Lazy Dogs has a great group of employees! I accidentally booked the wrong day on a Sunday night via internet and Kathy actually replied that night. I was not expecting a reply till at least Monday morning. She was extremely helpful and took very good care of me making sure that I was booked for the correct day. I was very grateful for the quick response.
My husband and I arrived on the day of the booking about a half hour before our trip time. We had signed the waivers via email, so when we arrived we just had to give our name to let them know we were there. I brought a small wet bag to keep a towel and dry clothes in, but the employees had cubbies behind the counter that they would keep stuff for you at no charge. They are not locked cubbies, so I would not bring any valuables.
We wore our swim suits, but most people wore shorts and thirts. We did not get but a few drops of water on us except from the paddles. You can choose either individual kayaks or kayaks for 2. The 2 person kayak had enough room in from for me to keep our shoes, my dry bag and my feet. I am 5' 8" and I was comfortable. I was in the front of the kayak. There was also a cup holder between my legs that held a water bottle perfectly.
Getting on and off the kayak was made pretty easy for us. There was a ramp into the water, and the kayak was on the ramp. My husband nor I even got our feet wet getting into the Kayak. Once we were in, they pushed us down the ramp into the water. Same thing when we returned, We paddled up onto the ramp and they pulled us up the rest of the way.
The trip it self.....we had Bethany as our guide. She also went by Bob just in case we didn't like our trip:) Bethany was awesome. Very knowledgeable, personable and able to spot some amazing things in the water. Bethany caught a jellyfish, sea cucumber, a starfish and one other creature that put out a purple smelling dye. Everyone in the group was able to pass the net around to be able to see them up close and touch them if they wanted to. As we were paddling, Bethany also spotted a nurse shark that most everyone got a glimpse of. As we were waiting to dock on the ramp, two manatees popped up out of the water right next to our kayak. It was awesome.
The water never really got deeper than 4-5 feet. Most of the time we were in water 1-2 feet deep. The paddling for the most part was not hard. There is two times crossing and coming back through the channel that had a bit of a current, but nothing awful.
There is a restaurant and restrooms at the dock where you check in and unload. We bought water ahead of time when we made our reservations online but I am sure you can buy water when you arrive, it was a buck a bottle. Be sure to bring cash so you can tip your tour guide. They are like restaurant workers and make their living on tips.
We really enjoyed the trip and would highly suggest doing this. We did the morning one, not to hot. Bring a hat! We used Uber to get there and back. We did not have to wait at all for an Uber after our kayak trip.
This was one of our favorite parts of our Key West Trip.