Orlando: Wild Florida Airboat Ride with Hotel Pickup & Lunch

About This Experience

A Gray Line driver-guide collects you from your hotel or rental address anywhere inside the pickup zone covering Orlando, Kissimmee and the Disney area, and drives you south to Wild Florida on Lake Cypress. Reviewers put the drive at around 45 minutes, and the driver usually talks about Florida on the way.

At the park you ride a 30-minute airboat across marsh and lake, with the captain stopping to point out gators, eagles and wading birds. Then you have time in the wildlife park for the alligator demonstration, the aviary, the Hawk Swamp boardwalk and animals such as sloths, bobcats and deer. Lunch is a BBQ basket from the Chomp House grill, and each family goes home with a 6x8 printed photo.

Gray Line and Wild Florida both use the phrase Central Florida Everglades. Lake Cypress sits in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, the headwaters of the Everglades system, so you are at the top of the river of grass, not in Everglades National Park about four hours south.

What you trade for the convenience is flexibility. Departure times depend on the pickup order, you keep to the group's schedule, and the airboat ride is the shorter 30-minute version. Check with the operator about car seats before you book for small children. If you have a car, driving yourself and booking the park ticket separately gives you more control over timing and naps.

Highlights

• Leave the driving to a guide who shares Florida stories on the way down
• Ride an airboat across the marshes around Lake Cypress
• Tuck into a BBQ basket lunch at the park grill, gator bites optional
• Explore the wildlife park, from the aviary to the cypress-swamp boardwalk
• Take home a printed family photo from the day

What's Included

• ✓ Round-trip transport from Orlando, Kissimmee and Disney-area addresses, with a driver-guide
• ✓ 30-minute airboat ride
• ✓ Admission to the Wild Florida wildlife park
• ✓ Live alligator demonstration
• ✓ BBQ basket lunch
• ✓ One 6x8 photo per family

Not Included

• Meals and drinks beyond the BBQ basket
• Optional gratuities for the driver and captain
• Paid animal encounters in the park
• Gift shop purchases

What to Bring

• Comfortable closed shoes
• Sunglasses and sun hats
• Sunscreen
• Refillable water bottles
• Child ear muffs for babies and toddlers
• A small day bag only; large bags are not allowed

Good to Know & Caveats

• Pickup can be from any address within the operator's zone; you confirm yours at checkout.
• Departure times vary with the pickup order, so expect a window.
• Wild gator sightings on the airboat are likely but not guaranteed; the park's captive gators are certain.
• Children five and under must wear a life jacket on the Wild Florida airboat, and ear protection is provided for kids and adults.
• Pets and luggage or large bags are not allowed on this tour.
• Car seats are not mentioned in the listing, so ask the operator before booking for young children.
• Paid encounters have age minimums: 8 for sloth and porcupine, 12 for lemur and gator feeding.

Meeting Point

Hotel or home pickup from any address inside the highlighted zone covering Orlando, Kissimmee and the Disney area; you confirm the address at checkout and are dropped back there.