THE USA · ISLAND HOPPING TOURS
This is the shortlist you would send a friend: 15 island hopping tours in the USA worth the money, each with its per-head price, its traveller verdict and the one thing to check before you pay.
Cruise the 1000 Islands from Gananoque, see Millionaire’s Row and Boldt Castle, and get practical tips on timing, customs, food, and value.
“No improvements needed. Excellent trip, excellent staff and crew”
Cruise the 1000 Islands from Ivy Lea with views of Boldt Castle, narrated history, bilingual commentary, free parking, and one or two-hour options.
“Very good activity to do with family and lots of fun depending on how long you like to see and stay in water. This is our 2nd time, and very happy to see all around 100 islands and area and the guide and staff are very friendly.”
Review of Clayton’s 5-hour 1000 Islands boat tour, with Boldt Castle, Rock Island Lighthouse, lunch, river views, and practical tips.
“Learned alot about the islands through tour guides Chris and Brian great history of the 1,000 Islands and Bolt Castle”
Review of the 3-day Niagara Falls and 1000 Islands tour from NYC, including Watkins Glen, Toronto, Maid of the Mist, hotels, value, and practical tips.
“Fabulous trip. Our guide, Peter, was excellent. Hotels we stayed at were really good. It’s a packed itinerary, you see an awful lot.”
See Maui and Molokai from the air on a 55-minute helicopter flight featuring waterfalls, sea cliffs, rainforest, and expert island stories.
“It was a wonderful lifetime experience! Highly recommended to everyone!”
Review of the 3-hour Marco and 10,000 Islands shelling tour, with dolphins, Kice Island, local guides, practical tips, and value advice.
“It was a beautiful day-the weather was perfect. The dolphins were jumping, and we found some pretty awesome shells!! Captain Joey was fantastic-he had the dolphins swimming in the wake off the boat. We saw a pod of six or eight dolphins once and then multiple sightings of other dolphins. They even swam a few feet from our boat! Captain was very knowledgeable and made it a very enjoyable experience. We will be back with other family members and visitors!”
Cruise the Thousand Islands from Ivy Lea to see Boldt and Singer castles, hear bilingual commentary, and enjoy a relaxed two-hour trip.
“The cruise was good but a little boring after Singer Castle. Fell asleep for a few minutes on the way back and felt I didn't miss a thing.”
Review of a 3-day NYC tour to Niagara Falls, Toronto, and 1000 Islands, with hotels, breakfasts, transport, highlights, drawbacks, and tips.
“Checked off one of my must do's on my bucket list. An awesome ride in a comfortable tour bus. Our tour guide handled all the different languages on the bus with ease. I recommend this tour.”
Review of Wrightsville Beach’s 2-hour Island Hopper Cruise, with island stops, shelling, dolphins, crew tips, parking advice, and booking guidance.
“Great time! The weather was perfect, spent a good amount of time on each island looking for shells and taking pictures. There was a guest onboard who did quick watercolors and painted me, which made my Bach weekend even that much more special! 10/10 would recommend this cruise”
Review of Islamorada’s 1.5-hour WaveRunner tour, with mangrove tunnels, sandbars, islands, wildlife, costs, tips, and honest drawbacks.
“They ran a huge group. The only place I was interested in on the itinerary was the sandbar and they decided to skip it without telling us because the group was too large. It was irresponsible of them to pack so many of us together. The tour was boring. They also overcharged us, told us to get there an hour before, changed the tour time on us last minute. Horrible experience.”
Review of Clayton’s $25 sunset cruise through the Thousand Islands, with river views, sunset scenery, music, bar service, and practical tips.
“The boat ride itself was very relaxing and the views were absolutely beautiful. The sunset was incredible! The few things we weren’t very happy about were the fact that it says on here that you can BYOB, which is very untrue. We had to take our cooler back to the vehicle, the woman also told us that this website isnt fully correct on what the trip entails or what you can bring. Then we got on the boat and others had coolers and nobody said anything to them until after we got told rudely we couldn’t have ours. Then on the trip the captain never said what anything was or…”
Review of a private Marco Island shelling and dolphin tour, with pricing, itinerary, wildlife, practical tips, and who should book.
“While our boat captain (Dave) was great, this tour itself was not and was VERY boring. First, it is very hard to find the place from where the boat leaves. Instructions were unclear; there was no signage, and we had to wander around for a while before we found it. Once on the boat, we passed by scenery that pretty much looked exactly the same for a while (mangroves) and which got very boring very quickly. We then arrived at a spot to go shelling, which was kinda fun, but we did not find any unique shells ... just a few basic plain ones. Then, we rode back to the…”
Review of Miami’s 4-hour island hopping boat trip, with sandbars, snorkeling, water toys, waterfront homes, and practical booking advice.
“Alex is an excellent and accommodating host. Knows the area inside out and makes the trip very interesting. Great value for money and very fun. Would definitely recommend. He took some awesome pictures for us which we can look back on.”
Review of Key West’s private Island Hop Sandbar Adventure, with snorkeling, island stops, gear, pricing, timing, and practical booking advice.
“Trip was cancelled 10 minutes prior to scheduled time via text after our group had already arrived early.”
Review of Brockville’s 2.5-hour Singer Castle cruise, with 1000 Islands views, practical tips, pricing, access, and honest drawbacks.
“It was a lovely activity that my family and I very much enjoyed! We loved Brockville!”
Every kind of island day we have been out on.
