st john river cruises

That's a complement. The captain knows his Florida birds which are among the most beautiful in the world. On a cold and rainy day we thoroughly enjoyed our time on the St. John's River. We learned alot about the ecology and environment of the river. We took close to 100 photos and even more memories.

This might be better at some times, unbearable at others. The cruise is in an open-air boat with cover, although there was also an enclosed boat at the dock, but that was not offered as an alternative. My husband and I took the one o'clock cruise on a Wednesday in January and it was full. Unfortunately it was also around 60 degrees and very breezy. I don't think I would choose that option again. Even with coats and hats it was very cold when the boat was moving above wake-zone speed.Nor would I go anytime between May and October. That said the river is very beautiful. You see very little development along the section travelled on the cruise and the speed of the boat is near idle during most of the trip, which kept us from freezing to death. Most of the wildlife we saw were birds and the guide is very knowledgeable about the species. He did attempt to get us close enough to an alligator nest to see the mother and babies. I saw one baby and we all heard the mother! Otherwise probably too cold to see any other wildlife. You will not see manatees on this cruise in the winter, they are all in the spring. If you want to get good camera shots, sit on the right side of the boat and in the front row, weather permitting.

Hi all, just this took this boat tour last month a few days before Christmas. I spend a great few hours at the Blue Spring State Park and on this tour. I recommend this to anyone who just wants to get away and see the real Florida. You will enjoy watching manatees, gar and different fishes when walking along Blue Spring Run and on the boat tour you may just get a chance to gators and other wildlife. See my uploaded photos of some gators, birds and scenery.

I've taken my fair share of boat tours on various vacations, but this may have been the best. The tour guide (I wish I remembered her name) was very knowledgeable and funny. I liked how she had the driver slow down and back up so we could all get a look whenever we passed an alligator or a particularly interesting bird. We saw some great wildlife and enjoyed the park overall. We didn't see manatees from the boat, but they were easily seen from the observation decks near the dock.

We saw alligators and a wide variety of birds, all pointed out by the knowledgeable guide. The boat is very smooth, so even our daughter who is prone to motion sickness didn't have any problems. The web site mentions a $6.00 parking fee, that is actually the entrance fee to Blue Springs state park. Since you're paying to get in anyway, allow an extra hour or two to wander the trails and explore the park. There's plenty of picnic tables so bring a lunch and make a day of it.

we were looking forward to this tour while staying nearby. almost missed the tour because google directions were wrong, we had to call the office to get better directions. was told that " oh, yeh, I need to call google and get those directions changed..i don't know why they have them that way" told to us by lady in the office of the tours. we get there last in line, full boat, could not set together, the 3 of us. there was a lady w/her very young child that was a BIG distraction , constant chatter and noise over the man giving the tour, eventually, I got up to ask the tour guide if he could talk louder over the noise. nothing happened and this family of 5 just kept up w/ playing, teasing and disrupting the cruise. nothing was said to them to quiet down.the folks up front of boat couldn't hear the carryings on that was right behind us! lucky them, but when they ask the guide to speak up his response was " open your ears" we all payed to be on this tour and wanted to enjoy and learn about the nature there. also, taking pix was a challenge because we never stood still at any place long enough to capture the sights.some changes need to be made here.

We took this pontoon boat cruise and found it very informative and relaxing. Would have been nice to see some Manatee's, but they weren't in yet. Saw lots of alligators and other animals. We would recommend for a nice break with the kids.

I took my kids while my husband was working. My 1 & 3 year old lasted about 1 hour 15 minutes. The boat ride lasted 2 hours. I wish I would have had a coloring book or some backup toy to keep them busy after the novelty wore off. We only brought snacks. By the end of the tour though, they were just spent. Tired, tired of the snacks we had, hungry and cranky. I enjoyed it though - all 2 hours! What made it easy to have them on the tour with me was how relaxed the boat felt. They could get up and move around. They could go to the back and look off. They walked to the mid point and started meandering and exploring and playing with other kids. They walked up to the front gate where the guide was talking. No one was expected to sit still so that made their restlessness easier to deal with. We saw alligator, a variety of bird species and a few manatees playing! The guide/captain was extremely informative and his assistant was really laid back and easy to chat with. I don't remember what we paid, maybe $40 for one adult and one child plus the $6 to get into the park, but it was a nice half day adventure and I will absolutely do it again.

To be fair, if it was warm and just my wife and I and 70+ degrees this would have been a 4 star trip... so maybe I am reviewing my kids and the weather but i think you all should be warned to be fair to you. My 7 and 10 year olds were bored stiff and so were a few other little ones on the boat. They kept asking the captain when we were going home. It was a very very long boat ride. Especially for the cold weather we had. I think it was 2 hours.The boat operator repeated himself a number of times about facts about the birds, animals, and area. It got comical because he would say (for the 3rd time) something like "Do you know why the water looks brown like tea?"And about 20 people would answer - because of the tannins. He was so surprised at how smart we were.He really repeated about 10 different facts more than twice.It would have been an excellent 30 minute trip.

This trip is well worth the price. The boat was clean and in good condition bench seating was ok. We left on time and had no problems during the trip. The captain made sure we had as many photo opportunities as was possible. We were dealing with wildlife so it depends on them. We saw a few gators and an assortment of birds and turtle. We also were given a lot of good information about the area.

This boat tour surpassed our expectations!!! We loved everything about it. The tour guide was fantastic and we left feeling that we learned so much! She was able to show us alligator nests, alligators and so many birds. We did the 10am tour in July and were very happy with what we saw. She did say that the 1 pm tour won't see near as much wildlife.

We took the ten o'clock tour and it was OUTSTANDING! We enjoyed the river, the ride, the captain and crew...all of it was wonderful. Great information and great viewing of the St Johns river. We saw alligators and birds. The captain had a gray eye for seeing the wildlife. Kept the 9 year old boy totally enthralled the whole trip. Take this tour!

My husband and my parents did this cruise on 4/16/14 and really enjoyed it. Captain Peter was very informative. We seen many alligators, different type of birds, and turtles. This 2 hour cruise ride was so worth the $22.00. Will definitely do it again next year. When you are done with the cruise make sure to take the walk to the spring and to see the old plantation house.

I heard some couples debating whether to take the boat tour or just walk the boardwalk. One decided to make the last tour of the day, and the other decided against it. $22 adult. Worth every penny. You will see quite a bit of wildlife. Gators, birds of all kinds, fish, turtles and deer. There is also bear in the park. I was surprised we did not see any snakes! The narrator is very good, answers all questions, makes the right jokes, and keeps the boat going at a slow speed. If they spot wildlife, he stops the boat and backs up for everyone to take pictures. Very informative. Boat has a marine bathroom, and water/pop and snacks for sale. The boat is covered. Seats are pretty comfortable. 3 adults to a seat. They will fill that boat to capacity! Highly recommend.

Great ride very relaxing and informative. Our guide was very relaxed with us and made us all feel relaxed stopped and enjoy the birds the gators it was a afternoon which was very enjoyable and time to cuddle and hug my wife.