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Does anyone stay on the ship?

cruiseguyforever

By cruiseguyforever,
in Key West

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marco

marco

Posted
Posted

Pretty much everything you'd want to see in KW is close to the pier and an easy walk. A few hours is adequate. As an aside, we have taken a winter Caribbean cruise now for many, many years and we frequently don't get off the ship. Staying on the ship whilst in port, but just about everyone else is ashore is the most enjoyable time for us to enjoy the ship.

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KirkNC

KirkNC

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We are going to Key West in Dec. getting in at 7AM and leaving at 1:30PM. My ques. is has anyone stayed on the ship and had a good time or should we go on shore? I think 6.5 hours on shore is too short. Maybe Carnival is paying less if they leave before 8 hours?

 

It is a great time to go to the spa.

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rhecker

rhecker

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we have stayed on the ship before but usually for boring ports. we are doing the key west,freeport,nassau and are thinking of skipping freeport. Not much there and it is sandwiched between two good ports. going in early December this time as opposed to July.It's nice staying on when everyone else gets off. No lines for food, easy to get pool chairs, etc.

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bouhunter

bouhunter

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If you haven't been to KW before I'd recommend at least getting off for lunch, there are some great restaurants there.

 

Also, assuming you haven't been there before, it seems a shame to not visit any port for at least a few hours. After all there is still lots of time on the ship. Hemingway House or Truman Whitehouse on KW are both interesting and take no more than an hour each to visit.

 

I've never understood why so many ships seem to leave KW so early, maybe Aquahound could chime in here, I bet he knows the reason or reasons :)

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LHT28 Holiday Sharing Rare

LHT28

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I've never understood why so many ships seem to leave KW so early, maybe Aquahound could chime in here, I bet he knows the reason or reasons :)

maybe people do not stay onshore longer so they cut the port short & save the fees;)

 

We will be there till 5pm on our stop

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bouhunter

bouhunter

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Except for a few special circumstances Key West requires ships to leave the harbor so that they do not block the sunsets.

 

Pjk

 

Thanks Peter, now I remember hearing that somewhere. Since our visits to KW are on land vacations and we enjoy the sunsets, I'm all for it!:D:D:D

 

Knowing how great KW is later in the day and into the evening (dining, sunsets, bars etc), I can't imagine visiting there early for only a few hours, but I guess 2:00PM it isn't that much different than leaving most other cruise ports around 4-5:00.

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bhopal21

bhopal21

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Actually that only applies to ships docked at Mallory Square (pier A) which must depart by 6pm.

 

The person who inquired is sailing on the Destiny which docks at The Westin Hotel pier (pier B) which is not affected.

 

I would assume their early departure is in order to make a distant port the next day but it is not due to any ordinance of Key West.

 

Mike:)

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Aquahound

Aquahound

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Actually that only applies to ships docked at Mallory Square (pier A) which must depart by 6pm.

 

The person who inquired is sailing on the Destiny which docks at The Westin Hotel pier (pier B) which is not affected.

 

I would assume their early departure is in order to make a distant port the next day but it is not due to any ordinance of Key West.

 

Mike:)

 

That is exactly right. Most ships that visit KW head to the western Caribbean for their next stop, like Belize or Cozumel. That's why they leave so early. Key West is quite a haul from other port destinations.

 

Otherwise, they normally leave around dinner first seating time. For example Majesty of the Seas leaves at 6, not due to law, but due to getting their guests back aboard for one last evening of on board revenue.

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OCruisers

OCruisers

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We are going to Key West in Dec. getting in at 7AM and leaving at 1:30PM. My ques. is has anyone stayed on the ship and had a good time or should we go on shore? I think 6.5 hours on shore is too short. Maybe Carnival is paying less if they leave before 8 hours?

 

There are always folks who stay on the ship and any port.

 

For you ... it's not so much that it's only 6.5 hours ... it's which 6.5 hours they are! You aren't going find lots going on at 7 AM.

 

With your time frame ..... If we were docked at Mallory Square, we'd get off later in the morning (like 10 AM) and walk around for a while. If docked at the Navy Yard, we'd probably just stay on the ship.

 

~~~~~~

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emcee207

emcee207

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NO WAY.....Key West is one port that no matter how many times I have been there I can always find something new and fun to do. If you want to stay on the ship in a port....do it at Nassau or Freeport

 

I agree and.....................Happy Hour starts at Schooner Wharf at 8:00 AM for Bloody Mary's and Mimosa's!!!!!:D

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tunaman2011

tunaman2011

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I agree and.....................Happy Hour starts at Schooner Wharf at 8:00 AM for Bloody Mary's and Mimosa's!!!!!:D

 

Greetings

 

And Schooner's is a place you will definitely find some locals. Most are quite interesting. Just a short jaunt from Schooner's across Caroline St is Pepe's and Harpoon Harrys. Both serve a good breakfast.

 

Good Sailing

Tom

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EnTnSA

EnTnSA

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I guess I am in the minority in saying that I think Key West is a waste of a port. Basically the only things going on there are dive bars and...more dive bars...Just not my thing I guess, I didn't find anything appealing about it. We were there last week, during "Fantasy Fest" and it was jam packed with people, most of which were wearing very little clothing and every where we stopped smelled like fresh vomit. Not the best place for my 4 year old traveling with me. The one beach we found was about 100yrds long, with about 1000 people on it and dirty water. I dunno, just didn't seem all that appealing to me, if you are familiar with Texas, it is a cross between Austin and Port Aransas...both of those places are OK, but not really where I want to go on vacation.

 

If you wanna go get drunk in a bar, then its probably the place for you. I think maybe about 10 years ago, I may have loved it...but now, its just kind of annoying.

 

We wish we would have saved the 100 dollars we spent on a rental buggy, and just stayed onboard.

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Aquahound

Aquahound

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I guess I am in the minority in saying that I think Key West is a waste of a port. Basically the only things going on there are dive bars and...more dive bars...Just not my thing I guess, I didn't find anything appealing about it. We were there last week, during "Fantasy Fest" and it was jam packed with people, most of which were wearing very little clothing and every where we stopped smelled like fresh vomit. Not the best place for my 4 year old traveling with me. The one beach we found was about 100yrds long, with about 1000 people on it and dirty water. I dunno, just didn't seem all that appealing to me, if you are familiar with Texas, it is a cross between Austin and Port Aransas...both of those places are OK, but not really where I want to go on vacation.

 

If you wanna go get drunk in a bar, then its probably the place for you. I think maybe about 10 years ago, I may have loved it...but now, its just kind of annoying.

 

We wish we would have saved the 100 dollars we spent on a rental buggy, and just stayed onboard.

 

Judging Key West during an event like Fantasy Fest is ridiculous. Did you not know what you were coming to?

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EnTnSA

EnTnSA

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Judging Key West during an event like Fantasy Fest is ridiculous. Did you not know what you were coming to?

 

 

No, we were scheduled to call in Montego Bay, Georgetown, and Cozumel.

 

We got rerouted to Key West due to Sandy forming up around Jamaica, so we had very little time to plan much of anything. From what I saw, there just wasn't a whole lot to do outside of bar hopping.

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WeBeGone

WeBeGone

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No, we were scheduled to call in Montego Bay, Georgetown, and Cozumel.

 

We got rerouted to Key West due to Sandy forming up around Jamaica, so we had very little time to plan much of anything. From what I saw, there just wasn't a whole lot to do outside of bar hopping.

 

It's a shame you didn't find the little Key West aquarium. Your child would have loved it. And please don't judge Key West by the day you were here. Fantasy Fest is like Mardi Gras on steroids! Most of the people you saw were tourists! Maybe you should have talked to the people at the shore excursion desk for ideas. You would have loved the Hemingway House, the Lighthouse, the Mel Fisher Museum, and the Custom House. Even the Conch Tour train would have entertained your 4 year old.

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