Family Adventure Charters

Family Adventure Charters

Family Adventure Charters
5
Scuba & SnorkellingBoat ToursSightseeing ToursPrivate Tours
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
Family Adventure Charters specializes in Private Family Friendly Manatee Tours for up to 6 on a boat though we can accommodate larger groups for specialized tours using multiple boats (reservations recommened). Walk-ins & last minute tours requests are welcome.The boat is also pet friendly, child safe and handicap accessible. Our captains are USCG licensed, and excursions are on a multi passneger pontoon boat. Manatee charters are best during the winter months of mid Nov.-March with peek Dec.-Feb. and scalloping trips are limited to the July through Sept season. At Family Adventure Charters we strive to be the best for the whole family. Our mission is to give our customers the best experience possible when you walk though our doors. We might not be the biggest, but we are committed to a relaxing fun filled day for your group with mantatee info galore. At Family Adventure Charter it's much more than just a “tour" we want make it an experience to remember!
Crystal River, Florida
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles854 reviews
Excellent
784
Very good
40
Average
6
Poor
3
Terrible
21

No1Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA35 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Family
Excellent small group experience with a family of 4. The company is soooooo much better than the other local charters that stuff 15-20 people in a boat and drop you off in mass in a small limited area.

We were able to locate and swim with the manatees in several locations and avoided the crowds.

Personalized high end service at the same price as the large boat charters.

A definite must experience

Written February 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Harry W
20 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020 • Family
Wow, what a great adventure for part of my wife’s 40th birthday celebration!

I called early in the morning to book the 1:30 tour and Captain Tim was great! It has been raining pretty significantly since we arrived and since we are staying in St Pete he offered to call me around noon if it looked like we wouldn’t be able to get out.

When we arrived we watched a brief video on manatee safety and were fitted for wetsuits (which my daughter tried to stick her leg through the am hole lol). We were assigned Captain Carlos and headed out on our adventure.

Carlos was awesome he found us a dolphin almost immediately, which I know sounds weird as you are in fresh water, but apparently they come in from the bay.

Next up we saw manatee number one on the trip and unfortunately it didn’t want to cooperate as it was running late for work :)

Not to be dissuaded Carlos took us through every channel until we found one that did want to cooperate with us. During the search for our friend Carlos told us about all the birds that we had been observing since arriving to Florida and pointing out the various fish swimming by too. This was really cool for me as I pretend to be a good fisherman lol. We got some stories on the island history and got our masks fitted during this time.

When we found our manatee friend we swam (floated) with her for roughly an hour, though the kiddo bailed a bit early as I think she was weirded out by the big fish.

Once we got back in the boat Carlos took us to a spring to swim as he didn’t want to bring us back early if we didn’t want to go early. My daughter braved up and got back in, we saw a bunch of fish and weirdly even a ray of some sort (again didn’t realize they could be in fresh water).

Overall this was a fantastic experience and we will definitely be coming back to see them again! I know the crew has no control over seeing a manatee on the tour but am thankful for Carlos leaving no stone unturned until we found one! Thank you all so much!
Written October 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Erica P
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021
Booking: After researching for a few hours, we decided to go with this manatee tour company and are very happy with our experience. We were a little thrown off not being about to book online, but are so glad we did because it ended up being less expensive - and they still had space a week in advance.
Pricing: same pricing as other companies, but this includes tax and fees for each person. We paid day of with cash. We were not charged a few when a couple of our party had to drop out last minute which we were extremely grateful for.
Tour: We went on a tour on 6/27/2021, visiting from Milwaukee and Charleston. We quickly found four manatees - two adults and two calves and got to swim as long as we wanted. After swimming, he let us choose where we wanted to go next. The water was cloudy because of recent rain, but we still had great viewing. Only 6 people and the captain on the boat made for a much more personal experience. Our captain was very knowledgeable and friendly, with tons of stories. We haven't gone with any other companies, but I can't imagine a better, more easy-going experience. Absolutely incredible and well worth the price. Can't wait to return in the winter!
Written June 27, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

NSNK
Ilkley, UK7 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Friends
On a recent work trip 6 colleagues and I decided to take the opportunity to see manitees. Something I have wanted to do for a long time .
Not knowing where to go we drove 2 hours to Crystal River and chanced upon “ Captain Tim’s”. We enquired about kayaking and was told it was $170 cash for 7 people. We asked if we could change and use the restroom facilities before setting off and were told we had to pay first . We paid and began to get ready . At this point “ Captain Tim” started to become agitated and rushed us . There is only 1 restroom so it was taking time for 7 people to use. We then watched a video and we were told by Captain Tim that our time started once we were in the boats. We still needed to get changed into swimwear .
Captain Tim became very agitated telling us we needed to hurry up and get in the boat and that our time had started . I stated that we needed to get ready and that he had said our time started when we got in the boat . He got angrier and started shouting at me so much so that I felt the need to complain about his rudeness . He then said that if we didn’t like it he would give us our money back. We said that we didn’t understand why he was being so rude and offensive. Captain Tim then completely lost his temper , screaming and shouting at us hysterically and storming at us aggressively . At this point my colleagues and I decided to leave and asked for our money back . Captain Tim at first stormed off but then obviously realised he was loosing a significant booking and came back . We decided to continue and one by one got in the kayaks . Captain Tim continued to appear angry .

Once we had seen the manitees ( which was amazing ) we returned , getting back about 2. 3/4 hours after we had set off .
Captain Tim had now completely calmed down and was polite to the point of being obsequious. He asked if we had enjoyed the experience and offered further use of the facilities and he asked for this review to be written .

The actual sight of the manitees was amazing and I highly recommend it . An experience of a lifetime .

Captain Tim is one of many options for seeing the manitees . I suggest you take your business elsewhere if he is going to be as rude to you as he was to us in the beginning .

Written February 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nolajuli
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020 • Solo
I had a wonderful time snorkeling with the manatees in July! We saw lots of manatees, great equipment, great boat, great captain, very informative and Very patient. Captain Tim was responsive to phone calls and questions before the trip, In a timely manner. I really felt like they wanted me to have a wonderful experience and I did. It was more than just snorkeling with the manatees, it was also a beautiful boat ride with lots of information on local wildlife
Written August 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kara D
3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Couples
My husband and I went on a swim with the manatees tour. Captain Mike took us out and he did an excellent job explaining everything and getting us ready to get in the water once we anchored. Captain Mike anchored in an area where he knew a manatee had been seen. As soon as we got into the water, two manatees surfaced. They floated around us, and flipped for us to scratch their bellies for about 30-45 minutes. It was such a cool experience and I’m thankful we chose Family Adventure Charters because they knew what they were doing.
Written August 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Danielle Wallace
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2020 • Couples
I did a lot of research to find a manatee tour that respectful of the manatees' natural habitat and environment and allowed guests to view these magnificent creatures up close. This tour did not disappoint. Captain Mike was amazing and did a great job directing our interaction in a way that was both legal and highly respectful of the manatees' natural curiosity and habitat! Mike was kind and curtius to both my husband and I. My husband is still learning English but Mike became a quick caring friend. Today was a dream come true for me and I will always appreciate what Captian Mike did to make it memorable. Thank you so very much!
Written May 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ann P
Killingworth, CT11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021 • Family
Visiting with my daughter who is not yet Covid vaccinated so really appreciated the staff’s caution and respect for us. Safety is taken very seriously with safety which I liked. Our boat was clearly less crowded than other manatee tour boats. 👍 Our captain was Carlos and he was interesting, knowledgeable and knew how to find the manatees. He took us several spots and the interactions got better and better! The last place we stopped had 3 VERY friendly manatees that really enjoyed having the backs and bellies scratched and rolled around for us to touch and scratch. And then another would get jealous and come up right in between us and the one we had been scratching. My 15 year old daughter and I will never forget this awesome experience.
Written April 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tara G
Orlando, Florida6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
If you want to get up close and personal with Manatees, this is the place to go! Our family of 5 had our own boat with Captain Chaz at the helm. He is a Crystal River native and knows every piece of history and most importantly where to go to see manatees! Captain Tim (owner) is nothing but professional and expert on running a business and making sure his customers are completely happy with their experience. There are other tour companies in the area, but we LOVED our tour with Family Adventure Charters! Highly recommend!
Written August 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Daryl D
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020 • Couples
Captain Chaz was the best. At a time of year when few manatees are in the bay, he managed to find 6 for us through sheer experience and knowledge. All the other tour company captains were following him! Entire staff and owner were accomodating and knowledgeable. Will definitely do this again, and will be requesting Capt Chaz.
Written September 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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