No time for Vaccinations!!

On 3/28/2009 9:06 PM Rosalie B. "tweaked" on too much Starbucks said:
"DJC" wrote:


Thanks to all for your help.

Any tips on things to do at these ports. We plan to just explore in Key
West and see what the day brings us - I hear there is a Margeuritaville. We
have a VW Beetle rented in Cozumel to visit some sites. My wife would like
to visit one of the ruins.

Thanks Again!


There is a ruin on Cozumel in the park at the south end near the
lighthouse down there (which has a museum and you can climb it if you
like). There's also good snorkeling there, and a crocodile reserve
(not in the same place). But the ruin is not as tall as I am. I
think for more significant ruins you'd have to go somewhere off
island.

As for Key West - yes wandering down Duval Street is fun. And the
Conch Train takes about 2 hours. If you are there at sunset, you can
go to the Mallory Square festivities.


"DJC" wrote in message
...

We are going on a short cruise on the Carnival Destiny next week - with
stops in Key West and Cozumel. Have not had any vaccinations. Any advice
on what to do or not do. Is there anything I can get in the short term?

TIA


One note about Key West that I didn't mention in my previous exhaustive
post about Key West and driving in Mexico. Don't shop for souvenir
t-shirts on Duval St. You'll find the T-Shirt Factory 316 Simonton
Street, ph: 1-305-292-2060, on the first floor of Casa Antiqua (the
first place where Hemingway stayed). All T-shirts are silk screened
onto pre-shrunk cotton T-Shirts, or Sweatshirts. All the designs are
original hand made by local artisans. The prices are considerably less
then what you'd pay on Duval St. Many of the tourist shops on Duval St.
are owned by foreign businesses. If you shop at the T-Shirt factory, you
will be supporting local art.

--
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To email me, Edit "blog" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera
"The poor dog is the firmest friend, the first to welcome the foremost to defend" - Lord Byron
View My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951

Brian K wrote:

On 3/28/2009 10:38 AM DJC "tweaked" on too much Starbucks said:
We are going on a short cruise on the Carnival Destiny next week - with
stops in Key West and Cozumel. Have not had any vaccinations. Any advice
on what to do or not do. Is there anything I can get in the short term?

Key West Notes:

At the beginning of March there was a fire on Duval St. in Key West, Fl.
But it did not damage Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville or the
Margaritaville Store. The business suffered minor smoke and water
damage. (See:
http://cbs4.com/local/margaritaville...2.953658.html). The
thing about Key West is that it is best appreciated as a land vacation.
As a cruise ship visitor, your time will be limited. There won't be the
opportunity to participate in the Island City's laid back culture. There
is much more to it than doing the "Duval St. Crawl", which consists of
sampling Margaritas and/or Mojitos in every alcohol serving
establishment along the street and side streets. Why you ask is it
called the "Duval St. Crawl". It's not a dance step, nor a means of
traveling when Duval is awash during a hurricane. Somewhat more
obviously it consists of walking out of the first establishment to serve
Margaritas and/ Mojitos to only being able to crawl back to your hotel
or B&B once you've sampled every Margarita and/or Mojito the street has
to offer. I do not know anyone who has attempted the "Duval Street
Crawl" during daylight hours while visiting as a cruise passenger.
After completing the "Crawl" you'll need at least a day or two to regain
your sanity and recuperate in a quiet place somewhere.

This is a good summary. I've never done it, but I have always called
it the Duval Crawl (without "street" in there) It rhymes that way.

Most cruisers don't sample the local restaurants, which is a shame. Any
kind of cuisine you can imagine is available at Key West. But being
situated on both the Atlantic and Florida Bay / Gulf of Mexico the
opportunities for fresh fish are almost unlimited. I have dined in the
past at: A& B Lobster House, Turtle Kraals, Half Shell Raw Bar, Captain
Runaground's (whose motto is, "You catch 'em we'll cook 'em"), Iguana
Cafe, Blue Heaven, Kelly's Caribbean Bar and Grill (once owned by
actress Kelly McGillis) Three Brother's Deli, and Hog's Breath Saloon
which features a web cam (http://www.hogsbreath.com/). I find each has
it's own unique spin on seafood and other specialties. One not to miss
place is Schooner Warf Bar. [ http://www.schoonerwharf.com/ ]. They
have live entertainment day and night. Locals and tourists mingle there.

We used to live in Key West and we've stayed there several times
during the winter since then. The restaurants that we've eaten at are
Alice's (good but very gourmet), Alonzo's Oysters (downstairs from
A&B), Bahama Mama's (interesting, cheap and good), Chicharrones (a
family run Cuban restaurant), El Meson de Pepe (also a Cuban
restaurant which has a sort of museum with it), Crabby Dicks (OK),
Finnigan's Wake (OK), Kelly's (which has a small Pan-Am exhibit),
Looneys (which is part of the Blue Lagoon - good and cheap), the Key
West Diner, Martha's (out at the airport in the Hyatt), Monte's
Restaurant & Fish Market (opposite the charter boats in Garrison
Bight), and the Turtle Kraals.

Key West is a very Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transsexual friendly town. If
you are in town during "High Season" (mid December - last week in April)
there are more GLBT persons about then "Low Season". But, Key West does

I've never seen any particular GLBT activity in Key West even when we
spent the winter in the Keys. What I HAVE seen is people down from
Daytona Bike Week - lots and lots of motorcycles. I would not be
particularly worried about the GLBT stuff. The max that I've seen is
a guy in a bar with purple hair singing about the one eyed one horned
flying purple people eater with the slang for the male sex organ
substituted for the word people.

have its local GLBT folk. So if you have a problem with GLBT folk just
stay on the ship. It's not like gay men or lesbians are having sex out
in the open. But they do everything heterosexuals do. This includes
holding hands, hugging and smooching. "What about the children?"
Everybody including the kids are used to it. It's no big deal. Some
kids even have two mommies or two daddies.

If you are in reasonably good shape, rent a bicycle. Parking is at a
premium in Old Town Key West. You can optimize your ability to get
around on a bike. These are not "Tour de France" bicycles. They're
called Beach Cruisers, you brake by peddling backwards. A day rental is
cheaper then using a taxi to get around. The Old Town part of Key West
is a little bigger then Central Park in New York City. Anything you
might want to do or see is in Old Town or Bahama Village an off shoot
from Old Town. It is possible on Duval St. to walk from the Atlantic to
the Gulf of Mexico at a brisk pace in less than 20 minutes.

Some inexpensive things to see in the Old Town area - one of the
Martello Towers (West I think) which is free for a donation, the
Audubon Park (aka Charles Sonny McCoy Indigenous Park) , the City
Cemetery (free), Fort Taylor (a state park with a small entrance fee),
the Turtle Museum (free with a small donation requested), and the
Botanical Garden on Stock Island ($4 donation requested). And you can
go to the top of the parking garage for a view of the city for
nothing.

Other places which I think are worth the entrance fees are the Audubon
House ($10), the Oldest House ($5), the Aquarium ($10), the Butterfly
Conservancy ($11.50) and the Lighthouse Museum ($6). There's also
another Martello Tower (East) out by the airport which is a museum
with an entrance fee ($6). I thought that Truman House ($13.50) and
Hemingway House ($12) were too expensive.

Originally Posted by LVTravel[_1_]

"DJC" wrote in message
...
Thanks to all for your help.

Any tips on things to do at these ports. We plan to just explore in Key
West and see what the day brings us - I hear there is a Margeuritaville.
We have a VW Beetle rented in Cozumel to visit some sites. My wife would
like to visit one of the ruins.

Thanks Again!



"DJC" wrote in message
...
We are going on a short cruise on the Carnival Destiny next week - with
stops in Key West and Cozumel. Have not had any vaccinations. Any
advice on what to do or not do. Is there anything I can get in the short
term?

TIA




Key West, Conch Train tour. Cozumel, check with your home location auto
insurance agency. Ensure that you are totally covered in Mexico for car
rental. I can almost guarantee that you will not be covered. Most Credit
cards don't cover you either. Purchase or at least check about Mexican auto
insurance with plenty of coverage for collision, comprehensive and bodily
injury before your trip. If your home auto insurance company can't provide
appropriate documentation that you are covered or provide that service find
a company that can. You may need it.

Go and enjoy your cruise
Juliana