The Everglades

Boats usually get to port somewhere around 7am, and passengers have a variety of ways to disembark.  If you have an early flight, a port shore tour, or some other special need, the cruise line will let you off early.  For all other passengers, it can be a long and tedious process as you have to wait until your group color is called and work your way to the exit to get off.  As we had booked a late flight, and did not want to wander around Ft. Lauderdale with all of our baggage, we booked a shore tour to the Everglades.  We were sent to the Wheelhouse Bar and were led off the boat with our group for the tour.

I had always thought of the Everglades as a scary place with snakes and alligators, and other varieties of poisonous beings that existed just to attack humans and kill them.  With stories of boa constrictors on the loose and other predators multiplying exponentially in the swamps, I wondered why any human being would even venture into the waters.

Imagine my surprise when we arrived at the park and there were people fishing on the shores and from the many pleasure boats roaming around.








We boarded our boat and set off through the vegetation in search of wild animals.  We didn't have far to look.

This didn't do much to ease my fears as the boat crept deeper into the swamp.  It surprised me that all the boats we saw rode over and through the vegetation.  The guide explained that these plants grow from the bottom to a height of five feet, so I guess they could be assured of a certain depth of water.


We were warned not to pick the flowers, even though they were beautiful as each one had a black widow spider living in it.  I had not ever thought about spiders as being included in the mix of creatures I should fear in the Everglades, but a black widow spider in every one of the hundreds of flowers?  OMG!


We saw a lizard, several vultures and other birds, no snakes and one alligator sunning himself on the shore.  He didn't move at all so I guess he was enjoying the warmth.  All in all, there were no horrible monsters reaching out to grab us from the boat and drag us away to the middle of the swamp, never to be heard from again.

Back on shore we were treated to an alligator wrestling show.  I was surprised at how big they were, and how lethargic they seemed.  Either these alligators were drugged, or the movies had gotten things very wrong.  I can tell you that I'm glad this young man was not my son.  I have enough to worry about.



.After the show we were free to wander around the gift shop and get a snack if we wished.  Several of the peacocks that roamed free put on a spectacular show as they strutted their stuff for potential mates.

Unfortunately, after that, we were headed back to the bus and the airport, and home and work.  Our enforced captivity until the next cruise.