Fun comfortable crew is friendly and knowledgeable and knows the water. We enjoyed our experience and even got to see the dolphins read more

Kinda overpriced, for no reason. Fridge magnets $9 ?! C'mon! Sponges vary from like 5 to about 25 for really big ones. Other than that, they sell a lot of stuff. You can find here a ton of sea treasures, whatever got into the net along with sponges lol read more

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We are on vacation and found Island Dolphin Cruise, it was so much fun, and affordable. They take you through the Gulf of Mexico, we saw several dolphins and they also take you to a little island where you can swim or get sea shells (the shells are huge!) Very much worth it, 11/10 recommend read more

Spongeorama - Island cruise - Gift Shops Near Me - Tarpon Springs, Florida

I have taken this short boat cruise several times and love it every time. This past week I had the pleasure of taking my two grandsons. ages 10 months and 2 1/2. The older one loved the shelling as well as the boat ride. read more

We have taken this excursion 3 times and loved it each time!! Reasonable cost and Dolphins galore!! I am sure we'll take it again! Highly recommend it! read more

This was our 2 dolphin cruise and are planning on bringing our other grandchildren in a couple weeks. We always have a great experience.I highly recommend this Dolphin cruise. read more

My family had a wonderful time on the sunset cruise. The guides were informative and interesting. The sunset was beautiful and we loved walking on the beach they took us to at sunset. I would recommend! read more

Spongeorama - Gift Shops Near Me - Tarpon Springs, Florida

Very knowledgeable and nice captain and crew. We saw maybe 5-6 dolphins. The best part is the island looking for shells. Very cool stuff, shells, horse shoe crabs, sponges, a dead turtle unfortunately. Will use again to take out of towners. read more

This review is for the store ONLY. I did not go on a boat tour. The store was a bit of a hole in the wall with lots of authentic sponges to chose from. Found the prices to be a bit higher than some of the other stores nearby. However, there were lots of options to pick from! We walked in with masks on and the employee, let us know "masks were not required" and that "it was our constitutional right to not wear them". This was VERY frustrating as I am a strong advocate for proper Covid protocols and mask wearing. For this reason, I will NOT support this business. Purchases my sponges elsewhere from a Covid friendly businesss and got a lower price! read more

It was a great time and they were very knowledgeable about the history of tarpon springs!

The experience with sponge aroma was very good. We called about information. We got a good advice, and after review of other cruises. We decided to take sponge aroma. The crew was very experienced and fun I would recommend sponge Arama to anyone who would like to go I've done three of these tours before and by far this was the best. read more

We made reservations for the subset cruise a month in advance for a Greek friend visiting. We picked up our tickets in the early afternoon. We returned for the cruise at 5:15 pm as instructed, and they had canceled the cruise because they didn't have enough customers. Very bad customer service. read more

Fun time!! Our captain and 1st mate were outstanding, professional, witty and informative. We saw dolphins, amazing sunset and got some shells!! read more

I went with my husband and another couple. Throughly enjoyed the boat ride. Stop at the island was fantastic. Guys working the boat were very informative and friendly. Stopped in the store to buy a sponge and the older women was very rude. Had to wait for her to be done on her phone ( not talking) to ring me out. When I questioned the price cause it goes by size she stands up and leans to me yelling does this look like 5"? Well it was if you measured across. Definitely go back for the boat ride but I'm sure I could find a nicer sponge and lady somewhere else. read more

I could not decide whether to go with one star or five. I flipped a coin and fate selected five. This is a must visit experience that may return in your dreams or nightmares for eons. Where else can you see dusty sponges, of all shapes and sizes, on shelves? Sitting there. For years. Nowhere! The diving suit mannequin is a bit scary. I wonder who is trapped in there, forever? Eek! Just writing this has brought back memories I don't want to relive. Save yourself. Don't go. Or go. You decide! Beware the consequences. read more

Excellent cruise. But we had a 10:30 appointment and didn't go out until 11:05 a.m. We raced there and arrived 30 minutes prior as directed. Once we arrived, they told us we were not going out until 11:00 a.m., which was very inconsiderate; we had other plans after the originally scheduled time. read more

We got tickets there on the street for a 3:30pm boat ride. ((We hoped to ride at noon but those time games were all SOLD OUT. No worries because we have an open schedule, really.)) We arrived early -there is a 20 minute free video YouCam watch in the sponge shop on the sponge dock history in Tarpon springs. So then we toured the gift shop and headed to the dock to meet out boat! Loaded in and sailed off. We got lucky & got to see oodles of dolphins swimming along side our boat and leaping in our current. The captain played some music & they have cold drinks/crunchy snacks available for purchase. Some lady brought a tiny baby in her huge stroller on this tour it was over 90 degrees. On a 2 hour tour. The screaming distress of the baby was nightmarish on other passengers. You worry for the kid & get that the mom and Grandmom must really want some free time to party on the boat but jeez. Folks have no common sense. I was hoping the kid wouldn't have heatstroke /emergency situation. It was unavoidable. We stopped on the island and that was a lovely thing. Cool your toes off in the water while looking for pretty shells. Take pics at the gorgeousness of the Gulf of Mexico. You have 30 minutes on the island. Enjoy ! Then they toot the horn you return promptly and the boat leave the island. We passed by lots of pretty birds and more dolphins. Nice captain and beverage steward. It was ultimately a nice trip bc of the dolphins we got to see. Pure luck! read more

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A nice afternoon cruise. Staff were very info and friendly. Will be returning the next time I am in the area.

Great time with my family!! The price itself was outstanding considering all you get from the experience..... we were a Party of 10 including 4 kids - 10, 12, 14 and 15.... even they had a good time! Getting the ride out to a private island to collect some really nice shells was so much fun. We were able to get some large beautiful shells and sponges and sand dollars- all in tact! The captain and his assistant were friendly and helpful looking for dolphins.. which we did see several very close! Drinks were $4 and nice to have as we rode along in the water as they played some fun music... I would highly recommend to families looking for something to do!! read more

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So in a period of two days we came here twice. Once while my friend was here from Toronto and also on Mothers Day so I could show my hubby. This is an incredible trip!!!!! The first boat trip we took the lady there tried to get us to purchase a meal deal with our trip .. trust me just get the boat trip and find where you want to eat .. we did get a 10% off coupon when we purchased our boarding pass and ate their greek salad in the little restaurant in front of where the boat goes out... it was fabulous with a scoop of potato salad on top ... fresh bread yummy the first boat trip we took was sunny the second trip was over cast ... it was the best $20 we ever spent ... two hour trip (roughly) the stop to show you all the dolphins - we we have seen tons ... we ride out to a little island with an old lighthouse (that you can't get to) in the gulf of mexico .. you get out here for a half hour and collect shells. I have seen dolphins like no others the water there is clear so you can see them riding under the water with the boat and when they ride the waves .. whild collecting shells I also saw a shark - little one. Drinks available on the boat - if in Tarpon Springs you must try this trip I didn't really like the stores its a complete greek community - read the signs they explain why so that is your choice for food on the whole strip every store sells sponges and lotions ... I really see the originality in shopping and some of the stuff you can even get from the flea market .. but the boat trip? I would drive 45 mins every weekend just to see the nature vegetation and of course the lil sea creatures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

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My 3rd excursion with Spongeomoma and it's always enjoyable. Brought both of my daughters and they loved it. The crew of the boat are both entertaining and knowledgeable. I learn something different each time. I highly recommend. read more

Great experience and price. Crew was fun and safe. Our family will definitely go again.

Very nice boat ride & information. Saw a dolphin. Would had liked a little more time on the island. read more

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The Crew were very knowledgeable and nice !! We enjoyed everything about the trip ! We came to visit my cousin for my moms birthday! Mary Furrow - Maine read more

I just want to say that the 2 guys who operated the Dolphin cruise yesterday were awesome! They were very informative about the animals and wildlife in the area and all the businesses as well. Plus they kept the tour fun for all ages! And even took the time to interact with my autistic son and now he wants to go back and do it again P.S. the music was awesome too read more

The sailing time was pushed back several times. It was supposed to be 2pm but we left finally by 3 pm. The crew was friendly and knowledgeable. We cruised saw dolphins and went shelling on a barrier island at the gulf. There were a couple troubling moments. One was my son overhearing the crew mocking trans people indicating identity was a choice and maybe schools should have litter boxes should someone identify as a cat. The second event was too bizarre to really be believed but I swear that the gal in the ticket booth/gift shop regailed me in detail how McDonalds uses human meat in their burgers. But wait it gets worse apparently McDonald's and Wal-Mart are involved in child trafficking using tunnels under their stores. The Asterisks symbol used by Wal-Mart is based on the drilling rig used to create the tunnels. Oh and the employees know about this and get paid off to keep it a secret. Holy Cow crazy q-anon BS, never thought I'd experience this first hand but this woman was bats hit crazy. As God is my witness I swear this entire review is true and contains no exaggerations or artistic embellishments. Would recommend some other less deranged tour operator. read more

Absolutely a fantastic experience, every moment! Mike was extraordinarily knowledgeable & entertaining. The captain had a voice like butter. We were entertained, watered, and shown an excellent time. Highly recommend that you take time to enjoy. read more

It was wonderful, the crew were so knowledgeable and nice, will do it again , the route was fantastic, lot's of dolphins, love the little island read more

We did the dolphin/beach excursion. We saw a few dolphins ( I know this is an uncontrollable aspect) The captain chose a nice island for our shell hunt, not crowded and nice shells. The adult drinks were kinda pricey, $5 for a smaller solo cup loaded with ice( drinks were free on our other trip) Overall, a very nice trip and we got to see a different area than our other trip. read more

Thanks for a fun time...the captain was informative about the history of the area and our grand kids loved collecting the sea shells ....we lucked out and was a couple of dolphins swimming around....all in all it was exactly what we were looking for.... read more

Spongeorama - Gift Shops Near Me - Tarpon Springs, Florida

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The crew is friendly and they really make the trip enjoyable! We saw a ton of dolphins and got a bunch of great shells :)

Wonderful experience for the cruise! First off, the equipment: the boat is very clean and well-kept. There is a bathroom on board (did not use). There is bottled water, and you can buy a mixed drink if you want. The crew: knowledgeable about the area's flora, the wildlife, and the ocean; personable and friendly, funny, and skilled at piloting the craft. The experience: a great, comfortable boat ride out to a great little spit of land for shell collecting, sponge hunting, beach sitting or wading/swimming. 30 minutes is all you get for this, but we got tons of great shells in that time, and I understand that with multiple trips per day, they want to leave plenty for each group. DOLPHINS! Obviously no one can guarantee you see wild dolphins, but we had the most amazing 15 minute span of time watching a pod of dolphins swim all around the boat, jump, breach, and play. I mention this more to compliment the company on allowing that much time for the most exciting part of the cruise. We only started moving again once everyone had gotten to watch for a solid amount of time. I have no negative comments about the cruise--it was a well managed, clean, safe and fun experience. Note: the store is pricier than other places in Tarpon Springs' Greektown offering the same sponges and soaps, even with the 20% discount on the cruise ticket. read more

While they can be extremely pushy towards tourists, I did appreciate the fact that the lady at the stand selling tickets was willing to give me updates for Hurricane Hermine in preparation for my trip over the Labor Day weekend. When I called, she told me the Sponge Docks were closed a few days prior to my trip, and then let me know when flooding had subsided and the cruises were back in operation. I thought by doing this, she went above and beyond what was expected, especially considering there isn't a lot of money to be made by selling boat tickets to a party of 2, so I appreciated that. The staff on the boat was also friendly, and I loved going to Anclote Key during sunset, I just was disappointed that unlike the other cruise line (Odyssey Cruises), which also has dolphin tours, they made no effort to look for dolphins or idle. They basically have a "if the dolphin approaches while we're traveling, we'll see it, if not, that's life" approach, which would be fine if they didn't tout themselves as a DOLPHIN cruise. At least the other cruise line made more of an effort to find and follow the dolphins by using binoculars, and relying on passenger sightings. These guys probably would not have gone out of their way or veered in another direction regardless of a sighting. Don't forget that your Spongeorama Cruise Line ticket entitles you to a discount on merchandise inside the Spongeorama store, and a discount to one of the restaurants across from the store. I did not take advantage of the restaurant discount because the restaurant had poor Yelp reviews, but I did buy a nice small silk sponge for makeup removal, and a purple starfish for my daughter. We collected a ton of shells on the beach and some sand dollars because Hurricane Hermine had stirred up the shoreline so much that it brought along some huge, beautiful shells to the sand. We also saw some conchs, but left those alone because they are living creatures, plus you're not allowed to bring living creatures to land. All in all, my child and I had a good time and enjoyed our shell findings. read more

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Been there 4 times in 15 years and will be back. Great each time. The personal are so helpful each and every time.

Absolutely loved the cruise!!! Our captain was amazing, nice, and funny! Other than the red tide (which was not anyone's fault), it was amazing! Even seen some dolphins! Thank y'all for an awesome time. read more

My husband and I went on the 2 hour cruise last week on our trip to Florida. It was a wonderful cruise. We got to see dolphins up close. The captain and 1st mate were outstanding and funny but we learned much about Tarpon Springs. The cruise also stopped at an island for 30 minutes to allow folks to look for shells. We highly recommend this cruise if you are in the area!!! read more

It was a wonderful cruise. Saw two dolphins up close. The captain was fantastic. Definitely recommend.

Interesting and excellent two hour boat tour! Captain and staff were knowledgeable and fun! Best value ever. Our family of 11 from age 15 to 75 enjoyed this trip immensely. And we look forward to going again soon. Thank you. read more

Only one word can describe the lady we encountered that appeared to be running this place: RUDE! Listen, if you don't like people and you want to close up shop 30 minutes before the posted closing time, this isn't the job for you. Ultimately we took our business elsewhere. There are plenty of competitors that run a way more quality store across the street! read more

We enjoyed the entire tour! Staff is friendly and professional. Boat and bathrooms are clean. We highly recommend Spongeorama Dolphin Cruise Lines! read more