CT Sean

Was in 7638 (on the bump out) last year - right at the opening to the stairs/elevators and never heard noise.  the doors seem very good at noise isolation

2 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

7:45 second seating for traditional dining currently on Wonder is deck 3 and deck 5.  

We're on Liberty and some members (it's 4 separate bookings) were in late traditional dining at 8:30 I believe.  I was calling to get us all in MTD to eat a bit earlier but not early traditional dining early.  I had asked about reservations and the rep said 7:45 was the earliest available (which seemed odd for a cruise 5 months out).  When I got off the call and checked the reservation in the app is now says traditional dining 7:45.

maybe I need to email rcldining

Funny - I just came here to ask about a conversation with royal Caribbean customer service that ended up with my party (8 of us) with a 7:45 traditional dining time for a  Bermuda cruise in the summer - Maybe this is the explanation for it?

14 hours ago, VintageCheap said:

The Duvall Loop City Bus is free and goes in a large well defined loop.  It will not, like some city busses, take you off to places that are good for commuters, etc.   (Note there are several paid bus/trolley services as well).  We walked around the marina area (get off the ship, go straight and left), DW found a nice quilt/fabric shop.  We always have lunch at the Southernmmost Beach Cafe, which feels like the Bahamas.  

Not sure what that has to do with the butterfly conservatory question I was replying to

13 hours ago, TheHawk1 said:

Our port day is a Sunday and their website says they are only open 8:00 am - Noon on Sundays.  So that wouldn't work for the pickup at the end of the day?

We've had Eaton Bike deliver bikes to our hotel when we're arriving after they close, but I don't know if they'd just lock them up somewhere near the port.  I would call them, or just rent from somewhere else

I'm a huge fan of Waterfront Brewery.  They have quite a few TVs and I'm sure they'll have a championship game on.  Food and craft beer is very good.  I can't remember if their happy hour runs until 6 or 6:30

It's not exactly a snorkeling destination, but when my wife and I are there, we usually snorkel at Ft Zachary Taylor beach.  As long as there's decent visibility, the rock piles just off the beach usually ave a nice amount of life.  It's about a mile from the cruise dock if you cut through Truman Annex. It's also a just nice beach area with a "lunch counter" and some walking paths and the fort next door. Consider water shoes as the beach can be rather rough - although it seemed like they removed a lot of the usual coral rumble when we were there a few weeks ago

Higgs Beach is another potential snorkeling spot - there's the ruins of an old pier there that should be interesting, but I've never been there where the conditions would allow it. In fact, we go every year for several days and I have yet to see "snorkel-able" conditions. Higgs Beach is closer to 2 miles and you'd probably want a bike or to take the bus.

I can't think of an option 3 that would be worth snorkelling

I haven't seen a ship port anywhere but Pier B since the pandemic and the cruise ship "ban"

Edit - looks like the city starting posting a cruise ship schedule again - says you'll be at pier B (as is every ship that stopped or will stop in November)

https://www.calendarwiz.com/calendars/calendar.php?crd=caribenautical&&jsenabled=1&winh=754&winw=1536&inifr=false

My wife and I go almost every year and rent from Eaton Bike each time.

5 hours ago, sydney dog said:

Thank you for this info.  I was also thinking about the butterfly conservatory.  Anyone have any info on this.  DH and I are really into animals and I thought this might be a good choice.  We would have about 1.5 hours to spend here.  Would that be enough time.  Planning on going when they open at 9.

Plenty of time.  It's a cool place, but doesn't take very long to move through.  you'll need to go back and forth a few times and sit on a bench for a while to kill 90 minutes inside. 

Assuming you mean the beach on the side of the fort opposite the cruise piers (Snorkel Park on google maps), it is not worth the $15 per person price of admission.  Wife and I were just there a couple weeks ago.  The beach isn't that great, the water isn't that great, the club music isn't that great.  Its only redeeming quality is it's in walking distance from the ships. 

Seems like a better question for your wife's doctor but at the same time, the website says "they should not have artificial joints" which I would think is an immediate disqualifier.  I did this tour with Dirk last year and don't recall any crawling, but one cave required climbing down a ladder and the second had some larger obstacles to climb up or down and entering and exiting the cave required a rope for assistance - not full belaying - just to give help get up and down the steep rocky entrance. Nor sure if there are additional caves that he may go to.  There are a handful of cave videos on youtube that give a good indication of what's inside

Key West Golf Club is the closest golf course and is on Stock Island, about 6 miles away.  I know nothing about it beyond its existence

Kayaking with Lucky Dog just over on Stock Island is nice since it's in the mangroves

other ideas:

Butterfly Conservatory

Truman waterfront has a nice playground area

Waterfront Brewery has an arcade area

Zachary Taylor has decent snorkeling around the rock piles out from the beach.  Conditions can be less than great though depending on currents and tide. sometimes you get nice clear water - sometimes you get soup. Beach is rough broken coral so wear boots and open heel fins, or accept some pain getting over the last 10-15 feet of beach (my wife chooses the former, I generally choose the latter). Zach T also has a decent snack bar with sandwiches, wraps and basic grilled food as well as beverages - adult and otherwise. Also has chair and umbrella rentals - you get your money's worth out of the $3.00 or so entry fee.

There's a webcam here - though not quite streaming.  Useful for checking conditions. We sent once to snorkel while the cam was down.  Conditions were soup, was a little disappointing.   https://fla-keys.com/webcams/fort-zachary-taylor-beach/ No idea why the live stream link doesn't actually take you to a live stream.

Never snorkeled from Higgs, but the old pier remains should be decent to snorkel around - again, condition dependent.  Never paid attention to the amenities here. Maybe it's obvious but I prefer Zach T and the conditions are almost never good when we stop at Higgs. 

Seaweed shouldn't be a problem in the winter.  Summer is when it's really bad.  when seaweed is a problem, it's way worse along the south side of the island where Higgs and Smathers are located.

I go to Key West pretty regularly, and when I'm there, I see a lot of people driving in circles looking for parking spaces.  Free on-street parking in the tourist areas is very difficult to find. There are several lots, but they are not free.  You might want to find a map and make a plan based on the pay lots.  If the plan is to wander and stop at your leisure - you're gonna spend a lot of time driving around looking for spaces.

Another thing to be aware of is that there are many street parking spaces that are Residential only - and it can be hard to read as the paint isn't always in the best condition.

To echo what Keywester33 said, scooters are dangerous in general - even more so if you aren't an experienced rider.  Not sure what sites you have in mind but have you considered bikes? Cheaper and a little safer  - though you still have to watch out for oblivious drivers.  Even East Martello is a pretty easy ride since it's all flat

4wd is not necessary for the park.  Any of the 2WD trucks that divers use are adequate for the very bumpy roads through the park.  I don't know if that helps find a 1 day rental - I've only ever had the trucks that are included with a week of shore diving.

Assuming you dock at Pier B, because I believe that's the only place ships are docking at the moment, it's about 1/4 mile to the stop on Rose Lane

not sure if this works but this is maybe the route in google maps Pier B to Old Town Trolley

You an also turn left to stay along the harbor, across the foot bridge, and into Mallory Square.

16 hours ago, PatnJudy said:

I would be willing to bet you will not find a pie using real key limes.... LOL But they'll still taste good.

 

Unless they've changed there recipe at some point, Blue Heaven uses real key limes.

It's about 1/2 of a mile to the fort from the Duval loop drop off which should be just after the traffic circle near Truman waterfront.  This time of year should be a very nice walk.  No shade from the bus stop to the fort, but plenty on the beach side of the park.

Definitely a nice park - the beach is rough coral rubble though so if you want to go in or near the water, you might want water shoes or some sort. The snack bar is also pretty respectable.  Food is decent and there's a small selection of adult beverages, if you're looking for one - just can't take it onto the beach IIRC. It's definitely the prettiest beach on the island as far as I'm concerned.

It's a shame the town and the property owner can't come to an agreement to bridge to gap on the waterfront that would allow walking straight from Mallory Square to Truman Waterfront without having to go around through Truman Annex

On 3/1/2022 at 2:03 PM, dsfitz said:

  I spoke to one of them who was of the opinion that this whole controversy was started by wealthy snowbirds "who want to turn key west into Martha's vineyard"   I did not see anyone protesting at all

 60% of residents voted for the cruise ship ban and anyone that qualifies as a snowbird would not be eligible to vote in Monroe county since a snowbird, by definition, has a primary address somewhere else. 

Do you honestly believe that person gave an unbiased opinion shared by the majority of Key West residents?

I can see from the Mallory Square webcam that OP's ship made the stop.

Celebrity Millennium is there now. it's the first ship I've seen on the Mallory Square webcam in a week or so

The local ordinance that blocked ships over a certain occupancy was overridden by the state last year.  To date, there have been very few ships that have actually docked and there has been some suggestion that Key West is preventing large ships from docking via less-than-completely-legal means.  Key West also removed public access to the cruise ship calendar so there's no way to see what's "officially" approved to dock.

The unfortunate reality is you may not know whether you're docking there until you're actually on the ship.