Key West Voters Approve Ban on Large Cruise Ships

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2020/11/04/key-west-voters-approve-ban-large-cruise-ships?fbclid=IwAR25x1xPyyVZDB73WEu9u4mOg1Z_jxN4R7wppLmAXSUi9bI1bHjwx5eQLSw

Bringing business into Key West is being turned away???

I was surprised..didn't think this would actually pass....it says they get 7% of their tourism dollars from cruise passengers.....wonder if after a few years they will regret this especially with the hit that tourism is taking worldwide currently....

I am still not clear, is this effective immediately?  Meaning existing sailings that have Key West as part of their itineraries are in for an itinerary change?

17 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I am still not clear, is this effective immediately?  Meaning existing sailings that have Key West as part of their itineraries are in for an itinerary change?

It will be phased in.

The 1,300 capacity appears to be guests and crew combined.

Luxury lines who tend to operate smaller ships have a higher crew to passenger ratio.  Many SilverSea ships for example have ~400 crew for between ~500 to 600 passengers.  SilverSea appears to qualify.

Like SilverSea, Azamara will qualify with their small ships squeaking under the combined 1,300 person capacity limits with something closer to a 2:1 guest to crew ratio.

Royal Caribbean's smallest ship, Empress of the Seas has a combined capacity of ~2,400 crew and passengers.  All Royal Caribbean ships will be banned.  Likewise the Carnival (WhaleTail) fleet is banned as is the NCL fleet.  HAL, Princess, P&O, MSC, AIDA all banned.  No mass market cruise line can go there now.  

Consequently the ban isn't limited to large ships.  Only the smallest ships are allowed but most of those sail exotic destination like the Antarctic, Galapagos, river cruises in Europe or along the Mississippi river.  

Only luxury line sized ships are now permitted but luxury lines tend to call on a different type of cruise port of call.  Who would spend $15k or $25k on a cruise to visit Key West?

It's conceivable to state they have effectively banned most cruise ships if not all cruise ships that would tend to call on Key West.  Seeing a cruise ship in Mallory Square will certainly be an oddity now.  

I remember staying in Little Torch Key for a few nights in mid November, 2018 and visiting Key West on a Friday. There were 2 ships in port that day (couldn't tell you which ones they were off hand). I remember Duval Street and the surrounding streets being very crowded during the time passengers were allowed off. Most restaurants were very crowded and hectic too. But as 5:00PM and all aboard came around there was a day and night difference in the crowds and Mallory Square at sunset was beautiful with not allot of people around. I do also remember as sunset was approaching the ship nearest to Mallory Square was leaving and there were people beginning to get upset because as the ship was pulling away it was blocking the view of the sunset, but it turned out OK, the ship got out of the way with time to spare.

The other curious ballot item gives preference and docking priority to cruise lines that have the best health and environmental records.

How will this be implemented?  Who will create the scorecard for all passenger ships worldwide? 

CDC's VSP doesn't rate ships on a comparative basis.  They simply provide results.  Many ships spend time overseas.  They are only subject to VSP exams once they come to America.  They will naturally have fewer violations because they have fewer VSP exams.  Few countries around the world have a dashboard for environmental violations. 

Will the City of KW now have to hire and build a team to create a dashboard to rate environmental and health metrics for cruise ships?  That sounds like a pretty significant effort.  

The real winners here will be the lawyers who litigate this.  

The article stated that the privately owned pier would probably be litigating with the city. The owners of the pier just took a terrible hit to their bottom line. 

The lawyers will get rich. 

Bummer.  I had always wanted to visit Key West, but never got around to it.  I figured visiting via cruise ship would have been my best bet; i don't really envision myself flying to Florida, renting a car, and driving all the way down to Key West.  Oh well,  plenty of other places to visit and spend money.

4 minutes ago, karl_nj said:

Bummer.  I had always wanted to visit Key West, but never got around to it.  I figured visiting via cruise ship would have been my best bet; i don't really envision myself flying to Florida, renting a car, and driving all the way down to Key West.  Oh well,  plenty of other places to visit and spend money.

You can fly into Key West.

You also can rent a car from Miami if the air is cheaper. It’s about a 4 hour drive.

1 hour ago, princevaliantus said:

You can fly into Key West.

I've looked at this before.  Paris, France was a cheaper ticket.  

I have driven an RV along the Keys several times and stayed on a few of them.  I've also rented a convertible and driven the Keys after a cruise (because flying from KW was price prohibitive).

Key West is not a focus destination.  Few people will make a vacation dedicated to KW if they haven't be so inclined before.  That all but eliminates the air option for most.  Air travel is not going to increase with this change, those that flew before will continue to do so such as timeshare owners.

Some tourism businesses will take a bit hit.  Hotels will see no change from this change.

The people have spoken.  They want it to be a sleepy mostly locals only island.   Some tourism business will close, others will see a decline in business, others will see no change.   Bottom line this is what the voters want.

46 minutes ago, karl_nj said:

Bummer.  I had always wanted to visit Key West, but never got around to it.  I figured visiting via cruise ship would have been my best bet; i don't really envision myself flying to Florida, renting a car, and driving all the way down to Key West.  Oh well,  plenty of other places to visit and spend money.

I feel the exact same as you.  In fact, I am booked on Brilliance in July 2021 and covid problems aside, Key West was the stop I was most looking forward to.  Something different.  Now I wonder if that itinerary will be changed again.

13 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I feel the exact same as you.  In fact, I am booked on Brilliance in July 2021 and covid problems aside, Key West was the stop I was most looking forward to.  Something different.  Now I wonder if that itinerary will be changed again.

My money's on you'll get to spend a day at Coco Cay now.

Really a bummer, but at the same time that island can be really packed (like Saint Thomas, Nassau, others).  It's certainly a debatable, subjective opinion and everyone has different preferences.... I agree with the unfortunate sentiment that the real winners are the lawyers (as with a lot of things). 

I would add that there's another sea faring option and that is to take the Key west Express, a couple hundred passenger catamaran ferry that goes from southwest florida.  I am not an employee or anything, I'm not getting paid haha but I can say that I have taken it several times and will again.  It's a fun two or three hour trip and you can go down and back in a day or across multiple days.  The Catamaran itself is newer, clean and has a great three deck setup with food court, bar, different seating layouts....it's a great option if you're like me and the many other midwesterners who are in Fort Myers/Sarasota/Naples FL often.  If you look at a map, the way the keys curl back to the southwest, it's actually a pretty straight shot as the bird flies.  https://www.keywestexpress.net/

Guess I'm not surprised.  They get enough excitement with spring breakers, and a ship can easily take over the town.  Folks move there to live a "low key" life (pun intended), and they really don't need tourist dollars to keep their restaurants going..

1 hour ago, USFFrank said:

My money's on you'll get to spend a day at Coco Cay now.

In the end, I don't really care.  I am happy to be able to get on a cruise to nowhere at this point.  Destination does not matter to me. 

I was introduced to Key West on a cruise ship.  I liked it so much we spent a week there the next year.  Maybe they could factor in visitors like us.    I would not have visited long term if not for the cruise ship stop.

3 hours ago, karl_nj said:

Bummer.  I had always wanted to visit Key West, but never got around to it.  I figured visiting via cruise ship would have been my best bet; i don't really envision myself flying to Florida, renting a car, and driving all the way down to Key West.  Oh well,  plenty of other places to visit and spend money.

It's actually an interesting drive on the Overseas Highway (if you watch the doco's on how they built it and then the hurricane that destroyed it). Key West is a spot you probably only need to visit once in my opinion. It was good, but I don't feel like I need to return.

The 4-hour drive from Miami is not too bad if you plan on arriving a couple days pre/post cruise.  

Depending on which direction the "tide" goes, maybe possibly Cuba will be opened up again?  Majesty/Empress will have purpose again.

25 minutes ago, mattymay said:

Key West is a spot you probably only need to visit once in my opinion. It was good, but I don't feel like I need to return.

This is my opinion too.  I can take it or leave it.  We have been there a few times and I'm very ok with never seeing it again.

3 hours ago, Southern1962 said:

I was introduced to Key West on a cruise ship.  I liked it so much we spent a week there the next year.  Maybe they could factor in visitors like us.    I would not have visited long term if not for the cruise ship stop.

Same for us.  Been there a few times and really like the town, but I understand their desire to keep it a quiet place.  

16 hours ago, Rose City Cruiser said:

The 4-hour drive from Miami is not too bad if you plan on arriving a couple days pre/post cruise.  Depending on which direction the "tide" goes, maybe possibly Cuba will be opened up again?  Majesty/Empress will have purpose again.

This is defn going to be in the cards again...... I am sure of it....

20 hours ago, dr martini said:

Really a bummer, but at the same time that island can be really packed (like Saint Thomas, Nassau, others).  It's certainly a debatable, subjective opinion and everyone has different preferences.... I agree with the unfortunate sentiment that the real winners are the lawyers (as with a lot of things). 

 

I would add that there's another sea faring option and that is to take the Key west Express, a couple hundred passenger catamaran ferry that goes from southwest florida.  I am not an employee or anything, I'm not getting paid haha but I can say that I have taken it several times and will again.  It's a fun two or three hour trip and you can go down and back in a day or across multiple days.  The Catamaran itself is newer, clean and has a great three deck setup with food court, bar, different seating layouts....it's a great option if you're like me and the many other midwesterners who are in Fort Myers/Sarasota/Naples FL often.  If you look at a map, the way the keys curl back to the southwest, it's actually a pretty straight shot as the bird flies.  https://www.keywestexpress.net/

Very cool - didn't know that was even an option.   Many thanks!

I guess all I can say is I'd be careful what you wish for. You might just get it. With what's going on these days and the uncertain future, I can't see anybody turning away business.  Although I would imagine that the business owners of Key West did not vote for this.

What gets me are the people who think Key West is some sleepy little town that without cruise ships will go back to being Hemingway-esque.

You have an international airport, spring breakers up the wazoo, and enough tourists from the Southeast US to make it one of the top tourist destinations in the USA. 

Every city has its set of problems, cruise ships were not one of them for Key West.

The only reason I get off the ship at Key West is to get Conch Fritters.  I guess I'll have to settle for the ones in Nassau.

2 hours ago, Matt said:

You have an international airport, spring breakers up the wazoo, and enough tourists from the Southeast US

That'll be addressed on the next ballot.  

On 11/4/2020 at 11:53 AM, karl_nj said:

Bummer.  I had always wanted to visit Key West, but never got around to it.  I figured visiting via cruise ship would have been my best bet; i don't really envision myself flying to Florida, renting a car, and driving all the way down to Key West.  Oh well,  plenty of other places to visit and spend money.

You should actually consider doing the drive. I am currently numb to it after doing the trip every Fri and Sun back and forth for the past decade or so but it’s quite the drive. Once you get off the mainland the overseas highway is very scenic. Key West’s charm cannot accurately be captured in a 4 hour cruise stop. There’s so much to see and do that you would need many return trips to experience it all. 

On 11/4/2020 at 12:35 PM, twangster said:

I've looked at this before.  Paris, France was a cheaper ticket.  

I have driven an RV along the Keys several times and stayed on a few of them.  I've also rented a convertible and driven the Keys after a cruise (because flying from KW was price prohibitive).

Key West is not a focus destination.  Few people will make a vacation dedicated to KW if they haven't be so inclined before.  That all but eliminates the air option for most.  Air travel is not going to increase with this change, those that flew before will continue to do so such as timeshare owners.

Some tourism businesses will take a bit hit.  Hotels will see no change from this change.

The people have spoken.  They want it to be a sleepy mostly locals only island.   Some tourism business will close, others will see a decline in business, others will see no change.   Bottom line this is what the voters want.

100%. The local conchs are very anti tourist especially since the start of COVID19. Key West is pricy and most of the service staff catering to tourism cannot make end meet. It’s a constant battle between the wealthy transients trying to restore the small island vibe and the reality of the rest of the islands residents fighting to bring the tourists back so they can afford their rent. Let me also point out the local government seriously sucks (trust me I know). 

On 11/4/2020 at 1:23 PM, cruisellama said:

Guess I'm not surprised.  They get enough excitement with spring breakers, and a ship can easily take over the town.  Folks move there to live a "low key" life (pun intended), and they really don't need tourist dollars to keep their restaurants going..

They actually do need to tourism dollars really bad. KW is hurting. The absence of large ships will further cripple the economy. KW has not been the same since March. 

Tourist $$ won't go to 0 but will be metered back.   They'll run a "boutique" economy with the drive-in/ferry/fly- in tourists and smaller ships etc.  There's also a visiting military population that deploy for ops out of the NAS to fill in lulls. But the locals do want their quiet streets.  If they run into a revenue issue, they'll jack up their rates.  There's a similar situation in Monterrey CA.  Numbers of cruise ships visiting the port are limited.  Just means its harder to visit by cruise ship, but you can always fly/drive in..

On 11/4/2020 at 3:47 PM, Rose City Cruiser said:

The 4-hour drive from Miami is not too bad if you plan on arriving a couple days pre/post cruise.  

Depending on which direction the "tide" goes, maybe possibly Cuba will be opened up again?  Majesty/Empress will have purpose again.

This was something we were considering prior to our (cancelled) Symphony cruise last summer but in between switching jobs and lack of vacation time we couldn't justify the extra couple of days. 
 

The catamaran option seems interesting to me and I'll have to look into it if/when the border opens (non-loophole edition) and I can look at heading south again. 

The true beauty of KW can only be experienced at sunset on the water. This place is incredible and certainly not a “one and done”. Along with the party vibe there’s tons of culture & history. The dining options are great as well. 

17 hours ago, tonyfsu21 said:

The true beauty of KW can only be experienced at sunset on the water.

Sunset from Mallory Square isn't bad either.

On 11/4/2020 at 6:20 AM, princevaliantus said:

Bringing business into Key West is being turned away???

It wasn’t me!

3 hours ago, linkchaney2001 said:

It wasn’t me!

The "Shaggy Defence" will get you nowhere. 

On 11/4/2020 at 12:53 PM, dr martini said:

Really a bummer, but at the same time that island can be really packed (like Saint Thomas, Nassau, others).  It's certainly a debatable, subjective opinion and everyone has different preferences.... I agree with the unfortunate sentiment that the real winners are the lawyers (as with a lot of things). 

 

I would add that there's another sea faring option and that is to take the Key west Express, a couple hundred passenger catamaran ferry that goes from southwest florida.  I am not an employee or anything, I'm not getting paid haha but I can say that I have taken it several times and will again.  It's a fun two or three hour trip and you can go down and back in a day or across multiple days.  The Catamaran itself is newer, clean and has a great three deck setup with food court, bar, different seating layouts....it's a great option if you're like me and the many other midwesterners who are in Fort Myers/Sarasota/Naples FL often.  If you look at a map, the way the keys curl back to the southwest, it's actually a pretty straight shot as the bird flies.  https://www.keywestexpress.net/

That actually sounds like a great idea.  My in-laws are snowbirds and we could fly into Tampa & visit with them, head to KW via this for a day or two, sail back to the in-laws, spend more time with them, and fly home.