Tropical Sailing — Attraction in Miami

My experience with Tropical Sailing was nothing short of a nightmare. After driving two hours to reach their Biscayne Bay address, I was astonished to discover that the actual sailing location was different. This vital piece of information was buried in an email, easily overlooked, and certainly not emphasized as it should have been. The lack of clear and upfront communication from TropicalI'm Sailing caused significant inconvenience and frustration.

The situation worsened when I sought recourse for this misunderstanding. The company’s stubborn refusal to offer a refund or even a voucher for another day is a glaring testament to their poor customer service and lack of empathy. Their inflexibility in resolving an issue that was clearly a result of their inadequate communication is utterly inexcusable.

The fact that such crucial information regarding the sailing location was only mentioned in passing in an email and not clearly stated during the booking process is deceptive and unprofessional. This experience has raised serious concerns about their business ethics. My connections within the City of Miami’s administration are now investigating these practices, as this level of unprofessionalism and customer disregard should not go unnoticed.

To potential customers considering Tropical Sailing: be extremely cautious. Their misleading practices and abysmal handling of customer issues are red flags that cannot be ignored.

Latest Update as of December 22nd: This morning’s call from the company has only intensified my concerns about their dubious and aggressive tactics. The manager falsely claimed a commitment to good customer service and stated a credit had been offered to me, which is utterly untrue. Why would I write a negative review if I had received what was due? Their implication that I’m misinformed is not only wrong but insulting.

Initially, all I asked for was a credit or voucher equal to our payment – a simple request for any reputable business. I’m still willing to remove this review for fair treatment. But now, they’ve stooped to falsely accusing me of threatening bodily harm to their staff over a $150 dispute. Such a baseless and ludicrous claim further tarnishes their already questionable reputation.

I urge everyone to read the other reviews on this page. The pattern of narcissistic verbal abuse in response to customer complaints is glaringly apparent. Ask yourselves – do you want to support a business that operates with such dishonesty? I strongly encourage a boycott of their services until they demonstrate a commitment to basic decency and ethical business practices. Our collective action can send a powerful message about the importance of integrity...

I will start by saying my family and I usually try to get out on the water anytime we are near it. So we have gone on many sightseeing/adventure cruises around the country and world, so we have a lot of them to compare to. With that said, Tropical Sailing is easily one of, if not the best one, we have been on. During our visit to the Miami area, we did both the "Sail and Splash" cruise at Fort Lauderdale, and the next day, the Sunset cruise in Miami. 9 Both cruises are spectacular. The Sail and Splash in Fort Lauderdale is a three and a half hour trip, on the Spirit of Lauderdale sailing catamaran. Once you get out on the ocean, they turn off the engines, hoist the sails, and true paradise sets in. Grab some real-estate on the bow nets, drink in hand, watch the waves go by; that's all you need to reset your mind. After sailing out to the swim stop, the crew gets out a floating trampoline, float mats, and snorkeling equipment. I used all of the above. I highly recommend snorkeling around to see the sea life. The reef off of Fort Lauderdale is not comparable to say, Belize, but its worth checking out for sure, especially given it's included in an already great bang for your buck cruise. There are snorkeling specific cruises in Fort Lauderdale we have taken that are more expensive and don't offer all the other inclusions that Tropical Sailing does, plus again, who can beat a sail boat! Our crew was Captain Ernest, and deck mate Connor, and both were super knowledgeable about the areas we sailed by, and just fun to talk to, and most importantly, very competent in their jobs. As for the Sunset Crusie in Miami, deck mate Connor was part of that crew as well, also including Captain Terry, and deck mate Luke. The boat in Miami is a bit larger, called the Carribean Spirit. Similar situation, get on the ocean, and sail into the evening against the stunning city scape behind you. A few notes: by being a Tropical Sailing passenger at Fort Lauderdale, it grants you access to the Bahia Mar resort rooftop pool and bar. We spent about two hours there prior to the cruise, but you can also use it afterwards if you want to swim/shower/eat, or get drinks.

These cruises are not your average pack a thousand tourists onto a Micky Mouse floating party barge like many in the area. It feels more like a private yacht charter.

This is one of the few sightseeing cruises in Miami/Fort Lauderdale that actually leaves the ICW and goes into the ocean, so you really feel like you went on a boat ride.

If you want to get onto the water, this is...

A good boating experience, not a real snorkeling experience.

This is a review for the Sailing and Snorkling expedition. With the crew of Captain Terry, Mason, Ernest Edgar on 8/16.

The customer service from booking was extremely helpful. Sarah was great at answering all our questions and even arranged the perfect time and date for our excursion.

The boat itself is spacious clean and steady. The crew is capable and knowledgeable, yet it felt like this was just a job for them and not as enthusiastic as trips I've been on in the past where they genuinely enjoy the experience and hosting people on the boat.

However, they decided not to go out to the listed location (Jose Cuervo Artificial Reef) we originally had read when booking. Instead the first two hours were spent circling around the same bay and same views and it felt a little like they were going through the motions to kill time before they let us jump into the water. We docked in front of some expensive houses and they let us off and handed us snorkeling goggles. There was no reef no fish and you couldn't see more than 2 ft in front of you due to visibility issues and it was basically just swimming and playing with some floaties. A saw an excited family who brought with them all this nice snorkeling equipment only to have to tell their kids they didn’t need it. Then we returned to dock shortly after.

The issue I take is that they didn't give us an option for a refund once they knew they weren't going to the reef, they just said we will play it by ear. I even heard the crew talking about how they weren’t on the same page about what activity people had booked. Personally, when I am in charge of planning a group vacation it's disappointing to block out a significant part of your day for a Snorkeling adventure that turns out to be just a boat and swim.

My honest opinion is if you enjoy being on a boat, it's a great time. But if you are looking to book the snorkeling adventure be careful of the bait and...