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Great start! And adventures already before you board the ship!!!
Thanks.
I just knew a whole day of nothing would get to me, so I did some researching. Mom was onboard, but I think she really enjoyed it more than she thought she would.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
I'm so glad you opted for the Everglades as we did a trip to one part of it a few years ago and absolutely loved it!
We loved it too. Mom wants to take dad now to a tour in the future. I know he would love it too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mpwife153
Great start!
Thanks
Quote:
Originally Posted by rhinohunter
So you now have two Lizard sightings for your trip. OK, so it was a small alligator. They still look alike. Are you sure that the first one wasn't a distant cousin of the second. Your day in the glades looks like it may be fun. Your start to the day looked to be great as well. The larger hotels can surprise one with the breakfast offerings. Sure beats a donut and a drink.
LOL! Next up...Godzilla! Just kidding. But they do get bigger as we go.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lfredsbo
I am so glad you chose the Everglades! We had a great time when we did it! And how cute is that baby alligator
I am so glad we did this. It really was a nice time and very interesting.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mojjo
I don't think I've ever read a TR with the Everglades so I'm so excited to see your photos.
Glad to be your first! It wasn't even on my rador really till someone mentioned it. Then I remembered I had clients last year that told me they did it the day they got off the ship and enjoyed it and I started thinking more and more about it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR
So funny about Siri wanting you to park on the side of the road.
Great pictures around the hotel! Breakfast looked decent.
Siri is a little crazy at times. She is helpful, thats for sure, but only when she is workinf correctly.
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Something I did not know was that Holiday Park is home to the Gator Boys. There were a few signs advertising that. I do not watch the show, but my niece does…and loves it. I honestly can’t tell you much about the show, other than I have seen advertisements for it and I think they go around and rescue gators from areas they are not supposed to be in.
I took a lot of pictures while we waited, but in all honesty, we didn’t wait too long.
I laughed that this building has a no smoking sign on it, but about 6 feet away they had ashtrays out for people to smoke at.
Another gator…or perhaps the same one.
Our boat arrived and docked and we were told that everyone would get a picture before getting on. Some people told them they didn’t want one, but they said it was mandatory for everyone as it also gave a head count and visual for when the boat arrived back.
We smiled…never planning on getting the picture….but wouldn’t you know, it was actually a nice picture and mom bought it.
We then headed down to the dock to get on the boat.
Our Captain came around to talk to us and there was a foreign family there that just kept talking and it made it hard to hear them. Seriously? You can’t be quiet for a few minutes to get instructions? They also had sort of a brat kid with them. They had several kids, but one was annoying. As we floated along he has some drink and he kept slurping it up…and obviously there was nothing left, but he kept at it with his straw. That is one of the most annoying things to my mother….like nails on a chalk board….and I thought she was going to jump back 3 rows to whip that cup out of his hand. Others kept turning and looking at him too and glaring. Finally toward the end of the trip, with his mother not doing anything, his grandmother told him he was done and took the cup away from him. Anyways….the captain gave some details of what would happen and NOT to stick your hands in the water what so ever! These are wild animals. He said he knew how to call them to come towards the boat, but they were not trained or friendly at all.
He also told us our boat had recently been fixed and he was going to get to test her out today and see how fast she would go.
These guys floated by as we were waiting to take off.
The captain talking to us.
And off we go.
It’s kind of hard to see, but there is a bird with his wings spread out in these trees.
Our captain told us the kind of bird it was, but I no longer remember, nor was the name familiar to me.
These are not lily pads. They are called Spatterdocks. I think they are in the lily family, but not lillypads.
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Very nice photo of you and your mom! Sorry you had the "brat" to contend with
When we went, we were closer to Miami and ended up choosing a private ride - it was not much more than the regular one - and I had seen a family with a TON of kids not so well behaved and that sealed the private deal for me Our boat was open on top - interesting that yours had a cover on it!
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Very nice photo of you and your mom! Sorry you had the "brat" to contend with
When we went, we were closer to Miami and ended up choosing a private ride - it was not much more than the regular one - and I had seen a family with a TON of kids not so well behaved and that sealed the private deal for me Our boat was open on top - interesting that yours had a cover on it!
Thanks!
I have heard others saying they have done an open top too. I guess there is good and bad to both, but it did keep the sun off our heads!
Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
The bird is probably a cormorant. They dive for fish, and then spread their wings to dry.
Looking forward to the rest of your boat tour - our backyard in Florida is a swamp, so we regularly see gators and more.
The first trail we took was going to be the longest and fastest one of the trip. I must say it was pretty darn cool. We would got straight and then swerve to the left or right but still gliding in the same directions…so at times we were going forward to the end but sideways.
A look back.
That was super cool!
We then floated around an island to look for an iguana.
We were also told not to touch the yellow flower of the spatterdock. I can’t remember if the flower was poisonous or the bug that lived inside, but he said we would be burning and itching before we got back if we touched it.
It was amazing how clear the water was too.
I had thought of the Everglades as swamp and as a swamp I think of muddy murky water. This was not the case. We were also told the Everglades is a river that is 50 miles wide and 100 miles long. That explains why my google searches came up with so many different options near and far away.
As we floated around the island where our captain thought the iguana would be we spotted these birds.
He told us that their spit would be dangerous and could make us paralyzed….it made me think of Jurassic Park.
They didn’t seem all too happy to see us either.
And then someone spotted the iguana. This was not actually the one we were looking for though. I believe this was the female.
She moved along the branch…..and then peed. How many of you can say you’ve taken a picture of an iguana peeing?
We kept on look for the male…I took a picture of the reeds.
There he is! Our captain was great about turning the boat around so each side could see things.
It’s hard to tell in pictures….but he was pretty darn big.
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I spent many vacations in Ft. Lauderdale visiting family but I've never been to the Everglades. I have eaten at that restaurant, though. It's around the corner from my late in-laws house.
The hotel looks very nice and I can't wait to read more about the cruise.
Liz
More lizards. Strange tales about the animals and the flowers.
It really does seem like we entered Jurassic Park!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Awesome tour of the Everglades!
It was!
Quote:
Originally Posted by clio
I spent many vacations in Ft. Lauderdale visiting family but I've never been to the Everglades. I have eaten at that restaurant, though. It's around the corner from my late in-laws house.
The hotel looks very nice and I can't wait to read more about the cruise.
Liz
It was such a good dinner.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Wow, it seems as if every animal and flower on that boat trip was dangerous!
I know I thought that too. I don't know how much exagerating he was doing either? For all I know everything was perfectly safe!
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Just kidding. But they do get bigger as we go.
PassPorter Guide Author
I love the photo of you and your mom. 
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