Absolutely MUST make early reservations. Only one taxi runs. Does not run on rough water. Helpful Captain. read more

Very harsh...extremely expensive! We were given extreme instructions about arriving 30 minutes early, then they were over an hour behind!

Brad went out of his way to accommodate us last week in an emergency! Great guy and knows these waters well. Treat them well and they will do the same. It is important to be ready to go prior to your scheduled time. Yes, it is not cheap but gas, maintenance on a boat and dockage aren't either. Thanks Brad & Emmett read more

we had to use pirates water taxi for the first time.At first I was a little intimidated dues to some of the reviews and due to the gruff voice but honestly it was a great experience. He was really sweet and very concerned w passengers safety! can't wait to use them again! read more

Awesome ! Friendly and on time . They hep with your luggage etc . Definitely will use them again when we visit . read more

Awful service. The owner is rude, doesn't accommodate any type of changes or offer any solutions, total lack of willingness to work with customers. They have no concept of what customer service it's about! read more

As an Housing Inspector -Contractor,I was assigned to visit FEMA applicants on the island to access damages from hurricane Ian . This company was charging 25.00 one way. I asked if they would provide a receipt so that I could be reimbursed.. the person on the phone said, sure . Just bring a pen and paper. I was told that 50.00 round trip is not the regular price. Needless to say, I did not use their service. read more

Friendly, organized, mostly on time within 5 minutes. Reservation required further in advance if a holiday time, school break, etc., mostly if you need a particular time either way. Let them know how many in your group, if you have lots of luggage, groceries and/or a dog -if staying a week or more, they usually won't book others at that time for space. Sometimes they fit in another couple with little or no luggage. The ride is fun. Hang on to your hat. They are very nice people running the water taxi. I feel the price is fair. This February will be our 4th year in a row. read more

I appreciate that I didn't have to swim across this body of water, however this company is robbing people. We had a group of 7 go five minutes across and back and paid a total of $225. Things like time of day and amount of people changes the price drastically. They ask for a tip and the seats are coolers flipped upside down. All things I wouldn't mind if the price was the $5 it should be. I give them two stars because I'm glad I didn't have to swim. read more

These guys are awesome. This is our second year in a row going to LGI and we use them to get on and off the island. The owner's, Emmett and John, checked in on us after the strong winds forced them to cancel some runs. He explained that in the many years he has been operating, this was a rarity, but safety was a priority. He checked in on us to make sure we had settled into a hotel and was sure to book us a ride the next day. It does take some planning to book with them, as they are on a schedule, but they are clear about that and try to be accommodating considering the circumstances of such a business. Yesterday, our trip with Austin went really well. He was very nice and helped us with our belongings on and off the boat. If you book with them, be sure to know the times you want to get on and off the island in advance, especially around the holidays. Be ready at the dock with anything you are bringing with you. read more

Today my 7 year old son wasn't feeling well and we were on the island. Pirates taxi was super busy...but they made an extra trip to help pick up my son so he could visit urgent care. We have been here for a month and they run a great business. Thank you Pirates Water Taxi for going above and beyond! read more

Great service, they have very nice boat captains, On time and punctual! I'll definitely use the service again! Emmitt is a very nice guy, easy to book service and inexpensive. read more

I have used this water taxi 4 times to get back and forth to LGI because it's basically the only option unless you have your own boat. The price is fine and i haven't had any issues there, but the attitude of the captains has been a repeated issue. They are complete a**holes to their customers if any little thing arises. The first time we were told to be on the dock at Eldreds at 415, so we arrived at 4 and were immediately yelled at and told to hurry up or we would be left. We were earlier than our scheduled board time so this was completely unnecessary. The old man who captains sometimes, is a complete jerk as well. read more

We needed to use the taxi to look at a property we were interested in. We were told it would be $10 each way per person. Instead we paid round trip $50 for two people and our realtor had to pay $40 round trip since he was a party of one. In New York we call this price gouging. Emit was rude and clearly pocketing the difference of the price cost. The idea of the island is to get away from the hustlers not to be hustled. ps there are no seats, you are sitting on dirty upside down coolers. Good luck! Proof of price gouging: Summary: ***Water Taxi & Parking*** Park at Eldred's Marina, 6301 Boca Grande Causeway, Placida, FL 33946 Water Taxi: Please provide 2 day notice for scheduled arrival and departures Phone number to book is 941-697-5777 Cost:$20 per trip up to 2 people $10 for each additional person Hours: 8:30a-5:00p After hours service may be available at an increased rate Parking: $6/night at both local marinas Bring cash to pay for water taxi and parking. read more

We have used Pirate's Water Taxi for several years. Emmet is always on time, and this year has a great assistant with him (Collin). He helped me aboard, and was very helpful with all the luggage, groceries, and whatever else people haul on this boat. It's a small island, but a lot of people & personalities to work with. Don't expect to not have a plan when coming to the island- no different then flying, you have to be prepared. He has the entire island to be concerned about- so show up on time.... if you are late, you make him late for all the other families that are waiting! Then they get mad & write a bad review.... too many entitled people in my opinion. You may have several stops before yours - take a deep breath & enjoy the boat ride, you are on island time now :) Be kind, it goes a long way! read more

We are Florida locals who are trying a new area for vacation. Tried using the service in their defense it was last minute. However the guy was a complete jerk. I told him we would figure something else out as he wouldn't be able to get us to our destination until later in the evening which wasn't what we were looking for. Fortunately for us we are locals and will figure out something else. Feel bad for others who may not be able to figure out other options. Honestly for the cost you can rent your own boat. I do not recommend these guys. read more

We had the pleasure of spending a few days at Little Gasparilla Island this week. This beautiful island off the Florida West coat is just perfect for those who seek to relax and disconnect from the day to day fast speed life and enter into a total relaxed spot with no cars, no traffic and no other noise than those from the local birds and sea waves. The only way to access this nature's wonder is by boat, but Unfortunately if you don't own a boat or you have rented one of the houses that offers no water transportation (like the condos, they offer a shuttle for their guests) you are left with the only option of using Pirate's Water Taxi. And because this is the only option there, these people decided to charge and treat their clients whichever way they want, meaning "we" the ones paying for the service are suppose to take it because there is no other choice available. On our way back from the island, we were supposed to be picked up at 10am, we are two family with 4 kids, we arrived at the dock at 10:03am, only 3 minutes late. The boat was docked at the wrong dock and even though he could see us, he left us there. The he came back only 8 minutes later in a very rude way saying "10am means 10 am" and really mad at us and rushing us because he was busy and had many other people waiting. Have I mentioned that this 8 minutes boat ride was $80 one way? Completely unacceptable to talk to us that way. He could not take all 7 of us because the limit was 6 people and had to do an additional ride to charge more (there was plenty of room on the boat). The name of this guy is John and he could use some costumer service training on verbiage and how to treat the people that helps him have a Job. Too bad they are the only option, if anyone out there knows any other company that will take you to Little Gasparilla with better service and better educated people, please let me know, i would love to come back but will NOT recommend this company. By the way we talked to the Rental Place and they mentioned it's not the first time people complain about their services and how rude they are. I would love to see more competitors out there! read more

While a previous reviewer was told 10am means 10am that must only apply to the customer and not the taxi drivers. While I can't think of a better way to kick off your vacation than roasting on the dock with 6 hungry kids after a 20 hour drive to get there for an extra 45 minutes, getting off the island after hiking through swarms of a million mosquitoes and being left on the dock (with all your luggage) for half an hour past your pickup time in the pouring rain is certainly a close second. Next time we come we'll be bringing our own boat. You can rent a transient slip at Eldreds for $10 a day and save yourself a hundred bucks, a thousand mosquito bites and a horrible experience. read more

We were on Little Gasparilla Island in the beginning of April. The Captain and his crew know their business. They run a tight schedule and ship. All you have to do is be honest about your timing and they will work with you. Within a week we used them about 10 times. Incredibly professional, courteous and friendly. Couldn't have asked for more from a company. read more

We just came home from our vacation to LGI and want to thank Ethan for his accommodating service. I made reservations for various trips off the island but as you know, plans change, and he happily changed times last minute for us, even within the hour. We weren't sure how "a water taxi only" vacation would work when everyone has different needs but he made it seamless. I highly recommend their service and would use them again and again. THANKS! read more

Truly wish there was a different way for renters to get onto the island. Our driver was prompt and on time but incredibly rude on the phone and rude the little boy helping customers load and unload the boat. He expects a child maybe 11 years old to start unloading the boat before it's even docked. He was rude to everyone I saw him have an interaction with. He made getting on to the island a very stressful situation, telling me he had other obligations so I needed to,"hustle up," then proceeded to hang up on me when I asked if I was in the right location to load onto the boat. Everyone else I encountered on the island was incredibly nice and welcoming, the island is a beautiful place but the water taxi made me never want to visit the island again. Everyone on the island knows he's rude and that's incredibly unprofessional. I even asked one of the guys on the island if there was another way we could get off of the island and I was told, "no even I had to sign a "no competitor agreement." Next year I will be sure to book a location on the island where I will have access to the ferry. His poor attitude was so uncalled for it is now a silly thing my husband and I now joke about. read more

If possible I'd rate Pirate's Water Taxi with zero stars. As a start the 'staff' seem to treat the job as a past-time not a job. When calling to reserve or get a ride, you are greeted with a sigh and an attitude. We were considerate enough to call in advance to ask when they had pick-ups to try and make the various Captains (only 1 ever on duty) have to make one less run-they didn't care or go out of their way to give thanks for the consideration or give a break on the rate. The rates Pirate's Water Taxi charge are something you should get in writing upon arrival at Eldred's Marina. The rates seem to change at the whim of whichever Captain is on duty. The 'listed' rates are extremely misleading as well. A 'round trip' rate is one way, do not be confused by this! The only positive thing I have to say is Captain Bill was very kind. However, his kindness was cut short by virtue of the fact a 'deal' he offered us was no deal at all; merely a way to gain more money from a 'double round trip' rate. The absolute worse experience was with Captain Emmett. Anytime you called and he was on duty it felt like asking for a kidney to get a pickup. He was largely unavailable our entire stay unless he wanted to be. Captain Emmett also made some rather rude comments directed at my girlfriend. I'm sure the man is qualified to run a water taxi, but he should not be dealing with the public at all. read more