keywester33

For some of us even mediocre snorkeling isn't a waste of time. To me, hanging out at a bar or restaurant when you're in port on a cruise ship is a waste of time.

As for the gravel beach, there are areas where there's good sandy entrance/exit into the water.

Sue,

Everyone is entitled to an opinion. I have lived in Key West for many, many years and been to Fort Zachary more times than I can count. I'm guessing I have a much better idea of typical conditions there than you as a one time or occasional visitor. I'm glad you had good conditions and enjoyed it, but more often than not, the snorkeling there is not good and the beach is exceptionally rocky.

I try to post accurate information here and let visitors decide what to do. Key West has many historic attractions including a beautiful and unique historic district. We have museums, galleries, tours, reef excursions and a host of options visitors enjoy. We have fresh local seafood and fun bars people typically like as well. I'm sorry you think sampling fresh, local seafood is a waste of time. Most visitors don't agree. In my opinion, visiting a very average, rocky beach and snorkeling in cloudy water is not the best activity Key West offers. Especially since cruises stopping here usually include ports with much better snorkeling and beaches.

As I said in my post, water conditions are posted at the entrance to the park and on days with calm, clear water, snorkeling can be OK. These are not the typical conditions. Visitors can decide for themselves what to do. As a long time resident and someone who has snorkeled in dozens of locations, I feel comfortable saying that Fort Zachary is not a great or even good snorkel destination, and I would hate for a visitor to be disappointed due to the wrong expectation.

P.S. Fort Zachary is not free. There is a modest entrance fee and most people need to rent gear.

I wouldn't waste my time snorkeling at Fort Zachary. The water conditions are not always clear and the beach is more rocks and gravel then sand. The main attraction in Key West is the Old Town Historic District, restaurants and bars.

If you do decide to go to Fort Zachary, they post the water conditions at the entrance to the park. Unless it shows calm with excellant visibility, don't bother trying.

The Firehouse Museum is a nice, small museum. They have a good website including an idea of the exhibits they have. The link is here:

http://www.keywestfirehousemuseum.com/Home.php

It is about 1.5 miles walk through a beautiful part of Old Town. Walk down Eaton Street or Fleming to Grinnel, then south to the museum. I would guess it's about 30 minutes walk. If you're interested, the firehouse museum is very close to El Siboney which is one of the most authentic Cuban Restaurants in Key West and very kid friendly.

Late January the water is about as cold as it gets. Maybe around 70 degrees. Most people need a wet suit or shorty wet suit to stay in the water for any length of time. We also get chilly weather sometimes that time of year and a combination of chilly weather and chilly water doesn't make the best snorkeling.

Cozumel will have warmer water and better snorkeling in my opinion.

B.O's Fish Wagon has good Fried Cracked Conch sandwiches and very good Conch Fritters.

FWIW I think the west Martello fort (tower) is much nicer than the east ---> http://www.keywestgardenclub.com/

 

Pjk

I don't think it's really accurate to say one is "nicer", you may prefer it, but they are totally different places. The East Tower has a quirky, interesting museum including the haunted Robert The Doll (Google it for the story). The West Martello Tower is home to the Key West Garden Club, a lovely garden on the ocean.

It depends what you want to see.

You won't regret it :p

 

Just head straight down either Duval or Whitehead (or Simonton for that matter) and hang a right on Angela. If you somehow manage to get lost (you won't), just ask anyone that looks semi-local. Anyone who has spent any time in Key West will know exactly where to point you. Enjoy and make sure you report back afterward!

Blue Heaven in on Petronia Street, not Angela. You would walk past Angela another block to Petronia and turn right there to find Blue Heaven.

I don't know why you need to pay for a bar crawl here since all the bars are within a few square blocks. Save the $50 (or $35), and just wander around on your own popping in and out of bars until you find a place you like. You can pick a couple in advance like Sloppy shoes or Captain Tony's and then just wander around. There are bars on virtually every block here.

No bars here have cover charges and people are very friendly and easy to chat with. It's just my opinion, but I would do your own crawl rather then paying someone to take you to bars they like, give you a cheap tee shirt, and provide the least expensive drink at every stop.

Garrison Bight is about 1.5 - 1.7 miles from the cruise ship dock area. If the walk is too long for you, you can always call a taxi to go back. It is a good area and you will have no safety issues walking it.

I have never done Snuba, but the water will be pretty cold in November and I do not believe they go out to the reef, so you will not see very much more then some fish. You might want to call and check. also see if they include wet suits for you to use.

Most of the more popular visitor attractions are along Duval or Whitehead Street, so walking those areas will give you a good overview of Key West.

Cityview Trolleys offers tickets for $19 per person on their web site.

Also, Island Comfort Mobility offers mobility scooters for rent and they will coordinate and meet you at the dock.

http://www.islandcomfortmobility.com/Rates_models.htm

There is no free trolley. There are two companies, Cityview is the link you posted and they are my recommendation for cruise ship passengers since it stays in Old Town and is less expensive then the other trolley. The other company is called Old Town Trolley if you want to compare.

The shuttle drops you off near Mallory Square in the heart of the Tourism District.

Unless something has changed, cool key west doesn't actually do any tours or sails. They are one of the many third party resellers of other companies tours.

I prefer to book direct with the company doing the service. There are often discounts for booking direct if you ask.

You might want to look at the offers from Sebago, Sunset Watesports or Fury to see about parasailing. I'm not sure what tour you are taking about, but both Historic Tours of America and City View offer trolley tours. I usually recommend city View since it is less expensive and stays in Old Town. It is a hop on hop off type tour.

If you find it more convenient to use cool key west, go ahead, but I have no personal experience with them to share.

The taxi will drop you off in the parking lot right near a short path to the beach. You'll probably have to call for the return trip, since taxis don't automatically line up there. I'm not sure how the fee part works, since you pay to get into the park.

 

I'm sure you can get a taxi from pretty near the cruise ship. I've never done that, so don't know exactly where they pick up cruise ship passengers. I've just seen lots of people being picked up and dropped off at Ft. Zach.

You will need to call a taxi from the park to be picked up. 305-296-6666 is the local company I use. The fee works the same as if you drove yourself. I think it is $6-$7 to enter. I'm not sure since I have an annual pass.

This summer has not been good for the beaches here. There is tons of seaweed and the beach at Fort Zachary is mostly gravel and rock. It is really not worth the trip in my opinion, especially since you will likely have much better beaches at other ports. Consider a conch train tour or one of our museums as an alternate, or bring water shoes if you expect to walk on the beach or try to get in the water.

We would definitely have a trailer for the kids to ride in. They are not experienced enough with bikes. I was looking at electric cars, but I was under the impression they have to have car seats for my kids. I really didn't want to tote car seats for 2.

 

I was looking at the trolley, but I would like to be able to stop where I want to and spend as much time there as possible. I don't want to be rushed. I was under the impression, there is a time table for the trolley's; as in there is only a certain amount of time allotted to see each stop location.

The trolleys run in a loop, so you can spend as much time as you like at any stop before getting on the next one that passes by. There is no time limit per stop.

I'm not sure, but some electric car companies may rent car seats. If you google them, you can call and check. Many people ride bikes here, but I just wanted you to know that our streets have very few bike lanes and can be busy. Try to stay off Truman and Eaton Street, which are busy narrow streets with no bike lanes. Just be alert and I'm sure you will be fine.

Old Town Key West is very busy and the streets can be crowded with bikes, scooters, people, cars and roosters!

Be careful biking with toddlers. If your not experienced on bikes, it might be better to look at an electric car or the trolleys.

I don't know if they're the best, but I like the ones at Half Shell Raw Bar.

Just walk down front street and follow the harbor walk all the way there.

We've tried lots of places in all our years going to Key West ... Our favorites are still Conch Republic, Turtle Kraal (their scallops are SO good!!), and Southern Most Cafe (if you go during Happy Hour, you can order a personal Hibachi with all kinds of seafood, chicken, and veggies that you grill yourself right at the bar!!) We also really like Blue Heaven (Lobster Benedict is delicious!!) - It's a fun place to eat :) There are so many good places in KW, it's always hard to choose!!

 

Jackie

The hibachis are no longer available at Southermost Cafe. The new owners have changed the happy hour and food choices are very limited.

Can anyone tell me how long of a walk from the Port B to the Key West Shipwreck Treasure Museum and also to Fort Zachary Taylor Fort for the beach. Can we just walk from the port or should we take a bus or cab? Where can we get the best Key Lime pie and what do Conch Fritters taste like?

It is only a block or two to the shipwreck museum. An easy walk from Pier B.

Fort Zachary is about 1.5 miles including a long stretch with no shade. It is a hot, long walk. In my opinion, I wouldn't waste my time going there. None of our beaches here are very good and I'm sure you will have better beach spots on your cruise. The beach at Fort Zach is very rocky with much of it looking more like a gravel parking lot then a beach. There is a very small beach at the end of Simonton Street right near the pier that also has a small beach concession with good fish tacos.

I think the best Key Lime Pie is at Kermits. There are two locations, both easily walkable from the dock. Conch Fritters are breeding mixed with pieces of Conch and deep fried... They taste pretty much like any deep fried fritter, with the better ones having plenty of conch. The stand right by The Aquarium next to the docks has pretty good ones and so does BO's Fish Wagon.

Rent a scooter...much more fun than biking or walking and you can see a ton. Fun bars include Irish Kevins and the Bull (top level is clothing optional). Soo many fun things to do there.

Many people here are seriously injured on scooters. Just yesterday, someone was airlifted to Miami with head injuries. I do not recommend renting them unless you are experienced. Every day I see tourists on scooters acting like they are in an amusement park. Remember you are driving in a busy city with trucks, cars and other traffic so please be careful, or better yet, walk or rent a bike.

Mile marker zero is in Key West and the mile markers go up from there as you head toward the mainland.

The order you visit really depends on what you want to do. I would probably spend the night in Key West to see the sunset celebration and have a nice dinner somewhere. Key West to Bahia Honda is less then an hour drive.

In my opinion Key West is a long way for a day trip, although you can do it.

Reasonable hotel means different things to different people. Key West is not inexpensive any time of the year anymore. Our average room rates are the highest in Florida. That time of year you are likely looking at $150 a night with taxes minimum for a decent place.

I agree with Aquahound that the snorkeling and diving is much better in the Upper and middle Keys then Key West. Come here to see the town and attractions, but stay where you are or visit The Middle Keys for the best snorkeling.

Taking a taxi is a ridiculous suggestion. Have you ever even done the drive?

Follow the advise of the other posters and forget this idea unless you want to risk missing your ship's departure. Save it for an overnight return trip with a rental car.

Another oprion is Barefoot Billy's if you want to check more then one. While they are not near the cruise ship docks, they will pick you up and drop you off.

Personally I am not a big fan of these tours. You can jet ski anywhere. I would spend the day in town or look at a snorkel excursion, but as the prior poster said, it's up to you.

i don't think BOs is as good as it used to be.

Instead, for a casual food truck type place, I would recommend a fish taco at Garbo's Grill or Lagerheads. Both are close to the dock. For a nicer, seat down meal, walk to Blackfin Bistro. They have great seafood. Another option is to walk along the harbor area to Half Shell Raw Bar. Good catch of the day specials.

Yes, Smather's is too far to walk. I'm not sure why you want to go there since the beaches here are not very good. I would think you will have much better beach options on your cruise.

My favorite Key Lime Pie is at Kermits. There is a location on Green Street and one on Duval both walkable from the cruise ship dock or drop off point if you dock at the outer mole. I don't know of any I would recommend near Smather's Beach.