Cruise Port-Of-Call Key West, Florida

Introduction

Key West is continental USA's southern-most town, set at the furthermost end of the string of islands called the Keys. The town is well known for its liberated spirit; it harbors a community which prides itself for free thinking and tolerance. Even after the railroad connected all the Florida Keys in 1912, followed by the highway in 1938, Key West remained a home to the independent and easy-going.

The town's community is made up of a disparate population - Conchs (originally from the Bahamas), freshwater Conchs (long time residents) Hispanics (mostly migrants from Cuba) and a big helping of drifters, and dropouts. You'd be hard-pressed to find such a cosmopolitan mix anywhere.

As recently as 1982 you can find an amusing example of the residents' way of thinking outside the box. The US Border Patrol set up searches for vehicles flowing through Key Largo, to search for illegal substances. These actions had a harmful effect on business in Key West. The town seceded from the United States Union, established the Conch Republic, and declared war on the United States. They then surrendered, demanding foreign aid. The traffic restrictions were rapidly lifted.

Key West plays host to all sorts of visitors with its laid-back culture, rich past and dependable climate. Add a little Ernest Hemingway, unbelievable treasure hunting tales and the cosmopolitan locals to give you a great tourist port of call.

Key West Cruise Piers

Key West was first visited by a cruise ship in 1969, and rapidly became a don't miss destination. Today over 500 cruise ships call each year.

The port provides three cruise ship docks, Mallory Square , Pier B and Outermole (or Navy Mole) often abbreviated to M, B and OM. If your cruise ship moors at Outermole, expect a ten minute bus ride to the town center.

Sightseeing in Key West

Sloppy Joe’s on Duval Street

Sloppy Joe's formally opened on Dec 5,1933 the very day that Prohibition ended. At first it was called Russells, next the Silver Slipper. Then it was Hemingway himself who encouraged the proprietor John Russell to update the bar's nameonce more to Sloppy Joe's. In the late 1930s the bar moved from one location to another - when in typical Key West fashion, the customers carried their drinks from the old bar to the new. The bar provides an extensive choice of food. For dessert, there's just one choice, Key Lime Pie.

Trolley Tour

The conch train terminus is situated in the heart of Old town, and you can get tickets for the tour at the kiosk. Here you'll also able to get brochures and maps ofKey West. The tour runs about every 30 minutes. There are 9 stops on the route - you are allowed to get off/get back on the tour as you want. On the tour the guide introduces you to the sites of interest.

Southernmost Point Buoy

At the meeting of South Street and Whitehead Street sits the much photographed Southernmost Point, marking thefurthest south place in mainland United States futher south lies Hawaii. The buoy inscription notes that Cuba is no more than 90 miles away, and just to its right, a sign remembers the desparate Cubans who have drowned trying to reach to America.

Mel Fisher Treasure Museum

In 1622 a fleet of twenty-eight galleons laden with treasures from South America sunk in a hurricane forty miles off the Keys. In 1985 diver Mel Fisher with a team recovered the booty from 2 of the sunk galleons, the Santa Margarita and the Nuestra Señora de Atocha. The treasure recovered formed part of the looted riches of an empire, silver from Mexico and Peru, and gold and emeralds from Colombia. The fascinating tale of the quest for the wrecks is nearly as amazing as the riches on display. Another interesting display concerns the Henrietta Marie a slave vessel. The wreck was discovered at the same time as the hunt for the treasure galleons, and the recovered material give information on the shocking West Indies slave trade.

Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum

In his 30s Hemingway divided his time between the Keys for the winter, and Wyoming for the summer hunting season. His wonderful book To Have and Have Not is centered on the 1930s in Key West. Hemingway was a notable character in the town, with his fondess of marlin fishing, late-night drinking, and feral cats. His Key West house is now a museum with many items evocative of those memorable years.

Finding a Cruise Visiting Key West

Key West is a favorite destination, and is incorporated in many itineraries from Fort Lauderdale, Port Canaveral, Tampa and Miami. Key West often forms the first stop in a round to Mexico. A further popular route is the circumnavigation of Cuba, calling at Grand Cayman and Jamaica. Holland America, Carnival and Royal Caribbean provide these itineraries. For the more daring, Key West is sometimes included as a port-of-call in lengthier trans Panama canal routes, travelling from the West to the East coast of the US.

To go to a listing of cruise lines calling at Key West, and timetables, click Cruises to Key West Florida at cruise schedules.

Top 10 Titanic Jokes - Essential Reading For Your Cruise Vacation

RMS Titanic, when built, was the largest cruise line in the world, unmatched in opulence and luxury. The ship boasted every entertainment imaginable, including a squash court, a swimming pool, a gymn, a Turkish bath and a magnificent library. The furnishing was very stylish, and the dining room walls were fitted with extensive oak wood panelling. The ship was constructed in the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, and after a much-publicised launch, underwent sea trials as it steamed down to Southampton on the south coast of England. On the 10 April 1912, carrying a total of 2223 passengers and crew, the ship set sail on its maiden trip to New York. Four days later, steaming through a dark and cold Atlantic night, Titanic hit an iceberg and sank two hours and forty minutes later, with the loss of 1517 lives.

How could such a terrible tragedy become the subject of everyday humour? Possibly to blame are the owner's of the ship, the White Star Line. To quote their widely-read publicity brochure produced in 1910 for the sister ships Titanic and Olympic, 'these two wonderful vessels are designed to be unsinkable'. Even during that fateful night in 1912, when the New York office of White Start Line was told that the Titanic was in difficulties, White Star's Vice President, Philip Franklin said 'We place absolute confidence in the Titanic. We believe the boat is unsinkable'.

So a hotch-potch of tragedy, misfortune, and irony give us an excuse to laugh away the capricious and fateful nature of our existence.

Now, down to sorting out the top 10 jokes from the bad (and there certainly are a lot of bad). Note that all the following have been selected by the Editor, thus apologies if your own picks are not included. Counting down in reverse order:

10) What was the last thing anyone said on the Titanic? 'I know I ordered ice but this is ridiculous!'

9) What sort of cake do they have for desert on the Titanic? Upside-down cake!

8) Which ship can never get hit by an iceberg? FriendSHIP!!

7) Sign seen in an office - the difference between this place and the Titanic is.... they had a band!

6) What do you get if you cross the Atlantic Ocean with the Titanic? About halfway!

5) The chief designer of the Titanic had a lisp.

That's unthinkable!

4) On the Titanic the captain calls a meeting of his officers:

'I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want to hear first?'

'The good news', replies an officer.

'We'll get eleven Oscars.'

3) Management consultant to crewmember

Consultant: To confirm, are we short of lifebelts or lifeboats?

Crewmember: Both, Sir.

Consultant. Excellent, we've made savings across the board.

2) Titanic was about to sink.

People on the ship were shouting, crying, running and praying to God - just then a passenger had the following conversation with the captain.

Passenger: How far is land, from here?

Captain: Two miles...

Passenger: Only two miles, then why these fools are making noise. I have the experience of swimming even more.

Captain: .....????

Passenger: Just tell me in which direction, land is two miles from here?

Captain: Downward..

1) Heard when the ship went down...

So this isn't New York?

It's still better than Carnival!

So has the all-night buffet been cancelled?

How big a carry on can I take on the lifeboat?

Do you mind if I hold your baby for a minute?

This is definitely the last time I book a cheap repositioning cruise!

Ah, so this is what they mean by 'cruise to nowhere'.

We can't afford to stop here long. I've got a plane to catch in New York.

Nobody reads my tweets, but if we get one of the celebrities on board to twitter this, it'll hit the news!

Ooh my wife's fallen overboard. Hold the lifeboat. I've got to update my facebook status.

I checked Cruise Schedules, and there was no mention of 'Scenic Glacier Cruise'!

With just one or two of these jokes, you'd be well armed for some light humour after dinner on your cruise ship. But imagine you were one of the passengers on MS Explorer which sank off Antartica in 2007. All 154 passengers and crew spent many hours floating on life rafts on icy seas, before being picked up by MS Nordnorge, a Norwegian cruise ship happily in the vicinity. The shipwrecked passengers and crew kept up their spirits by telling Titanic jokes to one another. So, just in case you were ever to fall into this miserable predicament, it might be wise to remember more than just one or two!