Key West

Lots has happened since we booked.  George and Tawny backed out of the cruise, I am really disappointed about that. There are no balcony cabins available and they don’t want to book without being sure they have a balcony. I encouraged them to book and hope to get a balcony when the final payment comes due, then they could cancel, but they don’t want to. That’s sad, but we will see then in Cabo in November. Stuart and Darlene proposed the idea of going to Key West for a few days, we jumped on that. I have always wanted to go there and we talked about taking our trailer there one day. This will be a fun adventure after the cruise.  I’m researching hotels in Key West now. Of course no timeshare time available. 

More info about Key West

Southernmost City:  Monument at the corner of South and Whitehead Streets (incorrectly) marking the southernmost point in the continental United States accessible by civilians. One of the biggest attractions on the island is a concrete replica of a buoy at the corner of South and Whitehead Streets that claims to be the southernmost point in the contiguous 48 states (see Extreme Points for more information.) The point was originally just marked with a sign, however the city of Key West erected the now famous monument in 1983. Brightly painted and labeled "SOUTHERNMOST POINT CONTINENTAL U.S.A.", it is one of the most visited and photographed attractions in the United States. Land on the Truman Annex property just west of the buoy is the southernmost point of Key West, but still not the southernmost point of the continental US, and it has no marker since it is U.S. Navy land and cannot be entered by civilian tourists. The private yards directly to the east of the buoy and the beach areas of Truman Annex and Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park also lie farther south than the buoy. The farthest-south location that the public can visit is the beach at the state park for a small entrance fee. Florida's true southernmost point is Ballast Key, a privately owned island just south and west of Key West.

Old Town:  The original Key West neighborhood in the west (although perceived as south) is called "Old Town" and comprises the Key West Historic District. It includes the major tourist destinations of the island, including Mallory Square, Duval Street, the Truman Annex and Fort Zachary Taylor. It is where the classic bungalows and guest mansions are found. Generally, the structures date from 1886 to 1912. The basic features that distinguish the local architecture include wood-frame construction of one- to two-and-a-half-story structures set on foundation piers about three feet above the ground. Exterior characteristics of the buildings are peaked "metal" roofs, horizontal wood siding, gingerbread trim, pastel shades of paint, side-hinged louvered shutters, covered porches (or balconies, galleries, or verandas) along the fronts of the structures, and wood lattice screens covering the area elevated by the piers.

New Town: The island has more than doubled in size via landfill. The new section on the east (perceived as north) is called "New Town." It contains shopping centers, retail malls, residential areas, schools, ball parks, and Key West International Airport. According to the Key West Association of Realtors (KWAR), Key West can be divided into four distinct areas: Old Town, Casa Marina, Mid-Town and New Town, with various neighborhoods in each area.

Booked…But

We booked the cruise this morning. Yesterday I decided to just poke around the Princess website and see what the excursions were and if the price had dropped. To my surprise it shows NO balcony cabins left! I really didn’t believe it so I contacted my pal Todd at Cruise Vacation Outlet and sure enough there is a wait list for a balcony!  By the time he replied to me it was late but I replied to him to book something, anything, for us and waitlist us for a balcony.  This morning I had an email waiting from him so we are guaranteed a cabin!  Phew!  I immediately let G&T (George & Tawny) know about this as they are not booked yet. I let S&D (Stuart & Darlene) know this, even though they booked some time back. There are only a handful of cabins left at this point. Hard to believe but it could have something to do with the 100th anniversary of the Panama Canal operations. 

In communicating with Stuart he mentioned they are planning to go to Key West after the cruise for a few days. This sounds like a super idea! John and I have talked about taking our trailer there for a road trip but we have not done any research to date. Key West is the southernmost point of the Continental United States. The Overseas Highway to get there has earned the reputation as being one of the most beautiful coastal drives in the country. It looks a bit daunting with those long, narrow bridges! I read there are 42 bridges to be exact. The longest is just under 7 miles! There are shuttles and I‘m not sure we need a rental car once we arrived in Key West. Well at any rate there is a lot to think about as this trip evolves! For now we have the cruise booked and we are thankful for that, even if it isn’t the bargain price we hoped for!