Ft. Myers to Key West Ferry?

stormatzio · #1 02-21-2007, 09:56 PM

I'm heading down to Key West this weekend and wanted to know if anyone had taken the Key West Ferry out of Ft. Myers. There website says two carry-ons per person. The person taking reservations said it shouldn't be a problem, but I'm wondering if anyone has had trouble bringing their gear along. In my world I would consider a 5ft Dakine kitebag a carry-on.

bigairal · #2 02-22-2007, 07:02 AM

i have taken my board and 3 kites on the ferry had no problem at all. have fun down there. i will be heading back there in about 15 days.

RbGar · #3 02-22-2007, 08:36 AM

You should'nt have any problems at all, I went to Key West race week w/a ton a crap and wasn't a problem.

bryanleighty · #4 02-22-2007, 09:23 AM

whats the skinny on this shuttle?

is it a nice ride down? where does it drop you off?

i've never been to keywest w/o a car. for a kite trip do you really need one?

stormatzio · #5 02-22-2007, 11:12 AM

I made my reservation. So here is the Key West Ferry story so far.... www.keywestferry.com. It leaves at 9:00AM from Ft. Myers everyday and gets to Key West at 12:30. You need to be at the dock in Ft. Myers at 7:30. You have to call the night before to check if it is leaving the next day. It costs $140.00 round trip, but if I would have bought it in advance it would have been cheaper.

Here is my trip breakdown.....
Leave St. Pete at 5AM.
Get to Ft. Myers and board at 7:30AM.
Boat leaves at 9AM.
Get to Keys at 12:30, probably off the boat by 1PM.
8 hours of travel time (2hours of it are driving).

If I drove myself i would leave by 5AM and drove 8, 9, 10 hours to the Keys depending on my previous trips and traffic.

Coming back it leaves at 6PM from Key West and gets into Ft. Myers at 9:30 getting me back to St. Pete by midnight on Sunday.

Was going to fly from St. Pete to Key West for $200 round trip out of Clearwater, but they won't allow kites and board on the commuter planes.

If you have a bunch of people; driving is more economical and it doesn't appear to save much time, but I'm all about the hassle factor this weekend. The ferry is completely booked this weekend, so I should get a good idea of how much drama will be involved.

Kamikazi · #6 02-22-2007, 02:57 PM

What do you do when you get ther? rent a car? how will you get out to riding areas? I'm interested for future trips.

RbGar · #7 02-22-2007, 03:12 PM

If I was heading down I would make arrangments with the Kitehouse gang to pick me up via boat next to the ferry dock and head straight out. The ferry docks up basicall at Tutlekrals, you can stock up with chow & beers right there.

bigairal · #8 02-22-2007, 06:23 PM

a car is a total liability in key west, no where to park it. if you are in a jam with your gear put your stuff in a taxi to get it around. also do not leave gear in cars at night. quite a bit of car related crime around the keys.

Big G · #9 02-22-2007, 07:34 PM

Bryan,
My wife and I took the Ferry down from Ft. Myers to Key West. Take about 3 hrs. Departs around 8:15 a.m. and arrives around 11:00ish. Stayed at the Hyatt on the Square and rented scooter for the 4 days we were visiting. You can’t take the scooters off of Key West but there is plenty to do for a short 3-4 day trip. If plan on staying longer, rent a car if you plan on exploring other areas…

All in all….its an inexpensive getaway. You can keep it cheep or go all out and spend a few coins, either way, getting there via the Ferry is a good deal.
Oh yeah, return boat is in the late afternoon and arrives in Ft. Myers around 8:00 PM.

Hope you go and enjoy your trip!!!!

Big G