Is Key West a port the majority will miss?

[KVH]

This story

I'm sure it would be a nice ShoreEx but is it all that?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

This story

I'm sure it would be a nice ShoreEx but is it all that?

I found Key West to be a nice stop. Somewhat eccentric, but nice. I believe they've been trying for years to limit cruise ships to the smaller vessels, so that's not anything new.

 

[TestingH2O]

We loved Key West and had actually talked about trying to book a future cruise to get there again.

 

[allashore]

yes enjoyed Key West, would rather this stop then Nassau

 

[BartmanLA]

From my understanding from friends who have been to KW, the general residents there aren't against tourism, it's a lion's share of many income's they just feel that cruise ships coming in and dumping 2,000-4,000 people (depends if 2 or 3 ships port that day) on the port is getting to be overwhelming, there has been a call for a while now to limit the cruise ships there. A lot of the residents aren't happy about how the public behaves and the trash and destruction they do to public and private areas. That plus the people that take the time to drive down the Key's to visit KW are being shoved aside for the temporary tourists from the ships that don't spend the money that those that come and stay for a day or two. I can totally understand this mentality, and I guess CoVid-19 has given them an excuse to exercise more control that they've long been pressured to enact.

 

[ShuckyDarn1955]

No big deal. If they don't want/need the tourist money, so be it....can't have it both ways....

 

[Ralph&Pam]

We certainly enjoy stopping there more than Nassau. As noted above, somewhat eccentric. We've been there four times on DCL cruises, so we generally just tour on on own rather than doing any of the offered excursions. We were there twice in January, doing b2b cruises on the Magic. Once we docked at the Naval station pier and once at Mallory Square. It's a bit more enjoyable when docking near Mallory Square, since you can walk off and back on the ship without needing a shuttle to Mallory Square.

 

[auntlynne]

I can’t speak for the majority, but I’m fine with never docking at Key West again.

Or Nassau.

Or Western Mexico.

If they lost Castaway Cay, Half of my reason for sailing DCL would be gone. (Maybe more - 13 of 17 of my DCL cruises visited CC, one a Double Dip).

 

[MushuHill]

Last time we sailed to Key West we did a group pub crawl. It was great. The guide walked us around the city and gave us information on different places we passed. At each bar we got a ticket to exchange for a drink. I think we went to 5 different bars. It was a fun time!!

 

[Joe Brig]

For cruises that leave from Florida, are there any other ports where you can walk off the ship and feel safe walking almost anywhere in the city?

 

[gotomu212]

I have friends in KW- one of the running jokes is they are closer to Cuba than Walmart. They like being local and unique and the daily dump of cruise passengers isn’t welcome by a lot of them.

For PP poster we feel safe walking around St Thomas, St Martin, Grand Cayman.

 

[SnowWhite2]

Love KW and love to cruise there

 

[Boopuff]

I went to KW and the first thing I asked our inn manager was "what days do the ships dock?" We avoided the Mallory Square area until the no-ship day. Really nice! I agree that when a ship disgorges 3000 people that is very overwhelming to the small area that is Duval Street.

 

[JM23457]

Key West was a port I always wanted to stop at. Truman's little white house and Hemingway's house are two places I'd like to visit.

 

[auntlynne]

FWIW - I had a great adventure on the WBPC; floatplane to Ft Jefferson with spectacular views of Dry Tortugas National Park. Of course, what adventure wouldn’t be complete without running across Auburn grads (who were camping).

I even drove to KW from Fort Lauderdale after a cruise while waiting for a night flight. The water in the Keys is gorgeous.

If docked there again, I would visit the Southern White House.

But still wouldn’t miss it

 

[mep57]

Was stationed there before the cruise lines came. It was a great little with just enough tourist.

So was Tahoe City, CA before it got taken over.

 

[a1tinkfans]

For cruises that leave from Florida, are there any other ports where you can walk off the ship and feel safe walking almost anywhere in the city?

In fla... any of them imho. I mean if it were midnight I’d say no but, enjoy...

 

[Cruising Engineer]

Our next cruise (hopefully) will stop at KW (hopefully). Love the town with the chickens, six-toed cats, and great shops to explore.

 

[monkeydawn]

I went to KW and the first thing I asked our inn manager was "what days do the ships dock?" We avoided the Mallory Square area until the no-ship day. Really nice! I agree that when a ship disgorges 3000 people that is very overwhelming to the small area that is Duval Street.

I love KW! We avoid the cruise traffic by heading to FT Zachory Taylor beach during the day (better beaches for swimming at most cruise stops so very few cruisers come here) and then hit Mallory Square/ Duval St in the late afternoon and evening.

I generally feel safe in most ports (and cities when traveling), even the ones with a sketchier reputation. We dont tend to make targets of ourselves by carrying a lot of cash/ flashy things and neither of us wear jewelry. We are on alert and paying attention to our surroundings but have never really felt unsafe. I like to go a bit off the beaten path and see some local things (love visiting local grocery stores when I travel) but I am usually tourist area adjacent, I dont go way far off the beaten path on cruise stops. Generally because we are walking though. LOL

 

[Caboosey]

Last time we sailed to Key West we did a group pub crawl. It was great. The guide walked us around the city and gave us information on different places we passed. At each bar we got a ticket to exchange for a drink. I think we went to 5 different bars. It was a fun time!!

That sounds so fun!

I visited Key West once, many years ago in college. I would love to go again, and spending a day there as a cruise stop seems like it would be a good fit for me. At the same time, I understand locals feeling overwhelmed by thousands of people swarming all at once.