ukintheus
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2009
I have them all & a scanner but it may be Monday before I can get to it.
Thank you!! I hope you guys had a wonderful time!
I have them all & a scanner but it may be Monday before I can get to it.
NikkiFB said:We had the opposite experience at DHS... with our Disney Jr. character breakfast reservation, they let us in and we were able to start our breakfast before the park opened. After getting such an early start, we were ready for some real food anyway!
It's too bad your conch train tour was so bad. We did a "wait and see" and ended up getting our own tickets for the trolley tour when we got there.
If anyone else is thinking about it, getting the tickets was really easy; the ticket booth is RIGHT THERE where the free shuttle drops you (in fact it's the same company) and it was less than $30/adult and free for kids under 12. It didn't include any museums, but they did have discount packages that included museum entrance. We mostly wanted the option of hopping on and off, which the Disney excursion didn't allow. We hopped off at the Southernmost Point and did a bit of shopping and took some pics; the only frustrating part was the wait for a shuttle to take back into "town." We also just felt like we didn't have enough time in Key West!!!
NikkiFB said:We had the opposite experience at DHS... with our Disney Jr. character breakfast reservation, they let us in and we were able to start our breakfast before the park opened. After getting such an early start, we were ready for some real food anyway!
It's too bad your conch train tour was so bad. We did a "wait and see" and ended up getting our own tickets for the trolley tour when we got there.
If anyone else is thinking about it, getting the tickets was really easy; the ticket booth is RIGHT THERE where the free shuttle drops you (in fact it's the same company) and it was less than $30/adult and free for kids under 12. It didn't include any museums, but they did have discount packages that included museum entrance. We mostly wanted the option of hopping on and off, which the Disney excursion didn't allow. We hopped off at the Southernmost Point and did a bit of shopping and took some pics; the only frustrating part was the wait for a shuttle to take back into "town." We also just felt like we didn't have enough time in Key West!!!
In regard to breakfast on the WDW day, was Topsiders or room service available earlier for people leaving on the 7:15 buses? Your post made me realize there may not be many food options that early in the morning.
Thanks for the information on Key West. I was wondering if the ship tour allowed to hop on\ off. Do you remember what time the trolley started running?
Thanks, this is really helpful!Ferries running between DHS and Epcot. I think it stopped at the Swan, Boardwalk, and Beach Club resorts en route. If you're exiting DHS, the ferry dock is to the left outside the main gate; it takes about 20 minutes or so to make it to Epcot, and docks near the "back entrance" of Epcot, the International Gateway, between the UK and France. We wanted to go straight to the World Showcase anyway, so it worked great for us.
I'd read that it's possible to walk from DHS to Epcot in about as long as it takes the ferry... but with two little kids, an early morning, and a long day ahead, we were happy to ride and relax for a bit!!
NikkiFB said:The first trolley left its Stop 1 (Mallory Square, where the ticket office is and where the shuttle from the ship drops you off) at 9. We left the ship some time after 8 (I don't remember exactly when, probably about 8:20 or so) and by the time we got to Mallory Square it was probably 8:40-ish. The ticket booth was already open so we bought trolley tickets right away and got on that first one that left at 9.
It looked like there's plenty to do/see right in and around Mallory Square since the time in Key West is so short (lots of souvenir shopping, several different museums, snack shops, a yummy seafood food truck, and I even ended up at a knitting store!! LOL). But we were glad we did the tour and saw a bit of the island.
NikkiFB said:Yes, Goofy's Galley opened at 5:30, Topsiders at 5:45, Parrot Cay at 6, and Lumiere's at 7. You could also pre-order room service (put out your order the night before; the menu/doorhanger is in the desk drawer). It's a fairly limited/continental menu though. We just weren't really *hungry* so early, but we got a little something to tide us over til our b'fast at the park. We didn't feel rushed to make the 7:15 bus... and in fact I think our bus filled up and left the port a bit early.
The first trolley left its Stop 1 (Mallory Square, where the ticket office is and where the shuttle from the ship drops you off) at 9. We left the ship some time after 8 (I don't remember exactly when, probably about 8:20 or so) and by the time we got to Mallory Square it was probably 8:40-ish. The ticket booth was already open so we bought trolley tickets right away and got on that first one that left at 9.
It looked like there's plenty to do/see right in and around Mallory Square since the time in Key West is so short (lots of souvenir shopping, several different museums, snack shops, a yummy seafood food truck, and I even ended up at a knitting store!! LOL). But we were glad we did the tour and saw a bit of the island.
samily said:So the ship did not dock at Mallory Square where she usually does? Did you dock at the Navy pier? Was another ship in port that day with you?
I❤MICKEY;47326811 said:We too are debating what to do for the Key West day. Anyone who stayed on the ship - were there any promotions? Maybe spa deals?
Can you tell me more about the Hotel Galvez transportation? Did you stay there the night before your cruise? I'm wondering about the $30 you mentioned, as it has not been mentioned by our TA yet. We were told it was part of the package.We just got off the ship. It was amazing and we had a great time. If you are on the 7:15 bus to HS, it's a real waste of time because we spent a half an hour standing in line waiting for the park to open- and they opened 15 minutes early that day! So you might wait up to 45 minutes. Also if you are taking disneys transportation to hotel Galvez - it really seemed to be put together at the last minute, even though we booked it months in advance. They basically grabbed a taxi for us off the street. The taxi bill came to $180 but we had paid $30 each in advance. We didn't owe him anything extra (Disney took care of it) but we did tip him.
Best excursion: parasailing!
Worst excursion: conch tour + museums in key west. The tour was not on a trolley but instead on a long passenger train with some seats in each car facing backwards and having zero legroom. Most uncomfortable tour ever. We couldn't see much because we were looking backwards the whole time, with our hair blowing backwards into our face. The shipwreck museum would have been interesting except there was no ventilation and smelled very musty and we had to leave because my MIL started to have an asthma attack. Would not recommend for anyone with asthma or breathing difficulties. Finally, the aquarium was interesting and we enjoyed it. We were able to get very close to sharks and there were some hands on exhibits where you could touch the sea life. If I could do it over, I would take the FREE trolley that leaves the ship and takes you into town and do some shopping and see the aquarium.
I have to take minute to talk about the staff. They were truly exceptional. From the Edge counselors to the recreation team (we loved Lee the bingo master and DJ Justin. My dd13 and her friends fell in love with Jonathan and he handled her teen crush with charm and grace) to guest services to our dinner servers - all were simply outstanding.
Were the shops in Key West open early? I was hoping we could do a little shopping and then hop on the trolley about 9:30 and then it says a one hour tour and we'll get off at the southernmost point so 1/2 hour there should put us back into town around 11.