If you are reading this you are probably wondering if saving a little money is worth it because all cruises are the same? Right?

At one time in my life all I needed to have fun on the ocean sailing or snorkeling was a few beers and maybe a joint with some friends and I would have a good time no mater what the conditions. I grew up in the Midwest and have done a lot of sailing there and in the San Francisco bay. I love being out on the water or ocean whenever I get a chance. If this description matches you then Fury is the right cruise for you.

On July 28 I had gone on a morning snorkel tour with Danger charters, (see my other review) and I thought I would try Fury for the sunset cruise. They even had a live band on board playing 1980s favorites. It was just a booze cruise with over 100 people packed on the boat going about 1 mile an hour not even going anywhere for 2 hours, just past the Key West pier advertising itself to the Mallory square crowd. The music got annoying after a while and I just wished they could stop playing and have a little peace and quiet. There was plenty of free beer, cheap Champaign and some average snacks. If you want a bar that floats and has live music then the Fury sunset cruise is for you.

There was just a brief safety talk then nothing was said by the crew until the end of the trip.

Or do you want something special on your vacation, that you have spent months planning for and dreaming about?

Here is my experience with Danger Charters the same day 5 hours earlier. Is the extra money on Danger is worth it compared to the other cheaper alternatives. The answer is YES!!!! When you think back on your vacation will the extra $30 you spend on Danger really mean anything, if your total vacation costs $1,000-$3,000 + ???

I have been on over 10 snorkel trips in the last 20 years and none compare to Danger! It is a quality experience from start to finish for the person that wants something more than just a taxi service to a snorkeling spot.

On Monday July 28 my wife, son and I went on the morning snorkel cruise, then later in the same day I went on the Fury sunset cruise by myself because my family was tired and just went back to the hotel. There couldn’t be more of a difference between Danger and Fury and I assume the other budget tours. If your vacations mean something to you then the extra cost you spend on Danger won’t have much of an impact in your total vacation cost, but the memory will stand out as being the best of your trip.

The Danger trip had just 13 people on it. It was a real sailboat, not just a powered yacht with a sail just for show. They actually sailed about 20% of the time without the engine on. Everyone said their first name and where they were from, so right away you had an ice breaking way to meet other people on the trip. First they got out a map showing the channel and where we were going. One of the 3 crew was a marine biologist and was very knowledgeable. They did a eco type guided kayak tour around a small mangrove island explaining all about the birds and sea life. It was really special. I almost enjoyed this part more than the snorkeling. The snorkeling was in about 5-7 feet of water, so you could really see things up close. The only other time I have seen sea life up this close in when I went scuba diving.

After the snorkeling there was a fresh water hose on deck for washing off the salt water. There was free beer, soft drinks and really good chips and salsa with several kinds of dip that was excellent. They really did a lot in 4 hours and it was the best part of the vacation. My wife who normally doesn’t like boats really enjoyed it and even tried snorkeling for the first time in her life.

We had an excellent trip on our last night in Key West. We booked the Sunset Cruise on the Fury Glassbottom Boat, which is a large catamaran with the hulls having glass viewing windows that everyone sits around to view the reef. The boat leaves right from Duval, which was very convenient.

There were about 40 people on the boat, which was good. Not sure if that was a light night for them, but we enjoyed the space. After a 30 minute ride to the reef, we spent about 45 minutes gliding over the reef and saw some great fish. The guide did a great job pointing out fish and explaining the whole ecosystem.

According to the guide they had not had a night this good all year. The sea was very calm and the visibility was incredible. On the way back, the captain stopped the boat and we all watched the beautiful sunset and had a champagne toast. We then cruised into the harbor by Mallory Square with all the entertainment in full swing.

The booking staff was accomodating when we asked to move the trip to another night, as one of us was sick on the original night we booked. The price was reasonable (book directly on the internet for a reduced price) for the type of cruise.

Key West has lots of options for sunset cruises starting at really high-end wine tastings on a fabulous sail boat to party boats. I would classify this as a reasonably priced, family-type trip. Great for kids because of the entertainment of watching the reef and not a lot of drinking.

Trip includes snacks, sodas and the champagne toast.

The boat was pretty crowded. The crew were pretty thrifty with the bar which closed immediately after the anchor got pulled to return to port. Of course there was one crew member that was obviously drunk or maybe high on something. The draw is the price which wasn't too bad at $45 a person.

If you want to be part of the "cattle drive" on the "cattle-maran" than go with Fury. A few minutes parasailing, a few miutes kayaking, a few minutes with one of the two jetskis (maybe) ... all used by 70+ people. Not a real fun time when all was said and done. Take one of the smaller tours strictly for snorkling or go with ParaWest for parasailing. Those were incredible and MUCH more enjoyable!