I emailed this company, as told to, to request a refund for the sandbar portion of the boat trip I…read morepaid for, as I never received that service.
I booked and paid for a sandbar boat trip and snorkeling excursion. While we did attempt snorkeling, the weather and water conditions were extremely poor--choppy water, stormy weather, and very limited visibility. The conditions were so rough that it made us feel sick, and snorkeling itself was difficult. Some of the people on the boat only went in a few minutes because it was so choppy. We were told both on the phone and in person that we would be going to Alligator Reef, (another woman on the boat said she asked the guy at the counter for the tour if we were going to Alligator Reef and he said yes), but due to the conditions, this was not the experience we were promised.
Because of the weather, we were unable to go to the sandbar at all (rain, clouds, choppy water). In hindsight, the trip should not have gone out that day given the conditions, especially since the main destinations could not be accessed safely. WHICH WAS MOST LIKELY WHY WE WERE THE ONLY BOAT OUT ON THE WATER-- DIDN'T SEE ANOTHER BOAT THE ENTIRE TIME. The other thing- people snorkel in Florida because it's warm and clear. This day was raining, choppy, murky and cold!
We were offered the option to return the following day by Jerry (Wednesday the 14th) for the sandbar. However, when we came back, the weather was again bad, and your staff advised that you likely would not be going out. This resulted in another wasted trip, and ultimately, we never received the sandbar portion of the experience we paid for. I was then told I could use the sandbar trip on a future visit, but I live in California and do not have plans to return, making that option unrealistic.
To be clear, I did not request a refund for the entire excursion (although, I really should)--only for the sandbar portion, since that service was never provided. Even though we purchased the snorkel sand bar trip, they take you out on the boat to snorkel, make you come all the way back in to pick up more people, then go all the way back out again, so half your trip is just chartering people. That wasn't the issue (just putting that in here for others so that they know). It was so cold and choppy and nauseating that there is no way someone should be going to the sandbar! I was hoping we would have been able to resolve this directly and professionally, but the company didn't respond. It was not a fun environment for snorkeling, and clearly the company went out anyways because it's a business and they care more about your money than your experience. It was freezing and nauseating. After speaking to several employees at our hotel, they said that the company should never have taken any of us out that day and that the boating company often promise things and underdeliver and that they don't personally recommend that company to people that come in. I wish I had not booked ahead of time and spoke to someone onsite first.
Also we have only one photo on the boat because it was so choppy that people were having trouble standing up to take a photo!
I gave 1 star because the two men captaining the boat were fabulous and although they had to take us out by force, they were good at explaining how to snorkel and tried to make the most of it. When asked if we were going to Alligator Reef like promised, they said, "Look out there, it's pouring, it's bad here but it will be way worse out there."