Our experience with Breakaway Cruises was terrible and completely unprofessional. We arrived at 2:00 PM to schedule and pay for a 4:00 PM jet ski reservation for three jet skis for our group of six. We spent about 20 minutes completing paperwork and talking with Coral, who told us to be back by 3:45 PM. We left to change and returned at 3:35 PM, ready for our ride. Instead, Coral told us the 3:00 PM group had "just arrived late" and we'd now have to wait until 5:00 PM. That's completely unacceptable. Even if her story was true and they really were the 3:00 PM group, they were late. Breakaway Cruises should have canceled or delayed them--not us, who showed up on time and followed every instruction. On top of that, I overheard Coral speaking with the other group, and it didn't sound like they were late at all. It felt more like Breakaway Cruises was overbooking to make extra money and shifting people around to cover it up. I even heard Coral asking another group whether they had evening plans--more evidence of double-booking (her knowing they would make them wait past their scheduled time). We asked Coral to let us go as scheduled or cancel the other party. She claimed to agree with us but did nothing. She refused to let us speak with a manager. Instead, she offered us "inventory" jet skis that had been sitting in storage. Why should we get older, potentially less safe equipment when we did everything right? The other group should have been inconvenienced, not us (that is if they were really "late"). We ultimately left without riding because we didn't feel safe using equipment that might not have been recently serviced. Breakaway Cruises clearly doesn't care about customers' time, safety, or money. They're unethical, careless, and willing to lie or overbook to boost profits. I would absolutely not recommend them. read more

Customer service here was honestly terrible. The lady working the front kept jumping between customers without actually finishing with anyone. It was super disorganized and frustrating. She gave me a form to fill out but it had someone else's full information on it, including their ID. That's a huge privacy issue. I asked when I first got there what the requirements were for riding a jet ski and she told me there were no hidden fees. After waiting around 40 minutes and filling out everything, she suddenly tells us we need a boating permit that costs another 10 to 15 dollars. That should have been mentioned from the start. Overall a really unprofessional experience. I wouldn't come back or recommend this place to anyone. read more

The employees are stuck up and rude, don't know how to run a fishing trip, have tremendously bad attitudes, and are incredibly unprofessional. We will never be returning. It is utterly ridiculous how they treat their guests. What a pitiful and pathetic service rendered to us. read more

Henry Ii s the best. Support local. Support conservation. Intimate. Knowledgeable. FUN! read more

Breakaway Cruises - Boat pic - Boat Charters Near Me - South Padre Island, Texas

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what a fun activity to do! we saw plenty of dolphins and had a great time!! the total time is about 1 and a half hours - it's a bit slow coming out to the dolphin area so don't get too ahead of yourself, sit back and relax! along they way they shared fun facts and about the island and what we passed so it was nice to pass the time that way! we also made a stop at bird island and it was cool to see all the different species! for the dolphins you basically come out to their feeding grounds and yell / clap / whistle to attract them! so be prepared for a lot of noise!!! i think when i did a cruise last year we drove fast and the dolphins would jump in our wake, but this you're pretty much standing still to see them come out! the ride back was nice and a bit faster than the way over but it was nice seeing all the water front houses. i'd definitely recommend this for an activity while in SPI, it was probably my favorite thing that we did! and super reasonable at $18 for that time frame! read more

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This Dolphin Watch was a fun experience and everyone should do this at least once in their lifetime. The waiting space was okay but could use a little expansion because of the traffic from those purchasing tickets to those preparing to board. It was very chaotic. The young lady at the kiosk was friendly but we had to tell her that we needed out tickets. It seemed as if she just started working for the company and may not have known a lot about the cruise. Smaller groups should be allowed to board before larger groups. The tour guide was good but could use some coaching and being more vocal during the trip. In other words, he needs to say more about whatever spots may be of importance. The tour itself was interesting and fun but, we ended up on the second floor which meant that we were directly under the sun. It was super hot yet beautiful and seeing the dolphins was obviously the highlight of our day. My family and I enjoyed our cruise and it would've given them 5 stars if: 1) The tickets for the drinks was clear because it seemed that they were Disingenuous with their explanation. Explain how many tickets is needed for regular drinks versus alcoholic beverage would've been helpful. 2) Die to the scorching heat, adding a retractable covering for the top would be beneficial for the boat and most importantly for the passengers read more

We had an amazing time snorkeling on the Xplorer! The staff was great and accommodating. We were out for a full two hours. Great time!

While on vacation in south Padre island we booked a cruise here. We decided to do a morning cruise and we are so glad we did!! The island is very quiet in the morning since everyone sleeps in on vacation. There was supposed to be another group of 5 people on our snorkeling cruise, but they canceled. So we went out with the cruise by ourselves. We had Capitan Woody and two young kids who were learning. They all did an excellent job! Our kiddos are pretty young and this is the first time seeing the ocean. So they weren't too keen on getting into the choppy water. We tried and they weren't having it. I was thinking that we just wasted our money and my husband and I wouldn't get to do any snorkeling that day. But the crew was awesome and kept the kids entertained by letting them feed the fish, while we took a look around! They had a blast! We had a blast! And it was all because of the crew! After watching us for awhile all this kids wanted to try again! And we got them all to come back in and put their faces in the water. We could hear their little giggles through the snorkels as they spotted fish! Thank you guys for the wonderful memories! read more

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TLDR: Be careful! The tour may not be what you think it is. Day 1: We arrived early for an eco tour where they bring wildlife onto the boat with a net. but were told it was only a dolphin tour. The kids were disappointed, but we enjoyed the dolphin tour. The captains were informative and funny, despite some disorganization at the front desk. I inquired about the eco tour and was told to come back the next day. Day 2: We arrived early again for the eco tour but were told it wasn't happening and the next dolphin tour was hours away. The kids were upset. I asked to make reservations for the next day, and they agreed to save us a spot on the eco tour where they bring life up with a net. Day 3: To avoid disappointment, we called an hour in advance to confirm our eco tour reservation, which they confirmed. We arrived and mentioned our reservation. They let us pay for our reservation which was more expensive than our last tour. After we paid right before we were supposed to board, they said there was no eco tour and it's another dolphin tour and told us a refund was impossible. So frustrating!!! read more

It's a dump. Boats are crap. Captain is rude, foul language, thinks he owns the place. Music on boat is so loud. Can't enjoy the cruise. No effort in making the entryway nice. Dirty. Just overall a dump. Much better cruise's available on the island and Port Isabel. Only good thing is the restaurant. read more

My Dad and I recently did an afternoon bay fishing trip and I would recommend it. We went from 2-5 and the fish were biting. The boat was spacious and not too rough. Plenty of poles and bait. Friendly staff and crew. We'd go again. read more

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Got my snorkeling trip cancelled twice even after rescheduling and had to have the dolphin watch tour rescheduled as well since it was cancelled for the original date. Unreliable, only saw one dolphin too, very disappointing.. read more

This company will say they are putting a reservation and not charge your card but then they actually charge your card. We made a reservation and it was canceled due to bad weather and then rescheduled at the end of the month memorial weekend for Saturday and they called us to tell us that there was not enough people . Then they told us that we can reserve another day but we do not live here we live upstate 6 hours away and already had to change our plans now twice. Th en they proceeded to tell us they did charge our card and do not give back money for reservations. Do not trust them. I am only giving them two stars bc they stated we can reserve again but do not trust do not give them your card for "reserving hold only" they will charge it . read more

The best part of this trip was Greg and Cesar. They were amazing guides and crew. Friendly and super interactive! However, the view sucked for snorkeling. Not a good location at all. The bottom is covered in sea grass (I know it's the ocean but there are other spots to snorkel.) and i saw a handful of tiny fish and some hermit crabs. Definitely wasn't the best snorkeling trip I've been on. Also, the website states there is fresh fruit and lemonade/water. Wrong. There was only lemonade. read more

Breakaway Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - South Padre Island, Texas

The web site says fruit and lemonade or water is included. We were never offered either and when I asked for some water to rinse off my mask is when one of the guides said we don't have water we have lemonade. They give you a small plastic cup of lemonade. He never offered any fruit. I only saw them throw pieces of oranges over the side to feed the fish. While snorkeling I saw one of their plastic cups stuck in the sea grass. How sad. They could use something degradable. And when taking people out into the sun how can you not offer water. I was also dismayed to hear them say "take any shells you want. And if there is a hermit crab inside feel free to evict them". I had to watch as a couple came on board with numerous shells and they ripped out the crabs and threw them over board. If every one takes the shells and kills the crabs what do I have to look at while snorkeling. It's not the fish. I saw two kinds of fish. It was a very disappointing trip. We were in the water for about an hour and a half. We spent more time going back to port. They take a long way back, past houses and and a very slow speed. They take a group picture at the beginning then charge you $8 to buy it. The crew seemed nice but didn't offer up any instructions or even offer up the drink. I didn't see anywhere to rinse off and if there was it was never mentioned. Overall very disappointing. read more

Breakaway Cruises - Snorkeling area shallow with sea grass - Boat Charters Near Me - South Padre Island, Texas

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Nice evening out on the ship. Asked if you want to order a beer or drinks. I did see one group who brought their own wine and cups. Nice evening watching out for dolphins; we saw about five! Relaxing little trip. read more

Breakaway Cruises - Nice little trip! Relaxing Saturday evening . - Boat Charters Near Me - South Padre Island, Texas

We had a fantastic time on our dolphin watching tour. Our captain was Evi and Austin. They did a great job. We saw a lot of dolphins and when we saw a manti ray up close that was the highlight of the tour. We actually saw 3 or 4. Absolutely amazing!!! read more

ZERO STARS!!! We had our card on file to purchase tickets but said that we would be back. She said it wouldn't be used until we confirmed. We didn't make it back to the boat and they charged us anyway. They refused a refund. Not good business. They knew we weren't there. They said they tried to call us but we didn't get a call. If we weren't there, WHY CHARGE US??? read more

ZERO STARS!!! I would actually give 0 stars. Booked online for 4pm and got a call the they needed to move us to 7pm because they didn't have the 15 needed to go. They then called and cancelled the 7pm and said to call back the next day to rebook. Have NOT been able to reach them by phone or via email. This is a scam!! It's my fault I didn't read these other reviews prior to booking. DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY!!! read more

We had a great expeirience snorkeling. The captain was great and very personable with a great music playlist the whole time. We didn't see much but that's not really their fault, just the luck of the water. only disappointment was that we did the 10am-1pm trip and like others have mentioned, the website says that fruit and drinks were provided and included in the cost and we didn't have any of that. Would've also liked to been given a demonstration before hand bc there was a bit of a learning curve but when we asked, the capt and crewman were very helpful. Good vibe, good time and good crew though. read more

After a great trip for the dolphin cruise we had a horrible experience with the immature staff. We booked the snorkeling trip and were told that we need 6 people to go. I offered to buy out the boat and they said it wasn't necessary. FFWD to day of the trip. They canceled 1 hour before we were supposed to arrive. Joe, the GM tried to resolve it, but his teenage staff had already botched our trip. The management of this group is great, but their reputation is being ruined by their staff on the ground. read more

Victor and crew were great. We took a 12:00-1:30 cruise in Dec. recommend being in the top deck, great views all around and just nice to be out on the water with greedy views of the bay and dolphins. read more

Breakaway Cruises - Dolphins along side boat - Boat Charters Near Me - South Padre Island, Texas

Dolphin tour was spot on nice and family friendly. The captain and deckhands, like David, really did a nice job to make this a pleasant simple trip for the day. You cannot control when the dolphins and pods show up but they know where to navigate to them. They kept the cruise smooth, humorous, fun, educational, and a nice getaway on the water. - very affordable - clean and professional staff - they don't make it feel like they are "turn and burn" tours - the vessel was clean and comfortable (I have been on many) when compared to the other "turn and burn" your companies in the area *pro tip* make reservations online and it speeds it up read more

This is a great local company. My family is visiting from Kentucky for the next several months and we've gone on the sunset/dolphin and the bay fishing cruises. We had a blast both times. Capt Henry and Capt Justin were both friendly and informative. We especially enjoyed the staff with their willingness to help and (again) friendliness. The fishing trip didn't start out too well due to the weather (not their fault) but it got better and we especially laughed when the capt played Gilligan's Island song when it got a little rough LOL. We're definitely looking at scheduling a deep-sea trip with them. I highly recommend them :) read more

Breakaway Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - South Padre Island, Texas

Took the snorkel cruise. Shore staff was super nice. Boat staff was excellent, knowledgeable, nice and helpful. I was surprised with depth of knowledge about the ocean creatures. Wasn't really expecting much for a snorkel in shallow waters and 10-20 foot visibility. Nice touch to bring creatures aboard and watch them to learn more. Tried a full face mask with snorkel built into it and actually liked it (and I'm a SCUBA diver). Fins were ok. Had to look to find the right size and they were a bit small but functional. Limited snacks. Clean, functional and well driven boat. read more

What a wonderful crew. This is hands down the best fishing guides we have had in a long time. Pickle, Oscar, Victor were personable, engaging, friendly, helpful, and showed that Texas hospitality we all love. We went on the 7-10pm fishing trip and between 5 of us we caught about 167 fish in total. These were speckled trout, whiting, sand trout and crockers. I am by no means a good fisher or educated well on the waters, but they took the time to teach us, and make us all laugh during the trip. Great fishing spot, great genuinely happy people! We will be doing this again next time we come down here. -Mikala and Alex read more

Awesome awesome dolphin watch !!!!! Great knowledgeable staff!!! Eco tour was so so informative. Jaime & Robert were so well informed friendly and polite!! I found my new dolphin watch headquarters!!!!! read more

Breakaway Cruises - Pics captured aboard :) - Boat Charters Near Me - South Padre Island, Texas

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I am surprised about these comments and reviews. We went on sunset dolphin tour and fireworks cruise. The boat was full. The staff was incredible. The ride was very safe and there were a lot of families on the trip including two twin infants. I never felt once like the trip was unsafe. read more

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Dolphin Tour- 10 out of 10 recommend! I've done the dolphin tour with them before but this time we had Captain Cap'N Crunch- absolutely amazing! He's very educated and made sure we all had a great time! We will definitely be back! read more

Breakaway Cruises - Sunset - Boat Charters Near Me - South Padre Island, Texas

My friends and I went on the sunset dolphin sighting cruise. The tour guides were entertaining and so were the deck hands. Shout out to Josia for telling great stories!!! It's only $9 a person if you get a Groupon which is a great deal!! The sunset cruise is byob or you can purchase refreshments. The only downside is that this company does not do rain-checks, no matter the reason. Other than that, I definitely recommend this cruise. I'm not sure why this has low reviews. read more

Breakaway Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - South Padre Island, Texas

We were part of a group of 43 couples who came for a Shrimp boil and 3 hour cruise on March 15, 2022. The website states it is an all you can eat shrimp boil including beer, wine, water and sodas. We were given a tax-included price quote. What we received was much different. The 3 hour cruise turned out to be just over 2 hours. The 'all you can eat shrimp boil' consisted of 3-4 shrimp, 1-2 slices of sausage about 1/4" thick, a 'slice' of corn about 1-2 kernels thick, stale bread, 1-2 small pieces of potato and 2-3 small cubes of melon (if you got in line early enough to get some). And, all of it was stone cold. There was NO diet soda to be found anywhere on the boat. The only redeeming part of the experience was the crew. They ran their backsides off for all of us. Then, the icing on the cake was when they charged us $5 per person more than we were quoted. We contacted their office repeatedly and finally received a return call 5 days later with no resolution. Their representative would simply respond 'you got a boat ride didn't you?' and 'the person who gave you the quote is no longer with us'. Well that is simply an unacceptable response. We weren't asking for special favors, we simply wanted what was promised. As a result, I cannot recommend this company. They do not live up to their promises and their customer service is deplorable. If you insist on this company, demand an itemized list of products and services being provided and an 'all inclusive' price quote per person. Don't expect anything that isn't in writing. read more

So our plans were ruined because their employees failed to properly disclose the requirements for booking a jet ski rental. Then they booked us for snorkeling the following day, and also cancelled due to staffing shortages. Staff didn't seem to care as "they just work here" then they charged anyway. safe yourself your time and money and go somewhere else. We're filing a bank dispute since they refused to credit our card. read more

Quick notes - we had fun - it wasn't safe My girlfriend and I just went parasailing with Breakaway and had a blast. So this review is not to say we didn't have fun. It just wasn't safe and the more we think about our experience the happier we are that we weren't hurt. The trip started a little late. No big deal. We were on beach time. The discomfort started with the humor of the crew. Lots of jokes about how we might get hurt, or this is their first time to do this, etc... (Jokes about losing people, or people dying on their previous trips) Funny for them not for any of the participants. Then the first group went up and it looked like a lot of fun. We went up second and we had a blast up in the air until we started to hear a clicking sound (later to find out the chain had broken on the boat). The plus was that our parasailing adventure went a lot longer, but that was only due to that they couldn't pull us in. Our parasail ended with them crash landing us in the water and being dragged under water by the sail pulling is backwards. We were fine and safe and they were quick to jump out in the water but it never should have happened. It was when we got home and looked at our pictures that we were shocked. While we were in the air the crew thought it was funny to take pictures with a knife to our line. Not only unprofessional but just outright unsafe. And while they were goofing around the chain broke which was likely due not to a bad chain but because the crew wasn't doing their job. Parasailing is dangerous and the thrill of the adventure was why we went. However we wouldn't work with Breakaway again because they aren't safe. Don't take your kids for sure. There were still two other groups that didn't even get to go after we finally got back on the boat. I can't even imagine their experience seeing everything go wrong in front of them. read more

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Great time. Josh and Samantha and the rest of the crew were all great! Great time for my family! Thank you

On recent family vacation, most of the adults wanted to go snorkeling. I took one for the team and took the kids (all 3!!) on the dolphin boat cruise. I expected a quick boat ride and some distant sightings but boy was I wrong! First, the tour lasted about an hour and a half. We got a great view of the island and jetties, and a mini-tour and history about the channel. But when it came time to find those dolphins, this guy was good. We trailed a couple shrimp boats and finally found a large group of them. They swam up right next to the boat and jumped around within 5 feet!! The boat captain/ tour guide was very witty, even pointing out the dolphins were "wrestling" in front of us. That got some laughs! $15 per person, call and reserve your spot so you don't have to wait in line read more

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Don't book here. Booked an appointment online and got a call 30 min before saying it was cancel so we had to move it to a different day. So we move it to the day before we left the island. Then we show up and the guy at the desk told us I was cancel again. Which made us mad because we didn't get a call and we could of book at the place next door. Then the guy try to say they called but didn't, then try to say they didn't have the right number but yet you called us two days before. So then we had to wait for the boss show up to get our refund. Lastly we didn't get our whole refund because we book online which is crazy because they cancel and didn't call but yet we are still out of money. So go to the place next door. read more

Breakaway Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - South Padre Island, Texas

Snorkling review. I want to give it 4 stars, I do. The captain and his two mates are awesome, the 30 min boat ride is relaxing and nice, the guys do a great job taking care of you and supplying the snorkel gear but the actual snorkeling is in murky water with tons of seaweed. Besides Dora the fish, catfish and small crabs there is not much more to see. I actually enjoyed it just for a relaxing day with family on the boat and in the water; this is my second year doing this so I knew what it was about, and I would do it again. Just don't expect to see crystal clear water or bright fish and you will have a good time and won't be disappointed. read more

Breakaway Cruises - Snorkling - Boat Charters Near Me - South Padre Island, Texas

The boat was fine, staff was overall nice. What bothered me was after the cruise. A man with a hispanic name left his card and instead of saving the card for him both the guide and a man who I assumed worked for them started yelling Pablo towards several different hispanic families and laughing. It was very jarring and left a bad taste in my mouth. read more

After an early morning, eighteen mile drive and an hour wait, we were told the Brownsville Bay Cruise is being cancelled. Not enough passengers! We waited with 24 people, some of whom had driven nearly 100 miles early enough to arrive by 8:45 am. The Captain and Crew were ready, had brought the food on board and started engines. The call then came to cancel the cruise and they all rebelled. The Captain said, "I'm taking them!" Then as the crew began chit chat with the crowd, it was divulged that if they took the cruise, the cost of it would come out of their wages and no pay. Management, Joe Graham, refused to address the patrons and a stale-mate resulted. Final determination was that there were two more scheduled cruises and one was full. They promised to call us before the end of the day to re-schedule. Or...we could use our tickets next year. Fine if I am in Texas next year. NOT. It all results in 24 very unhappy patrons; most eager to post their feelings on Social media regarding Breakaway Cruises. Choose a different tour operator, Folks! read more

We did snorkeling, jet skiing, dolphin watching, parasailing and bay fishing. The only complaint I have is that we are from Arizona and did not know we needed a fishing license until when we were booking it so we had to pay a lot more money to get it on the island. Other than that they were super nice and we had a great time! Thank you read more

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