Do you provide a driver for the boat?
YES! Captains are mandatory for all of our tours, and included in the price. Tipping is extra and encouraged however.
YES! Captains are mandatory for all of our tours, and included in the price. Tipping is extra and encouraged however.
First off, anyone 6 years or younger MUST have a US Coast Guard Approved Lift Jacket on at ALL times (boat on or off, moving or stopped, anchored or not). For anyone over the age of 6, your Life Jacket and throw cushion should be readily accessible and you should know where the Life Jackets and throw cushion is located on the boat at all times. We recommend ANYONE, regardless of age or experience, to wear a Life Jacket at any time while swimming in water deeper than their height.
YES! The Butler Chain of Lakes has been renowned for their excellent water quality and good fishing. We do not have a live well on the pontoon boats, so bring your own storage. Be careful of your tackle as a fishing hook stuck into the seat can create a tear in the seat very quickly and will be considered damage to the vessel. Fishing Permits may be obtained HERE.
NO! Absolutely no smoking is ever permitted on any of our boats. These are new luxury cruisers and smoking can easily burn holes in the seats. Further, the fuel tanks on some types of boats are exposed (unlike the tanks in your car) which makes smoking on any boat extremely dangerous. We are ruthless with damage charges if we find burn marks in the seats from smoking. DO NOT SMOKE ON ANY BOAT!
No. Gas is included for FREE! You will not be responsible for “paying per mile” as you might in a Rental Car. Rest assured, wherever the day may take you, there will be no hidden fees added on at the end!
It is Florida after all, where afternoon showers are so infamous that many locals swear they can set their watch by it. During the summer months, this is an almost daily occurrence around 3pm when the heat of the day has built up and collides with cool ocean air from the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. Often the rain passes as quickly as it comes, but you should seek shelter and secure loose items as a precaution. These afternoon showers differ from a frontal weather system which carry stronger storms. Therefore, if you have been out on the lake more than half the day (5 hours or more) and then it starts raining, we will not reschedule another full day. More times than not, the afternoon showers will last 15-30 mins and then blow over and the sun comes back out.
In the case of a major weather frontal system on the morning of your arrival, we will reschedule your tour date around our availability. We DO NOT reschedule based on ‘forecasted weather’. EXAMPLE: if it is calling for 50% chance of rain and thunderstorms, you still need to come the day of your rental and then be cleared by us for a reschedule. Weather Forecasting is notoriously difficult in Central Florida, and more often than not the day turns out to be bright and sunny. Think of it like this, if the weather is calling for 60% chance of rain, that is also 40% chance of a bright and sunny beautiful day!
If it is a complete rain out day, we will reschedule your reservation or give you a 100% Gift Card value to use for a booking anytime on our website.
We DO NOT cancel, reschedule or refund a booking due to cloudy weather.
You can meet your boat at the dock as early as 9am. Most groups arrive around 8am-9am to meet their boats. Our staff will reach out to each group in the morning of your reservation to see what time your group plans to arrive. We do this to try to time our guests arrival so all reservations do not show up at the same time, causing delays. Be safe and be early!
Yes, you are welcome to bring a cooler and snacks on the boat. We do not allow any kind of grills on the pontoons. As for alcohol, on the Butler Chain of Lakes it is legal for people 21 years and older to drink on the boat.
Unfortunately, we do not allow tubing or towing from our luxury pontoon boats. These boats are setup for casual enjoyment on the water, not for active water sports such as skiing, tubing, etc. Also, towing/tubing greatly increases the chances of someone getting hurt on The Butler Chain and we want everyone to be as safe as possible while renting our pontoons.
Yes, any dog under 25lbs is allowed at an additional charge. Further, the renter agrees that ANY damage due to the dog is the responsibility of the renter to pay for. We are family owned & operated and we have large dogs of our own. They are not allowed on the boats either. As we do love animals and our dogs, we also know the possibility of damage from dogs so if you are going to bring them please keep them off the seats.