Jen Oh

Hello! In October, we did a RCCL cruise that included a stop to Key West. We did the train hop/on off (May also be called the conch hop on/off - I just remember it being more of a trolley). It was very affordable for our family of 3. Our son was 12 at the time. It was great to have the guided tour and be able to hop on/off at any stop. So we hopped off at the stop by the “Southermost Point in the Continental US.” Was too crowded to really get a family pic, but we found a high ledge near it to snap a quick pic verses the 30 people deep line. Anyway, we also had lunch at that stop at the Southernmost Beach Cafe. If you don’t mind sitting outside verses the covered patio, service is much quicker! There are umbrellas at the table. But it’s right on the beach. Very affordable, good food, and a great view! (It’s a block down from the trolley stop). We then did a longer than realized walk to the Fort Zachary Taylor State Park Beach. Walking in was like $2-$3 per person. Very affordable. Reviews of the area said this was the nicest beach (and it was!) there was also restroom facilities. There are a ton of picnic tables too. We initially put our items at an empty table. But then shady characters (who weren’t swimming) sat at that table (verses the empty ones??) So we grabbed out items and moved down the beach. So be careful of theft! In lieu of walking back (as the nearest trolley stop was a mile or so away), we did a cheap $5 uber back to the trolley stop. We then hopped back on and continued the rest of the guided tour! You could uber to the beach too, or enjoy a walk. It’s all residential walking to the beach from that particular trolley stop. It was so nice to do what we wanted on our own time. You can even stop at the popular museums verses paying a higher fee through RCCL. Our family of three paid maybe $45-$50 for the guided tour, beach experience, and shopping experience (as the first/last trolley stop is in the middle of all the shopping action!) Saved a lot of money that way. And lunch was maybe $30 (but typically you have to pay for lunch separately anyway on excursions!) It was an AWESOME experience! Highly recommend. Just be sure for any non-US ports that you do a RCCL excursions. The excursion places that RCCL uses internationally have to use US regulations to be included on their excursion list. Safety first!! ?