Spongeorama Cruise Lines — Attraction in Tarpon Springs

I never leave reviews because i never need to. I like to think I am very easy going and not every day in business can be perfect! To err is to human and all that I’ve also worked in the service industry for many years and I always do my best to give grace in all situations. So here is why I unearthed my google password and took time out of my Labor Day weekend to leave a truly honest review of the awful ‘customer service’. We had family coming down to visit and decided to take this trip on a whim the day of! We had not explored this area of Florida since living here and had a wonderful day shopping and snacking prior to our trip. I bought my tickets around 9-10AM and I picked the 3pm time slot. I was called on the phone to tell me they were moving up the departure time. No big deal at all, even though the website states times are subject to change. The sky was clear and not a cloud in the sky. I am 30 years old and competent using a cell phone (something to consider if you are older and don’t keep your phone on loud because they call and expect you to adjust) We arrive to the departure location that was listed on the email confirmation. We were waiting to board the boat when I got a call from the facility asking where we were. Mind you, we were 15 minutes early, bought the tickets online and received email confirmation. The only instructions provided via email where were to park and what time to show up. We did exactly as directed. A lady called and barked through the phone “where are you” when we told her we were in the area listed on the email confirmation she snapped “you have to check in first” I was confused because the email instructions said nothing about checking in anywhere. She then tells me I need to check in. There are many buildings in this exact location with the company name so I asked which booth or location I was supposed to go to, to which she told me to figure it out and then hung up the phone. I show up and tell her these instructions were not provided. She ignored me and handed me a little piece of paper that I then had to take to a DIFFERENT location to get ANOTHER piece of paper. Mind you, none of this was stated in the directions. I’m very mindful to be early everywhere I go. We live in the age of technology, if you purchase room on a boat and receive email confirmation I’m super confused why I had to treck all over the area to get a piece of paper. The lady who spoke to me was very mean and nasty and just downright disgusting. As I said, I worked in the service industry for years and I have never spoken to anyone with the malice and disrespect she did. We finally boarded the boat with our prized section of paper. There is barely enough room to sit. I was sandwiched between two men and could not sit comfortably. The men aboard the boat were lovely and fantastic. The “beach time” you get is 30 minutes which whatever, it is what it is. Overall, i understand this is a tourist trap but i was willing to take the leap. I didn’t even care about not seeing the dolphins simply because i was excited to go to the island. Absolutely will not be doing this again and i was more than happy to urge other people heading their way to book with a different cruise company. When your first face you come into contact with ruins the entire experience, you go out of your way to make sure nobody else has to deal with what you have. That’s the whole point of reviews. So in my opinion, pick somewhere else to take your business I spent 124$ to be yelled at and uncomfortable. I would ask for a refund but I know better than to ask anyone there for anything even remotely kind. There are different charters that offer 12$ rides. Go there and hopefully you’ll be...

My daughter, her girlfriend, myself & my BFF went on the 2:30 Dolphin Cruise yesterday, 11/16/2024. We had bought our tickets the day before, since my daughter and her GF were in town for 3 days from Michigan and we want to show them the beauty of Florida. It was our first time doing the cruise and it was amazing! We saw many dolphins, and the boat captain and other staff were amazing! I'm in a wheelchair so challenging for all. The boat staff were so helpful to get me up into the boat, but....from the beginning we got held up at an appointment prior to the cruise. I called the Dolphin Cruise and spoke to Naomi who is a gem! I let her know we were on our way so we might be there later than the 15 minute before departure time. Of course we had 2 cars and my daughter from out of state, we had to keep them behind us. I called Naomi again to ask if we missed the 2:30 cruise, could we get on the 4:30 tour. Plus parking is at a minimum in Tarpon Springs. Plus they had to get me out to a wheelchair and then find a parking spot. She said she'd text me the address, I'd put in my GPS and how far away. 8 minutes! What about parking? Same place and free! From there we couldn't figure out where to go. Naomi, again to the rescue. She came out of the ticket booth pointed us to the entrance, and we were in our seats at 2:31! This is a must do if you're anywhere near Tarpon Springs! NAOMI should definitely get recognized as Employee...

Horrible. Horrible. HORRIBLE. We booked 11 f9r the sunset cruise and told very rudely to be present at 5pm for check in. We arrive and wait, and wait, and wait some more. We finally get restless at around 5:35 and one of our group goes to see if everything is okay with the cruise. Nobody is at the booth and the people in the restaurant say they have no idea where the person is or what the delay with the boat might be, just that it's late often. The boat finally arrives and we leave 20 mins or so late. Keep in mind the sun is getting lower and lower in the sky. We arrive at the island and are told by the crew that the island is a state park and closes at sunset. Wait, what? We reach the island literally just before the sun sets. Total time spent on the island, 10 maybe 15 minutes. We then get back on the boat and the crew is obviously stalling. Weaving around on the water, drifting through the no wake zones and then beyond. We saw a flash of a dolphin fin so they took the opportunity to sit and drift more while nothing happened, dolphin was long gone. We arrive back to the dock at around 7:15, short of our purchased 2 hour tour, everybody is visibly upset, no apologies were made and the crew was still kind enough to hold their tip jar out as we departed.

Needless to say, I will not recommend to others or return. Don't...