Cruising to Key West...what not to miss?

[disneychick05]

We will be making a stop in Key West on our upcoming cruise. We've never been there. Any experts out there have any tips? What should we be sure to see or do? Thanks!!

 

[CarolG]

Try asking this on the Disney Cruise Line Forum. Key West is one of the stops on DCL's Western Caribbean itinerary, and several people have been there.

 

[kdibattista]

I wanna know too!!!! We are planning a short trip there in October. So far I have gathered that "Duval Street" is thee place to be...

Not sure how many bars are there but we are going to try and hit each one for my birthday. Kinda like drinks around the World at EPCOT

 

[CarolG]

Shirley and Norm, owners of The Perfect Gift in Cape Canaveral, are Key West natives. Shirley is a real angel - if you get in touch with her, she can make arrangements to send you an assortment of brochures from Key West. I believe she only asks you to send her a pre-addressed pre-stamped large envelope. She posts fairly often on the DCL board; her screen name is snelsonbrown.

Try these threads for a start...
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1013037&highlight=key+west

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1048426&highlight=key+west

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=996623&highlight=key+west

 

[RonnieJo66]

Personally I would never go to Key West again without:


Going to The Blond Giraffe (On Duval St.) for frozen key lime pie on a stick It's the best darn thing ever!!!!!!!!!!

 

[NCRedding]

kdibattista: if you are going to hit all the bars on Duvall in one day--WOW, you can hold your liquor much better than I can! There are a ton of them. We were there for a very short period of time on our Easter cruise, and walked up Duval. The only street act we saw was a man telling dirty jokes for a dollar. I didn't hear the joke, but the people who did said it was worth $1.

I want to go back and spend more time there on our next trip.

 

[cgcw]

We were there last September and the kids loved the Key West Aquarium. It's not a big place, but they have a touch and feel tank at the front where the kids were able to hold urchins, crabs, sea cucumbers and many other little creatures. They thought it was great. They certainly don't have anything like that in our neck of the woods.

My older DS is a big civil war fan so we stopped at Fort Taylor as well.

We rented an electric car which made it easier to get around the town. The kids thought it was great to zip up and down the streets in that little thing. The company we rented through made it very eary to arrange -- they picked us up at near where the ship docked and drove us back after we were finished. I don't recall the company but there was a nice guy directing traffic who helped us out. Believe it or not, he wouldn't even accept a tip from my DH for his help. He just said it was part of his job.

Have fun!

 

[kdibattista]

kdibattista: if you are going to hit all the bars on Duvall in one day--WOW, you can hold your liquor much better than I can! There are a ton of them. We were there for a very short period of time on our Easter cruise, and walked up Duval. The only street act we saw was a man telling dirty jokes for a dollar. I didn't hear the joke, but the people who did said it was worth $1.

I want to go back and spend more time there on our next trip.

Well... it will be over 4 days . I don't know what we are in for.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

We were there on our Magic Cruise 7/4/04--it was very hot. We took the trolley around because you can get off and on. My mom and I toured the Hemingway House--not really much to see, but I loved the cats and that was the main attraction for my mom. I got a T-shirt from Sloppy Joes (Hemingway again--I teach English after all) but didn't like any of the Hogs Breath shirts. I also got a Margaritaville shirt, and we had burgers and margaritas there. That was when the 12 year old brought me a "pirate prophylactic" and said "Mom, what's this?" Fun to explain in a crowded store!
Robin M.

 

[disneychick05]

Shirley and Norm, owners of The Perfect Gift in Cape Canaveral, are Key West natives. Shirley is a real angel - if you get in touch with her, she can make arrangements to send you an assortment of brochures from Key West. I believe she only asks you to send her a pre-addressed pre-stamped large envelope. She posts fairly often on the DCL board; her screen name is snelsonbrown.

Try these threads for a start...
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1013037&highlight=key+west

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1048426&highlight=key+west

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=996623&highlight=key+west

Thank you very much! Can't wait to read through the threads.

 

[Cindyluwho]

I can't believe you've all forgot to mention The Chicken Store! Every chicken thing you could ever need! I bought a bumber sticker there that my DH absolutely will not let me put on my car In Disney English it said I "heart" male chicken. And don't forget to notice the chickens on every street, under every table, etc all over town. I was in chicken heaven!!!

 

[my3kids]

We went on a boat out to the reef for snorkeling but when we had a few minutes left to go into town we were sorry to have gone on the boat because the town was so neat. We just walked around and loved every minute of it. There is plenty to see and do.

 

[GeorgeG]

There is the Conche Train tour that is a nice start and gives you a general idea of how Key West is laid out. I like museums and there is the Mel Fisher museum and a newer one that is about pirate treasure.

 

[PlutoPony]

Watching sunset in Mallory Square is a MUST! It's a street carnival type atmosphere done Key West style that they roll out every nite - and the sunset is spectacular there. Did the Conch Train with DS when he was ~ 6 and he really liked it. It's a pretty good tour if KW and gives you an idea of what you want to spend more time checking out...

 

[pammypooh]

We were in the Keys this past February and spent a day in Key West. We enjoyed walking through the city - not just the business area on Duvall, but also the residential streets. The homes are beautiful. We really enjoyed shopping, stopped by an open air bar on corner, but forget the name. It had light misting sprays of cool water coming over your head - very refreshing. On the docks we went through the turtle museum - kids enjoyed that. We went out on a sunset cruise (included wine/beer/soda & cheese/veges/crackers) on the schooner Appledore - best $ we spent in Key West. It was perfect. I was concerned about seasickness - and this just glided through the smooth waters. We saw a dolphin on the cruise, too! After we went along dock and stopped in at TURTLE KRAALS BAR & RESTAURANT for late dinner. The food was excellent. Very fresh. I wish we could have spent another day exploring Key West. There are some fun books to get as a souvenior. I forget exact title but something like, "Quit Your Job, and Move to Key West" and I purchased the book "Key West 101 - Discovering Paradise" written by same authors. Very fun to read. Plus lots of fun info. Look for them on Amazon before trip to get you ready! I would go back tomorrow if I could. Have fun!

Pam