It's Manatee time again for us so I'm posting my list of questions I ask an operator
before I book a tour.
1. Is your shop on the water with it's boats docked nearby? If no, is the boat at least
docked and do you provide free transportation to it?
2. Is there any difference in your tours now vs in the winter? If no, does that mean encounter with Manatees will be identical?
3. Do your boat drivers ask for tips? If yes, can you recommend a company where tipping option is left to the customer?
4. Do you actually own the rental properties/hotel rooms you book for us? If not, who does and can we try to get our own rate?
5. If the tour requires us to follow a trailer with a boat on it to the launch site for Manatees, is this time deducted from our overall tour time? Is there a dedicated (not public bathroom) place to change from wet wetsuit to dry clothes before we drive back to shop if free transportation is not provided?
6. Are there any safety issues for the kids on the public boat ramps while the boat is being dropped off the trailer? And, if we are not comfortable with this, can you recommend any tour companies with boats docked at the marina or that provide free transportation to the marina where the boats are docked.
There are many companies and most are pretty big so we try to optimize the safety/tour time/convenience items since after all, the Manatees are Manatees and all the companies use the same ones.
Major (ret)
before I book a tour.
1. Is your shop on the water with it's boats docked nearby? If no, is the boat at least
docked and do you provide free transportation to it?
2. Is there any difference in your tours now vs in the winter? If no, does that mean encounter with Manatees will be identical?
3. Do your boat drivers ask for tips? If yes, can you recommend a company where tipping option is left to the customer?
4. Do you actually own the rental properties/hotel rooms you book for us? If not, who does and can we try to get our own rate?
5. If the tour requires us to follow a trailer with a boat on it to the launch site for Manatees, is this time deducted from our overall tour time? Is there a dedicated (not public bathroom) place to change from wet wetsuit to dry clothes before we drive back to shop if free transportation is not provided?
6. Are there any safety issues for the kids on the public boat ramps while the boat is being dropped off the trailer? And, if we are not comfortable with this, can you recommend any tour companies with boats docked at the marina or that provide free transportation to the marina where the boats are docked.
There are many companies and most are pretty big so we try to optimize the safety/tour time/convenience items since after all, the Manatees are Manatees and all the companies use the same ones.
Major (ret)