Disclosure- We received cruise admission on the Key Largo Princess in exchange for my review. All opinions are 100% my own. Last week my family and I went to Islamorada in the Florida Keys for a few days. I was looking for a fun adventure and I found the Key Largo Princess Glass Bottom Boat. The Key Largo Princess sails 3 times daily (10am, 1pm, 4pm) from Key Largo Holiday Inn through coral reefs in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary. It’s a great way to see lots of fish, sharks, coral, and other sea life while staying dry.
When we first got on board the boat we went into the air conditioned salon where the glass bottom is to cool off for a bit because it was so hot outside. Once we began to sail my husband and older daughter decided to stay below and relax in the A/C while my daughter and I went up on deck to the front of the boat to enjoy the breezes and beautiful ocean view. It was so gorgeous and relaxing. Here are some of the houses, boats, and more that we saw while we sailed to the reef.
I think this is my favorite view: The boat is 70 feet and holds 129 passengers. It has a bar on deck that serves sandwiches, snack, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages for the adults. We had already eaten lunch so we didn’t get anything from the snack bar but other passengers looked happy with their purchases. The staff was really friendly and informative.
The ride out to the reef is about 45 minutes. Once we arrived on the reef we all went down to the glass bottom salon part of the boat. Viewing windows of the glass bottom total 280 square feet in area. The crew was so knowledgeable of all of the marine life we were seeing. The staff made sure to point out the marine life and give us great information on everything we were seeing. It was so cool to see various types of coral, fish, rays, and sharks right below us. The kids had fun dangling their feet over the railing as we all sat on the floor watching the sea life go by. We saw a nurse shark right under the boat. It would have been the perfect picture but unfortunately my camera closed when I clicked to take a picture. I was so bummed!
The trip around the reef lasted about 30 minutes before we sailed back to dock. Once again I went up on deck to enjoy the outside view and breeze as we sailed back.
The cruise was so much fun and a great taste of the underwater beauty of Florida but I want to mention that if you get sea sick, this might not be the activity for you. Unfortunately my husband got sea sick about half way through the trip. The crew was really helpful coming around with cups of ice water for anyone that wasn’t feeling well. If you usually get sea sick I suggest bringing along some sea sick preventative. My girls and I didn’t have any problems with being sea sick and really enjoyed the cruise.