Conceptually, this was cool to see -- the clear kayak, algae and the dolphins. Frankly, I'm not sure that any of the other companies would have met my expectations more -- we picked Get Up and Go because of their small group size, which was probably the best of any of the other companies.
That being said, I can't recommend the tour.
First, we had to stand getting bitten for about 15 minutes listening to a prep speech that should have been 1 min. All this guidance should have been in a mandatory video to watch before going. Even without that, it could have been 2 minutes. It was likely they were trying to draw the entire event out to justify the price.
The kayak was pretty uncomfortable and when we asked whether we could bring our own cushions, they said we wouldn't need them.
Then, they should have told us what we needed to know about the algae before we left. Once on the water, they kept stopping us every 15 feet to tell us something we couldn't hear anyway.
There should have been expectations set before leaving. e.g., “First we’re going to go up here for about 15 min where it’s really dark and you can see the algae and use your nets. Then we’re going to paddle down to the bridge where it’s not as dark but there are pods of dolphin. There will be some current there, and we’ll plan to stay about 10 min there before paddling back.”
Instead it was a 2 hour event that appeared to have no plan/unprepared and we didn't know where we were going or why or how long we were going to stay there.
If it had been efficient and a 30-45 min trip, it would have been less uncomfortable, and I would have rated it more highly.
Réponse de l'hôte
Aug 2022
We appreciate you taking the time to share your honest feedback with us. We’re glad you were able to enjoy our more intimate group setting - this is something we take pride in to ensure our guests feel heard and are able to enjoy the bioluminescence in smaller groups.
We apologize about the mosquitoes. Being that we’re on the water during the Summer time we do encounter them and remind our guests to bring repellent on our website, our confirmation and reminder emails. We also don't want to start talking about the bio on the shoreline before paddling because that will just add to the time 'not' paddling and standing around where the mosquitoes are typically the worst (near the shore). Since we are a guided tour, we go over a few tips and tricks about kayaking if our guests haven’t paddled before, along with safety protocol that is required before we hit the water. Typically this takes a few minutes and we allow our guests to ask any questions they have to ensure everyone feels comfortable.
Our clip in seats have a back and a bottom to them and we also place a cushion under the seat for additional comfortability. You are always welcome to bring more if you’d like to! I apologize if someone confirmed that you wouldn’t need them but you are always able to bring your own if you’d like!
On the tour, we do stop along the way to view and discuss any wildlife we come across and in depth information about the bioluminescence as that what our guests are interested in learning about on the bio tour with us! The reason we don’t give people exact details about where the group will head and what we will see while we are out on the water is because each night is different and we can never guarantee seeing wildlife and our route may differ pending on winds, currents, and tides. When booking your experience, the confirmation lists a start and end time. Our tours are typically 1.5 hour long! We hope you were still able to take away something great from the experience with us.
We appreciate your feedback, Cheryl!