Gator Park

Mixed review - The ride was far shorter than we imagined. The guide was going through his script very monotone, no humor and appeared to hate his job. Tips are expected for the guides (we didn't know or bring any cash) and he stood next to the boat with his hand out after our short 29 minute ride expecting us to pay more than the $140 we had already paid.

NOW - the educational show with John, saved the day. He appeared to love his job and was incredibly engaging. We all learned quite a bit and were so pleased with this portion of the day. His customer service and demonstration were one of the highest points on the trip.

Overall, we expected the trip to Gator Park to take half the day but we were done in less than 90 minutes. Perhaps the personalized tours are better, but based on our experience I would not go back.

We were really looking forward to this experience as a must do on our trip to Florida. We were disappointed at the extremely unfriendly staff. The reception staff did not want to answer any questions ( about park fees as we were heading into National park after and did not want to pay twice).
The boat driver was grumpy and complained when I asked for ear muffs for my 2 young children, having seen the child behind with them. He grumbled " this is what happens when you start giving one out" . He had a whole box of life vests and ear muffs a few steps away.
The ride was short and he was very uninformative. We stopped for a bit and he just said "stand up, have a look around and do you have any questions". Well how about you tell us something to ask questions about. It was like pulling teeth.
There was no show on offer and still the same price.
On reflection we did choose this place as it was cheaper than the operation just further out along the road and you get what you pay for.
On a positive note we did see Alligators but the attitude of the staff and short ride made it a terrible experience.
I would not recommend it.

Large airboats that are great for groups taking a short tour of the Everglades close to Miami. Location is about half an hour from the airport and you can get there via Uber or Lyft. We saw alligators several birds and turtles and great views of the sawgrass. Cute gift shop with some interesting items and they sell beer. Our guide Chuck was very knowledgeable, funny and importantly easy to hear with earplugs in and over the engine noise. For your ticket you also get an animal show with some alligators scorpions and toads. The show is very funny and well rehearsed adding value to your purchase. Couple of points: there is currently a lot of construction on the road slow down when you get near so you don't miss the sharp hard to see left to the entrance. You will need to pay a park fee in the shop before you can join the tour in addition to your ticket costs. Finally phone service is spotty but they do have WiFi so you can get a ride back. Overall a nice way to spend a couple of hours and see some Florida wildlife we'd recommend.

I read the review below mine I feel like we were a part of the same trip. It was way too fast and wished it was a bit longer. The ride itself was soooo much fun and so smooth. There was fish and wildlife officers there and prevented us from the taking the ride for over a half an hour and I don't know if that effected our ride time. Plus our driver was quick to say here a bird and there's 1 gator. I figured we would go searching for more.

Good thing for the Show ~ John was amazing ~ he informed us on the anatomy, the life cycle & the social skills of the Alligators and even the difference between them and the Saltwater Crocodiles that share the Everglades.