Water Taxi / Bus - you need to know!

What a nightmare!

Made the mistake of using the Taxi starting at Shooters Cafe/Bar - ';stop one'; to start our ';tour';. We could not get back to our car without them.

They pack you in like sardines on uncomfortable plastic benches - 4 rows, 2 facing each other (facing in) with a double row back-to-back in the middle. It was hard to see, no less take photos. No standing allowed.

Most pick-up locations are out in the South Florida sun (no shade!), no bench to sit on. The Water Taxi%26#39;s were consistently late to pick up, so we spent over 3 hours of our day just standing in long hot lines, waiting for them to show up (thats with us being there on time - per their schedule.) Its sort of a theme park wait without the ride.

Remember that the round trip is 3 hours. 3 hours riding + 3 hours waiting shot most of the day for us. Many return riders along the way were ';p@*#ed off customers'; quote from the boat captain, because we were too full and way-way late to pick them up. So after waiting, wait some more for the next boat. They did that scores of customers. Once, we were promised the next boat in 20 minute - it showed up 45 minutes later.

When its busy, like today, my wife, kids and I were all separated on the boat - not good and they didn%26#39;t care. We had to take what was available, and no-one would slide down or make room. They were afraid to get up, like in musical chairs, you could lose your seat altogether.

One Captain was chatty with information, another not at all - don%26#39;t count on ';a tour';.

The final ride back to the car was even longer because they made additional unscheduled stops for passengers (friends?) at their condos.

Important Note: Passengers who already have tickets are seated first, so if there is a long line you may never get on unless you have a ticket in hand.

Tips: If you decide to try them, start in the middle, not the end of their route so you don%26#39;t have too far to travel back.

When we return, if the kids want some more water tours, well try out one of the other riverboat tours - the have a set start/stop schedule. The Water Taxi / Water Bus, in all fairness may have been having a bad day, but for someone with limited time on a weekend trip or vacation - a bad day stuck with them can kill a whole vacation day for you.

It was $12.00 for an all day pass (cash or traveler%26#39;s checks only). In contrast the other straight tours ran about $16.00.

I felt it was important to share, since most other reviews were just showing the love for this firm.

Plan accordingly.

Water Taxi / Bus - you need to know!

I%26#39;m sorry you didn%26#39;t enjoy the water taxi. When we are in Fort Lauderdale we use the water taxi frequently and have never had an experience like yours. It certainly isn%26#39;t a facility to use if time is of a premium.

Water Taxi / Bus - you need to know!

I think most people use the water taxi as a means of getting from point A to point B rather than a tour. I think you would have liked it better if you had used it as a ';taxi'; as it wouldn%26#39;t have taken up your entire day. Next time, take the Carrie B and you%26#39;ll be much happier. The Carrie B is all about the tour and you%26#39;ll know exactly what time the tour will start and end so you won%26#39;t use up your entire day.

I agree with the replies. I made a bad decision, that was based upon some reviews on Trip Adviser that were saying ';more than a taxi';. That said, plus the service having a bad day made for a bad combination.

I thought it only fair to make sure others did not misinterpret what the Taxi was all about as I had originally done.

I was hoping to see more of the ';Venice of America'; (canals). I got the impression that the Taxi did that and some of the tours were just up and down the inter-coastal waterway.

Can any experts or locals fill us in on similar options?

Carrie B. looks good, didn%26#39;t find out about them until we saw their brochures downtown riverfront.

What about Jungle Queen, Ft Lauderdale Duck Tours and what is the ';River Taxi';? Are there others?

While the Intracoastal has a lot to offer, keep in mind that Fort Lauderdale has 300 miles of navigable waterways and many of those miles can be found on the New River and various canals around town.

Here%26#39;s something else I just read:

The Water Taxi%26#39;s new owner has debuted expanded service, including the new South Beach Express aboard the Island Discovery 65%26#39; catamaran available Fri-Mon. The South Beach Express departs Fort Lauderdale (dock sits directly underneath the SE 17th Street Causeway bridge) at 8:30am and returns between 6:30-7pm. Reservations required.

Just an FYI to those of you who are interested in sightseeing on the Intracoastal or otherwise.

Next time you are in Fort Lauderdale you must do the tour on Fort Lauderdale Duck Tours, it%26#39;s a very entertaining and fun tour. The one guide we got was fabulous, his name Dr.Quack a Lot. He was very funny

my 14 year old daughter was amazed by the history and he kept us all awake. The splash down was great. They depart from Beach Place right on A1A and its 90 minutes. I recommend this tour to everyone.

hand soap