Slightly OT, Key West after Disney?

[Befferk]

Has anyone taken an extended trip to Key West after Disney? We are spending 8-10 days at Fort Wilderness May 2006, and we were tossing around the idea of heading down to Key West for 2 (maybe 3?) days after that to camp at Bluewater Key resort. I have done a lot of research to determine that this is "the" resort to stay at in Key West, and I also know that we are looking at adding another 7-8 hour drive onto our trip (after 24 hours from Wisconsin ).

Am I nuts? I don't want to plan more than 2 or so days at Key West, as I know there really isn't anything for kids there (our son will be 4), but we want to kind of veg-out and unwind, and I hear it is beautiful there. And I don't want to take any more days away from our Disney experience either. I am really torn over this decision . We will not be able to do a trip like this to Florida for a LONG time after this, so I want to make the best of it.

Beth

 

[Disney Campers]

Go for it, it will be a great way to end the vacation, be sure to catch the nightly sunset at mallory square. I have stayed at Bluewater Key, its a very nice place.

 

[John VN]

Beth

Was wondering how long it would take you to come to the greatest WDW-FW Forum there is on the net. Saw you over at RV.Net.

Your not crazy but beyond that I can not help you out since we've never done it.

John

 

[Rhonda]

Key West is beautiful, but keep in mind that the drive is LONG! Especially if it's during a busy time - there's only one highway down there and it gets really backed up sometimes.

We like to unwind for a few days after FW by camping over at Fort Desoto park in St. Petersburg. The campsites are right on the beach and very nice! It's very relaxing, and only about an hour drive from WDW.

Another idea would be to come down here to SW Florida (I live in the Fort Myers area!) The drive is about 3 hours, and the gulf is beautiful down here! We've never camped here, but I'm sure if you did some browsing, you could find campgrounds!

Otherwise, if you don't mind the drive, Key West is very nice. We were just there a couple of months ago. You're right - there's not much for the kids though. You could rent an electric cart to drive around in town! They are all over the place!

 

[dtsaos]

I would definetly try to find a different campsite that was sort of on the way home if it was me. I can't imagine adding all that extra driving on-I think it would take away from the "unwinding" aspect of going to the keys. That being said, The Keys are very beautiful and so it may be worth it to you.

 

[Befferk]

Thanks everyone. I see I am getting mixed answers, as are my thoughts at this point. Good thing we have a while to make the decision yet ... I am so afraid that if we don't go, I may regret it. But a closer beach/campground might be a nice compromise too. I will check out the Fort Desoto place.

Beth

 

[pmountain]

Beth
I agree that Bluewater Key looks REALLY nice, but not an option for us because they have a minimum length that we don't reach. We were at Sugarloaf KOA last March and are going back this year. One nice thing there is they have a partially sandy beach that the kids can swim and play at. Sandy, swimable beach is not available at a lot of places in the keys. I love it there and I love Key West. It is so laid back. We took the kids with us to Sloppy Joe's Bar and the Hogg's Breath Saloon and they had a blast. We did the opposite of you. We drove 1600 miles from Ontario to Key West in 2 days then stopped at FW for one night on the way back for a rest. This year we are spending 3 nights at Fort DeSoto on the way down and 2 nights at FW on the way back. The main reason we went to the Keys is because it was March and we wanted guaranteed warmth. If I were you I would go to Fort DeSoto to veg on the way home, it will be plenty hot in May. It was hot enough in Key West in March that we were dragging the kids around downtown Key West the day we were there. Unless you really want to see Key West, I would stay at Fort DeSoto. They have a really good website that will show you a picture of the site you want.
http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/05_Ft_DeSoto.htm
Pete.

 

[Tigger1]

I went to the Keys once when I was much younger. Our group was a bunch of college students. We stayed on a island that was for boy scouts. Does anyone have any idea which island this could be?


Thanks Tigger

 

[Befferk]

I am thinking at this point that we will bite the bullet and take the trip down there for 3 nights (instead of 2). Apparently my husband isn't afraid of the drive. We really don't need to be in a rush either. A few years back, DH and I took a "weekend trip" to Memphis, TN from up here in Wisconsin to visit a friend. We left Friday night, drove all night (12+ hours) spent the day/night Saturday, got up Sunday morning and drove the 12+ hours back. Didn't even miss a day of work for it. It actually is one of our best memories of travelling somewhere together! We still talk about it... So this may not be so bad. Thanks for the input, and glad to hear the positive things about Bluewater Key....

Beth

 

[plutospup]

There are several things for kids to see in Key West. We've stopped there twice on our Disney Cruises. DD was 5 the first time, 6 the second time. We went to the Butterfly Museum, Aquarium, Hemmingway House (she loved the 6 toed cats that reside there!), lighthouse, and Trolley Tour/Conch Train. Look for the street performers in Mallory Square, especially the "Cat Man"! Be sure to check the DIS Disney Cruise Boards. There is a lady by the name of Shirley who grew up in Key West, who frequents the DCL board. She is a great lady, and has a wealth of knowledge about Key West. She'll be more than happy to answer any questions. Have a great time!