Orlando
Clearwater Beach Day Trip from Orlando with Dolphin Encounter Cruise

Clearwater Beach Day Trip from Orlando with Dolphin Encounter Cruise

Orlando, USA
  • 12 hours
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

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Overview

Swap Orlando for the white sand of Clearwater Beach and enjoy a dolphin encounter cruise while you’re there. The idyllic stretch of the west Florida coast is home to pods of bottleneck dolphins, so it’s a great opportunity to hop aboard a sightseeing boat and see them in the water. The rest of the time, how you enjoy yourself is up to you. Sunbathe, swim and have lunch in an oceanside restaurant (if option selected) before your return to Orlando.
  • Day trip from Orlando to Clearwater Beach
  • Enjoy a dolphin watching cruise
  • Watch adorable bottlenose dolphins swimming through the Gulf of Mexico
  • Spend free time on Clearwater's soft white sand and enjoy an oceanside restaurant lunch (if option selected)
  • Round-trip transportation from select locations in Orlando included

What's Included

  • Lunch (if option selected)
  • 2-hour dolphin cruise
  • Pickup and drop-off from centralized pick up locations in Orlando
  • Gratuities
  • Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting points

Select a meeting point
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Start time

07:30 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Meet your coach at one of the central pickup points and head west toward the sun-soaked Gulf of Mexico coast. Relax as you travel and listen to your driver talk about the region. A movie may also be played.

Hop off your coach at Clearwater Beach, where white sand and clear seas await. Make the most of your free time to soak it all up.

Then, head to the marina from where your dolphin-watching cruise starts. Climb aboard the boat and cruise on the calm waters around Caladesi Island and Clearwater to see pods of bottlenose dolphins leaping alongside the boat. If you wish, buy a wristband for unlimited onboard drinks.

When you return to the shore, enjoy more free time to bask on the beach, swim, or do some watersports. Equipment, as well as beach chairs, and sunshades are available to rent. If you have upgraded your tour to include lunch, enjoy an oceanside restaurant lunch.

Later, return to your coach and travel back to Orlando. Your day trip finishes with a drop off at your original pick up location.

The Tropics Boat Tours

3 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Clearwater Beach

8 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 5 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Infants must sit on laps
  • Most travelers can participate
  • Return travel time of approximately 4 hours round trip is included on the tour duration .
  • Post COVID-19 Safety Updates - We politely request that you refrain from taking this tour should you start displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or if you are at a high risk of contracting the disease. Face masks are recommended but not mandatory, so please bring your own if you wish to wear one.
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
  • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

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Reviews

4.0
81 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 81 reviews
Memorizable
Shawn_D, Jul 2023
It was such a great trip to take my family too we really enjoyed the trip and getting to watch the dolphins we even got to see a baby dolphin it was a great experience
Response from Host, Jul 2023
Thanks for sharing your experience!
The trip plus coach...
pat_m, Jun 2023
The trip plus coach driver and tour guide were excellent and couldn't help enough. The beach in Clearwater is amazing and we had lunch in a little bar on the sea front,will definitely be back.
Response from Host, Jun 2023
We would love to see you again...anytime!
Great views, bad guide
Doris_H, May 2023
The Clearwater Beach and dolphin encounter was great. We saw a lot of dolphins. However, our guide was terrible. He gave incorrect times to meet up with him for excursions. Also, one person went on a fishing boat and was 45 minutes late getting back which made us all wait on the bus for him. Guide had no organization skills. Almost like his first time ever. Driver was great.
Response from Host, May 2023
Thank you for telling us. I will certinally pass on this information to the manager. We are glad to hear you had a good time otherwise.
Great day for dolphins
Jan_C, May 2023
Had a lovely day, saw lots of dolphins and a manatee. The boy's on the boat were amazing and very informative. Would definitely go again if we came back to the USA.
Response from Host, May 2023
Clearwater Beach is a good day and there is a lot of fun things to do and see. Thank you for sharing your day with us.
Not worth the money
Nikita_F, Apr 2023
I left 1 star because my kids enjoyed being on the boat, but this trip is false advertisement at its best. Here is my experience: There’s no transparency on the listing. Had their been things clearly stated, then I wouldn’t have had to get my lawyers involved, but beware of all the fine print not printed. The trip states about 12 hrs. Heavy on the word about. This is what they will use to justify piss poor service. The 12 hrs includes about a 4 hr round trip to the beach. That’s no big deal, but here’s where the issues come in. My booking was for a Wednesday. On Wednesday’s and I quote “you must be back to the bus by 4:30 to leave by 5 in order to give the fisherman time to leave”. So all Wednesday trips are not the same length as other days. That isn’t stated ANYWHERE on the website. We got the lunch, the places didn’t open until 11. We got off the bus at 10:30. We had to wait to eat lunch. For whatever reason our dolphin tour didn’t start until 1:45, which wasn’t 2 hrs…we had 45 mins on the beach. Once the tour was over, we had only 45 mins and it wasn’t enough time to go back to the beach. Our tour guide literally did NOTHING. He gave poor directions, we had to go to the place with the palm trees. He said there was no bathroom on the boat so we walked to the hotel only to find out there was a bathroom on the boat. The bus was raggedy, some of the seats were broken. The driver had a heavy foot, stop and go was abysmal. My kids loved the boat ride, that was the highlight. I asked for a partial refund due to the fact that our trip on a Wednesday was cut short for other folks, but was denied so I got my lawyers involved because false advertising is illegal. Not to mention; the pickup time is wrong; the location was confusing because it has an address but the business name mentioned doesn’t do business with this tour anymore for 2 years I was told, so we were confused and there early for a tour that didn’t start until 8. I’m disappointed, spent almost $1,000 for my family of 7, and couldn’t enjoy the beach. If you want the beach, don’t do the tour.
Response from Host, Apr 2023
Firstly let me say, I am sorry you did not enjoy your day. This tour operates exactly how it is described on Viators website. The description of the tour clearly states that there is travel time involved and that the "you'll spend about seven to eight hours in Clearwater, depending on the traffic from Orlando. The exact departure time of your dolphin cruise may vary depending on the day." The pickup time and location was confirmed by an email you sent to us with the exact information so, there should have been no confusion there either. True enough lunch is not served at 10:30 am ...as that is not really lunch but more like breakfast. If you were unhappy with the dolphin boat, the length of time or the condition of the boat, that would certainly be a complaint we would have happily to looked into. The 23 other people reserved on that day did not complain.
Fun In sun and dolphins
Steven_L, Mar 2023
Being able to see so many dolphins. Also great that weather was nice and the crew of the boat was fantastic and so was Luiz the tour guide. Fantastic guy
Response from Host, Mar 2023
We are glad to hear you had a good time!
Tour guide louiz was very...
Kirsty_T, Oct 2022
Tour guide louiz was very helpful and friendly felt well looked after. Seeing the dolphins was amazing.had some time to see the beach and bars.
Response from Host, Oct 2022
Luiz is a great guide! We will be sure to pass on the comments ! Thank you
Great fun day!
DeAnna_F, Oct 2022
Bus ride was great! Driver & Luiz did great very friendly! Beach was lovely. Great day! 😎🌞 Disappointed not seeing any dolphins on the boat cruise.
Response from Host, Oct 2022
I am so sorry to hear that I guest maybe the recent hurricane? Glad you have a good time otherwise. Thank you for commenting
It was an awesome experience
robert_f, Aug 2022
My wife and I had an awesome experience. We saw dolphins and all kinds of different birds at bird island. The captain was awesome as well as the bartender. The tour guide on top of boat did an awesome job explaining some of the history of Florida.
Response from Host, Aug 2022
Thank you! We are glad you had a good time
I expected to be able to...
Vanessa_L, Aug 2022
I expected to be able to see the dolphins up close, I saw only two and at a long distance... there were many people in the same boat... it was not the tour I expected for the price I paid...
Response from Host, Aug 2022
thank you for your comments. The dolphins are out in the wild, seeing them up close is out of our control, but the boat company do try their best.
Stay away from this our and the bus company
Prashant_R, Aug 2022
Very disappointing. Pickup was delayed 30 minutes (from 7am to 7:30). After that, the next two pickups took 1 hour. Now, it's 8:30am and it takes 2 hour to get to Clearwater Beach. Now it's 10:30am, and the tour operator tells us that our optional dolphin cruise is at 11am...however, boarding does not start until 11:15am and the tour does not start until 11:30am. Our tour operator, Annetta, actually told the cruise operator that she didn't know what she was supposed to do...not what an "experienced" tour guide should be saying. Cruise took 2 hours...so now, it's 1:30pm. We opted for the included lunch, which is a VERY reduced menu at Crabby's Dockside on the beach. After eating, it was 2:00pm. We had 2 hours on the beach and then it was time to head back at 4:30, for the travel back to the hotel. In total, this 12 hour trip broke down to 6 hours of total pickup/driving/drop off ; 2 hour cruise ; 1 hour eating and 2.5 hours beach. For the price they charge, 2.5 hours was not enough. The bus was run-down and dingy. The bus was FREEZING cold. When we told the tour guide, she said that it was warmer up front (where she was) and that we could TRY to get a seat up front on the way back. That was her solution...the bus driver couldn't even turn the air down. We talked to the tour guide on the bus, and she had no answer, other than to write a bad review.
Response from Host, Aug 2022
I am so sorry you were disappointed with your day. This tour does operate exactly as described on the website. Clearwater is a two hour ride in each direction no matter which way you look at it. According to our records you did confirm the exact pickup time several days before travel and your voucher did state 7:30 am pickup time. Choosing a boat ride and having lunch is something that does take time out of your day. It being high season, all boats operating from the pier require advance check in as most are sold out and they want to be sure they can accommodate any last minute walk up guests as well as our group. The bus ac is something we are happy to look into. Keeping an ac temp for a 57 passenger bus full of guest who have been outside is 90 degree weather all day is not an easy thing to do.
Beach day!
Idamis_R, Aug 2022
We had an amazing day. The bus ride was very conftable they had drinks and snacks. The crew was very welcoming. The beach was beautiful and the Dolphin cruise was great
Response from Host, Aug 2022
Glad you had a good day. The complementary drinks and snacks on the bus are new for us....glad you enjoyed them. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Had Fun Under the Sun
Charmy_C, Jul 2022
The moat memorable is to experience the smooth waves, the clean beautiful clearwater beach. The dolphin sightseeing was hood too. I purchased the tour with lunch inclusions at Crabbys, it was not okay that we only get limited options for lunch. The Orlando Sightseeing, if i may suggest to change their timing. We left late from Orlando while waiting for some passengers, we arrive an hour before the Dolphin Sightseeing and had fun roaming around. The dolphin tour was 2hrs by the time it finished its almost 3pm. I suggest you just grab your lunch to go from the crabbys and head out to the beach to have time to swim. The tour bus will left 5:10pm and we need to be there at 4:45😞.We saw online that it will be until 7pm tour but i think it includes the travel time. For us it was not enough time to left 5:10pm and not to enjoy the beautiful clearwater beach. So we opted to stay and ride with uber all the way back to Orlando👌😊 We stayed until sunset 8:30pm. We enjoyed and had so much fun. My recommendations if you will take this tour and would not like to swim then include dolphin exploration but if you like to have fun under the sun and experience the stunning beauty and smooth waves of the beach. Try to take uber or local bus and enjoy! It was fun at Pier 60 Clearwater Causeway…!
Response from Host, Jul 2022
Thank you for commenting!. We do our very best to stay as long as we can and would love to be able to offer more time in Clearwater however, there are saftey regulations we must follow. The driver can only drive a certain number of hours in a day...so saftey is a concern.
Bee was the best tour guide ever!!
Madynn_W, Jul 2022
My most memorable experience was the beach at Clearwater we had so much fun we enjoyed the ocean the white sand and all the amenities.
Response from Host, Jul 2022
Thank you for yor comments. B is really great isnt she!
Clearwater Dolphin cruise
Bernadette_C, Jul 2022
The white sand is incredibly beautiful and boat cruise and 🐬 dolphins quite enjoyable! Tour guide Bea and driver were very pleasant and knowledgeable.
Response from Host, Jul 2022
Thank you ! We are gld you had a good time
The beach is amazing. The...
Alex_D, Jul 2022
The beach is amazing. The boat ride is great but a little long. Kids loved the dolphins. Clearwater is beautiful.
Response from Host, Jul 2022
Dolphins are amazing right! So glad you had a good time. Thank you for taking the time to comment
Average experience
Randall_Z, Jun 2022
First the bus gets there almost at 10, so that only gives you an hour to go to the beach before you get out to get on the dolphin cruise. We had the lunch after the cruise then you only have a short time as well if you want to go back to the beach.
Response from Host, Jun 2022
Thank you for commenting. We really wish we could offer more time at the beach however, with more than two hours travel time each way, and traffic.... staying longer is difficult.
Great adventure to take
Kathleen_M, Jun 2022
It was a wonderful trip. The beach is beautiful and the boat cruise to see the dolphins was remarkable we were able to see so many. Our tour guide Luis was great, friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Taking the lunch voucher was a great idea. Would highly recommend this excursion.
Response from Host, Jun 2022
Thank you for your review. We are happy to hear you enjoyed yourselves!
Really good with a few concerns
Judy_L, Apr 2022
The Clearwater Dolphin Encounter was very good. A beautiful day, and we saw many dolphins. Lunch at Crabby's was great. Our driver was awesome, but our tour guide was not knowledgeable as other Viator guides have been. She (Robin?) gave several pieces of wrong information, like alligators are going extinct (false), and there are no sharks in Clearwater (false). What?? Nice lady, but she needs more training pronto. The back of the van was sweltering hot on the way back: please cool if off, before we travel home, as other operators have done in the past.
Response from Host, May 2022
Thank you for your comments. We will certainly make sure Robin is up on fact. Glad yoy had a good day
Unprofessional intoxicated bus driver
Ellice_C, Apr 2022
My client took her daughter on this tour and while they were on the boat tour their bus driver was drinking at the bar and became intoxicated. The bus driver was very unprofessional. When we contacted the main office she said it was a he said she said case and there was nothing we could do about it. My client ended up paying for a shuttle back to Orlando. This experience was awful and we will never recommend this tour company again.
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