Spongeorama

The epitome of the «Tourist Trap» experience… We reserved a ride on the boat to outlying islands. Here’s how it unfolded. The woman had our cc number and cv code. But she still ran it again. When signing the receipt, we were told to include a tip. Told, not asked! I usually tip well, but only AFTER I’ve received good service — never before! We were directed to the gift shop to get our tickets and encouraged to buy trinkets and given a menu to dine in the adjacent restaurant.
The boat ride was excellent. Not much narration of the area, but still very pleasant!
Upon leaving the boat, unbelievably, we were asked for a tip AGAIN. No _​_​Way! The whole operation was cheesy & lacked class.
If you enjoy aggressive, rude people with hands outstretched for your $$, then this the place for you! For me, it was my second visit to Tarpon Springs, and likely my last.

So I booked a sunset Beach excursion cruise for Saturday night. I was told to be there at 5 because it would be so busy. No problem. Got there early and came to realize it was just so they could try to get us to eat at their restaurant. (We did not). So we wandered around the gift shop and were told about the «show». Ok. We have over an hour to kill. The room is a little scary with wobbly benches. We left after like 10 minutes when the second commercial for the restaurant came on. Walked through the «museum» which is out dated and kind of terrifying. So we wait & wait. Finally its time to board the boat. The boat is actually a nice ride. Then we pass the lighthouse were we were supposed to stop. I asked when we go to the beach. The less than friendly guy said we don’t. Interesting because their website definitely says beach excursion … maybe I misunderstood. but I wasn’t corrected when I booked. I’m stumped. Start talking to another couple who was pulled off the street and told about the cruise and they were told that we got to go to the beach. So not me. false advertising. And no refund. The cruise was promised to be about an hour and a half. It was actually an hour and 5 minutes.
I still had a good time. It was a nice boat ride but it was definitely not what I was promised so ultimately I was disappointed.

This tourist trap is in need of a major renovation. They have a free «theater» with a distorted documentary that is from the 1950’s on a vcr? Does anybody remember vcr’s?
The museum is dark and dusty and hasn’t been updated in well over a decade.
Rude sales people that hover over you. There are so many other nice places to shop at for sponges and soaps. Mosey on down the road and you will find establishments that actually take pride in their business.

When I got there and asked about the cost of tickets I was told kids 12 and under paid a lower rate. Then they changed it to 10 and under. When I told them how old my kids were I was accused of lying. The boat left late. It was overbooked so many people were forced to stand even though they were told to sit for safety reasons. We did not see a single dolphin on the «dolphin cruise» so my children were extremely disappointed. We felt ripped off because the whole reason we went on the dolphin cruise was to see Dolphins. Almost half of the seating was not in the shade. The free movie looked like it was filmed 40 years ago and the museum is way outdated. We will not be visiting again! My daughter drew a picture of a dolphin and I posted it for you. It may be the only dolphin you see all day if you take
This tour!

I could not decide whether to go with one star or five. I flipped a coin and fate selected five.
This is a must visit experience that may return in your dreams or nightmares for eons. Where else can you see dusty sponges, of all shapes and sizes, on shelves? Sitting there. For years. Nowhere!
The diving suit mannequin is a bit scary. I wonder who is trapped in there, forever? Eek!
Just writing this has brought back memories I don’t want to relive.
Save yourself. Don’t go. Or go. You decide! Beware the consequences.

This was a quirky little store, that pretty much had touristy items for sale, but it was a fun experience. I don’t like being hassled to buy stuff though, and while in the store, I felt constantly pressured. The employee asked us to buy a junk fan and when we told her we were not interested, she replied with «why not?» Really? I don’t need to be asked why I am not interested in something. I liked the culture and the unique décor that this store had, and I thought it was cool that they offer cruises. There’s also some pretty fun photo props here, which can be fun for the whole family.

I was not a fan of Spongeorama. We came during the offseason on a rainy day. We were the only ones in the store. The salesperson was extremely aggressive, following me around and offering help repeatedly even though I kept telling her I would ask for help if I needed it. To compound the irritation, she had just finished a cigarette and reeked of smoke. I was just about to purchase something when she approached again. I was so irritated, I just left.
After roaming the docks, I realized this place also has very high prices compared to the other shops.

Went on the cruise and the employees were ride as hell and unorganized. After spending $ 81 for 4 tickets I expect more courteous service.

Just spent $ 81.00 on this activity with my family while they were visiting from NY. Done this more than once being that I live here. This will be the LAST TIME! I was told to board by one employee and as i approached the boat i was rudely told by the captain (who wasn’t wearing a name tag), to get off this was his boat. When i said i was just told to come on, he snapped again at me and said «I don’t care, this is my boat!», Ok then i will do that. Very rude and it made me feel disrespected as a person and as a customer. I will get my boat tours with my other guests somewhere else. This was embarrassing to me the way i was treated in front of others.

Loved the cruise! The sunset was beautiful and Anclote is beautiful. Saw a few dolphins and had a blast with my friends enjoying a few beers. Can’t wait to go back!

The captain is very rude at the island. He will butt his way right in between boats without regard to other people enjoying the island or other boats. There are lots of other tours that are much more respectful to the guests on their boats & those of us enjoying the island. I would recommend island Star. They are much more courteous.

Man… I had hoped for better…
The store needed a face lift and the «museum» was a little scary in the fact that I felt like i was waiting for someone to jump out at me!
The customer service was terrible; expect for the 2 gentlemen on the boat ride, they were both very nice.
My friend and I decided to go an I made reservations. When checking in the lady was smoking a cigarette while checking us in… gross. Also while waiting in line we were told for our 12pm boat ride we were to board at 12:15. The boat captain asked the lady if we could board around 12:15 and she said «No, because not everyone is here then people get upset and get on those internet sites and right s**t thats not true.» Well, lady that was your lucky day! Because I do! She was so unprofessional and rude on so many levels!
The boat ride was great and so was the island part. I do wish that we had more time on the island thou to look for shells because those 30min seamed to go way to fast!
Do not buy sponges at the store, they are way over priced in comparison to places father down. Aslo the price for food at their restaurant at the «discount» is pretty comparably to the other places as well. So look around for yourself and not be bullied into it.

Tarpon Springs has a plethora of Greek culture, but one of my favorite places to visit while I’m there is Spongeorama.
The store itself is filled with almost every kind of sponge you can think of, along with sea shells and other trinkets. One of its best features is the east wall, though. There are bars upon bars of goat’s milk soap in so many scents that I can’t even pick a favorite. Sounds silly, but sniff a few. You’ll smell what I mean.
What’s so great about sponges? Well, for me, it’s not about the sponges themselves. Go into the little theater to the right and watch the free mini documentary on sponge harvesting. Those guys (and gals) work their tails off to make sure the sponges are fit to be sold. After I watched the movie I really came to appreciate all the hard work that was put into the process of bringing sponges from the sea to the store.
When the movie’s over, go have a look at the old school sponge museum in the back. It’s very dated, and the mannequin in the antique diving suit kind of creeps me out, but I think the vintage feel of it is what makes it endearing.
Spongeorama is a spongy good time.

We had a great time on this cruise… It was beautiful and relaxing and the sunset was gorgeous. HOWEVER, we were CLEARLY told that we would be stopping at the beach where we could swim and that did NOT happen. ALSO, people cut in line to get the best seats and no one told them not to AND smoking was allowed on the boat which was YUCKY.

Nice ride, great boat, amazing picture perfect moments, we really had a GREAT TIME. Everything was PERFECT except for a couple of things. They allowed people smoking on board :(and they did not stop at the sandbar where they promised we would stop and we could swim, collect seashells, etc, that never happened. It was a 1:30 ride instead of a 2 hour ride and there where no dolphins, careful with deceiving advertisement.
Also, people cut through in line to get the best seats and nobody said anything about it.

Not bad, they try to get you on the boat

Spongeorama’s Sponge Factory offers one of the largest selections of natural sponges in Tarpon Springs. Some of the sponges can be a little on the expensive side, depending on the size of the sponge and the material. My favorite item to buy here is the bath soaps with the sponge attached. The soap comes in a variety of scents and once the bar of soap melts you are left with a soft sponge. Quite a deal for only $ 5!
Spongeorama also has a sponge museum attached to their sponge store. The museum is in need of a renovation and the movie they show at the museum is dreadfully boring and out of date, but the museum is FREE. How can you really complain about a free museum tour and video?
If you want to know more about sponges this is a great spot to check out!

As an outing for our annual meeting my company decided to take our department on a sunset cruise down the Anclote River in Tarpon Springs, Fl.
Having never been to Tarpon Springs I discovered that it is a Greek town known for its history, restaurants, shops and sponge industry. It is a beautiful quaint and antique city filled with many attractions and historical sites.
The sunset cruise departs down the Anclote River and into the Gulf of Mexico. As you are cruising down the river you see many beautiful homes, estates and bed and breakfasts on either side of the river.
The real beauty though, is when you hit the open seas of the Gulf of Mexico. On our excursion we were lucky enough to see Dolphins swimming alongside the boat. It was amazing to see these beautiful and intelligent creates in their element.
After about a 30 minute boat ride, the boat actually docks on a
deserted island allowing its passengers to get off and roam the island freely. You are actually docked for about 40 minutes and have full access to the island to collect sea shells while allowing the sun to set as the background. To ensure you collect all the shells you want, the captain provides you with a small plastic bag. This was a great and serene experience and the shell collecting was actually fun.
The ride back is also very beautiful. The boat does offer a cash bar offering beer, wine and wine coolers.
I definitely recommend this sunset cruise.

After hearing about this place, I had to go. When you go in they immediately herd you into a little movie theater. There are 2 films — both are old, but entertaining. The first is from the shop owner, and you learn everything you need to know about the different kinds of sponges. The second is pretty old, but is fun to watch, about the sponge industry.
After the films, you can enter a really ancient-​looking museum. It’s very informative, though there seems to be information repeated throughout. It could use dusting and repair, but the displays probably looked fairly nice (if not slightly hokey) in their original state.
These films of course convinced me to buy some sponges, though luckily you get 10% off your purchase for watching the films that may induce you into wanting every sponge. The prices seem a bit high, but I briefly surveyed prices at other shops in town, and they seemed comparable, if not better.
It’s a bit ridiculous, and maybe a little sad, but still somehow really awesome.

A museum about sea sponges?
Air conditioned, free, and has a fun quirky movie from the 50’s? Yes please!
The museum has a quirky movie room, where you get to see the owner talk about all of the different sponges they have, and what their uses are. To be honest, I found it quite interesting. After that film was a film from the 50’s showing how people go down into the depths of the ocean to rake up these sponges. Very interesting, and gives great insight to the Greek people of Central Florida.
Afterwards you can go down a short hallway with displays of figures from the old sponging times :)
Last, you can purchase sponges and other items in their gift shop.
It is a little old, but come on, its a museum boasting sponges :)