Original Wisconsin Ducks

Haven’t been on these in over 20 plus years but it was still very similar to the first time. You’re paying for scenic trip for the most part however, you won’t get to see these sites without riding the ducks. The jokes from the driver got a bit old but all and all it was just as fun as 20 years ago.

Wow really awesome ride it was fun and really energetic. Our tour guide was hilarious pretty cool. By the way if you read my review please take some cash and give these guys a tip. I would love to talk about this ride but why don’t you enjoy it yourself. Highly recommend it.

Wisconsin dells, better know as «The Dells», W.I.
Vehicle, Tour, and Tour Guide
Having never been in a vehicle like this before I had no idea what to expect. When I first got onto the vehicle I didn’t realize how high off the ground the vehicle was. This type of vehicle was used in war, and now used to give one of a kind tours. The tour guide took us from the establishment to the woods directly behind the establishment. It was a ton of fun seeing the woods, and listing to the guide talk about all the different animals, and trees in the woods.
The tour was a blast! I loved how long, informative, and most of all FUN it all was. As I said before I didn’t know what kind of vehicle I was on I only knew I was on a tour. Once we got to the water the tour guide said «dang it! Looks like we have to turn around!» Then all of a sudden he hits the gas and says «brace for impact!» A few of the children screamed once we hit the water, and I was about to jump out of the vehicle to swim away from the sinking vehicle, but just as I was ready to jump I saw we were able to float. It was a huge surprise to know I was in a vehicle that could float in water as well as drive on land. Being on the water floating around, and seeing people on jet skis, or different «ducks» was very unique.
The tour guide was great always telling jokes, answering questions, and making sure the kids were having a great time. He always had something to talk about, and there was never a quiet moment. I would love to return, and take another tour.

This was my first time visiting Wisconsin Dells. My cousin and I chose this ride and found it to be a waste of money. I wish we had chosen the two hour boat ride.
This Duck boat ride was very similar to others I have done in other places. Didn’t get to really see the scenery. I do not recommend that you do this ride. Instead, choose the two hour ride and it is the same price so please do that and enjoy the scenery.

TAKE THIS.
now I’m not going to be able to tell you how this one is better than the other duck services, but we had a fantastic time with this company. the ducks are quite a quintessentially wisconsin thing to do — refurbed army vehicles zipping up and down and in and out if the water.
quite literally a joy ride, these things go quicker than you’d expect, which is probably about 50% the fun. the other 50% was contributed to by the joke delivery vehicle that was our driver, who kept his quips coming like bang bang bang — complete with deadpan expression.
I feel like he must have said these jokes a million times before to countless boatloads of tourists — and yes they were slightly cheesy (hey you’re in dairyland), but they were also very good — major points for effort and delivery.
we did take the supplement boat ride which was expectedly more boring, and the captain doing the talking wasn’t nearly as fun as this one — but hey, if you’ve come this far, why not?

The Original Wisconsin Ducks Tour is, by far, one of the best attractions in the Dells, especially if you aren’t one of those people who has to be hyper-​stimulated and can enjoy a pretty view and nice breeze on your face. Before coming to the Dells my fiancé said this is a «MUST» and I was thinking, how could a duck be that interesting? But that was until he told me they were military vesicles used in WWII. I realize that sounds ignorant, but I’m not claiming to know everything about WWII and it’s always great to learn more! The more ya know, ladies and gentlemen! Once you are on the tour, the guide will also give you more information about what these vesicles were used for and if you’re interested in learning about history then it can actually be quite fascinating.
Not only did we get a mini-​military history lesson, but we also got to learn all about the surrounding land and water area that was included on the tour. There was so much interesting information being said, but to be honest I was too busy taking pictures of the beautiful landscapes to full pay attention to what the guide (who, by the way, looked and sounded exactly like Jenna Marbles if you know who that is) was saying. Our tour guide was amazing though — she was spunky, knowledgeable, she had the right amount of humor and jokes sprinkled throughout her tour, many of which consisted of poking fingers at Da Bears and glorifying the Packers (which I was totally okay with, by the way). It seemed to me that all of the tour guides were fairly good at what they did, but I sure am glad that I had the one that we did (but I’m sorry, y’all — I cannot remember her name). Like I was saying, though, the tour was awesome! I loved that we were able to travel through the woods and on the water, both of which were beautiful sights. The sandstone that you will see once you are on the water is awesome and there cannot be enough pictures taken of it.
The tour lasted for about an hour or an hour and fifteen minutes, but it seemed to be much longer than that because of the tour’s tranquility. Part of what made the tour a little longer is that our tour guide, who is required to do the following, stopped along the route to essentially solicit money by selling postcards and booklets about the Wisconsin Ducks. The material that you can buy is actually interesting and all of the money spent on it goes to the tour guide, not the business, so that’s good. I would have bought something but I didn’t have cash on me at the time.
Price-​wise, I thought that the price was somewhat fair (typically around $ 32, although we did have some coupons that took $ 5 off of our entry pass so that made the deal a little bit more sweet. I only wish that this cost to get inside would have covered the cost of the picture that they take of you before getting onto the Duck tour. Unfortunately, you have to pay something like $ 20 for a pack of pictures… if this sounds weird to you now, you will know what I’m talking about once you go. If pictures don’t matter to you then forget everything I just said. Besides, you’re really going for the tour and believe me when I say that is amazing! I think you will love it, but don’t forget to stop taking pictures for part of the time so that you can soak up the scenery with your own retinas!

All my times in the Dells as a child or teen, I never went on the Ducks. In my 50’s now I took my first Duck ride. Our driver; Brett was pleasant, informative, and very helpful. He took us to the Duck launch, where we met Griffin. Griffin was our tour guide for the beautiful one hour amphibian ride. Griffen was knowledgable of the land and landmarks. His tour included about twenty plus corny jokes… they were sometimes even funny. Over all it was a great trip, I only wish we were in the water longer.

In 1941, the army realized that the successful continental invasion would require lots of specialized equipment and plenty of it. In a committee design effort, General Motors created a variation from a two-​ton all wheel drive truck that would be amphibious.
The result was the DUKW, a military designation meaningless to almost anyone: D meant «Designed 1942» U for Utility, K for all wheel drive and W for dual rear axles. Writers have tried to make up acronyms but they are all fanciful, and wrong.
So, also in military fashion, they became known as «Ducks» from their code and their amphibious nature.
Over 21,000 of the ugly but practical DUKW’s were built between 1942 and 1945, powered by GMC’s reliable six coupled to a transmission with 11 forward gears, including a dual low that gets used in this tour. There are 2 speeds in reverse and a Power Take Off to engage a single prop for water use. It was the first military vehicle to allow the driver to adjust tire pressure from the cab.
Ducks first saw action in the Pacific and later in Europe and even in Korea. After the war, the venerable «Ducks» were sold off for civilian and tourist use.
Mel Flath began the first tourist duck service in the world, right here, in 1946 and the Original Wisconsin Ducks are still showing us the Wisconsin Dells and Lake Delton.
The tour is about an hour in length, about half on private roads through the woods and gorges, part on the Wisconsin River through the sandstone formations and part through Lake Delton.
The drivers, mostly college kids on summer break, handle the beastly vehicles like pros while reciting a script that includes history, tall tales and geological information, laced throughout with wonderfully atrocious puns.
Bear in mind, this is a tourist operation in a town that has made tourism into an art form. There is money-​grubbing of all kinds here from photos to refreshments to a gift shop with every duck souvenir you can think of (including plush and rubber ducks) and a few you didn’t think of.
This is a great introduction to the beauty of nature known as the Wisconsin Dells. I don’t need roller coasters, water slides or any of the rest of the tourist trapola, but I’ll come back for the Original Wisconsin Ducks and their Upper Dells Boat Tours.
Skip the rest — this is the best!
EDITED TO ADD: Remember, folks, this is a piece of equipment, a military piece of equipment at that, and it is over 70 years of age. It’s primarily a truck and as such, it can be noisy, it can be smelly, and when the driver is in dual-​low with the engine revving at redline, there is going to be a lot of heat. It is what it is. Look past the shortcomings and enjoy the beauty nature has seen fit to provide for your enjoyment!

Pretty unclear that the Original and Army are different. I accidentally bought an Original ticket for my kid after purchasing a Groupon for the Army Ducks. No refund for a whopping $ 15 tickets, no debate.
Weak

I agree with other reviews. The quality of these tour has gone by the way side. Driver (Bree) sped through the tour so she could get to her next commission stop. Only stopping to sell some post cards and book as a broke college student. Some many duck boats were out at the same time it was almost annoying. Total tourist trap!!!

Our family of four went on this tour last week. Marcus was our driver. The tour is advertised as 60 minutes and the ticket booth states the same. Some reviews even stated 60 – 90 minutes.
Marcus drove so fast through the tour we were done in 50 minutes! Given that this was not a cheap experience, we were very disappointed. Marcus commented that they drive up to 7 tours a day. In our opinion, he was more concerned with getting back to the base so he can make his 7 tours then with us enjoying the experience. There were lovely deer we passed that would have been nice if he stopped at least once for a photo opportunity.
The only time he stopped was for a sales pitch for postcards and a brochure. Apparently, the drivers get to keep all the proceeds as an ‘incentive’. It was uncomfortable.
I went into the office to speak with a supervisor. It took so long for him to bother coming to the desk I told the staff I would just post our disappointment on Unilocal.
Considering they have competition in the Dells, we would not recommend this company.

I’ve been on the Army Ducks before but this tour was much better. There was a better balance between land and water time. Our driver was TJ and he was awesome. The ride excited our preteens too which can be tough. We ended up on the last duck of the day so we had the vessel to ourselves. That was pretty cool.

This was fun adventure for the family. A bit noisy in the old WWII boats. This is a must do in the Dells. The drivers of the ducks are super nice folks and will make the jokes work.

Touristy … but super fun! An hour long tour of the lower Dells, complete with history and corny jokes («We are nearing the end of our tour and I gotta say that of ALL the groups I have had today, you folks are the most … recent»). We hardly had to wait at all for a tour, maybe 5 minutes. Very family friendly, there were a couple of kids on our tour who seemed really excited. Especially during the transitions from land to water and vice versa.
Our driver was as nice student majoring in astronomy at UW. Pointed out the sites, the wildlife, and drove safely.
Pros: Getting to ride a unique vehicle, funny guide, and nice views on the water.
Cons: Price ($ 44 for two people with a coupon) and noise (we sat in the front and couldn’t hear real well over the roar of the motor).
Definitely worth doing once!

Thought I’d take a break from the norm for my 300^th review and show some love for a part of what makes Wisconsin great, besides cheese and Milwaukee.
I spent a couple of days in the Dells on a mini vacay with the fam.
Water parks are the big draw, but there is beauty to be seen in the Wisconsin Dells and the Ducks are a great way to see them.
Never been on a Duck? They travel on land and in water. Does the name make sense now?
The first Duck tour in the Dells dates back to 1946! It’s impressive to watch the drivers handle these beasts, pulling levers and shifters to prepare the vehicle for various types of inclines, terrain and water.
Our driver was a young lady saving for college and she drove the machine like she’s been driving it for 20 years.
I’m pretty sure I would have grinded the gears something fierce if I tried to drive it.
The tour takes you to a few poplular rock formations and the driver tells stories, some true and some not, about the history behind the land and structures.
If you sit at the back of the Duck, prepare to get wet when the Duck launches into the water.
Tickets are around $ 26 for adults and $ 13 for kids, but there are coupons everywhere.
If you haven’t experienced a ride on an Original Wisconsin Duck (different from the Army Ducks in the Dells), then you should make it a priority.

I would highly recommend taking the Duck tour. It’s a great way to see Lake Delton and WI Dells area.
The tour is about 60 — 90 minutes long and it’s great for the entire family. The driver /​guide was very knowledgeable even though he was having problems with the speakers.
Take the relaxing tour and enjoy the sights of area.

Went on a Saturday in July around 1:30 pm and did not have to wait at all. We had a good time with the land and water tour and our guide was great and had lots if corny jokes. I thought it was worth the price and would recommend to anyone who hasn’t done a duck boat previously.
A fees cons are the vehicle is very loud and the exhaust smell was not pleasant

This was our first visit to the Dells so we had to try out the Ducks! Our guide/​driver was very friendly and knowledgeable. He kept up a pleasant commentary and answered questions thoroughly. Very cool to drive across the land and then motor through the water in the same vehicle.

$ 55.00 for 2 people. Quite pricy but worth it. I had a blast and the driver had some cheesy jokes. Although, no one appreciated the panning for tips and the selling of some book halfway through. They stopped the boat on land and passed these booklets around you could buy that profited only the drivers. I feel like they underpay the drivers if they need to do that OR they make absolute bank. It’s probably the former.
Oh, a major problem were the fumes. I couldn’t get away from them and I was halfway down the boat. Even with all that it was loads of fun and I would do it again.

Brought our daughter (10) here for the first time this year. My wife and I haven’t been here in years. I used to come almost every year as a kid.
The tour and ducks haven’t changed much over the years, but still a load of fun and a great way to spend about an hour of your vacation.