PANAMA CITY BEACH - Anyone visiting Panama City Beach on Saturday might have the opportunity to take a ferry from the Bay Point Marriott to St. Andrews to enjoy Mardi Gras festivities.
But the opportunity hinges on securing more riders.
Ferry service had been scheduled to pick up revelers from St. Andrews as late as 10 p.m. on Saturday. So far, however, reservations for the St. Andrew Bay Ferry Company are almost nil from the various Beach pickup points. Ferry operator Hall Lacey said Thursday that if a group of 20 or 40 is interested in the voyage, they can call him at 850-867-1563.
"The Krewe of St. Andrews (which organizes Mardi Gras) has called our service locations at Edgewater, Hidden Dunes, Legend's Edge and Bay Point Marriott, and there aren't enough people reserving seats for us to run. It's disappointing, but not surprising. A lot of people travel on Friday and Saturday" out of Panama City, he said.
Lacey said he will call the Bay Point Marriott today see if any of the new guests have a free schedule Saturday to travel by boat to St. Andrews.
The ferry service has been gaining popularity in recent months. Twice on Thursday afternoon, nearly 40 tourists were shuttled from St. Andrews back to Bay Point Marriott.
Lacey said he still plans on offering a new service to downtown Panama City for Friday Fest on March 6. "We're creating awareness to our visitors that there's more than just Panama City Beach," Lacey said. "We want them to see St. Andrews and downtown Panama City."
While in St. Andrews, Nancy Wengel, program director of St. Andrews Revitalization for Panama City, offers visitors walking tours. People then usually shop and eat lunch. The same concept is planned for downtown Panama City, with the Downtown Improvement Board behind that effort.
The price for a ferry ride is $10 per trip, but the price will increase in March to $20 per individual and $15 for a group of 20 or more.
Lacey said he is searching for grants that may help him purchase a third pontoon boat to offer the ferry service. Without a third boat, he said he is too busy running the Shell Island shuttle route during the summer to meet the full demand of St. Andrews and Panama City stops.
"Eventually, I'd like to see ferry service connecting Destin, to Panama City, to Mexico Beach, to Apalachicola via the Intracoastal Waterway," Lacey said.
Virgil and Mary Ellen Mann, of Pacific, Mo., said they were thrilled with the inexpensive ferry service. They traveled on it to Shell Island on Wednesday, then to St. Andrews on Thursday. "I'd do this again," Virgil said.
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