I moved to Florida about six years ago, and the first thing I did upon reaching FL was visit Sawgrass Recreational Park, and the experience was incredible! Since then I have probably gone back for the tour one or twice every year each time I had a visitor from another state/country; yes, it's that good!
First and foremost, this really is a wildlife experience, and while the boat captains will try their best to locate an alligator, there's no guarantee of a sighting, and the folks over at the park make this abundantly clear before the tour begins.
To keep the experience genuine, there is no baiting or luring of the gators, and the encounter is entirely based on the skill of the captain in locating the animal. Since I've taken this tour several times, I've had the opportunity to ride with different captains, and while some facts remain constant in each tour's commentary, you'll almost always learn something new about the gators, their habitat or the Everglades in general.
The last tour I took was the gator night tour with Captain Tim, and while the weather was unforgiving with a constant downpour, Captain Tim made it his job to make the best of the situation. The boat was steered adroitly to minimize the lashing impact from the rain & wind, and yet we managed to see a handful of gators ranging from a 6 inches long baby gator to a full grown 10 feet long adult.
The captains ensure that while you get a good look at the gator regardless of which side of the boat you're on, yet they take care to ensure that the gator isn't harassed in their home.
All in all, whether you're a Florida resident, or just a visitor, the gator tour (either day or night or both) is an absolute must if you're in Florida.