Hotels between Miami and Key West

[Beachdude]

Hi all, we are going to Key West for a couple days before our Princess cruise. We land in Ft. Lauderdale in the afternoon and plan to stop about half to make the drive easier. Any body recommend a good hotel in the Keys?

 

Also, we plan to drive back to the ship from Key West on the departure day. Any problems driving North from Key West. That will be during Fantasy Fest, but I thinking all the traffic will be going south.

 

Thanks

 

Burt

[cb at sea]

You can EASILY drive to Key West from Ft. Laud, without a stop.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Hotels are full during Fantasy Fest, so make reservations well in advance. Driving back, keep in mind that Highway 1 has only one lane north and one south much of the way therefore the speed limit is quite slow. If there should be a wreck or other impediment, you might get stuck for a considerable amount of time.

 

There are quite a few hotels along the route in a variety of price points. Key Largo has a Marriott Resort. Rock Harbor has a Hilton Resort. Islamorada has the posh Cheeca Lodge. Marathon has Tranquility Bay. A friend of mine just stayed there and really liked it. There are also a variety of other cheaper hotels all along the way.

 

If you get further south than Marathon, you might as well keep going to Key West.

 

As for your return from Key West, I suggest leaving quite early so you have time to stop and eat and also have leeway should there be a wreck on the road. There is one bridge that opens and traffic can back up when that bridge opens if you happen to arrive when that bridge opens.

 

One challenge we have had on going to Key West when everyone is leaving or leaving Key West when everyone is going, is that the opposing traffic can be bumper-to-bumper in spots. The most popular restaurants fill up and there can be a long wait to be seated. Gas stations get really busy too. Thus even though you are traveling the opposite of most traffic, you can still be slowed down.

 

Just allow yourself plenty of time to get to your ship. I hope you love the Florida Keys as much as I do.

[Beachdude]

That was exactly what I needed, thanks Gangway.

 

Burt

[Podie]

Not to scare you, but what Gangway said about possible wrecks is so true. My family lived in Key West and it once took us 7 hours to get from KW to FLL because of an accident!

[bouhunter]

If you mean fantasy fest THIS year I hope you have reservations already. Fantasy Fest is a BUSY and CRAZY time to visit KW. Be prepared.

 

Personally I wouldn't want to drive from KW the day of boarding a ship. You'll probably be fine, but as others have said if there are traffic issues it could be an adventure.

 

There are hundreds of motels on US-1. Decide where you want to go and try to find something that fits your budget. I'd recommend Islamorada area.

Edited August 14, 2014 by bouhunter

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

If you mean fantasy fest THIS year I hope you have reservations already. Fantasy Fest is a BUSY and CRAZY time to visit KW. Be prepared.

 

Personally I wouldn't want to drive from KW the day of boarding a ship. You'll probably be fine, but as others have said if there are traffic issues it could be an adventure.

 

There are hundreds of motels on US-1. Decide where you want to go and try to find something that fits your budget. I'd recommend Islamorada area.

 

I agree stay near FTL and have fun ..

[Aquahound]

For what it's worth, I live in Key West and always drive up on the day of embarkation. I have never had a problem. Northbound in the morning, especially on a weekend, is usually painless.

 

The day northbound traffic will be heavy due to FF will be the Sunday after the parade. This year, that will be on Sunday the 26th. If that is the day you're driving north, I recommend leaving around 6-6:30 to give yourself plenty of time.

[Beachdude]

For what it's worth, I live in Key West and always drive up on the day of embarkation. I have never had a problem. Northbound in the morning, especially on a weekend, is usually painless.

 

The day northbound traffic will be heavy due to FF will be the Sunday after the parade. This year, that will be on Sunday the 26th. If that is the day you're driving north, I recommend leaving around 6-6:30 to give yourself plenty of time.

 

Thanks. We are embarking Saturday, so it sounds like we will be OK. How long do you expect the drive to take us (ie: How early do we have to get up after a night of Fantesy Fest)? LOL

 

Thanks again.

 

Burt

[Aquahound]

Thanks. We are embarking Saturday, so it sounds like we will be OK. How long do you expect the drive to take us (ie: How early do we have to get up after a night of Fantesy Fest)? LOL

 

Gotcha. Going north on Saturday will be a breeze. The drive to Port Everglades will take 4 hours, so just subtract that from the time you would like to be there.

 

Have fun on Friday night. It's still crazy that night, so there will be plenty of...well..."sights" to take in. ;)

 

Jump into the Masquerade March on Friday. It starts at 5 and anyone can jump in. You'll get free drinks along the way. :)

Edited August 19, 2014 by Aquahound

[Hlitner]

Call us a bit overcautious, but we would never consider driving north east (from Key West) on the day of a cruise. While, in nearly all cases, it would not be a problem if you get an early start, there is always the possibility of a road closing accident. We just like the security of being relatively close to an embarkation port when we wake up on cruise day!

 

As to Key West, DW and I love the place and have driven there quite a few times. But we always plan on driving back to the mainland the day before a cruise.

 

Hank

Edited August 20, 2014 by Hlitner

[Beachdude]

Call us a bit overcautious, but we would never consider driving north east (from Key West) on the day of a cruise. While, in nearly all cases, it would not be a problem if you get an early start, there is always the possibility of a road closing accident. We just like the security of being relatively close to an embarkation port when we wake up on cruise day!

 

As to Key West, DW and I love the place and have driven there quite a few times. But we always plan on driving back to the mainland the day before a cruise.

 

Hank

 

Yes, we typically arrive at our embarking port a few days before the cruise to enjoy the area. In this case we wanted to experience Key West and a little of the Fantasy Fest. That requires up to take a bit of a risk. If we leave by 8:00am, that gives us about 8 hours. Living on the edge I guess.

 

Burt

[FKGirl]

Yes, we typically arrive at our embarking port a few days before the cruise to enjoy the area. In this case we wanted to experience Key West and a little of the Fantasy Fest. That requires up to take a bit of a risk. If we leave by 8:00am, that gives us about 8 hours. Living on the edge I guess.

 

Burt

 

Leave by 8 for sure. You should be fine. The longest I have had to wait for an accident to clear is about 2.5 hours. (Not kidding. It happens fairly frequently, and I drive back and forth to the. Mainland from Key West nearly every week.)