Family Adventure Charters
Family Adventure Charters
5
Scuba & Snorkelling • Boat Tours • Sightseeing Tours • Private Tours • Kayaking & Canoeing
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6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Monday
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Full view
About
Family Adventure Charters specializes in Private Manatee Tours, Fishing Tours, Dolphin Tours, Kayak Rentals Eco Tours. Family Adventure Charters can accommodate large groups for specialized tours. Reservations recommended, but not required. Walk-ins and last minute tours requests are welcome. The boat is has an on board rest room & changing room. The boat is also pet friendly, child safe, handicap accessible. Our captains are USCG licensed, and excursions are in offshore cruiser, comfortable pontoon boat or large multi-passenger tour boat. Most charters are offered year round. Manatee charters are best during the winter months, and scalloping trips are limited to the July through Sept season. At Family Adventure Charters we strive to be the best. 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 the best. A Family Adventure Charter is much more than just a “tour" it is an experience to remember!
Crystal River, Florida
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Travelers' Choice
2022
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(274 reviews)
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
834 reviews
Excellent
766
Very good
39
Average
6
Poor
3
Terrible
20
ChuckNJudi
The Villages, FL3 contributions
Dec 2022 • Family
We took our grandson to swim with the manatees with Mark as our tour guide. It was a remarkable experience with our grandson’s ability to draw the baby manatees towards him like he could whisper to them! It was the thrill of a lifetime! And Mark was so knowledgeable and informative about the animals and their behaviors and habitat. We actually watched as a mother nursed her baby, which we were told she felt very trusting of our group that she would allow us close while she cared for her calf! We will be recommending this group tour to all our friends here in the Villages!!
Written December 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Bad night
Eustis, FL2 contributions
Jun 2022
What made this a memorable and enjoyable adventure was our guide, Randy. Above excellent, knowledgeable, witty, all-around good man. He guided us safely to a "sweet spot" for a 45-minute encounter with two manatees. Face to face, touch, swimming with these mammals will be long remembered. Our grandson was not afraid, quiet and followed Randy's instructions which made for other swims as well. My wife and grandson thank you Captain Randy!
CAPT MORGAN
CAPT MORGAN
Written June 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Erica P
1 contribution
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!
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.
Ashley H
Madeira Beach, FL5 contributions
Nov 2021 • Solo
I went on a manatee tour with this company for the first time in August with a pretty big crew and we had such a good time! So good of a time I came back yesterday and brought my dad! Captain Randy is awesome, knowledgeable and super cool! He taught us some pretty cool stuff about the area and about manatees in general. He found several super quickly while also avoiding very crowded areas (other tours had 10Plus people all trying to swim with 1-2 manatees, Randy found us a little family of 4 for a 4 person tour!) and while also avoiding high traffic areas. We had a blast and I’ll def be back for a third time with another friend or family member! Totally worth the 2 plus hour drive for me!
Written November 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
NSNK
Ilkley, UK7 contributions
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 .
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.
Harry W
20 contributions
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!
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.
TerryLu
The Villages, FL12 contributions
Oct 2021 • Couples
Got lucky finding this company after leaving 3 messages with another “fun dive” company who didn’t return my calls. I called to reserve as they don’t book on line. Captain Tim simply took my name & number to confirm our tour. They called me 2 hours prior to remind/double check we were still going since we didn’t have to pay in advance like other companies. I like this old fashioned way Of doing business. All staff were friendly, helpful and prompt. We were educated on laws regulating swimming with manatees, provided wet suits and masks. Both were clean & sanitized. Building & boat were also clean. They had nice dressing rooms for changing clothes after the dive.
It took a while to see our first pair of manatees but they weren’t interested in hanging around so we didn’t go in. Captain Tim knows his stuff. Toured us around beautiful Kings Bay and back canals until we finally found a few manatees. It was a wonderful experience in the water especially when one submerged for air 6” from me. From the boat, the Captain announced the directions to locate the cows for us while we were in the water which was so helpful. The trick is to stay quiet and just let them swim near you. It was an amazing activity to witness. We highly recommend this company.
It took a while to see our first pair of manatees but they weren’t interested in hanging around so we didn’t go in. Captain Tim knows his stuff. Toured us around beautiful Kings Bay and back canals until we finally found a few manatees. It was a wonderful experience in the water especially when one submerged for air 6” from me. From the boat, the Captain announced the directions to locate the cows for us while we were in the water which was so helpful. The trick is to stay quiet and just let them swim near you. It was an amazing activity to witness. We highly recommend this company.
Written October 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
No1Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA45 contributions
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
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.
Ann P
Killingworth, CT7 contributions
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.
Mayra M
1 contribution
May 2021 • Family
Our captain, Chaz, took us to the best places. We saw a mother and babie manatee. The baby swam right to us asking for a rub. It was fantastic. Captain C regaled us with stories of the surrounding area, islands and boats as he took us to others spots. Very entertaining. We will definitely use this charter again. Thank you Family Adventure Charters!!
Written May 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
How far in advance should you book your tour? We are visiting Florida in October 2017. Just want to be prepared!
Thanks
Una
Family_Charters
Crystal River, FL
I tell every one as soon as you know what day and time,I would go ahead and make a reservation. Thanks Capt.Tim
Alisa G
Roxboro, NC43 contributions
Is there a better time during the day to take the manatee tour (morning, late morning or afternoon)? We will be visiting in June.
Thanks!
Family_Charters
Crystal River, FL
Hello Alisa,
I always do recommend the early morning,(7:30 AM).Thanks Capt.Tim
Mommytraveler1022
Summit, MS32 contributions
Is their a minimum age requirement ?
ScubaSik
2 contributions
No. As far as we know all ages welcome, but it is snorkeling so they should know how to swim. They should also be mature and be able to follow directions. It is an absolutely amazing experience and everyone should be able to do it, but they are shy and gently creatures and must be respected.
brandy b
Birmingham, AL4 contributions
is there a website that is working for checking prices and such?
luvolympics
88 contributions
I believe it is $55.00. They do have a website or you can call them.
myturn
Philadelphia, PA23 contributions
I'm reading the bad reviews about Captain Tim smoking aboard the boat & shouting at people, but they were in 2013. It seems the more recent reviews are all good. Just wondering if things really have changed and it is a good tour to be on. Thanks
ScubaSik
2 contributions
I don't know anything about that, but our experience was second to none, Definitely give them a try. I honestly don't think you'll be sorry. Our experience was amazing, and we would do it again through them without hesitation.