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Outer Mole question


joanskid
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Years ago, when our ship docked at the Outer Mole pier in Key West, the shuttle driver allowed us to get off the shuttle once we left the Naval Base. Do they still allow you to do this, or do you have to go all the way to the Mallory Square drop off?

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  • 2 months later...

Last year we docked at the Outer Mole and I asked questions to see if we would get in trouble for getting off the shuttle at a certain stop. No one was able to tell me that I would or would not get in trouble. There is one stop the trolley driver will stop at. Once we stopped, my sister and I hopped off and then walked down to the Southernmost point and made our way back up Duvall street. My sister is 61 and I'm 60. Not sure if this is do able for you. We're rather adventurous. We did not get in trouble.

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  • 1 month later...

We asked the same. We were told no. Our plan was to hop off as soon as the trolley left the Naval Base and head to Blue Heaven for breakfast. They would not stop and we had to ride all the way to Mallory Square, then back track on foot. It wasn't a big deal, but it would have been just a little quicker if we would have gotten off right away.

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The owner of the tram that takes you back and forth from the Outer Mole also owns many tourist shops in the Mallory Square area and that is also the departure location of all the tours he owns. To state the obvious, he wants you dropped off in the middle of his shops and activities and does not allow any other stops.

 

If a driver allows you to get off early, they are putting their job at risk.

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Going to tack my question on here... We're on an NCL cruise that will dock at Outer Mole in August. The boat is only in Key West from 1pm to 8pm and clearly this tram has limited capacity. How long will it take for us from docking (we come down from Port Canaveral) to getting into the middle of Key West? And what time do we need to start making our way back to the boat?

 

Given the cruise line say 2hrs at either end, factoring the tram and inevitable queuing, I'm thinking we're not going to have much time to explore.

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  • 1 month later...
Going to tack my question on here... We're on an NCL cruise that will dock at Outer Mole in August. The boat is only in Key West from 1pm to 8pm and clearly this tram has limited capacity. How long will it take for us from docking (we come down from Port Canaveral) to getting into the middle of Key West? And what time do we need to start making our way back to the boat?

 

Given the cruise line say 2hrs at either end, factoring the tram and inevitable queuing, I'm thinking we're not going to have much time to explore.

 

Good point.

Our last trip had us at the pier that was central and we were off and in the thick of it easily.

 

The ***** pier and trolley does mean a cue getting off and on... sigh

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  • 1 month later...

OK just found it on the map must be my senior eyes.

Where actually is the outer mole dock? I have a Old Town Trolley map from last year and I don't see anything on it but the dock at Mallory Square.

Edited by Lorey2007
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There are three piers in Key West that the ships dock at. Mallory is at Mallory square, B Pier is located behind Margaritaville KeY West Resort, video

, and Outer Mole which is the Navy pier closest to Fort Zachery. The access to that pier is run the Truman Annex very close to the entrance to Fort Zachery Taylor. There is an ID check area there where everyone on the shuttle is checked before going back to the ship. Access to the ship is by shuttle only, no walking. I do have a video that shows how to get to the check point here.

Hope this helps.

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There are three piers in Key West that the ships dock at. Mallory is at Mallory square, B Pier is located behind Margaritaville KeY West Resort, video
, and Outer Mole which is the Navy pier closest to Fort Zachery. The access to that pier is run the Truman Annex very close to the entrance to Fort Zachery Taylor. There is an ID check area there where everyone on the shuttle is checked before going back to the ship. Access to the ship is by shuttle only, no walking. I do have a video that shows how to get to the check point here.

Hope this helps.

Thanks I enjoyed the videos.

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  • 1 month later...

So let me see if I have this straight then I'll post to our roll call. When docked at the *****:

 

 

1. There is no foot traffic to/from the naval base.

2. There is a (free?) shuttle to/from Mallory Square leaving from the ship. Multiple shuttles but be prepared for lines.

 

3. The MS shuttle does not make interim stops.

4. Is the MS shuttle the only way off base for cruise pax or do the Old Town and Conch Train have base stops? How about cabs?

 

 

Thanks in advance. Especially GH - great videos.

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At least with NCL, they commandeered the Conch trains and Old Town shuttles to serve as the free shuttles into town. There were dozens of them lined up to transport passengers, and the only thing that slowed down the process was NCL itself. They took forever to load and insisted on filling every shuttle to the max even though there were way more than enough available to accommodate the waiting passengers.

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Our ship will dock at the Outer Mole. If I book a trolley excursion through the ship, for a specific time, is it reasonable to think that the excursion will start from the ***** directly on the trolley for the excursion, with no need to navigate the circus of taking a shuttle from the ***** to MS?

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Our ship will dock at the Outer Mole. If I book a trolley excursion through the ship, for a specific time, is it reasonable to think that the excursion will start from the ***** directly on the trolley for the excursion, with no need to navigate the circus of taking a shuttle from the ***** to MS?

 

Sounds like a question for the Excursion Desk. :)

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Our ship will dock at the Outer Mole. If I book a trolley excursion through the ship, for a specific time, is it reasonable to think that the excursion will start from the ***** directly on the trolley for the excursion, with no need to navigate the circus of taking a shuttle from the ***** to MS?

 

Are you talking the Orange Trolly or The Conch Train? Some people call them both the trolly tour.

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Old Town

 

I found this for you on the web site.

 

KEY WEST SHORE EXCURSIONS FOR CRUISE SHIP GUESTS

 

 

Welcome to Key West

Key West is a beautifully historic town filled with impressive attractions and sites. Maximize your time for sightseeing by taking Key West shore excursions from Old Town Trolley. Whether you take the tour purchased from your cruise excursions desk, or take the tour with on-and-off privileges purchased from Old Town Trolley directly, you will have time to shop, visit attractions, and find your way to some of our most famous landmarks.

 

TOUR OPTION 1: PURCHASE FROM YOUR SHORE EXCURSIONS DESK

 

Our tours are designed to maximize your time here in Key West. You’ll receive an overview of the historic district, covering 100 points of interest including the Ernest Hemingway House and Museum, the Audubon House, world famous Duval Street, the Southernmost Point in the continental US, the neighborhoods of Old Town, one of the largest historical districts in the US, the Key West Bight, West Martello Fort, and tropical flowers and plants. The tour ends in Mallory Square.

When using an excursion through the ship, the ship guarantees that it will wait until the excursion returns.

 

THE NAVY MOLE

 

The Navy Mole requires transportation to get into town. You will be met on the pier by trolleys and given shuttle service into town. There is no cost to this service. It is provided by the city of Key West. You will be transported to Mallory Square (in front of the Sponge Market). Walking is not an option, due to Homeland Security regulations. The Navy is still active on this pier.

I also called (very nice lady) and asked them about pick-up. They told me you will be picked up at the ship for your tour, but you will be dropped off at Mallory Square after the tour, and you need to get the shuttle back to Outer Mole. At least that is todays story, if you get my drift. I understand being dropped off at Mallory, due to I believe they will do drop off and pick-up at stops on the tours, and not everyone has to go to the outer mole to return to the ship.

If you look at my video, in the beginning you will see all the Trolly's and Trains waiting to take passengers back to the outer mole in Mallory Square, as well as the ones doing tours. Front St video

Hope this helps.

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Thank you for your reply - it is most helpful. I very much appreciate you taking the time to research and pass on the information you received. I did not think to call the Old Town Trolley office in Key West (duh!). I will be very relieved to bypass the chaos of the shuttles from ***** to MS.

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Thank you for your reply - it is most helpful. I very much appreciate you taking the time to research and pass on the information you received. I did not think to call the Old Town Trolley office in Key West (duh!). I will be very relieved to bypass the chaos of the shuttles from ***** to MS.

You are very welcome, and I also enjoy research and gaining knowledge.

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  • 3 weeks later...
So if I don't have a tour booked (we just want to go to the Truman Little White House and Hemingway House), we have to take the trolley to Mallory Square and backtrack from there? Sorry to be dense; just need to know what to expect.

 

Thanks.

Yes you will go to Mallory Square. The Truman Little white house is about a 6 block walk form Malloy. If you follow Front street and past Margaritaville Resort, there is a sidewalk that takes you there. Hemingway House is straight up Whitehead.

Check out these videos for the walk to Hemingway House.

Hemingway on the left.
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Mallory Square is a shopping area, an entertainment area, and also with a large area where Malory Pier is located. They also have a large Sunset celebration every night with vendors, food, and street performers. It looks west towards Sunset Key across the entrance to the marina.

Having never been on the shuttle, I have no idea exactly the time, but am going to guess 10 to 15 minutes tops. Take a look at the first two videos I post..they are from where the shuttles park to the entrance of Outer Mole, and also one of the sunset celebration.

Hope this helps.

I plan on making a new video from the ***** to the drop-off on my next trip next month.

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