Key West questions

[MouseGrandma]

Hubby and I just booked the October 1, 2014 Wonder with two stops in Castaway Cay and a day in Key West.

Have always wanted to visit the Hemmingway House and meet the cats!

Where is the port? I know where the Hemmingway House is on Whitehead St. Is it walkable to/from the port for adults?

Are there taxis or trolleys? I know there are tour "trains" etc. but they are continuous. Are there hop-on-hop-off trolleys?

Also, where's the best key lime pie?!?!?!?

So looking forward to this port!

[over50visits]

If you are an active walker, it is very easy to get to the Hemmingway House. Key West is friendly, fascinating, and VERY easy to navigate. You can walk, or catch any of several trams/trolleys right there in Mallory Square where you get off the ship. All are just fine, and most have hop on/hop off. Make sure you get a tram that lets you get on/off as you wish through the day. Also plenty of taxis. You can rent bikes, motor scooters, or electric golf carts everywhere (don't need to reserve them through the shore excursion).

Did I say it was easy to navigate! Very! Just remember Duval street runs from the pier to the southernmost point, and there are many sights and restaurants along that street. Hemmingway is about a block off Duval, and other sights are just a few blocks away.

You'll feel welcome, comfortable, and always know where you are no matter how you travel, whether you walk or choose one of the other methods.

Good key lime pie a lot of places. Try the key lime pie on a stick dipped in chocolate! And the to-die-for $5 HUGE chocolate chip cookies. If you like margaritas, Margaritaville is a must visit (on Duval). And the delicious $10 cheeseburgers at, of course, Cheesburger (on Duval).

And, finally, the walk along the docks is created for tourists - what a wonderful, colorful, and picturesque half hour stroll.

[MikeAndNick]

You might want to read this thread. It has lots of great information on Key West and some people that live there answering the post.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3061774

[3Mickeys]

We stopped in Key West last April. The ship actually docks in an industrial area, maybe even a navy area?? We were told to not wander off because it was restricted. We walked off and got on a trolley like open train. It took 5-10 minutes and dropped us off down in the middle of everything. This train is free, and is the shuttle to and from the ship. To get back to the ship, you pick the tram up at the same spot.

From that location you can walk. We walked all the way down the main drag to the Southern Most Point. We had our three kids with us. Was it a long walk? Yes, but we were on a ship for days and needed exercise. Was it hot? Yes, we brought water. Were there lots of places to get cold drinks and key lime pie? Yes. We found a lovely place on that main drag called the Key West Key Lime Pie Co. They have a porch with chairs. We sat there and ate pie, had lime soda. A great break. My dh is a key lime pie addict and he still says it is the best he's had.

From the southern point we went back up a parallel street and went by the Hemingway House. Then back to the main area to catch the train.

Lots of walking? Yes. But we weren't there more than 2 hours to do that loop, stop for snacks, etc.

[kalc12345]

We went to Key West this past November. We went to WDW first, then drove down to Key West and stayed for a couple of days. There are trolleys. The one we did you could get on and off all day long. It stopped at Hemingway House too. We LOVED seeing the cats!!!! They were all so friendly! As far as key lime pie we were told Kermit's is the best, so that is what we tried.

[over50visits]

Originally Posted by 3Mickeys

We stopped in Key West last April. The ship actually docks in an industrial area, maybe even a navy area??.

We docked right there in Mallory Square. If you dock in the other area, it won't be as convenient for walking, but still doable (see the full response I'm quoting).

[PrincessAbby'sMom]

Want to subscribe - will be hitting Jey West on our cruise in April!

But I do have to ask: What is Hemmingways & the cats all about?

[Capt_BJ]

NEW

Port of Key West WebCam . . . .

http://keywestharborwebcam.com/

enjoy

+++++

when the ship is assiged to "the mole pier" aka "the outer mole" ... this pier is isolated from town by active Navy facilities so you must board a 'tram' on the pier and be driven thru the Navy area for security reasons (no wandering off)

++++++



+++++++


Duval Street - end to end - from southern most point to Mallory Square - is slightly more that 1 mile . . . .

[sweetpee_1993]

You could always just start walking towards the Hemingway House and catch a rick-shaw if one passes. We hopped a rick-shaw when we were there in January and had a nice little ride that cost us $6. Not bad at all.

I had to try the Key Lime Pie on-a-stick from Kermit's Key Lime because it's dipped in chocolate and frozen. Saw it on the Food Network. Was very good.

[sweetpee_1993]

Originally Posted by PrincessAbby'sMom

Want to subscribe - will be hitting Jey West on our cruise in April!

But I do have to ask: What is Hemmingways & the cats all about?

The Hemingway House is a former home turned museum of Ernest Hemingway (author of numerous classics such as 'The Old Man & the Sea', 'For Whom the Bell Tolls', etc. etc.). The cats that live at The Hemingway House are said to be decendants of Papa Hemingway's pet cat. Not exactly sure of the history but I think the cat was a gift from a sea captain or something and happened to have the physical anomaly of being polydactyl. It had an extra toe on it's paws. Polydactyly is a genetic thing and so now there's all these cats that still live on the grounds that all have this little tell-tale trait. It's just another little something that makes the place kinda cool and a step off from ordinary which is, of course, what I love best.

[sweetpee_1993]

If you dock at the mole pier and have to take the tram or trolley into town, they deposit you right there by Mallory Square. You'll still be able to access everything very easily. I kinda like the little ride myself.

[violetmonarch]

Subbing along since I have never been but am planning on it soon!