rk33l4n
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2011
After a really rough evening, we woke up on Thursday morning to sunny skies and calm waters. Today was our day in Key West. This was by far our favorite day of the cruise.
We had already docked in Key West by the time we got back from the gym. Key West was originally supposed to be our 1st port, but due to changes, it was now our 3rd. Since we had ported in another country, all non-US citizens had to go through customs before anyone was allowed off the ship. Guess that's why Key West was supposed to be 1st.
Sayra had to be in The Walt Disney Theatre by 8:00 with her passport, KTTW card & photo ID. I waited out on Deck 4 for her while she got checked in & made some calls/read some emails. Now that we were back in the US, I had at&t service!!! Sayra joined me shortly thereafter and checked in on her brother.
We spent some time walking around the running track and seeing the docking chains.
Then guess where we went for breakfast?? If you said Topsiders again, you'd be right!!
Since we were in Key West on our non-scheduled day, The Magic wasn't able to dock at the normal port. We had to dock at a nearby military base and take provided shuttles into Key West. This was once again an example of how DCL can just seamlessly make changes on the fly like it's no big deal.
We didn't book any excursions for Key West. Our plans were to take the trolley around town and leisurely take our time catching some of the major sites and do some shopping.
The Old Town Trolley picked us up at port and took us right to Mallory Square. On the way we passed Mile Marker Zero.
We spent some time shopping around that area before buying our trolley passes. We bought a straw fedora for like $8 and some little souvenirs. I also had to try a Key Limeaide. One of the things that the tour guide told us, in our drive from port, was about the wild chickens that roamed the streets. She wasn't exaggerating. These chickens were everywhere!!!
So we boarded the trolley and decided to just get off at the first stop that interested us. We definitely wanted to see Hemingway's House and The Southernmost Point. Other than that, we'd play it by ear.
After a few minutes the trolley turned a corner where a bright yellow & green building stood. Suddenly a man dressed in a green chef's hat ran out and held up a pie. Luckily I had my camera ready and grabbed a quick pic.
Our driver explained that that was Kermit of Kermit's Key Lime Shop - Home of Key West's best Key Lime Pie. Needless to say, we got off at the next stop. You name it and Kermit sold a "Key Lime" version of it.
Cookies, BBQ Sauce, Jelly Beans, Soap, Lotion, Jelly and of course slices of pie!!! We bought 2 tins of Key Lime Coolers to bring home and a slice of pie. Kermit's has a nice little garden area right next to the shop where you can sit and relax and enjoy a slice. OMG ... so good!!!
Of course Sayra had to get a pic of herself with Kermit too.
We saw on the map that Hemingway's House wasn't too far away, so we decided to walk over instead of getting back on the trolley.
Hemingway's House was OK. Something worth seeing once I guess, but I'd definitely not go back. Seeing the 6 toed cats was neat ..
and the gardens were pretty ...
but other than that ... it was pretty boring.
From there we continued walking south to see The Southernmost Point in the US. Surprisingly there was a REALLY long line waiting to take your picture with the marker. I'd hate to live in one of the houses on that street.
The couple behind us in line were nice enough to take our picture.
We hung out around that area for a while longer and did some shopping in some nearby stores.
After a while we started making our way back north to look for a place to have lunch. Instead of taking the trolley, we decided to just walk up Duval Street.
We had already docked in Key West by the time we got back from the gym. Key West was originally supposed to be our 1st port, but due to changes, it was now our 3rd. Since we had ported in another country, all non-US citizens had to go through customs before anyone was allowed off the ship. Guess that's why Key West was supposed to be 1st.
Sayra had to be in The Walt Disney Theatre by 8:00 with her passport, KTTW card & photo ID. I waited out on Deck 4 for her while she got checked in & made some calls/read some emails. Now that we were back in the US, I had at&t service!!! Sayra joined me shortly thereafter and checked in on her brother.
We spent some time walking around the running track and seeing the docking chains.
Then guess where we went for breakfast?? If you said Topsiders again, you'd be right!!
Since we were in Key West on our non-scheduled day, The Magic wasn't able to dock at the normal port. We had to dock at a nearby military base and take provided shuttles into Key West. This was once again an example of how DCL can just seamlessly make changes on the fly like it's no big deal.
We didn't book any excursions for Key West. Our plans were to take the trolley around town and leisurely take our time catching some of the major sites and do some shopping.
The Old Town Trolley picked us up at port and took us right to Mallory Square. On the way we passed Mile Marker Zero.
We spent some time shopping around that area before buying our trolley passes. We bought a straw fedora for like $8 and some little souvenirs. I also had to try a Key Limeaide. One of the things that the tour guide told us, in our drive from port, was about the wild chickens that roamed the streets. She wasn't exaggerating. These chickens were everywhere!!!
So we boarded the trolley and decided to just get off at the first stop that interested us. We definitely wanted to see Hemingway's House and The Southernmost Point. Other than that, we'd play it by ear.
After a few minutes the trolley turned a corner where a bright yellow & green building stood. Suddenly a man dressed in a green chef's hat ran out and held up a pie. Luckily I had my camera ready and grabbed a quick pic.
Our driver explained that that was Kermit of Kermit's Key Lime Shop - Home of Key West's best Key Lime Pie. Needless to say, we got off at the next stop. You name it and Kermit sold a "Key Lime" version of it.
Cookies, BBQ Sauce, Jelly Beans, Soap, Lotion, Jelly and of course slices of pie!!! We bought 2 tins of Key Lime Coolers to bring home and a slice of pie. Kermit's has a nice little garden area right next to the shop where you can sit and relax and enjoy a slice. OMG ... so good!!!
Of course Sayra had to get a pic of herself with Kermit too.
We saw on the map that Hemingway's House wasn't too far away, so we decided to walk over instead of getting back on the trolley.
Hemingway's House was OK. Something worth seeing once I guess, but I'd definitely not go back. Seeing the 6 toed cats was neat ..
and the gardens were pretty ...
but other than that ... it was pretty boring.
From there we continued walking south to see The Southernmost Point in the US. Surprisingly there was a REALLY long line waiting to take your picture with the marker. I'd hate to live in one of the houses on that street.
The couple behind us in line were nice enough to take our picture.
We hung out around that area for a while longer and did some shopping in some nearby stores.
After a while we started making our way back north to look for a place to have lunch. Instead of taking the trolley, we decided to just walk up Duval Street.