Day in Key West (What to see and do?)

[Elphie&Me]

OK, have Key West as our first stop in May and want to it all. Who has done what? What are some of the more famous sites to see? What's the best way to get around town?

 

[lbgraves]

You can find links to all the main ports DCL cruises to in the DIS DCL FAQ thread at the top of this forum under EXCURSION REVIEWS. Just click on the link and each excursion covered in the thread will have a link in the first post. These are listed alphabetically for the most part. Definitely check out Shirley's posts, who was born and raised in Key West, for some great input.

 

[WDWLVR]

We enjoyed taking the trolley on our own. Here is a link http://www.trolleytours.com/key-west/

If you book the trolley through Disney it doesn't let you on and off. If you book it on your own you can get on and off. We took it as far as the Southernmost point, then walked to the Butterfly Conservatory, then we walked up Duval St. So we got to ride around the Island but then got to walk to some of the best sights and back to the ship. We could have gotten back on the trolley but at this point really enjoyed the walk.

 

[doc005]

I would say rent a golf cart. That is what we did last December. Hit mile marker 0 and then go from there. Mel Fisher's museum was very good. Ride up and down Duval street to see what you like and take pictires of the street performers. My kids like this. Good luck

 

[kaykels]

We did all the "tourist" stuff our first time and it was hotter than an oven and the kids were tired. The aquarium was a waste, Margaritaville wasn't what we expected and the southern most point was anti-climatic. They couldn't wait to get back in the Mickey pool.
Key West is great for the 21 year olds that bar hop.
Next time, I'm going to take the kids to the beach or maybe rent a wave runner or something. Sun sand and water is what it's all about for us! And afterwards we'll get our key lime on a stick!

 

[stlkeeler]

We did all the "tourist" stuff our first time and it was hotter than an oven and the kids were tired. The aquarium was a waste, Margaritaville wasn't what we expected and the southern most point was anti-climatic. They couldn't wait to get back in the Mickey pool.
Key West is great for the 21 year olds that bar hop.
Next time, I'm going to take the kids to the beach or maybe rent a wave runner or something. Sun sand and water is what it's all about for us! And afterwards we'll get our key lime on a stick!

Why was the aquarium a "waste"? And what did you expect from Margaritaville? These are 2 of the things we want to do in May. Should we change our plans? Please tell more.

 

[Skallywag]

We just walked and went down to the Hemmingway House and thoroughly enjoyed the tour.

 

[Tom _Ryan]

Why was the aquarium a "waste"? And what did you expect from Margaritaville? These are 2 of the things we want to do in May. Should we change our plans? Please tell more.

I wouldn't quite say the aquarium's "a waste." It was one of the first attractions in Key West, and thus is very dated. One neat aspect though, is the sand bar shark that they have in a salt water pool behind the facility. As for Margaritaville - the one's in Grand Cayman and Cozumel are bigger and better (IMHO). I would say to do something that can only be done in KW - like Hemingway's house, and Fort Zach. Taylor. See my post about snorkeling in KW here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2069416

Tom

 

[kaykels]

Margaritaville is the original, so it looks kinda like a corner bar, crowded and hot. I had been to the ones in Orlando and Vegas and was expecting the bells and whistles cuz I didn't know any better.
The aquarium is very small. I live near a very large aquarium and I guess we're spoiled.
Like I said, I would go to the beach next time around for sure!

 

[isikorsky]

As a Floridian who has already hit Key West a few times (we leave the kids home) we usually stay on the boat for the early afternoon. The kids love having the boat far less crowded & are eager to explore it w/mom & dad. Later in the day we take the kids to see the performances on Duval street (love the Cat Man!) and maybe get some Key Lime pie

 

[PixieDust78]

Key West is one of my favourite places!

I'm all about the kooky things though and one of the things that my friends and I love to do is visit the cemetary...they have a map at the entrance which helps you find some of the wackier tombs...like the one that says "I told you I was sick".

I've done the trolley tour and think it is a fun way to see the area as well as learn some random facts that you might not hear if you just wandered around on your own!!

Whatever you do...have a great time

 

[BearFan]

We did our last Western in 2006. DCL offered an excursion on the Schooner Western Union. It's a ship and a living museum, too. They had a 4 hour day trip as well as a 4 hour sunset sail. We did the sunset sail and it was fabulous!!!!!!! Great for couples or families. I see they no longer offer it as a DCL trip but the ship is still there and doinf excursions. Here's the website:
http://www.schoonerwesternunion.com/
Capt. Len was great and we had music and stories onboard as well. We'd definitely do it again, even on our own.

Lisa Marie

 

[dvc4life]

We were there in October 2008. Key West wasn't even a port we were to got to, but because of the weather we couldn't do Grand Cayman and got to go to Key West instead. I have to say, it was my DH's and my favorite port. Our kids didn't want to go ashore so they stayed on the ship. We had to dock at the naval dock and be transported to the main docking area, which meant going through military security. Ehhhh, no big deal for us because my DH is retired military. The day we were there it was absolutely beautiful. We opted to walk to the southern most point, which we were told was over a mile walk, which didn't bother us but others were amazed when we said we walked there. It was a very nice walk. We walked up Duval Street on the way back, which is very entertaining and interesting. But, it is definitely not family friendly. Some of the T-shirts we seen I'm glad our girls were not along. But for me and the DH, we thought they were funny. We went to Margaritaville and had a blast!!!!!! The bartender was fun and the margarita's were some of the best we have had. But then again, we like that kind of thing. We also stopped at Irish Kevin's Bar and had an absolute blast. But again, for a more mature audience. We really did enjoy just walking around Key West. Closer to where the docks were I would say were more family friendly. Went in to one store that everything was like $5.00, shorts, shirts, sweats, etc. but they all said Key West on them. Cool!!!! We can't wait to be able to go back to Key West again. Hope you enjoy yourself, no matter what you do.