FAQ

A light rain will not prevent us from cruising, but unsafe boating conditions will result in trip cancellation. If a trip is cancelled due to weather or any other concerns, every effort will be made to notify all reservation holders in a timely manner.

Following is information regarding accessibility on our tour boats. If you have questions, concerns or need more information please contact us at 941-639-0969. We recommend that if you or any of your guests have mobility challenges that you contact us prior to booking so we can discuss how best to assist.

None of our boats are “accessible” by ADA guidelines, and they are not required to be due to their small size. We cannot roll a wheelchair onto the boats but we regularly accommodate people who can get out of their wheelchair and be helped aboard. We have set up our boarding facilities and procedures to safely accommodate as many people as possible. Most people who walk with canes or walkers find that boarding is a comfortable process as long as they can negotiate a few steps up or down. For those that use manual wheelchairs but can take a few assisted steps, we can fold up the wheelchair and bring it aboard.

We offer pre-boarding for anyone who has mobility challenges and needs extra time or assistance. Please alert us to this when you make your reservations. The captain requests that pre-boarded guests remain on the main deck for their safety.

Our vessels “Charlotte Lady”, “Helen M”, and “Miss Elissa” are two-deck vessels with approximately half of the seating on the upper deck and half on the lower deck. Boarding is onto the lower deck. Restrooms and bar are found on the lower deck. There is a flight of stairs to the upper deck, similar to household stairs but with a continuous handrail on each side. All doors on the vessels have a sill of several inches in height which must be stepped over to pass through the doorways. This includes the entry doors into the cabin on the lower deck, the doors to the bathrooms, and the doors to the wheelhouse on the upper deck.

The waiting area for boarding is open air and is paved. There are benches available for those that are unable to stand while waiting to board. There are two steps down from the boarding area onto the pier with handrails on each side of the steps. The entryway onto each boat is approximately 15 feet out the pier which is a level concrete surface with handrails on each side. Depending on tide there can be as many as three steps from the pier up to the level of the gangway. These steps have a handrail on the right hand side. The gangway is approximately five feet in length with handrails on each side and can have an incline up or down depending on the tide level. There is a step of approximately three inches in height onto and off each end of the gangway. Once off the gangway there is a door sill to step over to enter the main cabin. At no time will you or your guests need to step over open water.

The above applies to boarding and disembarking at our docks at Fishermen’s Village in Punta Gorda. Please note that if you take a destination cruise with us the dockage/boarding is somewhat different at each destination. If you or a guest have mobility challenges please contact us at 941-639-0969 to discuss the details about boarding/disembarking at any destination other than our home dock.

Please contact us at 941-639-0969 with questions or concerns.

We require 24 hour notice for cancellation of cruises. Participants who fail to show for a cruise reservation or cancel without 24 hour notice (e-mail or confirmed phone call) will not receive any refund. Cancellations made before 24 hours of your scheduled event will receive a full refund. Cruises depart on time. No refunds will be issued for late arrivals.

For Private Tours, we require 48 hour notice for cancellation.

Closed toe shoes are recommended for your safety, however we will not prevent you from coming on board if you are wearing something else. High heeled shoes are not permitted onboard.

All of our boats are located at Fishermen’s Village Marina along the driveway on the east (right hand) side of the mall buildings. When you arrive for your trip you should first check in at our ticket office, then you’ll be able to board the boats which are located directly across the driveway from the ticket office.

Our cruise boats are smoke-free.

Very unlikely. If you are unsure, we recommend taking anti-seasick precautions ahead of time.

We offer cocktails, beer, wine, soda, water, and coffee, along with snacks such as chips, crackers, and cookies on our tour boats.

Not necessary. All of our boats are required to have enough life jackets for everyone on board at all times. However, if you have personal life jackets which you want to bring, please feel free to do so.

Alcoholic beverages cannot be brought on the Helen M, Charlotte Lady, and Miss Elissa tour boats, but can be brought on the Private Tour boat (6 passenger max boat). There are full bars with drinks available for purchase on the Helen M, Charlotte Lady, and Miss Elissa.

No. We accept all major credit/debit cards and ApplePay for ticket sales and bar transactions.

30 minutes prior to departure.

1190 West Marion Ave., Punta Gorda, FL 33950

All of our tour boats have bathrooms.

Pets are not allowed on board. We do welcome service animals which serve to mitigate a disability. If you are bringing a service animal please notify our office so we can accommodate you and the service animal.

We do not have senior discounts or military discounts. However, we run many specials through the year which offer discounted tickets to military, first responders, educators, and other groups. Sign up for our e-newsletter for details!

All parking at Fishermen’s Village is free of charge. You may park in any available space.

Possible wildlife sightings include alligators, herons, eagles, ospreys, wood storks, egrets, spoonbills, pelicans, and other bird species.

More than 200 dolphins live in Charlotte Harbor and we encounter them at some point during most of our cruises. We often spot rays and leaping fish and pelicans, cormorants and ospreys are common sightings too.

Very young children sometimes do best on shorter trips such as our 90 minute Harbor Tours or Sunset Cruises.

Older children tend to enjoy our Peace River Nature Cruise. Be sure to check out our special cruises too!

We cannot guarantee dolphin sightings. We see dolphins on most of our cruises but you are most likely to spot them on our full day island cruises.