Best start to our vacation!! After driving all night for 12 hrs, we booked a dolphin cruise for our first activity in Gulf Shores. We didn't have super high expectations, to be honest, but we were pleasantly surprised by how great it was! We bought discounted tickets on Groupon, then redeemed them on the Blue Dolphin Cruises website. We came 30 minutes early and walked on to the boat. The boat has snacks and drinks for reasonable prices and they take cards to pay! There's also a bathroom, which is great when you have kids. All kids 8 yrs old and under have to wear the provided life jackets. You can sit inside or outside. The captain was awesome! He gave a history of the area and interesting facts as we rode out to the bay. We saw several dolphins!! It was very exciting, especially for the kids. In all, the ride was around 1 1/2 to 2 hrs long. I would definitely recommend this activity! Be sure to bring a little cash to tip the staff if you enjoy your time read more

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From beginning to end this was fun for the 10 people in our family - ages 10 to 72! Captain Buddy is a real pro at this. Lots of dolphin and he knows where they are. The prices are very reasonable, especially for the time we were on the water. Our deck hand was an excellent guest services person. Not a single disappointed person that I saw. Smiles everywhere. I would go again (and again). read more

Blue Dolphin Cruises - Before we left - very clean boat. About 40 people on our cruise. - Boating Near Me - Pensacola, Florida

Exceptional! Better than we expected. We probably got to see about 40 dolphins some in a distance, some swimming right up to the boat and being playful, turning looking back at us, showing us their belly and swimming around for a while. The captain and deck mate. Boat has seating on the inside and outside with standing area in the front to look out for dolphins. Seemed longer than 90 minutes. read more

The weather might not have been ideal, however, the tour was sublime. We saw dolphins and had a great tour. The crew was nice and the boat was comfortable. Plus, after the tour we were able to watch the Blue Angels practice right over the dock. What a perfect outing. read more

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Easy reservation system and they send an email reminder. Plenty of safe parking at the marina. Captain Morgan was a perfect balance of knowledge and humor. Boat was clean and had snacks/drinks available for purchase. Great trip!!! read more

So I know it's not their fault when you can't find dolphins, but there are def improvements that could be made. The life jackets for the kids are disgusting. Basically moldy. The bathroom on the boat is horrible. There is a pair of tongs hanging in there that's rusty and super gross. No idea why. We saw maybe 5 dolphins in the 1.5 hour ride. They didn't pull up crab traps, and kids got Mardi Gras beads at the end. They canceled our first reservation yesterday because of not enough people signed up and we moved it to 4pm same day. Huge storm came and I called and the guy said he was canceling the 4p cruise and asked if I could come tomorrow. We made it to the 9am, but I had to call to find the place and they had no idea we were coming. Pretty disappointed in the whole deal. Def could have spent our time and money on something else. I rarely leave bad reviews, but this was not good. read more

Amazing experience! I have never seen so many dolphins before and I have lived in Florida for 20 years! Everyone was really friendly and knowledgeable. I got some amazing pictures as well. I would recommend this cruise to anyone! It was an amazing value and we started seeing dolphins the minute we pulled away from the dock. read more

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Blue Dolphin Cruises is aptly named! Not only did they get us in the middle numerous schools of dolphins but were amazingly staffed. Their boat was clean and well maintained. I can't say enough about first mate Garry and Capt. Buddy. They were fun, funny, approachable, knowledgeable and were the difference between a moderate tour and the exemplary one that we experienced. Thanks for a great experience for our family!! read more

I booked a cruise weeks in advance. Today, as I'm about to drive away to the beach, I check my email for all my confirmations and see that a refund was issued last night, with no explanation? My money will be back on my card in 30 days. Well after the vacation! From the reviews, it looks like others have had great cruises, but as someone who plans ahead this is more than disappointing! read more

We were very disappointed. We booked what was billed as a "Sunset cruise". We saw dolphins which was fun but not our main intent. We had a dolphin cruise booked the next day. We wanted to enjoy a causal sunset cruise like the ad said "Come enjoy the beautiful sunsets of Orange Beach on the most comfortable dolphin watching boat in the area!" Just as the sunset started we turned back and drove fast back to the marina. The sunset happed behind us. There is no seating area not even any standing area at the back of the boat. We also understood there was supposed to be beer and wine available for purchase. No wine only beer. I would suggest not calling this a sunset cruise if you're not going to stay for the sunset. read more

Blue Dolphin Cruises - Boating Near Me - Pensacola, Florida

The captain got us on several pods of dolphins and took the time to explain what we were seeing. I would recommend!

This was our last day in Florida. It was even better coming here. This was our first ever dolphin cruise. The boat was quite comfortable, the crew was friendly, even the passengers were nice. It was a great day with watching the dolphins! Just bring plenty of sunblock! read more

This place was so much fun. It's great for kids and adults, and you get WAY more than your money's worth here. Snacks are offered on the boat, and the crew is beyond fun. The kids walk away with souvenirs, and even get to spot a treasure chest floating in the water and watch as they hoist it up, open it, and reveal the loot! There's a great history lesson involved, too. By far the best thing we did in Gulf Shores as a family. Saw tons and tons of dolphins, too. Do it! read more

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Seems like a really great company. Really enjoyed the captain and the boat was a nice ride. ...We just didn't see many dolphins. None got up close. And not many wanted to visit with tourists this day. It was in early February. Not much the company can do, but it was disappointing. I would check em out when it is more of a dolphin season. read more

Everyone was so nice. Deffinately a must do when youre down there. Check out the extravagant homes too above all that was mentioned on the other review. Our 2 hr cruise turned into about 3 but we didnt mind at all. We were watching lots of dolphins! read more

This is our third year in a row booking with Captain Buddy. They're great tour guides: personable and friendly, and working with them is like working with a family owned local business, as the owner of the company drives the boat and answers all your questions etc. We've seen a lot of dolphins and one time only a couple, but there's no guarantee of dolphins no matter who you book with. I'd definitely recommend them and look forward to coming back year after year. read more

Great cruise last night. Our family saw many dolphins and the captain and his deckhand were great fun. Very relaxed atmosphere, accommodating for young families as there is a restroom on board and an air conditoned seating area. The kids even got a little surprise at the end of the tour. Very kind and thoughtful. I recommend taking your family on this cruise. Thank You for the great experience!!!! read more

Really friendly staff and they're great with the kids. Only thing I underestimated as a parent was the kids under 8 to wear life vests. That added to the heat for my 4 year old so we ended up inside. Overall though a great experience. Would recommend. read more

Our experience at Blue Dolphin Cruises was great. They were very accommodating and made the experience extra special for the kids. We saw several dolphins and were thoroughly pleased with our time there. read more

I went on an amazing cruise with my daughters today. Captain Bubba was an awesome guide. Not only did he point out areas of interest, he shared his knowledge of dolphins with the group. We saw a huge amount of dolphins on this cruise! Definitely would recommend this cruise to anyone! read more

Took my godchildren while on vacation at a nearby beach. The first day our trip was cut short by a nasty storm and the 12 year old, who had been waiting on pins and needles to see a dolphin up close, didn't get to see anything. The captain was happy to let us ride again the next day and she was able see dolphins play along side the boat. We got to enjoy a Corona and the kids had ice cream. The five year old even got to hunt for a sunken treasure. All around a good run with great scenery. read more

We went on the 9am cruise and saw so many dolphins! We enjoyed it so much! The boat was nice and spacious. The captain and deck hand was super nice. I really enjoyed how they interacted with other dolphin cruises to let each other know where the pods were at the time. read more

Captain Buddy and his crew did a great job! Very friendly and helpful. My father has Parkinson's, this cruise is great for people needing extra help. We saw quite a few Dolphins. Well worth the money. Everyone had a great time. read more

Great dolphin tour. Captain and his assistant were professional and courteous, multiple dolphin sightings during the boat ride. With the Groupon deal a must do when visiting the area! read more

We definitely enjoyed the experience. The boat ride was smooth and had snacks and refreshments. Saw more then a dozen dolphin. Came right up to the boat. Worth the money. read more

The staff was friendly, the price is great, and we saw a lot of dolphins. Perfect afternoon for the family! read more

Blue Dolphin Cruises - Boating Near Me - Pensacola, Florida

Made reservations for 10am we were there at 5 minutes til and the lady at the office came to the car telling us to run to dock the boat was leaving. Got to dock and boat captain started yelling that we were supposed to get here at 9.30. no where in the website does it say 9.30 did not make the trip but was charged anyway. Lodged complaint with cc company. Had we been told 9.30 we would have been thee.not a family trip unless you want your children to be exposed to rude people alcohol on this boat Visited June 2015 read more

This was lame. We got close to 1 dolphin when we almost ran it over, but we saw about as many on the boat as we did from the condo just before we left. They try to make it good, adding a little extra at the end for the kids, but I think it's to make up for the lame ride. read more

We saw lots dolphins, and the air conditioned cab was a huge plus. There is a concession on board, so bring a little cash. Tip: As you're returning and first hit the no wake zone on the edge of Ono Island, try to head outside and get toward the front of the boat. When they recover the buried treasure, your kiddos will be right there. If they're as lucky as we were, they'll get to open it up for everyone! read more

This summer my family wanted to have the trip of a lifetime for my sister. She is fighting terminal cancer and it was her dream to take her daughter to the beach at least one time before it got to where she could no longer travel and to see dolphins while on the trip. We decided to book a sunset cruise with Blue Dolphin Cruises. We had the absolute best time while on the cruise. The captain of the boat made sure my sister was the first one up to see the dolphins when we got to the area. They were swimming all around the boat and we saw so many of them it was crazy. You could not ask for a nicer crew and better experience then the one we had. They were very knowledgeable of the area was exceptional. On the way back into port they had a surprise set up for the kids on board. A small treasure chest was floating that the "pirates lost" and after capturing the chest the kids opened it to find treasures for each of them. I will definitely book my next tour with this company because it was such a great experience. Thumbs up all the way! read more

I went on the sunset dolphin cruise with my 2 kids, mother and grandmother and we had a really great time. Captain Bubba really took his time finding the dolphins- there were a couple other dolphin cruise boats going the same places as us at first but then Capt. Bubba hung around and let them go past us, and we found a huge pod with a lot of dolphins. I really liked how he hung back and just let the dolphins get used to us so we could observe them- several other boats seemed to find a couple dolphins, then try to create a wake by speeding up to get dolphins to jump through them. The boat was comfortable- though we did a sunset cruise, I could definitely see how having an air-conditioned indoor section would make an afternoon cruise more comfortable. My son also really loved the pirate story and got *really* excited when we found the pirate treasure- it was a neat touch that none of the other dolphin cruises offered, for the same price as the other cruises. I would definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a dolphin cruise in the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area. read more