Fort Lauderdale shore excursion on a B2B

Any information on an airboat ride excursion? Have you done it? Would you do it again and was it worth it? Doing a B2B and looking for something to do. Any ideas?

It's easy to DIY. Rent a car and head for Holiday Park. I have gone there twice and enjoyed it.

https://www.evergladesholidaypark.com/

I did a post cruise transfer tour (drop off at the airport) that included an air boat ride and some gardens. I thought it was good :)... better than I expected and reasonably priced. I would do it again.

I don't know if they have the same sort of tour but with a return to the ship for 'BTBers'.

We did the water taxi. The captains do a running commentary of whom has houses/ships along the waterway, whom used to own certain houses, etc. You can get off and walk around and then catch another taxi. It was a great day.

On a B2B we have taken the Air Boat Ride and Flamingo Gardens tour and found it to be very enjoyable. So if you do not need to do your laundry, and like gators and gardens....On the tour we did see this little guy.

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This guy

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and these.

There were not too many people taking the tour that where getting back on the ship so we where combined with people going to the airport, so on the 'return' the first stop was to drop those people off at the airport before returning us back to the ship, which was some where around 2-2:30. To get back on we had a 'In Transit' card and our cruise card to get back on board, but instead of going through the line where new passengers where getting on, we where directed to where the crew gets back on at the port. Was very fast and could skip the photographers, etc. But we wanted a photo (bought the photo package) so did stand line and went that way. Was kind of neat getting back on in Fort Lauderdale with out roll-ons, etc. knowing all my stuff was already unpacked and in our room.

On a B2B we have taken the Air Boat Ride and Flamingo Gardens tour and found it to be very enjoyable. So if you do not need to do your laundry, and like gators and gardens....On the tour we did see this little guy.

 

_REB2955.jpg

 

 

 

This guy

 

 

 

_REB2986.jpg

 

 

 

and these.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were not too many people taking the tour that where getting back on the ship so we where combined with people going to the airport, so on the 'return' the first stop was to drop those people off at the airport before returning us back to the ship, which was some where around 2-2:30. To get back on we had a 'In Transit' card and our cruise card to get back on board, but instead of going through the line where new passengers where getting on, we where directed to where the crew gets back on at the port. Was very fast and could skip the photographers, etc. But we wanted a photo (bought the photo package) so did stand line and went that way. Was kind of neat getting back on in Fort Lauderdale with out roll-ons, etc. knowing all my stuff was already unpacked and in our room.

Thank you for sharing your experience and tips. Great things to know!

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It's easy to DIY. Rent a car and head for Holiday Park. I have gone there twice and enjoyed it.

 

 

 

https://www.evergladesholidaypark.com/

Thank you. Didn’t think about renting a car. Just might do that.

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I did a post cruise transfer tour (drop off at the airport) that included an air boat ride and some gardens. I thought it was good :)... better than I expected and reasonably priced. I would do it again.

 

 

 

I don't know if they have the same sort of tour but with a return to the ship for 'BTBers'.

Thank you

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

There is also one other means of transportation to consider: the Sun Trolley (http://www.suntrolley.com). Rides are $1 per person or you can purchase a full day pass for $3 per person. Check out http://www.sunny.org for lots of info on Fort Lauderdale attractions whether you are renting a car, using the water taxi or sun trolley as transportation, or deciding whether to take a Princess excursion.

On the topic of transportation, should you be docked at terminal 2 in Port Everglades, the closest water taxi stop (the Hilton Marina at the 17th Street bridge) is less than a 5 minute walk and the Sun Trolley route (you want to head east - i.e. in the direction of the bridge - to get to the beaches and the transfer point for Las Olas Blvd) goes down 17thth Street.

Any information on an airboat ride excursion? Have you done it? Would you do it again and was it worth it? Doing a B2B and looking for something to do. Any ideas?

We did the airboat excursion with Princess on a B2B. I did not find it nearly as enjoyable as one we had done on our own when visiting Florida by car. The Princess excursion was in a crowded boat with a covered top and the scenery was not all that great. The one we did on our own had much better scenery and an open boat with tiered seating.

Any information on an airboat ride excursion? Have you done it? Would you do it again and was it worth it? Doing a B2B and looking for something to do. Any ideas?

OCT 11 (TUES) FORT LAUDERDALE, FL(ARRIVE 7:00AM)

After disembarking, collecting our luggage, and clearing customs, wewaited for the Budget rental car shuttle bus to take us to Budget’soff-airport location near the port. We were soon on our way to visitfriends in Punta Gorda, on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Instead oftaking the direct route across Alligator Alley (I-75) we took theTamiami Trail (Hwy 41), along the northern border of the EvergladesNational Park. We hiked several trails in the Big Cypress NationalPreserve and saw alligators from the boardwalks along the way.

Another time, we took a tour offered by the ship. Here is the excerpt from my review:

Saturday,06/28/14 Ft.Lauderdale, Florida: 7:00am – 3:30pm

Thiswas the turnaround day between the Eastern and Western Caribbean legsof the cruise. We had originally planned to stay aboard and relax onthe ship (with a short detour to debark, pass through the immigrationinspection and re-embark). However, we decided to take one of theshore excursions that are offered for both disembarking andin-transit passengers.

Thetour we chose included two tourist attractions. Our tour guide,Anthony, provided entertaining banter about alligators, theEverglades and south Florida during our bus ride. The first stop wasat Everglades Holiday Park (www.evergladesholidaypark.com). Here wetook a 1/2-hour, 21-person airboat ride in the Everglades. I hadnever ridden an airboat before; John had ridden a much smaller onemany years ago. Part of the time was spent rapidly zigzagging downthe canals and part was spent slowly cruising along the banks lookingfor wildlife. Everyone was hoping to see an alligator but we had tosettle for birds. After the air boat ride there was an “AlligatorShow,” during which a large man “wrestled” an alligator(dragged it out of a shallow pool, sat on its back, kissed it, heldits jaws open with his chin, etc.). There were about 8-10medium-large alligators in that pool for us to view and a 12-footerin a pen by himself (to keep him from eating the others). There wasalso a baby alligator that you could hold for a $5 donation. Thisattraction is associated with the Gator Boys alligator rescue effortas seen on Animal Planet.

Thesecond stop was at the Flamingo Gardens (www.flamingogardens.org), abotanical garden and wildlife sanctuary. John had looked into doingthis attraction independently, but the expensive taxi ride there andback to the ship made taking the shore excursion worthwhile. Thefirst part of our visit consisted of a narrated, 30-minute tram ridethat included areas of the park not accessible on foot. After that,we had an hour on our own to visit the animal and bird exhibits. Thisattraction is also involved in animal rescue; almost all of theanimals have been injured and could not survive in the wild. Inaddition to flamingos, there were a number of raptors (falcons,eagles, owls) and a free-flight aviary. Among the animal exhibitswere Florida panthers, bobcats, a river otter, a black bear (couldnot see him) and a couple of alligators. Many of the plants and treeswere labeled but additional signage would be nice. As we re-boardedthe bus, we were each given an ice cream sandwich!

Neitherof these attractions is what I would rate “must-see” but togetherthey made an enjoyable half-day excursion. The final stop was the FLLairport, where all but 10 of us departed for their flights home. Whenthe rest of us returned to the ship, there were only a few newpassengers checking in. Flashing our “In Transit” cards got usaround all of the lines (except security) and we were back aboard theship in short order. Being in-transit also exempted us from themuster station drill.

Hope that helps!

Carolyn