Florida Sightseeing Cruises
River Cruises in Florida
Intercoastal Waterway Tours in Florida
Joanne Thomas, Leaf Group Updated May 30, 2018
Pontoon Boat Tours in Vero Beach, Florida
Boat Tours on the St. Johns River, Florida
The 3,000-mile Intracoastal Waterway, and in particular its extensive stretches along Florida's Atlantic and Gulf coasts, is a remarkable route for pleasure boating. Its waters are calm and sun-drenched, rich with wildlife and showcase scenery that's diverse yet consistently spectacular. Visitors to Florida's coastal destinations, whether it's a major city such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Tampa, or a smaller beach town, can discover the waterway's charms by taking a boat tour. Custom charters, fishing trips and adventure tours by kayak or canoe are options, but the most popular and widely available type of tour is a regularly scheduled public cruise. Tour companies offering such excursions throughout Florida easily number in the hundreds, but you can quickly narrow down your options by location and style of cruise.
Sightseeing and Dining Cruises For a Memorable Meal
Brunch, lunch and dinner cruises on the Intracoastal Waterway are a popular excursion in every tourist town along Florida's coasts. Majestic Princess Cruises out of Palm Beach has public sightseeing cruises departing daily, with options including lunch and sunset dinner cruises, and some with live entertainment on board. The yacht takes you south to West Palm Beach, passing by Peanut Island and Palm Beach Island before turning around at the Flagler Memorial Bridge. Delray Yacht Cruises has two vessels, the 105-foot Lady Atlantic and 90-foot Lady Delray, that cruise south from Delray Beach to Boca Raton on a two-hour narrated voyage. These types of cruises typically offer a choice of air-conditioned indoor seating and outdoor viewing decks, and focus on viewing both wildlife and the spectacular mansions and mega-yachts that line certain stretches of the Intracoastal Waterway.
For a more intimate experience, Get Excited Adventures, based in South Florida, offers half-day private tours on a 48-foot yacht that go past Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale and include gourmet meals and an open bar. You have the option to customize these cruises with swimming, fishing or snorkeling.
Paddlewheeler Cruises For Nostalgic Pleasure
Paddlewheeler cruises, available from several Florida cities, offer a nostalgic experience on an ornate, multi-decked riverboat complete with tall smokestacks and revolving paddlewheel. There's the 85-passenger Indian River Queen based in Cocoa Beach. It offers two-hour dinner and party cruises on the Indian River Lagoon, an ecologically rich section of the Intracoastal Waterway where you might spot manatees and dolphins. Departing from Fort Myers is J.C. Cruises' The Capt. JP paddlewheeler, which cruises 65 miles down the waterway, through the Franklin Lock and under the circa-1903 Tice Railroad Bridge. Guests enjoy a buffet lunch or dinner, music and dancing while admiring waterfront mansions and looking out for manatees and eagles. The Fort Lauderdale-based Jungle Queen has carried passengers on the waterway since 1935. One cruise option includes a visit to a tropical island to see an alligator show, lemurs and monkeys; another includes an all-you-can-eat barbecue followed by a variety show.
Eco-Tours For Spotting Wildlife
Some Intracoastal Waterway tours focus specifically on wildlife and the waterway's ecology, mostly in less developed sections of the coast. Blue Heron River Tours has a custom vessel, Great Blue, designed for quietly exploring the backwaters of the St. Johns River, about half-way between Orlando and Daytona Beach. Their two-hour cruise takes you close to the manatee refuge at Blue Spring State Park, where you might also see alligators, turtles and wading birds. The Manatee, based on the barrier island of Ponce Inlet, takes you 25 miles down the mangrove-lined shores of the Indian River at sunset. In addition to spotting dolphins, manatees and birds, you'll admire the Ponce de Leon Lighthouse and learn about the history of the waterway.
Pirate-Themed Cruises For Family Fun
Pirate-themed cruises designed for families are a fun, unforgettable option among Intracoastal Waterway tours available in Florida. Bluefoot Pirates in Fort Lauderdale takes families out on a hunt for pirate's treasure with a crew that includes Captain Moe, Skinny Pete, Silver Beard and Barnacle Bill. Guests are welcome to dress like a pirate, learn pirate talk, shoot water cannons and participate in other interactive fun. In Clearwater Beach, Captian Memo's pirate cruise is a similar experience, complete with dolphin-spotting, face-painting, water gun games and entertainment by the pirate crew.
Encyclopedia Britannica: Intracoastal Waterway
Indian River Queen: Public Cruises
The Manatee: Home Page
Captain Memo's Pirate Cruise: Home Page
Delray Yacht Cruises: Public Cruises
Get Excited Adventures: Intracoastal Mansion Cruise
J.C. Cruises: Home Page
Manatee Queen: Tours
Blue Heron River Tours: Home Page
Joanne Thomas has worked as a writer and editor for print and online publications since 2004. As a specialist in travel, she has penned pieces for USAToday.com, Carnival Cruise Line, Travelocity and the San Francisco Travel Association, among other names. She has lived on three continents and currently resides in California. Thomas holds a bachelor's degree in politics from the University of Bristol, U.K.
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