[lpkshop]

My family is visiting the end of month and I thought it would be fun to take my 11 year old niece on an air boat. Any suggestions?

[villagetinker]

Wild Bills, route 44, they advertise in the daily sun. Used them twice for grandkids and enjoyed both times.

[Ecuadog]

If she doesn't want to get wet, don't grab seats down front.

[perrjojo]

We just went with Tom and Jerrys at Lake Panasoffkee. Has anyone done both Tom and Jerrys and Wild Bill's! We will be going again next month and wonder which is better.

As an alternative you might want to look into Craig Cat Tours in Mount Dora. Loads of fun & wildlife a plenty!

[chuck90199]

We've been on both. I offer just our experiences... not a critique of either.

We took some visitors on Wild Bill's about a year ago. The one hour trip turned into about 2-and-a-half hours as the "airboat captain" had trouble keeping the boat running. We spent a good part of the trip sitting idle in the sun while he tried to start the boat. There was an auto mechanic on board who offered advice, but it was refused. Our guests said they had a good time.

This year we've taken two groups of visitors on Tom and Jerry's. They all said they had a great time. These airboats were totally reliable, and the tours quite interesting. On one we saw some alligators... on the other one we didn't see any, but that's just the nature of looking for wild animals. We all met Wilbur... their little pet alligator who visitors can hold.

[Dynsol]

Originally Posted by chuck90199

We've been on both. I offer just our experiences... not a critique of either.

We took some visitors on Wild Bill's about a year ago. The one hour trip turned into about 2-and-a-half hours as the "airboat captain" had trouble keeping the boat running. We spent a good part of the trip sitting idle in the sun while he tried to start the boat. There was an auto mechanic on board who offered advice, but it was refused. Our guests said they had a good time.

This year we've taken two groups of visitors on Tom and Jerry's. They all said they had a great time. These airboats were totally reliable, and the tours quite interesting. On one we saw some alligators... on the other one we didn't see any, but that's just the nature of looking for wild animals. We all met Wilbur... their little pet alligator who visitors can hold.

How old were the kids that went? Not sure if its too soon for a two and five year old!

[chuck90199]

Originally Posted by Dynsol

How old were the kids that went? Not sure if its too soon for a two and five year old!

The kids were 6 and 9. The rest of the visitors were adults. It is quite noisy, but they provide ear protection.