Key West - cruise travel

Cruise Travel, July, 2001

America's Own Tropical Isle Is Gaining Popularity As A Cruise Call

Key West, the island city t in the sea dangling at the end of the sun-kissed Florida Keys, has gained tremendous cruise-ship popularity in the last few years. Not too long ago only a few cruise lines bothered to call at the historic port, but recently the list has changed dramatically. We made a random check of cruise brochures and were surprised to find that Carnival, Celebrity, Costa, Holland America, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean were all scheduling visits to Key West on cruises ranging in length from four to 14 days. What was equally surprising, these cruise ships were heading south not only from Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Tampa, but also from such distant ports as Houston and Galveston, Texas, and even Boston.

As longtime Florida residents, we've visited the "city in the sea" many times via highway and air, and we can remember when harbor traffic consisted of U.S. Navy vessels (entering and leaving the now long-gone submarine base), shrimpers, sports-fishing boats, and private yachts. Nevertheless, we were startled on our most recent visit to Key West when our vessel docked adjoining Mallory Square in Old Town, and as we did so, we saw another cruise ship departing from the Truman Annex cruise-port site of the old Navy base--also on the edge of Old Town.

Another thing we noticed in the brochures, times in port vary from six to eight hours--no overnight stays. Unfortunately, this means cruise passengers can't sample a famous Key West sunset, a nightly ritual in Mallory Square. A daylight-only port call could create a problem unless you plan carefully, or unless you're like us--knowledgeable about the salty city from previous land visits. There's so much worth seeing, and relatively little time to do so, particularly if you're inclined to spend a couple of hours at lunch sampling Key West's noted cuisine.

No matter how many hours your cruise ship's in port, you'll scramble to get even a fair sampling of Key West's attractions, which are jammed into only eight square miles. It sounds like a local joke, but it isn't: You can walk from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean in only a few blocks (via Simonton, Duval, or Whitehead streets). But leave the walking until later, it's too time-consuming.

A bit of history helps you plan. The Spanish named the island Cayo Hueso (Bone Key) in the late 16th century because of numerous washed-up bones bleaching on the shore. Somehow Cayo Hueso translated into Key West in English.

U.S. history began here in 1791 when John W. Simonton (for whom one of the streets is named) purchased the island from its Spanish owner. In the following years the island attracted pirates, finally ousted by Commodore David Porter's flat-bottomed Navy known as the mosquito fleet. Next, settlers began arriving from the Bahamas, and then from the mainland. Many of the newcomers were professional Bahama wreckers who brought their houses with them on schooners. In the early years of the 19th century, Key West was the richest city in the nation on a per capita basis as a result of salvaging cargoes from ships wrecked on nearby reefs.

The stories about the wrecking business are countless--some perhaps fact, some obviously fiction. One of the most unusual concerns a dead man held for ransom. Purportedly, the wreckers opened an unusually long container, thinking it might have lace shawls or something else of value. Surprise! It held an embalmed body en route from New Orleans to New York. Legend claims the wreckers charged the family a salvage fee.

Not all of the wrecks were storm-caused. The Key Westers weren't timid about creating false lights to lure unsuspecting vessels onto the reef; there were no lighthouses then. When this business dried up, cigar-making became economically important, but after a few years those factories moved.

When Flagler's East Coast railroad arrived in 1912, the economic picture brightened. But by 1934, Key West was bankrupt. Added misery was caused when the Labor Day hurricane of 1935 hit the Keys, but not the city. However, miles of railroad in the Upper Keys were destroyed and abandoned, and the sea again isolated Key West.

Completion of the Overseas Highway (US 1) from the mainland brought new economic help, as did World War II. Postwar years saw the discovery of rich shrimp beds off the Tortugas, but more important was the development of Key West as a haven for writers, artists, and those who just wanted to get away.

The best plan for quickly seeing the city is a 90-minute ride on a Conch Tour Train or Old Town Trolley. The Conch Train is a series of cars pulled by an auto disguised as a little engine. The trolleys are self-propelled versions of the old-time trolley cars. You can get on and off the trolley at any of 14 stops (buy your tickets aboard ship or in Mallory Square). Once underway, you're glad you didn't rent a car and attempt to navigate the narrow, traffic-crowded, 19th century streets, but the tours manage to get through safely.