The cruise to Pine Island is a nice half-day on the water, the most interesting part of which is the land-based walking tour of the Calusa mound area adjacent to the Tarpon Lodge. The lodge itself is a very cool remnant of old Florida that reeks of the fun and frolic engaged in during the early days of sport fishing along Southwest Florida's islands and inlets. Nifty dark old bar, and the food is good. Except the baconless turkey club at twenty bucks is no bargain. Hence the three stars for this package, suggesting that Captiva Cruises needs to better police its partners. James B. read more

Nice, safe trip from Captiva to Cabbage Key to get the famed "cheeseburger in paradise" saw lots of dolphins on the way and had a great time read more

Captiva Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Captiva, Florida

we went to Cabbage Key! wonderful trip, informative, great staff. very helpful with passengers Exciting to see dolphins Doug and Cynthia Hodge read more

Wow. I cannot say enough about this amazing experience. My husband, 17 month old daughter and I absolutely loved this cruise. The dolphins showed UP for us and the captain and guide were so kind, funny and in tune with the wildlife and all guests. If you're worried about motion sickness, the movement is gentle and mild- we are both prone to motion sickness and neither of us felt woozy. Lots of ventilation, and room to move around. Support this business as they recover from the losses of Hurricane Ian! read more

Captiva Cruises - Dolphin - Boat Charters Near Me - Captiva, Florida

Amazing Experience on NYE on a sunset dolphin cruise! Get there early to reserve seats up top! We were late but it worked out in our favor the dolphins were jumping alongside the boat on the bottom! We got great views! Nice bar and snacks! read more

Captiva Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Captiva, Florida

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We had a fabulous time! The captian and first mate were very engaging and knowledgeable and helpful in navigating the island and recommending things to see and places to eat! Truly a beautiful day that we highly recommend!!! read more

Great cruise, destination, and lunch. It's a 5 hour cruise, but relaxing and beautiful. The narration was interesting, informative, and the right amount of detail. We went to Useppa. Thoroughly enjoyed this journey. read more

Took Captiva Cruises boat Miss Chadwick to Cabbage Key (10am-3pm- $45pp) what a great fun and informative boat ride. In fact I loved it so much when I had more friends in from out of town I took them on the boat ride. The crew was fabulous, especially loved hearing the stories of the fish houses and the islands. This is a must do adventure for both local's and out of town guests. read more

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Went this past Saturday to Cabbage Key and had an AMAZING experience. From our host, to the captain to the bartender everyone and everything was top notch! read more

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Great cruise to Cabbage Key with Ben&Dave! Weather was beautiful& water was calm. They are very knowledgeable of the area and it's history. We had a great time! read more

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An absolutely stunning evening on a beautiful boat that has been completely refurbished. It was comfortable lovely and the crew were so nice and helpful. The dolphins put on a show and that was the icing on the cake. read more

Sunset cruise was amazing! All crew members were polite & fun! Saw a manatee, dolphins, & lots of pelicans. Highly recommend this beautiful, relaxing, & informative cruise! read more

Took the trip to Cabbage Key with our granddaughters. It was a fun and educational experience. The staff members with us on the boat were all professional, friendly and very informative. The boat travel was comfortable and the time we spent on the island was just awesome. We all loved it and we would recommend this company and this trip to anyone who inquires about it! read more

Very nice trip to Boca Grande. Easy check in fine boat captians, left on time and departed from BC on time. Adequate time at Boca Grande. I recommend it with enthusiasm . Just leave enough time to get out to Captiva given traffic on Sanibel. Ed Parks read more

All excellent ! Great narration of history of area. Beautiful scenery. Plenty of time in Boca Grande for lunch and site seeing.

Nice people, clean boats and enjoyable ride to gaspirilla island. Interesting information given while we were going to the island. Saw lots of dolphins too! read more

We did a sunset cruise on the sail boat with Carlos and Jorge and it was fantastic! They were very fun and professional and provided great information during the tour and were well prepared for us with drinks, a large cooler, ice, cups and a table for us to enjoy our Bubble Room cake. The boat was super clean and comfortable. Highly recommend during your next trip to Captiva! read more

I surprised my boyfriend with a private island shelling excursion for his birthday and we had such an amazing time. We were able to reschedule our day out last minute because we got stuck in traffic, which in itself was a blessing. We went out the next day for the half day Cayo Costa Beach & Shelling Cruise but honestly after our experience, we would have happily stayed for the full day. We were out there for 3 hours and the full day is 6 hours. If this is your first time, I would do the half day first and go back next time for the full day if you're feeling up to it. We had an amazing crew sail us out to the private island. They were very knowledgeable about the surrounding areas and gave us a little backstory about all the islands. They have a dinner cruise I'd like to book once as well, where they take you to one of the islands where there is a restaurant and you hang out there for the day. I am prone to sea sickness but I had no problems whatsoever with the ride. The weather was cool and sunny, and they played awesome country music on board. I felt like I was in paradise already. There were families with us but the island was large enough for everyone to space out and have their own good time. We walked all the way up the coast in 1.5 hours and the way back for the rest of the time. The only rule was not to go past the high tide because that was all private property (there's a very clear line). We brought beach chairs and towels in case we went for a dip but didn't even use any of it because we were just walking the whole time. We also went down the street before boarding to buy a shovel, bucket and a sifting net but we used none of that either. The shells were easy enough to spot and pick up with your hands. We also originally wanted to snorkel but the waters were too rough and water was too cold to go into (we had a "cold front" in Florida that weekend). We saw dolphins jumping in the distance. So beautiful and mesmerizing. We found a bunch of beautiful shells and sand dollars that we brought back with us. We were allowed to keep anything that wasn't alive, so as long as the shell was empty we could keep it. Our trip was finished off with a surprise dolphin sighting right next to the boat. The dolphins were just playing and saying hello to us, right there in nature. It was beautiful Highly recommend this amazing little getaway anytime you're near the area! It's definitely memorable and is still one of my "happy places" I visit in my mind. I can't wait to go back!!! read more

It was a great day we thoroughly enjoyed the boat ride. The gentleman telling us facts about the area was entertaining and well spoken. I think I was a little taken back by the high prices of our lunch. But you have to take into account of where we were. Thank you for a memorable day. Sanibel traffic was horrible. read more

Crew was awesome- very knowledgeable. We had dolphins with us for most of the cruise. Great day on the Gulf. Super fun staff. Boat was extremely clean and seaworthy. Would recommend for any ages. read more

What a great value. I took my friends from out of town on the cruise to Cabbage Key. The crew was knowledgeable, patient and friendly taking time for dolphin watching and showing guests all the ins and outs of the waterway. We arrived at Cabbage Key before the crowds and were able to have a leisurely lunch and had time to walk the trails and climb the lookout. We had such a great time we just booked a second trip to Boca Grande. As a Fort Myers resident good to find an attraction that is worth the money. Highly recommend. read more

Went on the Dolphin cruise, it was FANTASTIC!! Dave and Reuben were very informative and FUN!! Will definitely bring the grandkids back!! Would highly recommend to anyone and am looking forward to also taking one of the other cruises. read more

Great day out on the Santiva boat! We went to Boca Grande from Captiva and Keith and Dave were awesome. Thanks for a fun day!

My boyfriend and I took the short shelling cruise on 5/12/23. It was everything we expected. It was relaxing, educational and just beautiful. There were fewer than a dozen of us on this cruise with two of us celebrating birthdays the prior day so the captain gave us complimentary drinks. And of course, there were plenty of shells on this little remote island. All in all, a very nice trip. Thank you! read more

We went on the wildlife and sunset tour. The guide was knowledgeable and friendly and sat down with all the children. You could tell he loves his job. We went around Captiva and even a bit of North Captiva. We paid $149 for five people and the cruise was an hour and a half. We saw dolphins and the gorgeous sunset. There is a full bar onboard as well. I think it was a great cruise for the money and we were able to get amazing pictures! Must do for sure!!!! read more

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Even though we didn't see any dolphins on the dolphin cruise, we still had a blast, crew was very accommodating and knowledgeable about the area, and they even gave everyone on board passes to come back and try to see dolphins again another time which was unexpected but appreciated. Hopefully we will return to the area in the future and go out on another cruise! read more

I have been enjoying Captiva Cruises with my family for many years. I recently came back to the area and brought a friend to show around. I knew CC was a sure thing for us and so glad we did an excursion. We decided on Cabbage Key on a Saturday. It was a fantastic outing as I always remembered. The captains were fantastic and I will continue to recommend them. read more

A fun way to spend a few hours cruising the bay and learning about the area. You can bring your lunch or dine at the Cabbage Key restaurant.

George and Frank thank you for such a wonderful afternoon!!! I'm the Philly girl who lost her mind (and all sense of time) hunting for shells and missed the boat oops. You guys came around to find me and I want to say thank for being so gracious because my husband was ready to clobber me with my bag of shells LOL. Again, such a wonderful day and I highly recommend this boat trip for anyone visiting Captiva!!! Kim and Ed read more

Captiva Cruises - Ed steering the ship LOL! - Boat Charters Near Me - Captiva, Florida

I love doing the dolphin cruise! They always give you good information about the animals and area and do a pretty food job trying to find them. Very friendly staff. They also have snacks and drinks available during the cruise. read more

Captiva Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Captiva, Florida

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We had an amazing time on our ride to Useppa!! Historical ride to this beautiful island, thanks to the captain who shared his passion for the area. To walk into the restaurant was like walking back in time. Exquisite antiques and the staff.....amazing. The captains that brought us there have a love for the area...they made sure that we looked around and saw no high rise buildings for miles..... truly remarkable for southwest Florida. We are so fortunate to keep our islands pristine and pure to their natural beauties. Thank you we enjoyed our day so much. Also thank you for all your kindness for helping out with our physically challenged....the golf carts were so great to get to the restaurant! read more

We have the dolphin cruise from 4 to 530 which is perfect with kids. We actually didn't see dolphins and they were lovely and gave us a dolphin voucher so we could come back at no charge. The captain and the whole crew are lovely. Also they have snacks and open bar which helps. The boat was very relaxing and it was a wonderful cruise. This is a honest great business. read more

Beautiful amazing cruise. I went on the Boca Grande cruise which is an hour and a half boat ride and it's amazing. I got to see dolphins!! There is commentary from the crew talking about the different spots around the island etc plus music which was perfect. The island was amazing to look at and i can only think of positive things to say about this. 100% recommend. The cruises are priced great for the experience! love and would definitely go again! Keith and Dave were great! read more

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On a weekend getaway to Captiva, we decided at the last minute to see about chartering a boat to check out all the surrounding areas. We were so lucky that Captiva Cruises and our captain, George, totally delivered to make our boat trip an incredibly memorable one. We reserved the boat for a 3-hour window on a Sunday morning, which was perfect to avoid the brutal hours of the sun (though there was plenty of sun to be had, for sure). We checked in at McCarthy's Marina, settled up ($477 including tax), and George showed us to the boat. It was a perfect-sized vessel for the 5 of us (though we could have had one more person on board). We had some room to lay out, to catch some shade, and just to generally enjoy being on the water. George was super friendly and offered to give us as much or as little history as we wanted on our journey. We saw Useppa, Cabbage Key, and another island (North Captiva, maybe) on our 3-hour ride. But overall, the most memorable experience was the dolphin show we got in our wake, both going out to check out the islands, and on the way back in. We saw at least 6 dolphins behind our boat, all jumping and flipping and clamoring over each other to show up to our group. It was truly amazing, and alone worth the price of the boat. My friends and I will never forget that experience, and thankfully, we have tons of photos and videos to remember it! I can't say enough good things about Captiva Cruises and George. We had a great time, and will definitely charter a boat through them on any return trip to Captiva! read more

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Sub par and not as promised. My boyfriend and I took what was supposed to be the Cayo Costa cruise in mid Sept 2013. While Tiffany and George were very nice and we got some solid time watching manatees play around the boat (absolutely amazing), this was an overall disappointing experience. First of all, we did not go to Cayo Costa. I know this for a fact because the GPS on my camera tells me that the pictures I took were from N Captiva. I also know this was not the promised location because Cayo Costa is a state park that requires an entrance fee and has restroom facilities for visitors according to their website. But besides all of that I am also going to go out on a limb and guess that Cayo Costa has a dock. Where we stopped did not have a dock. We got off the boat directly into a marsh. wadded through the water and then through some woods to get to the beach! Second, shell bags were promised on the website and again when I booked the cruise. I had to ask for a bag and they had to hunt to find one for me. Good thing no one else asked for a bag because they would have been out of luck since they only had one. On a side note, wherever we were on N Captiva, the shelling sucked. I can't blame that on the cruise company but had we been where promised and the shelling sucked, I would feel slightly better about this point. Third, the time was cut short. The cruise was supposed to be 9 to 1. We were back in South Seas Marina by 1230. This turned out to be fine with me since where we were on N Captiva didn't have a restroom but, just another example of how everything about this cruise felt sub par and not as promised. I ended up paying 45$ for 2 people on this cruise because I procrastinated in booking and ended up finding a half off coupon when I arrived at my timeshare on Captiva. This experience was absolutely not worth 90$. It was just barely worth the 45$. My advice is that you should not use this company if you have to pay full price and then ask questions to know what you are getting. Then, hold them accountable for the experience. Overall it turned out disappointing. It certainly didn't make or break our vacation in Captiva. But, at the same time I'm writing this review because it felt like they were trying to take advantage of tourists and there services were not as promised in my opinion. read more

Captiva Cruises - N Captiva on our "Cayo costa" cruise - Boat Charters Near Me - Captiva, Florida

We took the day cruise out to Useppa island. It's from 10 am to 3 pm, but you show up at 9:30 to get your ticket, board, etc. The trip each way is about 1 1/4 hours, which leaves plenty of time to investigate the island and have lunch there at the Useppa Inn. We thought this was an absolutely delightful outing. The crew was helpful and courteous, and the narrator was outstanding - proving a colorful description of the area we passed through, including some history. read more

Captiva Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Captiva, Florida

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Our group of four thoroughly enjoyed ourselves with George narrating our way. The fact that safety was covered first indicated their attention to this important factor; it was a priority. The boat was clean and seemingly well equipped. (It could sure zip along!). We could easily hear very clear information over the drone of the engines. George covered a great deal of interesting information from deep history to current events with nice breaks to just sit and enjoy the experience. For lunch we enjoyed a knock-out generous yummy hamburger at the Tarpon Inn on Useppa. Terrific waiter - Michael. Thanks for the fun. read more

The 10 to 4 cruise to gasparilla was great. Rented golf cart delivered to marina . Called a few days ahead for golf cart. Fun shopping and lunch. Our boat crew was fun also informative. read more

bit of a bust. capt did all he could but dolphin sighting so brief only 3 of the 5 of us saw anything. My daughter said the two dolphin jumps were neat. I did enjoy the time on the water and the six manatee in the harbor were fantastic, really they were the highlight of the day for me. read more

Captiva Cruises - Manatee in the marina were the best attraction - Boat Charters Near Me - Captiva, Florida

Enjoyed the dolphin & wildlife cruise with Captains Ben & Dave. Comfortable, relaxed cruise and lots to see. Highly recommended!!