Cozumel, Fury Catamaran Excersion and Pirate Dinner, and Dining Rotation

[njdisneymomof2]

This is my first message. I have been reading this board for over 2-years and finally decided to join as our cruise approaches. We sail on Nov 18, 06 for the Thanksgiving 7-day cruise. I have learned so much from all the experienced cruisers on this board. Thanks for all the tips I have already learned.

Here are my questions:

1. Has anyone done this excursion and will we be able to make the Pirate dinner?

Our cruise is stopping at Cozumel on Wednesday, which I believe is Pirate night. My husband wants to book the Fury Catamaran Sail, Snorkel & Beach Party (CZ12) for our family (myself, DH, DD-9 & DS-8). The Passporter states that the typical meeting time is 12:30 and lasts 4.5-5 hours. I think we should have the 5:30 or 5:45 dinner. My kids want to dress up for the Pirate dinner and party.

2. Which dining rotation do you think we will have for our cruise? (The children's ages range quite a few years.)

We have 3 cabins linked together:

CABIN #1: Myself-43, DH-45, DD-9 and DS-8.
CABIN #2: MIL-73 and Niece-11.
CABIN #3: SIL-44, BIL-50 and Niece-6 weeks shy of 3-yrs old.

Thanks in advance for all your help!

 

[SeaSpray]

You will definitely make it back in time for dinner if you do the Fury Catamaran excursion. We just did this excursion on the August 19th cruise. I have pictures of it, if you want to take a look, on my web site. The link to my site is below, click on the link, then click on the SteamBoat Willie to get to the pictures from that cruise

You'll be back by 2pm from the excursion, and you'll even have time to stop in the port to shop or browse a little if you wanted to

 

[njdisneymomof2]

Thank you for your quick response. I viewed your pictures. It looks like you had a great vacation! Did you book the excursion through Disney and about what time did the excursion start? We can book our excursions starting tomorrow so I am trying to gather some information so we know what we want to do.

Thanks again for all your help.

 

[SeaSpray]

Thank you for your quick response. I viewed your pictures. It looks like you had a great vacation! Did you book the excursion through Disney and about what time did the excursion start? We can book our excursions starting tomorrow so I am trying to gather some information so we know what we want to do.

Thanks again for all your help.

Yes we booked it through Disney, and it started around 8:30am. You meet somewhere (we met in Rockin Bar D, it will say where to meet right on your ticket. Your ticket will be in your cabin on the first day.), then they take you as a group out to a ferry (you board the ferry directly off of the Magic) which takes you over to where the Catamarans are docked.

 

[PoohJen]

Hola!

I was on the Fury Catamaran last week w/ SeaSpray (Hi Terry!). The trip was well run, and fun, but here's a few things you should know:

1. I had read lots of reviews, and knew to set low expectations for the snorkeling part. I must say, I was still underwhelmed by the snorkeling. We just docked the catamaran not 50 yards from a graffiti-strewn breaker wall; I expected that we'd be well offshore somewhere. The equipment was pretty old and worn, but it did work fine (and in the end, we didn't snorkel that much, so it beat hauling my own gear around with me). There were fish to be seen, but don't go in expecting a tropical aquarium. Now, while I was underwhelmed w/ the snorkeling, my kids (twins 9) and mom were having a blast, swimming here and there, chasing after the fish! My 13 yo snorkeled a little, but wasn't too into that part.

2. We did start to get stung a bit (itty bitty jellyfish?), but I found if we just swam out of the area where the stinging occurred, it stopped. Something bit DH on the butt; 10 days later, he's still got the mark. (No big deal, and can certainly happen on ANY snorkeling/swimming outing)

3. Snorkeling was about 45 minutes (really, didn't need to be longer than that). You could walk off a ramp right into the water to snorkel, or jump over the side. After snorkeling, you could hose off on the boat w/ fresh water. Sodas, water, beer and margaritas were served for the sail over to the beach, music playing, everyone in good spirits.

4. At the beach, there were PLENTY of rafts and kayaks to go around. BTW, Disney provided towels when you checked in that morning at Rockin Bar D. There are mini-excursions you can walk up and do at that beach (horseback riding, jetski, parasailing) for added fee. The parasailng was cheaper than CC I think, but I'd be careful to make sure the timing worked out w/ the return time for the Fury. There was beach volleyball for anyone interested. DH and DS13 rented a jetski for $40 for 30 minutes (that is pretty typical; I think the guy said 20 minutes, but gave them 30); they had a blast! The twins just loved playing on the rafts and picking up shells and coral (all were left where found).

5. We had an hour and 10 minutes on the beach (a rain storm came thru and quickly left, didn't stop the party). We didn't get the available barbque ($8 pp). We snacked briefly on some cookies we had brought w/ us from the ship (pack ziplock bags! ) On the ride back, more beverages and music; lots of people - especially the kids! - enjoyed line dancing on the deck. It was fun watching the kids have fun!

Bottom line, an experienced snorkeler would be disappointed in the snorkeling, but my younger kids and mom really enjoyed it. At the end of the day, we all (adults and kids) had a lot of fun, which made the excursion well worth it!

HTH, and have a great cruise!!!

p.s. Btw, I had checked Fury's website to see if cheaper to book by yourself, and that didn't seem to be an option. It worked out just fine w/ DCL, Fury was right there waiting for us at the tender dock.

 

[SeaSpray]

Hi Jen!

Well said, and it's exactly how I'd summarize the excursion, too!!