Southern Star Dolphin Cruises

Address:	100 Harbor Blvd, Destin, FL 32541, USA
Phone:	+1 850-837-7741
Site:	southernstardolphincruise.com
Rating:	4.2
Working:	9AM–4PM 9AM–4PM 9AM–4PM 9AM–4PM 9AM–4PM 9AM–4PM 12–4PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 16

Sarah Carey

If you want to go catch dolphins and sea turtles in the wild, then you have two options. 1. Go on the cruise and have a very tourist-y experience where a tip jar manned by two employees is your way off the boat. Or 2. Rent your own boat and follow all the other dolphin cruises. If I did this again, then I would opt for renting my own boat. Southern Star is a sound choice. We did see lots of dolphins but mostly their back and at times, their tail. The kids did get a kick out of driving the boat but we could have let them do that with a rented boat too. Throwing crackers to the sea gulls was fun too. I think this is good for the excitement of tracking down the dolphins but for the price, I preferred the Gulfarium to see the dolphins up close.

Alison Owen

This was the most fun my mom and I had on our whole trip. We booked the dolphin cruise at the last minute, and our ship was filled to the max capacity with people, but Captain Jason made it so much fun for everyone and made sure everyone got a chance to see the dolphins. Between reminding people to take turns at the best spots on the boat and turning the boat around to let each side face the dolphins, I didnt feel like I missed anything! We also got to see sharks, too, which was an unexpected surprise. Southern Star is a Christian-owned company, and I hope they continue to see success because of it. It was a great experience for us! :)

Catherine Taylor

Amazing Dolphin Tour!!! The Best in our area….we brought a birthday party of 30+ guests for my daughters birthday & made memories that will last with our closest friends…. The views of Destin Pass were gorgeous and the dolphins really played for us….You could hear them breathing as they were jumping out of the water so close to us!!!!!! There were several large pods that day and 1 pod had 2 new babies…….I was really impressed with the skill of the captain and would recommend this cruise to everyone….it is a “Must Do” if you come to Destin!!!!!

Eric Thomas

Im a local and Ive been on several of these boats. This one is by far the best and most respectful of the dolphins. Its not a booze cruise but you can bring yours on board. They have an air conditioned cabin, mens and womens restrooms, and a snack bar. The best thing about is all the shade available. It makes a huge difference. Being higher up also means you can also see the dolphins better. Kids get to play captain so parents can get the photo. Bring some cash to tip the deckhands. They are working for tips.

A Private User

Nice crew. Informative captain. Relaxing ride. Seeing dolphins in natural habitat is nice. Remember, it is not SeaWorld or Gulfarium, dolphins naturally are in wild, not trained to jump and talk. Crew very understanding concerning my mothers inability to walk too far. Parents, remember your children are on a boat ~ it is your job to supervise them. Very kid friendly~ captains seat picture, treasure chest surprise...... Reasonable price for two hours. Go to the early time.. not as hot or crowded.

Markus Panjaitan

The trip was ok. The dolphins were hard to see although that isnt the captains fault. The toilets were dirty but the snack bar was a good idea although the prices were a bit steep. I understand that its a boat but you restock every 3 hours how hard can it be? Also the captain was rude at sometimes but other than that was very nice and left us with a personal note that was heartwarming. Also please pay the workers in the boat and stop sucking money out of us for tips

Benjamin Ziemba

Last week was our 2nd year coming to Destin for spring break and our kids just love the dolphin tour with Southern Star. They talked about it for months after our 1st adventure last year and we had to do it again this year and it was even better. We got lucky with over 20 dolphins and a couple new baby dolphins. The kids all over the boat we all so excited. Very kid friendly and informative captain and crew. We will be coming back again next year Im sure!

LaTonya Hockett

Our family went for the evening fireworks cruise. The fireworks lasted MAYBE 5 mins. And then the way thw boat was situated, only the front of the boat was able to get good views of them. It was a waste of money. We will not be returning. Maybe it was boring because it was not the dolphin cruise. So if you are going on a Thursday for fireworks, dont waste your time or money. Not worth $20 at all!

Venkatesh R

The cruise is good for first one hour and then felt bored by seeing same kind of dolphins. It would be great if the captain takes the ship to deep waters. All my family members felt the same way as Im, that the ship roams around the harbor (may be within 1/2 mile from the coast). If you are like me who wants to enjoy deep water cruising better take a pontoon or jetski and go by yourself.

Erika Escamilla

We loved the Southern Star Dolphin Cruise trip we saw a bunch of dolphins, different kinds of fishes, and jellyfishes we even got to see a shark too, the captain and crew were very polite all the kids can take pictures at the cabin and steer the boat too. It was an amazing 2 hour trip. I definitely recommend the Southern Star Dolpin Boat.

Kenneth Moody

We take our family/guests on this dolphin cruise every year. The kids love to steer the boat and we always see lots of dolphins. We noticed this year that they even feed the seagulls from the back of the boat which is a riot. The water has be really clear making it even more enjoyable. This is a must do while visiting.

Beonka Bullard

First Time Out On A Dolphin Cruise! I was a little scared at first but it eased off! Great, great experiences and I felt so safe even out in the GULF! I would definitely recommend this cruise and I would totally do it again. ! The dolphins, sharks, fish, stingrays were just so serene! Oh please take me back to Destin!

Adam Stowie

Calling this boat "glass bottomed" is a little generous, the bottom contains six slits you can look through (pictured), though there isnt anything but sand to see anyway. Otherwise it was awesome, great captain who knew just where to find dolphins, and we saw some sharks and flying fish as well. A great activity!

Ellie Jameson

Great! They played nice music and we saw tons of dolphins. The captain was kind. The weather could have been better, but that wasnt their fault. If you go, you should definitely take a turn standing at the front of the ship-- you can really feel the waves up there! Dont do it if you get seasick though. Have fun!

bmore ftw

I had an amazing time on this dolphin cruise. Staff was very friendly and the captain and shipmates knew exactly how and where to spot the dolphins. Even got to see a beautiful sunset as the cruise came to an end. Saw many schools of dolphins... great for families kids adults and anyone in between.

Nicole Harris

My family and I went on the dolphin excursion. It was great!! The captain kept us entertained and would not go back in until we had the dolphins experience we paid for!!! Toward the end of the trip the dolphins decided to come out and play! And it was thrilling!!!! Staff was very friendly!