Just a few hours in Key West, what to do?

Kermit's is up Greene Street, at the northeast end of the road at the corner of Elizabeth, across from the Bight. Walk up Front away from the port. Turn right on Simonton. At the next street, Greene, turn left. Kermit's is a block up. Chances are he will be standing out front. There's also another pie shop at the corner of Simonton and Greene that is good too.

Piece of trivia: When you step out of Kermit's and are facing the waterfront, look slightly to your right. That plain white building with the boardwalk next to it is Jimmy Buffett's recording studio, Shrimpboat Sound. George Strait was recording there a couple of weeks ago. Zac Brown records there. So does Toby Keith and a bunch of others.
 
is the Old Town Trolley place an ez walk from where ship docks? Also is the key lime wine really good? I had saw that and was intrigued lol
 
is the Old Town Trolley place an ez walk from where ship docks? Also is the key lime wine really good? I had saw that and was intrigued lol
Easy Walk to Old Town Trolley - and there are a couple of kiosks along the way ... they will point you in the right direction. This is assuming the ship docks at the "normal" location not the navy pier.

less than a quarter of a mile. two easy routes

Old Town Trolley Key West.JPG
 


I'll throw out a really different idea, if you prefer to get out on the water. This past September, we also had just a few hours off the Wonder in Key West. We hired a private charter for a 2 and a half hour "tour" which was customized to our interests. It was PERFECT for our family of five, and we had EXCELLENT service. I highly recommend Captain Shon at Fun in the Sun Charters. You can read more about our charter trip in my trip report. Here's the direct link to the Key West day. http://themceacherns.blogspot.com/2014/10/vacation-day-4-key-west.html

We got to snorkel, swim on a sandbar, see dolphins, and even got in a little fishing. It was a blast.

We also had just enough time to take a walk through Mallory Square and take pictures.

Whatever you choose, have fun!

I just wanted to follow up on this post. We will be arriving in Key West via the Wonder on December 20, 2015. That is my son's 11th birthday, so I was trying to find something really special for us to do. After searching this board, I found this post, and after reading your blog post, I was convinced this was the perfect excursion for us. I contacted Captain Shon, and unfortunately, he is no longer allowed to pick passengers up at the pier (something about his insurance not allowing it without a huge increase in his rates). The marina where he is docked is about a 20 minute cab ride each way. Since we are only scheduled to be in port from 1130 am - 445 pm, he thought we would really be pushing it for time. He was willing to book our trip, but I'm not sure I would enjoy the excursion if I'm worried about arriving into port late and/or missing the ship's departure time!

I called one other private tour company that is closer to the cruise ship port, and he said the same thing...the late arrival and short time in port make tours very difficult. Basically, since we don't arrive in port until 1130, the captain would have to block off both the morning and afternoon in order to accommodate just a 1/2 day trip. That's not really convenient for him, and I'm certainly not going to pay for a full day trip when I wouldn't even be getting a 1/2 day trip. Quite a few of the charters leave/return at fixed times (usually before the Wonder arrives in port and after the scheduled departure). Others are VERY expensive (I think I saw one that was $700 for a 1/2 day tour!). I have not been able to find anything comparable to Shon's 2.5-3 hour trip, but that's not really practical with the 40 min round trip cab ride to his marina. The only private excursion (private meaning not DCL; there could be other guests on this excursion with you) I found with a schedule that worked was the Key West Extreme Adventures Shark Tour. It leaves at 1 pm from a location relatively close to where the tram that takes you from the ship into town drops you off and it's a 2.5 hour tour, so you should make it back to the ship in time. However, it's more expensive than the catamaran/snorkel excursion on The Fury which can be booked through DCL (so no worries about missing the ship or losing the cost of your excursion if the weather is bad). Also, it's just a boat ride/viewing tour (no snorkeling or anything like that).

Anyway, I just thought I'd update this thread. I was so excited about surprising my son with this tour on his birthday, but it's just not going to work out. I figured if I updated it would save someone else from going through all the trouble to research this excursion only to be disappointed. I think we are just going to end up doing the catamaran/snorkel excursion. While not as special as a private charter, it certainly will cost me a lot less money!
 
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We did the extreme shark feeding tour and loved it! My ds was 13 and felt it was one of the best highlights of our cruise. I thought it was a good price and there was a child's rate for anyone 17 and under. They give cash discounts and I found a coupon online.
 
I cosign the inappropriateness of Duval. Also cosign Hop on Hop off Trolley culminating with a drink at Margaritaville, then walk back to the ship. We do this every time and will be doing again on Thanksgiving.
 


We did the extreme shark feeding tour and loved it! My ds was 13 and felt it was one of the best highlights of our cruise. I thought it was a good price and there was a child's rate for anyone 17 and under. They give cash discounts and I found a coupon online.
Hi, I am really looking at booking the Key West Extreme Adventures shark tour for myself and 12 year old daughter. How did you get back and forth from the Disney cruise ship to the place where the tour left? Did you have plenty of time to get back to the ship after the tour was over? Thanks!
 
Hi, I am really looking at booking the Key West Extreme Adventures shark tour for myself and 12 year old daughter. How did you get back and forth from the Disney cruise ship to the place where the tour left? Did you have plenty of time to get back to the ship after the tour was over? Thanks!
It's literally right on the dock where you walk off the ship. I believe it lasted an hour and a half. There was plenty of time to do the shark excursion and go into town to experience the shops and have keylime pie. Your DD would also love the sandal shop, kino. They hand make sandals and they only cost around $15. They have men's also.
 
The first time we stopped there we did the hop on hop off trolly tour which was great!

This last time we did http://www.kwextremeadventures.com/
Honestly the BEST excursion we have ever done, especially for kids from 5-15. We went with a few families from our trip and we were all raving about it. The boat crew was phenomenal and watching the sharks (we counted 16) and other wildlife was such a cool experience.
 
It's literally right on the dock where you walk off the ship. I believe it lasted an hour and a half. There was plenty of time to do the shark excursion and go into town to experience the shops and have keylime pie. Your DD would also love the sandal shop, kino. They hand make sandals and they only cost around $15. They have men's also.

I have several Kinos. Make sure you try the actual pair you are buying and see if your foot will stay centered. I have at least one pair where my heels try to slide off the side. Other than that, I love them.

It depends on where the boat docks as to what is right on the dock. If it docks at the Outer Mole there won't be *anything* to speak of right there. If it's at Mallory Square there will be different shops and excursions than there are at the Westin pier, which is the third option.
 
I have several Kinos. Make sure you try the actual pair you are buying and see if your foot will stay centered. I have at least one pair where my heels try to slide off the side. Other than that, I love them.

It depends on where the boat docks as to what is right on the dock. If it docks at the Outer Mole there won't be *anything* to speak of right there. If it's at Mallory Square there will be different shops and excursions than there are at the Westin pier, which is the third option.

This is a really helpful link that I found on another thread. You can look up exactly where the cruise ships will be docked on any given date.

http://www.cityofkeywest-fl.gov/department/calendar.php

As another poster said, if you are docked at OM, then there is nothing right by the ship. You have to ride a tram (provided/organized by DCL) that drops you off not far from the Shipwreck Museum. It's probably a 15-20 minute ride, IIRC.

This link takes you to a map that shows the locations of the different piers in Key West.

http://www.cityofkeywest-fl.gov/egov/apps/services/index.egov?view=detail;id=86
 
I think the best key lime pie by far is from the Blond Girraffe.

Hopefull someone else will chime in and agree.
 
I think the best key lime pie by far is from the Blond Girraffe.

Hopefull someone else will chime in and agree.

Blond Giraffe left the island several years ago. They tried to make a go of it in Pigeon Forge, TN, and have since moved back, settling in Key Largo. That said, their key lime pie doesn't even come close to being the best in my opinion.

From the first page of this thread:

The only KL Pie I like better than Blue Heaven's is the pie you can sometimes find at Fausto's at Fleming and Bahama. It's just so popular that you have to get there right when it's put out or it's gone. Their crust is amazing, and I'll skip that killer merengue at Blue Heaven (which is hard to do) for that crust.
 
Granted it's been YEARS since I've been to Key West but where you get off the boat is basically "town" with shops. You don't have to walk far to see the restaurants/bars and yes, last I was there you can walk around openly with alcohol. I'd say key things to do is:
1 - take a trolly/horse ride that takes you by Hemingway's house
2 - go to the most southern point in the US
3 - eat true Key Lime pie as it's famous there!

I can't say I'd pay for any excursions unless you want to snorkel. I don't recall any great beaches there honestly, they were hard to find. What may be cool is to rent a car for a few hours and drive up the keys along the bridges. It's beautiful!

Next to New Orleans, I found it to be one of the most laid back places EVER! Night time there gets VERY lively! Enjoy!
 
last I was there you can walk around openly with alcohol.

Technically you can't, but you can put it in a "roadie" (a plastic cup) and they don't say anything. This is why the little convenience stores on Duval offer walk up beer, but put it in a cup for you. You just can't walk down the street with a beer can, bottle or anything that has the appearance of being specifically for alcohol. It's kind of a "wink and a nod" kind of thing.
 
It has been more than 10 years since I have been to Key West. Did anyone tour the cemetary? I was wondering how close that is to where the ship docked.
 

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