Famous Fury Catamaran Snorkel And Beach

[WANDA28]

HAS ANYONE DONE THIS. (FAMOUS FURY CATAMARAN SNORKE AND BEACH PARTY) IS THE BEACH A NICE BEACH AND IS THE SNORKELING WORTH IT(POST WILMA) FIRST TIME IN COZUMEL. ANY IFORMATION WILL BE HELPFUL. IF THIS IS NOT A GOOD EXCURSION, ANY IDEAS?:confused:

[go sea]

Have done the tour twice and loved it both time. The beach is clean and great. Its located south of all the cruise ships. Drinks included in price and you can by bugers at a good price. They have mats to lay on of there are tables under cover. On leaving the beach the drinks and music continue all the way back to the ship. Also great snorkling

[02bthere]

do you take your own snorkel gear? or do they provide 'disposable' types? I have my own stuff, but hate to have to pack it. Thanks

[JAB8408]

I just returned from the Century. We sailed on March 19th. I booked the "Catamarin, Snorkel, Beach" excursion while on board Century, and I knew it was the FURY catamarin. I had read excellent Fury reviews here on the CC website. I figured it was a bargain, as opposed to visiting Paradise beach, transportation, and then an extra $35 for their snorkel option.

 

I have to say up front Snorkeling was my object, but I thought the beach half would also be good, since my husband doesn't snorkel. It was the snorkel site that was the dissapointment. I knew that the big park and best reef site, was still closed until April, but the Celebrity description of the Fury excursion mentioned Palancar Reef.

 

We did not go to Palancar reef. We went to a reef (?) that was twenty feet under the surface. The few coral formations were brown, the few fish were colorless. This site was just about a half mile from Fury's private beach. The snorkel part of the trip was about thirty five minutes- we were there with two other Fury catamarins, and were told to stay within the big red balloons that marked the snorkel site. A bit crowded.

 

The beach afterwards was fine. There is shade and sun, and water toys to play with. ALso horseback riding for a fee. Beer and rum drinks were free at the beach, as well as on board the FURY.

 

This was a nice surprise- the morning of our excursion I happened to glance at the hardbound book on our cabin desk. It was called "ports of Call" I think. Mostly jewelry ads. Bur under Cozumel- it said the white sandy beaches on the island are all made from ground white fossil bones. The sand is soft, white and stays cool, even in the afternoon sun. No burnt feet, no need for sandals. By golly, it's true.

 

The washroom facilities at Fury's beach were "rustic", :o due to a lack of electrity, I was told.

 

At dinner that night, one of our tablemates raved about a different excursion her had booked through Celebrity. It was called the Xcaret eco-archeological Park. He described it as an ecological theme park. Next time I'm in Cozumel, I'm going to look into that tour instead.

 

Perhaps the Palacar reef has a quota of visitors, and it' wasn't Fury's turn to visit there. But I was disappointed. Fury does supply all snorkel gear.

 

Judi

[02bthere]

Thanks for the info on Fury trip...I just read in the 'news' section of CC that there is a monstrous die off of coral throughout the Caribbean...hundreds of thousands of acres...apparently due to warm temps and some kind of infection...that may be why the coral was that way. Snorkeling was my main reason for this choice...will keep looking for other land stuff...may not even get wet. If the coral and sealife are not spectacular, why bother? If there anyone else that has any experience that's recent, I'd sure like to hear from you. My trip is about 3 weeks away.

[Cozumel-Ian]

The Fury catamarans go to a number of different snorkeling spots, depending on how many boats are in port, their arrival/departures times etc. Most Fury reviews I've read post-Wilma have been very positive with people seeing plenty of sealife, although perhaps less coral than before. I went on the tour myself earlier this year and had great snorkeling too, we even saw turtles.

 

Of course, Mother Nature is never guaranteed, but I think a boat tour like the Fury still offers some of the best snorkeling in the Caribbean.

 

If you take your snorkeling seriously and want to go to the very best reefs, then the Paradise Beach snorkel tour is a good option. They go to the southern reefs (Palancar, Colombia) since they are closer to them to start with and have the time to do it. In my opinion these reefs are in the best shape after Wilma and you'll see coral formations as well as sea life. You can also enjoy the day at the beach and simply hop on the catamaran when it picks up directly from their pier - making the most of your day. Entry to the beach is free and the snorkel tour costs US$35. there's a review of this tour from 20 Feb on www.wilmacozumel.com too.

 

Palancar Beach also offers boat tours to the southern reef, although it is a bit further and more expensive to get there in a taxi.

 

02bthere - I couldn't see the story about the 'monstrous die off' - could you post the link? I haven't heard about this at all in Cozumel...!

 

Happy snorkeling!

 

Ian

[02bthere]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/03/31/coral.death.ap/

 

Here's the link...after re-reading the articles (several others are more detailed), it appears that so far most of the dying coral is in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, and Jamaica. Sorry for misleading information given...but from the sounds of the article this is a world-wide problem...how sad for all.

[Honeymooner3310]

If you have it, should you take your own snorkel gear on this excursion?

[Fury1995]

Wow! I didn't know I was sucha popular subject!

[Cozumel-Ian]

The snorkel equipment on the Fury and Paradise Beach trips is pretty good and they also clean it well. That said, I'd always prefer my own gear of possible... if you've got room in your bag I'd say bring it along, if not, they have plenty to choose from too...

 

Ian

[vms]

I did this excursion a week or so ago- here are my thoughts:

 

Fury boat: I booked through the cruise line. The boat can hold ~130 people- we had 90 some on our boat. There were 2 restroom facilities on board. The boat was clean & appeared well maintained. I really enjoyed the sailing portion of the trip.

 

Snorkel Prep: Approximately 15 minutes of explanation on our way to the snorkel about how to correctly use the equipment- staying within buoys- etc. All snorkelers were required to wear inflatable life vests, regardless of experience level.

 

Snorkeling: We were in ~20 feet of water. My tip- get in water early! There were lots of fish when I first got in the water, but get 90 pairs of legs churning up a small area and the fish scattered. Coral was very disappointing. Fury operators said 50% of coral was lost due to hurricane- however another snorkeler who comes to COZ several times a year said it was more like 80-90% gone. I brought my own mask & snorkel, but used fins supplied by Fury.

 

Beach: Beautiful area. Rentals included horseback riding on the beach, jetski and banana boat rides. Also had beach volleyball, shaded hammock area, lots of tables under thatched huts. Local artisans selling jewelry, straw hats, scarves, etc. Only food was hamburgers for $8.00- included side items like potato salad- but disappointing that no chips/salsa/guac, etc were available.

 

Overall experience: I enjoyed my trip. One thing I could do without was the photographer- she was very obvious and in the way most of the time- and $12.00 per photo was expensive. Lots of alcohol flowing on the way back- the crew was trying to get bigger tips- and weren't terribly subtle about it. As a first time cruiser- it was definately the way to go by booking through the ship. In the future I would probably try to book a private tour to have a more individualized snorkeling experience.

 

Whatever you do- have fun!