Encouraging news about cruises hoping to return to Key West

[mightycruisequeen]

https://www.wlrn.org/local-news/2021-04-29/state-lawmakers-pass-preemption-bill-on-key-west-cruise-referendum

[cruisemom42]

I feel sorry for the Key West residents.

[kazu]

8 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I feel sorry for the Key West residents.

 

Ditto.  They made their feelings known and IMO it should be listened to.

[Mr. Boston]

I think that’s terrible.  Having been to Key West years before cruising became a thing cruising hasn't added anything positive to the culture.  It’s actually made it a deterrent for wanting to spend time there.

[KirkNC]

I think the thread is mis-titled.  It should be sad news for Key West.

[VMax1700]

That has all the hallmarks of a 'Put in' Amendment.  

[Hflors]

I just wonder why key put in the infrastructure for large cruise ships and then banned them.  What did they think would happen??  Maybe they should have gotten local input before building the huge piers etc.

[DaveOKC]

1 hour ago, Hflors said:

I just wonder why key put in the infrastructure for large cruise ships and then banned them.  What did they think would happen??  Maybe they should have gotten local input before building the huge piers etc.

Very good point.  Makes you wonder about local planning.

 

I hope this holds up for our Dec stop there.

[KirkNC]

57 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

Very good point.  Makes you wonder about local planning.

 

I hope this holds up for our Dec stop there.

Personally I don’t want to visit somewhere where 70% of the residents have expressed a desire that I not visit (at least via cruise ship).  The residents should line the dock and jeer the disembarking passengers.

[KirkNC]

2 hours ago, Hflors said:

I just wonder why key put in the infrastructure for large cruise ships and then banned them.  What did they think would happen??  Maybe they should have gotten local input before building the huge piers etc.

I don’t believe the residents had anything to do with the infrastructure being built.  

[NCTribeFan]

Amazing that with about 40 cruises under my belt, I've never been to Key West.  My friends who lived in Ft Myers Beach and had a sailboat charter business, just sold and moved to SC.  So that option is gone.

 

I've been trying to get there but it just hasn't worked out.  Actually, I should just be getting off an MSC B2B that would've called there twice!

 

Now, I'm hoping my December NA will be able to make their stop there.

 

Yes, I feel for the residents.  I've lived in tourist areas and it's not really much fun when you're area is overrun by them.  I tend to not do many of the typical touristy things.  Have a friend from high school who went there after graduating college and never left.  Would be fun to see him again.

[mightycruisequeen]

Just a side question for those of you who feel so bad for the  Key West locals :  Do you plan to stay on the ship if your cruise stops at Key West, or maybe even cancel your cruise out of empathy for and solidarity with the Conchs ? 

[Mr. Boston]

1 hour ago, mightycruisequeen said:

Just a side question for those of you who feel so bad for the  Key West locals :  Do you plan to stay on the ship if your cruise stops at Key West, or maybe even cancel your cruise out of empathy for and solidarity with the Conchs ? 

Or just book one that doesn't stop there to begin with.

[Diver2014]

Without tourists, Key West is just a sleepy little town that happens to have a naval air station.  They need the tourist revenue.  The economy of the keys from Key Largo to Key West is largely dependent upon tourism. The residents know that.

[Aardvaark]

They didn't ban ALL cruises, just those where the ship has >1,500 passengers.

 

[mightycruisequeen]

40 minutes ago, Aardvaark said:

They didn't ban ALL cruises, just those where the ship has >1,500 passengers.

 

Yeah, that would eliminate all HAL ships except  Volendam & Zaandam.

[mightycruisequeen]

56 minutes ago, Diver2014 said:

Without tourists, Key West is just a sleepy little town that happens to have a naval air station.  They need the tourist revenue.  The economy of the keys from Key Largo to Key West is largely dependent upon tourism. The residents know that.

They sure do!  And just try to find a hotel that's not already booked up, and for stupid money.  They seem to have a sort of love/hate relationship with tourists. They want us to come dump off our money, but then they resent us being there?  What do you expect from a place that secedes from the U. S.  every year? 😉 

[FlaMariner]

Yahoo!  Us "mass market" folks in our "mass market" ships will still be able to continue to enjoy Key West.....Key West cruise travel will be open to all and not just the elite luxury cruise crowd.

 

 

[jimgev]

They get lots of tourists without the big cruise ships. We drove down there a fee years ago and it was very lively without any ships in port. When a big ship did come in, the whole atmosphere changed.

 

 

[geocruiser]

I am just wondering if the Key West economy got a feel for what it is like not having cruise ships dock during the passed year due to covid.    It may have sounded great not to have the cruise ships until it happened.  Cruise ship PAX might have put more money into their economy that they first thought.

[YXU AC*SE]

42 minutes ago, mightycruisequeen said:

Yeah, that would eliminate all HAL ships except  Volendam & Zaandam.

 

Actually, it was 1500 disembarked persons maximum per day, and an individual vessel capacity (pax + crew) of 1300 or less --   so no Volendam / Zaandam at their rated carrying capacities.  Scott.  

 

 

[kazu]

1 hour ago, Diver2014 said:

Without tourists, Key West is just a sleepy little town that happens to have a naval air station.  They need the tourist revenue.  The economy of the keys from Key Largo to Key West is largely dependent upon tourism. The residents know that.

 

Key West gets lots of tourists without the cruise ships and those that are spending a few days there are going to spend more money in restaurants, hotels, etc than cruise ship passengers.  

I don’t know if Key West “needs” cruise ship passengers as much as some people think.  

[KirkNC]

13 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Key West gets lots of tourists without the cruise ships and those that are spending a few days there are going to spend more money in restaurants, hotels, etc than cruise ship passengers.  

I don’t know if Key West “needs” cruise ship passengers as much as some people think.  

Agreed, cruise ships bring lots of feet to the street but they spend $10 on a T-shirt or maybe buy lunch.  Land based travelers eat three meals and stay in a hotel, go to a bar at night.  Which would you want.....

[Roz]

31 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

Agreed, cruise ships bring lots of feet to the street but they spend $10 on a T-shirt or maybe buy lunch.  Land based travelers eat three meals and stay in a hotel, go to a bar at night.  Which would you want.....

 

You could say the same thing about a lot of ports around the world.

[KirkNC]

1 hour ago, Roz said:

 

You could say the same thing about a lot of ports around the world.

Agreed which is why locals in many cities are re-evaluating their relationship with the cruise industry.  The pandemic had really intensified this as they have been cruise free for a year and in many cases like the experience better then when they were over run by tourists.