I dont' know how much the boatride to the sandbar would be if you went without a tour booking. It cost 42.00 apiece for adults but I understand you can get it cheaper if you don't go thru Carnival. The ride on the boat to the sandbar is about a half an hour. You don't even have to get off the boat you can watch everything from onboard but, you will want to go in when you get there and see how gentle they are. I said the same thing that I would stay onboard but I didn't and I was glad. They do not nip and on the way out to the sandbar the trainer tells you all about them and how to handle them. I heard you can get this same tour for about 20.00 so shop around.