Manatee Snorkeling Adventure Tour With Lunch & Hotel Pickup

We had a brilliant day. We spent the morning at Crystal River and were very lucky for the time of year to swim with 3 manatees. We were then provided with a nice packed lunch and had a lovely picnic and walk round Homosassa State Park. We then stopped for ice cream and even squeezed in a quick pit stop to the alligators. Great value for money. All staff were outstanding, special shout out to Gary.

Great driver and a great day out. Picked up on time and Gary had good knowledge of the area.

Adam was phenomenal although we thought he was leaving us he came back and save the day we were so blessed to have them on tour. We couldn’t have been more happier from start to finish. We’ve been doing tours with GrayLine for 10 years plus and we can’t say morethan enough about Adam thank you so much for having him part of your team. We really are blessed and enjoyed our day.

Adam how do we begin. To start things off the pick up was amazing his charming attitude and love for his job is like no other he was so knowledgeable and caring to every single person on the Van. We couldn’t have asked for a better tour guide we thank Adam so much and Grayline for hiring him because he was an asset to this whole entire trip.

Thank you Adam for the safe ride. We really enjoyed our manatee swim- the company who took us on the boat did a great job. It was cool to see the manatees being fed at the wildlife sanctuary. And finally- the air boat was lovely and peaceful on a beautiful day.

The best experience - I would recommend to any family. Seeing the manatees while snorkeling was the best--an experience like no other. Gentle giants under the water. Loved our tour guide Gary with Gray Line Tours in Orlando, Florida. He really was very informative and just overall great guy--also took the time to make my daughter's birthday special. Manatee tour guide Andy also great guy--he made it so fun also was just so down to earth that the kids really listened to his information about Mantees. We stopped by Tasty Treats for ice cream even had great lunch on beach. The Hermosa state park was excellent little hidden gem--loved it. Loved that underwater observatory. Manatees were awesome. Airboats with Wild Bills were so awesome. Omg the scenary was so beautiful. Kids got to hold baby alligator and feed some other ones. We got to see so many in their natural environment. I loved learning about the waterways and nature around us.

Our tour guide for the day was amazing from pick up at 6am to drop off ! Bonni gave us lots of information and interesting facts along the way she was very friendly and more than happy to help us with anything. Thank you for an amazing day and taking us to all of our destinations. Would 100% use grey line tours again.

The tour was very enjoyable! Pickup was easy and on time. Our tour guide Adam was a blast! Made the ride go by quick, was very informative, had great rapport with the workers at the locations, and made the experience a 10 out of 10. Swimming with the manatees was very fun! The workers made it easy and even had snacks for when we got out of the water! We had a lot of rain the day we went, but we're still able to do everything. The value for the tour felt very fair for everything we did!

Gary was a great host for the Manatees Tour. It’s a long van trip out to Crystal River, Gary was a great conversationalist for the trip. It was an awesome day! Thank you

My partner and I LOVED this tour to swim with the manatees, visit the wildlife park and Wild Bill’s Air Boat Ride. The lunch provided was exceptional and generous. Our guide, Adam, was incredibly entertaining and accommodating, providing a unique and personable experience we will never forget. I would highly recommend this tour.

Having been on a tour with Mauricio previously I was expecting a great day and wasn't disappointed. His energy and care for his clients is exceptional. Every experience we had was enjoyable and everybody we came in contact with was so passionate about what they were doing. Learning to snorkel and observing a Manatee so close, in his natural habitat was something I’ll never forget. Don’t hesitate in doing this trip if you want to see the natural side of Florida and be amongst nature. Brilliant!

Me and my husband really enjoyed the experience it was more than anything we could imagine, Gary our tour guide is super friendly and kind and made us feel completely comfortable. Gary really made the experience, the manatees swim was great also a bucket list ticket off. Thank you so much for this experience and please thank Gary for being great!!

Adam greater us with a friendly smile and welcoming words. He was knowledgeable and entertaining throughout our day around the parks and activities, I can highly recommend Adam and this tour. 5 stars throughout, super guy, super day thank you sir!

Had a fabulous day as a small group of 5 people plus our tour guide Adam Very knowledgeable and enthusiastic would highly recommend

Had a great time, big thank you to Adam for making it special!

Absolutely incredible day - Florida just how nature intended - fantastic fun for kids from 7-70! We travelled as a family of three adults and three kids and everyone had a brilliant day - it’s a jam packed schedule with an early pickup in Orlando, but totally worth it. Adam makes the journey both fun and educational and pitches it just right for every member of the group. Bird’s underwater dive school made our dreams come true and gave us lifelong memories snorkelling with manatees in the middle of their ‘off season’ because our expert captain and guide knew just where to go to find them. Wild Bill’s airboat ride is a must-do! There were loads of alligators, herons, dragonflies, cormorants, osprey and more in some of the most stunning landscapes we’d ever seen. Thank you so much to everyone involved in such a brilliant day!

Adam our driver was great, very entertaining and a nice guy. Now the swimming with the manatees and the airboat ride did not meet our expectations by no means. Adam was the better entertainer of the trip everything else was not worth $398. It is not advertised like it should be, water was muddy muddy and not clear and the airboat ride just was a normal boat ride to us.

I want to start off with Adam was a very good guide and had a very good attitude and was very bubbly. But I do wish the company for swimming with the manatees would not advertise that the water is crystal blue year round and would let guest know ahead of time they may not see a manatee at all during the summer months. When you go to book online, they show these pretty pictures of clear water and so many people swimming with manatees, which is true for certain months of the year. The company should definitely add that is does not look like that during the summer and you will not have the same experience! Not even our whole group got to see a manatee or swim with it. And the air boat ride just didn’t meet our expectations like it has in the past with different companies.

Excellent tour, truly amazing to see such a huge variety of wildlife, especially the manatees. Adam was a great guide, an extraordinary free style singer, and an exceptional show man ! The tour was definetly awesome and would have been even better with more information and facts about Florida's biodiversity.

The experience was amazing from start to finish. It was an incredible experience so swim with a manatee in their natural habitat. It was out of season however still saw a couple. We were fortunate to also see a Mom and her newbown calf, born 20 mins before we spotted them from the boat. Our tour guide Adam was brilliant from start to finish. His humour, knowledge and enthusiasm made the day even more special. He’s a credit to the company.

Absolutely fantastic only made better with our guide Adam, full of knowledge throughout, his Jason Statham impression needs work though. Adam is a credit to the grey line company.

Went on a tour with Adam as a guide and was great!

The experience was amazing meeting the mannitees was a great adventure and an awesome first-time activity. The staff was really friendly, acknowledging, funny. The amount of people coming was a perect amount and there were others to relate to in having a first-time experience. The atmosphere around was overall really nice to be around as well. This was an amazing full day activity consisting of so many exciting events creating new companions along the journey. Overall an awesome experience.

Adam was brilliant and kept the tour going all day despite the weather not being the best. We had an amazing day and Jake was not sure about swimming with the manatees but Adam encouraged and reassured him and he eventually did the experience. He usually is not sure about people he does not know and is very shy, but he really liked Adam. The swim was amazing and we saw fish from our snorkel, manatees and dolphins from the boat. The manatee feed and animals were brilliant in the state park. The airboat was fantastic. Saw loads of gators and Florida fauna and flora. Also loved Adam’s commentary. Thank you for a wonderful day xx

This was an all day tour and well worth the price. We bagan with convenient hotel pickup at sunrise by Grayline Orlando. Our expert driver, Kevin, shuttled us over to Kings Bay Crystal River. The knowledgeable staff at Birds Underwater Dive Shop took us out to snorkel with manatees, we saw five including a calf. Visibility was poor this day due to recent rain, recommend going in winter if possible. Stopped for a box sandwich lunch at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. Finished the tours at Wild Bill's Airboat Tours. I would recommend any of these three activities on their own. This tour provided all three with lunch and the convenience of an expert driver. Well done Grayline Orlando. (Picture is at the wildlife park)

Fantastic experience swimming with Manatees. Amazing Captain Misty and Heidi!! Great picnic lunch. Homossassa State Wildlife Park was a very sad and dilapidated place with animals in tiny cages unable to move or fly. We just walked out

Adam was an absolutely fantastic tour guide! From start to finish, his enthusiasm, knowledge, and top-tier energy made the entire day unforgettable. He has a real talent for bringing places and stories to life, sharing fascinating insights while keeping a varied group of 12 engaged and entertained. What really stood out was his infectious positivity and ability to keep the group motivated and having fun throughout the day. No question was too much trouble, and his passion for what he does was evident in every part of the tour. His energy never dipped, creating a fun-filled atmosphere that made the experience enjoyable from beginning to end. If you're looking for a guide who is knowledgeable, professional, and genuinely committed to making sure everyone has an amazing time, Adam is the perfect choice. Highly recommended—he turned a great day into an exceptional one! 👏🇺🇸🎉 The snorkelling with manatees, wildlife park and manatee feeding were very calm and enjoyable. The air boat ride added a bit of thrill and spotting the Gators was genuinely great fun! Plenty of souvenir opportunities - just don’t forget you need to pay for wetsuit hire ($15) and even the lunch was a decent sub roll, crisps and cookie combo!

An amazing experience, we were lucky to see 2 manatees during our swim, onto the wildlife park where we saw more manatees close up. The airboat was amazing, we saw lots of wildlife during our trip. My only criticism was our guide talked non stop about himself all day and made it known that he wanted to get home so the day felt very rushed.

We took the 4th July trip to Crystal River & Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park tour with Gray Line Orlando, and despite heavy rain and electrical storms from mid-morning, it turned out to be a fantastic day thanks to our guide, Adam. The swim itself was limited by lack of manatees at this time of year, and the need to get out the water with the lighting overhead, however Gina & Cpt Michael made sure we managed to get one great manatee sighting in during our experience. Rather than letting the weather ruin the trip, Adam went above and beyond to keep the group entertained. He organised a great lunch from Publix, took us on an impromptu local tour, stopped at Monkey Island for drinks and ice cream, and even used AI to share the history and stories of the area while we waited for the weather to improve. Once the storms passed, we were still able to visit the wildlife sanctuary. Throughout the day, Adam's enthusiasm, knowledge and genuine care for the group made all the difference. He kept everyone engaged, informed and connected from pick-up to drop-off. Adam is a real credit to Gray Line Orlando. We have another tour booked next week and are hoping he's our guide again. Highly recommended!

We had Adam Rubman as our tour guide and he was amazing! He really had the knowledge of the day and made us laugh and smile all day We just had a spectacualr experience Thanks Adam

Great Tour with Gary, Gina and Will. Swam with a baby manatee and its mum, had a lovely lunch provided at an additional park not paid for, visited the beautiful state park, and topped it off with holding a manatee!

The manatee tour and snorkeling adventure was wonderful! The tour guide Adam was really engaging and throurough when it came to including everyone and being patient. The wonderful ladies directing the snorkeling adventure were very knowledgeable and good in guiding us to the right spots to find a manatee. Lastly the park was fascinating and also informative on the local species along with an unforgettable experience with a fat rat and with 2 king rat snakes!

This tour was so fun! The price was definitely worth it since you are out for an entire day from around 7 AM to 6 PM. The hotel pickup was super convenient. I went as a solo female traveller and did not feel unsafe or uneasy at all. Snorkeling with the manatees was so fun and we got right up close and see them, plus swim in the freshwater spring in the lake where we were. The wildlife preserve was also awesome although the visit was a little long since you can probably see the whole thing in around an hour. We saw more manatees and a bunch of other wildlife. The airboat tour was incredible, so much fun and the scenery was beautiful. If you have a child who really wants to see alligators this is the place. We saw so many as well as some cool birds and just seeing the river was really enjoyable. Plus we got off and walked around in a freshwater spring. Then after we got to hold a baby alligator at the gift shop. Great experience and I would 100% do again! The included lunch was also a great bonus.

Gary was an amazing guide very knowledgeable and helpful would 100% recommend this trip would do it again

It was perfect, I reccomend it

Brian was awesome!!! A memory everyone will remember for a lifetime!!! Swam next to and around the manatees!!! Birds Underwater is the best!!!! Now addicted to snorkeling and manatees!!!

Great tour, everyone is so friendly, kids had so much fun seeing the Manatee and snorkeling

My wife and I along with her brother and wife went on this tour on Thursday May 21 (ages 67-70). It left us with so many great memories and first experiences! The Grayline bus picked us up at our motel at 6:45. The van driver/tour guide greeted us and welcomed us on board. His name is Kevin. He was excellent the whole day long. Very friendly with a good sense of humor. He let us know what to expect and filled us with local information as we drove to our destinations, starting with snorkeling at Crystal River. There we were greeted by Captain Misty and her first mate, Bryan. We rented wet suits and had a fun time getting into those. Kevin told me that we would feel like a “stuffed sausage” 😁. We went for a very short boat ride and then got into the water. Bryan got into the water first and located manatees for us. Misty took the boat close by and anchored it while we all got in and snorkeled (or attempted to). It took some getting used to, but with further encouragement from Misty, I was able to master it and had a blast! This was a great time with lots of great memories made. The only downside of this was our timing. The water was mirky and not many manatees (peak times are during the winter months because they like the warm spring waters when the ocean cools down). But we did find some and snorkeled with them. Hint: make sure to change into your swimming suit before putting on your wet suits. We were in a hurry, so I just put the wet suit over my underwear and they were soaked when we finished. I thought the wet suit kept you dry….Nope 😁. Misty and Bryan were very pleasant and safe. Next we hopped back in the van and went to Homosassa State Park. We were given a tasty sack lunch there and given a couple of hours to explore the park and view the animals there. We had a nice leisurely time exploring the park. The highlight was the underwater viewing area for the manatees. There were three of them at the area feeding on lettuce they set out for them. A real close up experience! The water was much clearer here too, so that made it so we could see them feed well. Other fish were trying to eat the lettuce too. Lastly, we went on an exhilarating airboat ride (Wild Bills’s Airboat Tours). We saw gators and the driver took us on a fast fun ride back to the launching point. We also held a small gator. I would give this tour more than 5 stars if I could. Memories to last a lifetime!

A great experience day. Adam was friendly and informative with loads of great stories! Adam joined is walking round the wildlife park and had loads of additional information. The small group size meant the trip was comfortable and had a wonderful personal touch.

Our guide Adam was very cool and funny . We spend an Amazing tour with him !

Mike was amazing! Drove us around all day, gave us loads of information and was very helpful. Everything was organised and sorted for us by Mike for the whole day. The manatee swim and snorkel was the highlight of the trip, we saw a mother and calf even though we went during the off season for manatees. Had a lovely lunch and relaxed walk around Homosassa springs wildlife state park, which we could look at the rescue animals they have and watch them feed the resident manatees at the park. Would definitely recommend this trip to anyone visiting. We were staying at the Disney parks hotels and got picked up right outside the door!

Mini bus come on time and Mike was very friendly and informative from beginning to end of our trip. Once at the location everything ran smooth and the manatees welfare was top priority the entire time. Lunch was sorted and ready when we arrived back off the boat and on the way back stopped off at an animal rehab centre where we watched manatees eat in underwater viewing. Mike genuinely cared about our experience and made sure we stopped at the sanctuary just incase we didn’t see any wild manatees on our snorkel experience. We got to encounter a mother and baby on our experience. I couldn’t recommend more Mike really made the trip relaxing not having to worry about things running smoothly.

Excellent day out. Guide was very informative and helpful. Swim with manatees was all you could hope for. Brilliant day out

Fantastic day all round .swimming with mum and her calf .Lunch was lovely. Manatee talk was good .airboat fab

Another awesome tour with Grayline Orlando thanks to our tour guide Adam! Being so close to manatees is a unique experience and also a visit to the wildlife park where we watched manatees being fed. An airboat ride at Wild Bills was educational and alot of fun, this tour covers it all! Thanks again to Adam for looking after us so well, highly recommend this tour!

Well organized and so fun! Saw 5 manatee & a 3 day old baby! Gina & Mike care deeply about the safety of the Manatee and patiently directed us to places where we found these gentle giants of the sea. It was amazing. These people are wonderful. Thank you so much… it was the highlight of our Nana & granddaughter Orlando trip :)

Oscar is very knowledgeable and he's so pleasant to spend the day with. Couldn't ask for a better guide.

Based on the other reviews, our expectations for this trip were quite high. Some parts of the experience did meet those expectations. The airboat ride and the visit to the park were enjoyable, and our guide Adam was energetic, helpful, and very punctual. He even called to confirm our pickup just a minute before we arrived at the meeting location and worked hard to keep the group’s energy up throughout the day. However, the biggest disappointment was the snorkeling experience. For context, we are “tree huggers” and fully understand that wildlife encounters are never guaranteed—we don’t expect nature to perform like a theme park. The snorkeling took place in a muddy bay very close to shore (about a 5–6 minute boat ride). The water was extremely murky—to the point where I couldn’t see my own hand when stretched out in front of me. We were essentially snorkeling between boats, which did not match the expectations set by the photos. Before the trip, my husband also asked if larger masks were available for people who wear glasses. While it’s completely understandable that they might not have them, the response he received was disappointing: “You don’t need your glasses—you won’t be able to see anything anyway.” That alone set a very low expectation, which unfortunately turned out to be accurate. There was only a short safety video, with little to no information about manatees or their habitat. We were told that more manatees can be seen in January, which makes me question whether this experience is suitable during other times of the year. At the end, we spent about 15 minutes in a nearby spring, which was actually a welcome stop, as it allowed us to rinse off after being in the muddy water. Overall, the snorkeling portion felt poorly executed and not worth the time or cost. I’m not sure if this reflects all providers or just this particular operator, but it left us feeling like the experience was more about their convenience than quality of the trip.

It is a long day but it didn't feel link it. Our driver and guide, Adam was so full of energy and entertaining (even at 6am which we were slow to appreciate ) but he really helped keep to energy up in us all, all day. He was a great guide. Bird's Underwater , Capt Andy and Guide Heidi were excellent. Making sure we al got to experience snorkelling swimming with the Manatee. The Homossasa Wildlife Refuge was great. Park guides & volunteers were very enthusiastic to explain and share knowledge. Our packed lunch was very tasty. The Bill's airboat ride was also great. Very informative on indiginous history, Alligators and everything. I recommend Greyline tours out of Orlando. Great to deal with the whole time. Well done.