Key West rules may be overridden

[boscobeans]

18 minutes ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

The Conch Republic has voted to ban large cruise ships. Key Westerners apparently thought the lost revenue for some places would translate into larger revenue for others. I was there last month and can tell you business is booming across the board.  Hotels and restaurants are not cheap and were full. Duval was as crowded as e ever, if not more, than before.  I talked to several locals and they are happy with their vote so far. They are not suffering economically at all. 

I am happy to see that.

I hope that all continues in the future. 

Time will tell

 

[cruisemom42]

34 minutes ago, boscobeans said:

I do not believe they are half as busy when ships are not in port. What about the people that may rent apartments or pay mortgages that work in the tourist industry. LESS BUSINESS equals LESS WORK. 

 

If a significant chunk of revenue is lost will employment go down ??  What then happens to the hotels, apartments and mortgages?

 

It doesn't really matter what you think. Unless you happen to live there. Key West citizens should have the right to decide.

[boscobeans]

43 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

It doesn't really matter what you think. Unless you happen to live there. Key West citizens should have the right to decide.

Did I even in the slightest imply that they didn't have the right to decide?

 

Just posted what could be the possible side effects of reducing the number of cruise passengers..

 

Sorry if you took umbrage at my post.  

 

 

 

Edited March 30, 2021 by boscobeans

[ReneeFLL]

On 3/28/2021 at 2:04 PM, boscobeans said:

So how will all the tourist industry that is geared to cruise ship visitors make out financially ? 

 

Will the tourists fill all the hotel rooms and all the charter boats? If they do will it be enough ?

 

Will the apartments rented or homes lived in by tourist workers go empty?

 

Will the bars and restaurants have enough clientele to survive?

 

If they intend on closing to the larger amusement park ships they will have to change everything they offer to draw in a different customer base.

Hopefully most of the tacky t-shirt shops will be gone. When we lived there in the early ‘90s there weren’t all these massive cruise ships coming in to port. When we go down there now and a ship is in port it’s like a cattle boat. I don’t think the port in KW should be lumped in with others in the state. KW is unique and I would rather see it get back some of it’s original charm.

[death_star]

Having stayed in Key West for several years in a row I will say every thing is just as packed when the ships leave. 

 

Most ships leave prior to sunset and Mallory square is always quite full during the daily ritual. Bars are quite packed at night.

 

There are a decent number of "train" loads from the ships that go hit the museums and tour during the day though. There are a bunch of parasail and party boats that can be seen going throughout the day. 

 

There will be an impact to some but I don't think it'll be business killing. I however have heard of plenty of places that were done in during this pandemic. Very few workers can actually afford to live in key west. Many commute in from higher up in the keys. 

 

 

[Merion_Mom]

If I lived in Key West, I would have voted for the ban.

[xpcdoojk]

3 hours ago, boscobeans said:

Really?  The trolley doesn't do well from the ship passengers?

 

What about the big ships with the slides and all the kid attractions?  Smaller ships are not usually  the first choice for families with kids.

 

Our kids loved it and it does well with families, how well will it do with a different older clientele?

 

 The Shipwreck Museum doesn't do well from the parents who pay admission for them and the kids and who buy all those rubber swords and Pirate hats ? 

 

Those are a small portion of their revenue smaller ships would mean..

 

I do not believe they are half as busy when ships are not in port. What about the people that may rent apartments or pay mortgages that work in the tourist industry. LESS BUSINESS equals LESS WORK. 

 

If a significant chunk of revenue is lost will employment go down ??  What then happens to the hotels, apartments and mortgages?

The people who own the shops selling stuff to tourists from cruises are only a small percent of the people who live in Key West.... My boss owns two homes (that I know of in Key West) at about 6 million...  I don’t think he cares if a cruise ship shows up and people buy t-shirts on Duval Street.  

 

Just sayin...

 

I agree that I am not a fan of people pushing huge dollars away from their community, but it is not exactly surprising when you are talking Key West.

[xpcdoojk]

59 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

Hopefully most of the tacky t-shirt shops will be gone. When we lived there in the early ‘90s there weren’t all these massive cruise ships coming in to port. When we go down there now and a ship is in port it’s like a cattle boat. I don’t think the port in KW should be lumped in with others in the state. KW is unique and I would rather see it get back some of it’s original charm.

No, the tacky t-shops are thriving.  Was just there a few weeks ago.

[xpcdoojk]

Heck, we bought t-shirts...

[xpcdoojk]

As long as you can drive a motorcycle to Key West, the tacky t-shirts are golden

[ReneeFLL]

2 minutes ago, xpcdoojk said:

No, the tacky t-shops are thriving.  Was just there a few weeks ago.

I know they’re still there. There are just so many of them it reminds me of going to a flea market. Nothing wrong with some, but it has gone overboard IMO.

[xpcdoojk]

Pretty much every 5th store is a t-shirt store, with swimsuits, etc.  80% of them are completely tacky, and yet, every trip we spend hundreds if not thousands on Duval... not so much for t-shirts, but still.

 

 

[mafig]

I always buy Keno Sandels.😀

[ValerieJo]

23 hours ago, M&A said:

Key West is one of the most priciest places in Florida to get a hotel room.  The hotels, bars and restaurants won't miss the cruise ships at all.  Most cruise passengers eat on the ship and the bars come alive after the ships are gone in the evening.  I imagine Key West will be replaced by Cozumel and the Cayman Islands for the Tampa sailings.

Our Key West stop out of Tampa has been replaced with Nassau 😞

 

[Midwestgal]

I was just in KW , the town was packed and didn’t seem to be hurting at all from lack of cruise ships. 
I seen someone mention upscale....not so much anymore. So many of the cute and unique shops are gone and it’s filled with tee shirt and trinket shops. This is not the KW I’ve been going to for over 30 years. 
hopefully with less ships KW can get back to what it once was.

just my opinion

Edited March 30, 2021 by Midwestgal

[DCGuy64]

I was in KW last Monday and Tuesday (for the first time ever, BTW) and it was teeming with tourists.

Lovely place, BTW, really enjoyed our visit to the Maritime museum, Little White House and Hemingway House. And had fantastic food and drink. So it doesn't seem like it's suffering at all.

[xpcdoojk]

1 hour ago, Midwestgal said:

I was just in KW , the town was packed and didn’t seem to be hurting at all from lack of cruise ships. 
I seen someone mention upscale....not so much anymore. So many of the cute and unique shops are gone and it’s filled with tee shirt and trinket shops. This is not the KW I’ve been going to for over 30 years. 
hopefully with less ships KW can get back to what it once was.

just my opinion

There are still a few decent stores that sell good shoes and some decent clothing and swim suits.  But most of them are full of junk with a few odds and ends of decent junk.  We have visited for a week at a time many times over the last 25 years.  Back in the 90s there were several really nice shops on Duval.  There are still some nice stores, but very few memorable stores now.  We still manage to spend money there, and a lot of money of food and drink, even considering we eat a few meals in.  

[M&A]

5 hours ago, ValerieJo said:

Our Key West stop out of Tampa has been replaced with Nassau 😞

 

I'm tired of Nassau.  I would prefer it if they stopped at one of the private islands.

[Auntiemomo]

Radiance 30 Jan 2022 is scheduled to port visit Key West on 3 Feb 2022.  

[Iamcruzin]

Ships haven't sailed for a year and it sounds like business is booming even during a pandemic.

[xpcdoojk]

So when you hit the most commercial part of Duval... they have police politely telling all of the dumb tourists to put on masks.  I am sure, if it was late at night on Duval street in one of the bars that would be necessary, at noon... probably not so much. 

 

KW is as strange a town as exists in the USA.  Last March, the boss took the family to the house in KW to escape the whole craziness that took over the world.... at the end of March he was telling me they were coming home, and I said stay there, nothing good is happening at home and he replied I don’t want to stay in weird Key West.  Things are getting weird here.  That is quite a statement... getting weird in Key West... Since it starts at weird.

[davekathy]

I need a new Hogs Breath Saloon T-shirt. 

[xpcdoojk]

13 minutes ago, davekathy said:

I need a new Hogs Breath Saloon T-shirt. 

Everyone does!  Last year pre Covid, there was a cool tequila bar called Agave down near where all the streets come together near Mallory.  We had yummy tequila cocktails there in January 2020.  In March 2020, the space is empty the bar is there, there are a few tables inside, but it is dead.  So, while KW may be fine for those who live there... for those who earn their living their.. not so much.

 

Huge difference between those who have and those trying to get there.

 

jc

[dswallow]

People are always ready to blame all their ills on something they don't personally care about. Banning cruise ships will not fix Key West. They're just cutting off one of a couple limbs think the rest are enough for their needs. One day they'll discover that it was still a loss.

If the complaint is that people didn't get off the ships and spend money, well that seems to be what Key West wants now, anyway -- not to have the cruise ship visitor step into town at all.

 

Want cruise ship visitors to spend more money, give them things they want to do.

 

Worried about stirring up sediment? Don't ban the cruise ships, but have them fix whatever is needed to be fixed so sediment isn't stirred up and causing whatever problems it does. Heck, they could even negotiate with the cruise lines for infrastructure improvements at the dock and surrounding areas; just look around the Caribbean at all the new projects getting underway in partnership with cruise lines.

 

Anyway, there's plenty of other places to visit. Key West doesn't want cruise ships? I can do without Key West. Same with Venice. Plenty of places actually want my business as a tourist visiting on a cruise ship. I'd certainly rather not spend money where I'm not really wanted.

 

[firefly333]

8 hours ago, dswallow said:

Anyway, there's plenty of other places to visit. Key West doesn't want cruise ships? I can do without Key West. Same with Venice. Plenty of places actually want my business as a tourist visiting on a cruise ship. I'd certainly rather not spend money where I'm not really wanted.

 

Actually that's not true for all. Out of Galveston without key west there will be no routes to coco cay because there isnt a 3rd port ships can get to. ..there arent plenty of other close by ports to stop at instead.