I and three family members visited Holiday Park to take
their Everglades Tour on a Thursday morning in late December 2018. Holiday Park
is open daily from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm. We tried to purchase tickets online,
but encountered difficulty; we need not have worried because this venue offers
continuous loading for hundreds of customers every day. (This venue seems
popular with tour buses, perhaps arranged by cruise lines or other travel
agents.)
Because we may have had unrealistic expectations for Holiday
Park Everglades Tour, we didn’t really enjoy it. We thought that we were taking
an airboat tour like we’ve seen on TV and in the movies: small boats with just
a few “stadium-type” seats for just a few passengers, with open exposed chairs
that require seatbelts, headphones to mask the engine noise, and super-fast
speeds. What we found was covered boats (open at the sides but not the front)
that sat low to the water (in fact, water was flooding into our boat), that
held upwards of 40 people on rows and rows of bench seats. Each row held more
than 6 guests, so those unfortunate four passengers in the center of the rows
did not enjoy very good views. Our 1-hour tour at Holiday Park was more of a
nature cruise than a speedboat experience; although there were three straight-away
runs when the boat captain supposedly went fast (60 mph), it didn’t provide any
exhilaration.
Although we received a narration about the Everglades and
wildlife that we might possibly see, our boat captain often repeated things he
had previously told us and was not adept at spotting the meager two alligators
and two birds that we saw. (Passengers pointed them out first.) To be fair, it
was supposedly our boat captain’s first day on the job, so perhaps he will
improve as time goes on. But his lack of experience doesn’t make up for the
poor audio quality of the microphone/speakers.
Each airboat ticket also provides admission to watch a gator
show, but the line was literally a hundred people long, so we couldn’t tell how
much time it would take to be admitted. (A sign that says “Next show begins at
x” would be helpful; maybe there was one near the entrance and we just missed
it.) Supposedly a photo is included with your ticket, but no one told us
how/where to claim it. Guests can also pay an upcharge for a fishing experience
or for an animal encounter in their mini-zoo. Restrooms, gift shop, country
store, and limited food service is available.
Fortunately it was a nice day weather-wise, or our day would
have been a complete disaster. (The tour runs rain or shine.) We didn’t see
much wildlife (not the fault of Holiday Park) nor did we experience the thrill
of an airboat ride like we were expecting. We had read about some higher-priced
airboat companies, and now we suspect why they charge more. Sometimes you get what
you pay for!
