go back again someday. The manatee watch was just okay; I could have preferred to just stayed on Bannister island a little longer and I really wanted to see the manatees (we saw 2). Any other questions, let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephuney Posted May 19, 2008 Author #13 Share Posted May 19, 2008 Ladybug ... thanks for the feedback ... it was great to get your opinion! Did you experience any of the disorganization that flvol77 experienced? How big was your party? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueladybug Posted May 20, 2008 #14 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Hi Steph, we did have a wait a bit at the pier to get on the boat, but we enjoyed talking to another family also waiting to get on the boat. The only unorganization that I saw was when a man (who was not part of our original tour) was negioting in cash to get on the boat for the snorkeling portion of the tour once we reached Bannister Island. He was very arrogant and impatient and caused some delay and to rattle our tour guides a bit. The rest of the tour was awesome. Our family is a group of 4. I would say that we had about 20 or so on our tour with not everyone participating on the snorkle portion of the tour. I would still go on this tour again; in a heartbeat. Any other questions, please let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephuney Posted May 26, 2008 Author #15 Share Posted May 26, 2008 Ladybug ... another question for you ... how was the boat ride to and from your destinations - are you on the boat long enough to worry about getting sick? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gail811 Posted May 27, 2008 #16 Share Posted May 27, 2008 The other reason you dont want to swim where the manatees are is sea crocks live in the mangroves... (: I wouldnt want to see one of them! Took a private tour on our trip in May. Went up the Belize River and spotted a croc sunning himself on a tree. I think the water there was either brackish or fresh, and he was in the mangroves. Minutes later the ladies needed a bathroom break.....yikes....gotta do what you gotta do! No bathroom for miles, so we jumped in! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueladybug Posted May 31, 2008 #17 Share Posted May 31, 2008 Ladybug ... another question for you ... how was the boat ride to and from your destinations - are you on the boat long enough to worry about getting sick? Hi there, the boat ride was maybe 10 minutes to Bannister island. We did not see anyone getting seasick. If anyone in your group gets seasick easily, then I would recommend sitting in the open air areas, NOT inside the cabin area. You are however, in the boat longer on the way back because you are looking for manatees with sometimes the boat engine off. I hope this helps. Any other questions, please let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephuney Posted June 1, 2008 Author #18 Share Posted June 1, 2008 Hi there, the boat ride was maybe 10 minutes to Bannister island. We did not see anyone getting seasick. If anyone in your group gets seasick easily, then I would recommend sitting in the open air areas, NOT inside the cabin area. You are however, in the boat longer on the way back because you are looking for manatees with sometimes the boat engine off. I hope this helps. Any other questions, please let me know. Great ... thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgl123 Posted July 26, 2008 #19 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Hi Steph, we just got back from our cruise and went on this tour. It was the highlight of our trip! Bannister Island was postcard beautiful! We wished we could have stayed on Bannister Island longer. My kids and husband really enjoyed the snorkeling. They saw tons of fish, an octopus, and stingray. I would suggest applying sunscreen every hour. I'm normally okay every 3 to 4 hours of reapplying, but I got a very bad burn. We will go back again someday. The manatee watch was just okay; I could have preferred to just stayed on Bannister island a little longer and I really wanted to see the manatees (we saw 2). Any other questions, let me know. Hi Blueladybug What were the lunch options like on the island and were they expensive? We are booked for this same excursion in September and I can't find any information on what type of food is available and at what cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weekendcruiser Posted July 27, 2008 #20 Share Posted July 27, 2008 We live in Sarasota - where is this and how do we get there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patfla06 Posted October 30, 2008 #21 Share Posted October 30, 2008 Bannister Island sounds great. But is there any shade??? (cannot be out in sun for hours) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knoxvillecruiser Posted November 5, 2008 #22 Share Posted November 5, 2008 We did this tour on October 23rd. We had a really good time and would do it again. They had just had 1 1/2 weeks of rain and the water wasn't quite as clear as my last visit, but the guides are great and really helpful and attentive. Bannister island is a nice beach and they do have palm trees and some covered palapa's or huts that you could sit under for shade. There is also a large covered area where the bar is located. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.