Baywatch Dolphin Tours

One of the activities we did while we were still in Galveston a few weeks back  was go on a dolphin tour of Galveston Bay. Anyone who knows me, knows that dolphins have long since been my favorite animal so this was one tourist attraction I did not want to pass up. I'm also happy to report that we were not disappointed in this experience.

The Premise

We went with Baywatch Dolphin Tours for a couple of reasons. The main reason was the price. Most boat tours in the area were out of our budget, especially considering we had a group of seven to consider, four of which were mine. Baywatch charges $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under (infants and pets are free). I spent a grand total of $25 plus tax. The second consideration was time. Baywatch had a boat leaving every hour on the hour. Convenient for those of us that don't like to plan every minute of the day. The tour lasted about 45 minutes which was plenty long in the Texas heat and humidity. Also, we knew it would be easy to locate because it is in Galveston's Pier 21 District. Trust me on this. My mom and I have had many a grand adventure because we get lost everywhere we go. In fact, my kids caught on long ago that when Mommy starts going in circles, it's best to tone it down and let me concentrate on getting back on track. Finally, it's within walking distance to The Strand, which was our next stop of the day. Nothing like a little retail therapy to end your day.

My Take

As far as I could tell there is only one boat that runs the entire operation. The boat was extremely well maintained. In fact, they cleaned it up in between tours; wiped the seats down and everything. On the boat, there were three main places to sit. Outside in the front, outside in the back or inside in the middle of the boat. My kids chose to sit in the front. We smarter, dare I say older, adults chose to sit in the shaded interior. The captain did his best to answer any questions that the group had. The captain also doubled as the tour guide. He was knowledgeable on the history of Galveston Harbor and Bay. And, true to the advertisement, we saw the dolphins.

A lot of dolphins. They were following the fishing and shrimp boats. They were beautiful, graceful, and majestic. Many times, they came close to our boat to show off. Dolphins weren't the only wildlife seen. It was amazing how many pelicans like to hang out with the fishermen. I realize how much sense this makes now. However, not being an avid fisherman, I had never thought much about the symbiotic relationship between the pelican and fisherman.

The ride was smooth and dolphin safe. The boat has no propellers to harm the dolphins or any other animals in the water. The captain slowed when the water got choppy and warned us of any wakes we encountered. They did their best to keep us all comfortable as well. Drinks were on sale for $1 should you get thirsty. Sunglasses were also available for $2.

The Verdict

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would probably do it again just to get better pictures of the dolphins. The kids loved it as well. It was the first time they had been on a boat other than the ferry. The dolphins captivated them as did the rest of Galveston's wildlife.

I give Baywatch Dolphin Tours two fins up! Dorsal fins, that is. Keep it up and hopefully we'll be back soon!

I took this picture during the tour.

Hotel Hospitality?

This past weekend my family went out of town to Kerrville, TX to help celebrate the golden anniversary of good friends and mentors to my husband. Roughly one month prior we made a hotel reservation and placed the charge on a credit card. This is our experience...

Our philosophy with hotels has always been to forgo comfort for price. On any trip my husband and I have ever made out of town, the room we stayed in has only been used at night. We never hung out at a hotel. We were always out visiting friends, sightseeing, shopping, eating, celebrating, etc. and never had the need for resort living while on vacation. That being said, we still have standards. The room must be clean, smoke free and private. I want to be able to shut my curtains and be certain that no Peeping Toms are spying on me while I'm dressing. That's my husband's job.

My Take:

My husband found America's Best Value Inn online. The pictures portrayed the motel as being clean and modest. They had an outstanding score on their own website. Of course, it was America's Best Value Inn rating America's Best Value Inn. The room we looked at had two queen sized beds. A tight squeeze for two adults and three kids, but again, we would only be sleeping there for two nights. Plus, we had plans for the two days that we would be in town and had no need for a large room where everyone would need their space. According to the photos, it would a nice enough experience for my kids' first hotel stay. Not too fancy so as not to spoil them and not a dump either.

We left our home late in the evening on Friday and didn't arrive at our destination until nearly midnight. My husband was buzzed into the locked lobby with our confirmation sheet in hand. He was greeted by Gita, the front desk lady, and proceeded to find out that we didn't have a room. The reason given? The reservation line didn't send her the confirmation fax. It didn't matter that our name was in the system. It didn't matter that we had reserved the room nearly one month prior. It didn't matter that the company had my credit card information. It didn't matter that according the reservation agreement if we didn't accept the room, we owed the full price of the room. We didn't have a room. Unless we wanted a single bed. For five people. She didn't offer us two rooms to make up for the mistake. She didn't offer a future discount on a future stay. What we got instead was the opportunity to find another place to stay for the weekend at midnight on a Friday night.

In a situation like this, who do you blame? The business is blaming corporate for not sending them a faxed confirmation. What was the point of making the reservation online if the location you are going to doesn't get the confirmation? However, it was confirmed that our name was in the system. It seems to me that the reservation was made but somebody somewhere dropped the ball and no one wanted to take the blame. The result is a bad review from me. (And don't worry, I called the credit card company and so far, we have not been charged.)

Our next stop was Best Western which was right up the road. By now it was after midnight, the girls have to pee and my youngest is almost in tears because she is so tired. We took the advantage of the open lobby and all went inside. I took the girls to the bathroom while my husband inquired about a room. Again, only single rooms available. As we were walking out I asked the lady at the desk if there were any events going on this weekend. I thought it was a reasonable question considering no rooms were available. I have only one word for her. Manners. I realize that it was late and we came trooping in to use your restroom and (heaven forbid) ask for a room in your hotel, but when a person politely asks a question, respond in kind. Instead, without ever making eye contact, she very snootily, as if I were interrupting her life somehow, responded, "It's summer". Because those two words were supposed to mean something to us when we were not there as tourists, not that you would know that because you clearly could have cared less about us. Needless to say, I was happy not to give her my business either. Rudeness never prospers.

Our next stop was Holiday Inn Express and Suites. We let dad go in and handle the business again. Finally, some luck! Again, they only had single rooms available but we were able to get a suite at a slightly discounted rate because they were doing renovations. In the suite, we had two queen sized beds and one pull out couch. There are 28 reviews of this particular Holiday Inn on the website giving it an average rating of 4.1/5 stars. For our purposes, it was much better. The staff was friendly and accommodating. They even came back to give us fresh towels and change our sheets when we requested after house keeping had left for the day. The continental breakfast was pretty good, too. Fresh eggs, pancakes, pastries, juice, milk, coffee, cereal, oatmeal, sausage and biscuits were enough to impress the kids. Plus we had two tv's in the room, so no fighting over programs to watch. I think I may be converted to a higher standard when it comes to my hotel stays. I think I was spoiled and, sadly, my standards were never very high to begin with. I guess they will be now.

And so are my kids'. So much for not spoiling them.

The Verdict

America's Best Value Inn: 0/5 for losing our reservation and not trying to come up with a way to compensate us for the mistake. Instead they played a game of "Pass the Buck".

Best Western: 1/5 because even though I didn't have a reservation with them, I could have been swayed to book two singles rooms if the front desk clerk had been at all interested in our business.

Holiday Inn: 5/5 for being accommodating, fast and friendly. The room was beautiful and the renovations didn't interfere with our stay at all. In hindsight, a suite was a much better idea than a single room for my family. We all had a little space of our own and the girls didn't have to share a bed with their brother. A definite plus if you ask them.