Key West Express from Marco Island or Fort Myers

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Have any of my fellow DISers used this ferry service? DH and I are thinking of using it when we visit FL. We plan to take the boat down, stay two nights and come back. I see a lot of mixed reviews on Yelp and Trip Adviser, but I also value the opinions here!

 

[Elleshoodat]

Have any of my fellow DISers used this ferry service? DH and I are thinking of using it when we visit FL. We plan to take the boat down, stay two nights and come back. I see a lot of mixed reviews on Yelp and Trip Adviser, but I also value the opinions here!

I've taken it from both -- from Marco Island when we lived in Naples, and from Fort Myers Beach after we moved to Sarasota. I love it. You don't have to worry about driving down the Keys (there isn't really anywhere to drive once you get to Key West anyway), and you can start drinking on board.

I'm curious as to what the bad reviews say. The only "negative" I can think of is that seating can be tricky depending on when you board. If you board in an early group, you get your pick of the ferry. On our way back from a girls' trip, we were having too much fun at Dante's Inferno next door to the port and boarded late, so we had to sit outside for the entire ride home. And I've seen some people looking a little queasy, but I get motion sickness and never had a problem.

Hope this helps!

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I've taken it from both -- from Marco Island when we lived in Naples, and from Fort Myers Beach after we moved to Sarasota. I love it. You don't have to worry about driving down the Keys (there isn't really anywhere to drive once you get to Key West anyway), and you can start drinking on board.

I'm curious as to what the bad reviews say. The only "negative" I can think of is that seating can be tricky depending on when you board. If you board in an early group, you get your pick of the ferry. On our way back from a girls' trip, we were having too much fun at Dante's Inferno next door to the port and boarded late, so we had to sit outside for the entire ride home. And I've seen some people looking a little queasy, but I get motion sickness and never had a problem.

Hope this helps!

There were a lot of bad reviews about cancelled trips and no refunds. I always make sure I buy refundable tickets or insurance so that's not an issue, I'm just wondering about the seating and how often there are cancellations. I wonder if it's one of those things where the people who left bad reviews were doing just that...Reviewing to share their bad experience and maybe they wouldn't have if it were good?

 

[Elleshoodat]

There were a lot of bad reviews about cancelled trips and no refunds. I always make sure I buy refundable tickets or insurance so that's not an issue, I'm just wondering about the seating and how often there are cancellations. I wonder if it's one of those things where the people who left bad reviews were doing just that...Reviewing to share their bad experience and maybe they wouldn't have if it were good?

Oh, maybe. I never experienced that.

If you decide to take it, check for a Groupon or Living Social deal, and consider signing up for their enewsletter. They sometimes send out special offers.

 

[lucas]

We're Florida residents and love both Key West and the Sanibel area. We've never taken it, but it seems tempting. But, I am afraid there would be a lot of motion.

 

[sharbear]

Someone I know took it and said it was very rough. So if you get seasick I would take that into consideration.

I really wanted to do this but it's pretty expensive and it looked like it would be hard to plan as the boat cancels frequently. Then I had trouble with availability of hotels in key west. But if you could get everything to work out, I would love to do this.

 

[Squirlz]

I've heard mostly good things about it, but we've driven rental cars both times we've gone. This year I found a good deal on a Delta flight.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Someone I know took it and said it was very rough. So if you get seasick I would take that into consideration.

I really wanted to do this but it's pretty expensive and it looked like it would be hard to plan as the boat cancels frequently. Then I had trouble with availability of hotels in key west. But if you could get everything to work out, I would love to do this.

Yeah I love the Keys and the hotel isn't an issue. My biggest problem is if it cancels. On the way TO KW... eh...We can suck it up and drive. On the way back it would be an issue since we wouldn't have a car and really don't want to pay a few extra hundred bucks for another night.

Maybe I'll just stick with our Saint Augustine plans and plan on doing the Keys when we have more wiggle room.
(We come down and leave the kids at the grandparents' for a few nights during the trip to get away. Tampa is too far to make the drive to the Keys really worth it for just a couple of nights.)

 

[monorailsilver]

DH and I did one of those boat trips before we were married so probably about 20 yrs ago. We took it from Ft. Myers.

It was supposed to be a catamaran but it was broke so we took a boat. Going down we went against the waves. We couldn't sit inside because it made us both nauseated. Couldn't sit on the upper or front deck because we would of been soaked. We couldn't sit on the side that faced the coast. Couldn't sit in the back, maybe there were no seats? But if there were we wouldn't of because people were constantly coming out drinks in hand to Puke back there. So we sat on the side that faced the gulf and just the gulf, an occasions oil rig.

On the way back it was calm.

I look at that every trip (5 weeks 4 days) as a possibility.

 

[NewRVLady]

Glad I read this- it looks appealing but I really get sick in rough waves

 

[HM]

I never knew there was such a thing. Cool.