Swim with manatees

disney144

Mouseketeer
Joined
Feb 23, 2014
We are headed to Disney in January staying onsite. What is the best way to visit Crystal River (we are open to renting a car for that portion).
- land in Orlando, rent a car and drive to crystal river. Spend the night. Swim with manatees then drive to Disney.
- stay at pop the whole time. Drive to crystal river for a day trip.

Is there much to do besides the manatee snorkel?
 
That's a great question. My husband loves Manatees and I would love to be able to swim with them while we are there. However, we are going in Dec, so it may be too cold.
 
That's a great question. My husband loves Manatees and I would love to be able to swim with them while we are there. However, we are going in Dec, so it may be too cold.

The cold ocean water is what drives the manatee up to the river for warmer waters in the winter months. So December may be a good time to visit with the manatee.

We went at the end of the season this year (last week of March) and were able to do the manatee swim.
They give you a wet suit to stay warmer and help you float on top of the water. Very cool experience! Would highly recommend it!

We also went to the Homosassa Wildlife Preserve later that day. We got there just as they were feeding the manatee and got fantastic photos.
 
We are headed to Disney in January staying onsite. What is the best way to visit Crystal River (we are open to renting a car for that portion).
- land in Orlando, rent a car and drive to crystal river. Spend the night. Swim with manatees then drive to Disney.
- stay at pop the whole time. Drive to crystal river for a day trip.

Is there much to do besides the manatee snorkel?

Not sure if you got the info you needed yet so I will add my 2 cents!

We stayed over night in Crystal River the night before our manatee swim so we could get the earliest reservation the next morning to maximize the chance of seeing manatee. I think we had to be a River Adventures around 7 am? We also did the longer excursion to increase our odds of manatee encounters.

We did get to see lots of manatee despite it being late in the season so I guess there is something to being out on the river early.
There were also a lot fewer boats out there that early.

So I would recommend driving to Crystal River the night before for the earliest excursion and you will be off the river and over to Disney potentially by noon-time.
 


Not sure if you got the info you needed yet so I will add my 2 cents!

We stayed over night in Crystal River the night before our manatee swim so we could get the earliest reservation the next morning to maximize the chance of seeing manatee. I think we had to be a River Adventures around 7 am? We also did the longer excursion to increase our odds of manatee encounters.

We did get to see lots of manatee despite it being late in the season so I guess there is something to being out on the river early.
There were also a lot fewer boats out there that early.

So I would recommend driving to Crystal River the night before for the earliest excursion and you will be off the river and over to Disney potentially by noon-time.
Thank you for your thoughts. We ended up adding an extra day at Disney, figuring this would be a nice midweek break. Hopefully it's ok to go a bit later. We'll be there in January, so I'm thinking finding the manatees won't be as tricky
 
Hey all! Thanks for the great useful info already in this thread. I'm planning a trip (also for january!) and intend to go straight from MCO to Crystal River. I'm hoping we can get out on standup paddle boards toward Three Sisters Springs for a couple hours in the afternoon, and then do a kayak & snorkel tour in the morning to cover a little more distance. The only trouble I'm having is that most of the hotels in Crystal River look questionable at best. The online reviews of Plantation at Crystal River (which bills itself as a "resort") are pretty unsettling. I think the best bet I've seen is the Best Western which looks like a passable motel. Even Airbnb doesn't seem to have many options in the area. Any suggestions for places to stay in that area?
 
The cold ocean water is what drives the manatee up to the river for warmer waters in the winter months. So December may be a good time to visit with the manatee.

We went at the end of the season this year (last week of March) and were able to do the manatee swim.
They give you a wet suit to stay warmer and help you float on top of the water. Very cool experience! Would highly recommend it!

We also went to the Homosassa Wildlife Preserve later that day. We got there just as they were feeding the manatee and got fantastic photos.
That sounds amazing. I will check in to that for us! I can't wait!
 


Thank you for your thoughts. We ended up adding an extra day at Disney, figuring this would be a nice midweek break. Hopefully it's ok to go a bit later. We'll be there in January, so I'm thinking finding the manatees won't be as tricky
Thanks so much for the info!
 
It's an easy drive over to Crystal River. Dec is prime time/mating season for the manatees in crystal river. It's an early start but little traffic.

You must book a tour for this amazing experience, all are not on the same par. Do your homework, check reviews on trip advisor

Best to book an AM tour that heads out before the water gets stirred up which impacts visibility

Ps the area there is 'old florida', not very built up/commercial, it's lovely:cloud9:
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top