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Key West, FL

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Cruises to Key West are packed with coastal-town energy and layers of American history just waiting to be discovered. Enjoy a laidback Caribbean vibe with a dash of the high life on Carnival cruises to Key West. The southernmost island of the Florida Keys, Key West is a sunny, fun-loving place with plenty of charm, and more than a little touristy goofiness. (But that’s optional.) Key West cruises deliver you to palm-shaded streets lined with gaily-painted bungalows, vintage saloons and blooming tropical flowers. Whether life’s a beach or you’re life of the party, cruises to Key West definitely over-deliver.

• Stroll amid 19th-century architecture in Key West’s Old Town.
• Step inside the breeze-filled homes of Hemingway and Audubon.
• Make a pilgrimage to the southernmost point in the United States.
• Join the perpetual party in one of the town’s old-time fisherman’s saloons.

Things to do in Key West

Gotta see key west.

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* Taxes, fees, and port expenses are additional per person.

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Virgin Voyages' guide to Cruise Key West

A haven for artists and sunset-seekers alike, the only poetic rival to the writers who called Key West home is the geography itself.

It’s all a breeze in the keys

With it’s fiercely independent personality and leave-your-last-name-at-the-dock attitude, Key West is a celebration of cultural collision — with Bahamian Conch, Cuban and African-American heritage permeating the spirit and inclusive philosophy of the island known as “One Human Family”.

More than its pirate past and raucous Duval Street parties (although, to be fair, those are worth the hype), Key West is home to an ever-evolving community of boundary-pushing artists and dedicated preservationists—lined with pastel-colored houses and nights spent toasting sunsets so incredible they inspire some of the world’s most sacred art.

What to see and do on the island

The Shore Things, the tour things and Hemingway’s fur things

Dolphin Watch and Wildlife Snorkel

A dolphin-watching and wildlife snorkeling trip

Key West Rum & Cigar Tasting Tour

A tour of the cigar and rum industry in Key West

The Duval Crawl: Key West's Pub Crawl

Pub crawl down Duval Street at the liveliest bars

Head out on the turquoise waters of the gulf to watch bottlenose dolphins as they swim, play, feed and do whatever else they please. Afterwards, head back to the wildlife refuge, where you can snorkel along the shallow backcountry.

Key West Rum and Cigar Tasting Tour

Technically located closer to Cuba than it is to Miami, the cigar and rum industry in Key West is as historically fascinating as it is… straight-up fun. Try some rum at the Papa Pilar Rum Distillery at the Hemingway Rum Company, which functions as both a distillery and a museum.

The Duval Crawl: Key West's Pub Crawl

The best way to see a famous Key West tradition while also letting loose because, yes, you are on vacation via the “Duval Crawl”—the downtown pub crawl. The vibe of the crawl is a cross between the famous chill Florida Keys atmosphere, a splattering of upbeat live music and Caribbean drinks that taste exactly like a vacation should.

More Shore Things for your wishlist...

We have even more in our curated catalog.

From Cayo Hueso to Key West:

Named by spanish settlers — english speakers heard, “key west” instead..

Shore Things

Parasail the Painted Island Skies

Float through the air as one of the 12-passenger parasailing boats glides you past sights that can only be seen from the air. As you parasail, take a look below to spot dolphins playing in the surf, or colorful tropical birds flying past.

When the sun sets in Key West… you’ll know. And not just because a myriad of artists from Jimmy Buffet to Judy Blume will make art inspired by the island’s evening end. You’ll know because the sky lights up like fire—tangerine and gold stretching far and wide across the Caribbean sea as you pull away from the dock. Setting on a day spent in a place that goes far beyond a bachelor and bachelorette party destination—where the best of New Orleans and Nantucket meet in the Caribbean to create a little island with a very big personality.

Set Sail the Virgin Way

Set sail the Virgin way and find a new approach to cruise vacations. Select this special itinerary and let's sail.

Fire & Sunset Soirées

Painted skies in the Florida Keys

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Key West, Florida

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Located at the southernmost tip of the United States, this cool little island hideaway is closer to Havana, Cuba, than it is to Miami. Visit two of Key West's best attractions, the Key West Shipwreck Treasures Museum and the Key West Aquarium.

Key West Cruise Image Gallery

• Ernest Hemingway House
• Southernmost Point
• Stunning views
• Soft sands and warm waters
• Meet the colourful locals
• Whimsical crafts
• Grilled shrimp by the Harbor
• White Knuckle Thrill Boat
• Travel by trolley

What you NEED TO KNOW

Featured Key West CRUISE ITINERARIES

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Key West, Florida, US

One of the first things you’ll notice on your Key West cruise is the colorful gingerbread wooden houses and the amazing sunsets, and the constant crowing of roosters. Hundreds of the noisy birds—along with their quieter-clucking mates—roam the streets at all hours, and are nearly as synonymous with Key West cruises as its six-toed cats, the famous furry residents of Ernest Hemingway’s mansion in the Old Town district. They’re all part of the quirky charm of the United States' southernmost point, whose compact 11 square kilometers (4.2 square miles) pack in everything from gorgeous historic architecture and spectacular fishing and sailing to a raucous party scene along famed Duval Street. All of which is truly enjoyed by vacationers who cruise to Key West, Florida.

Featured Shore Excursions

Cruises To Key West, Florida

Key West Visiting Cruises Calendar

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4 Night Key West & Bahamas Cruise

Your ship jewel of the seas.

DECKED OUT FOR ADVENTURE

Rock Climbing Wall

Adventure Ocean ®

DIG INTO DARING

Chops Grille℠

Giovanni's Table

Chef's Table

Not the same old song & dance.

City of Dreams

Schooner Bar

Tango Buenos Aires

Solarium Bar

Day 1: fort lauderdale, florida.

STREET SCENE

VITAMIN SEA

GLADES OF GLORY

LOCAL CUISINE

Day 2: Cruising

Sports Court

Spa & Fitness Center

Day 3: key west, florida.

popular Shore Excursions

Amazing experiences coming soon..

Garden Party

CONCH CABOOSE

SQUARE DANCING

Day 4: Bimini, Bahamas

THE REEL DEAL

HISTORY WITH A PORPOISE

Day 5: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

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Key West (Florida)

Cruise port schedule, live map, terminals, news.

Region Bahamas - Caribbean - Bermuda

Local Time 2024-06-28 15:16

Port Key West cruise ship schedule shows timetable calendars of all arrival and departure dates by month. The port's schedule lists all ships (in links) with cruises going to or leaving from Key West, Florida. To see the full itineraries (ports of call dates and arrival / departure times) and their lowest rates – just follow the corresponding ship-link.

Key West is an island, city and cruise port in the Florida Strait (within Monroe County, Florida USA) with population around 25,000. Key West City includes also the nearby islands Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key and also Stock Island's northern part.

Key West (port locode USEYW) is approx 150 mi (240 km) from Miami  and just 90 mi (145 km) from  Havana Cuba .

As cruise port, Key West has 2 ship docking piers. The first/principal (Fisherman Wharf) is within walking distance from downtown. The second (Outer Mole Pier) is a free trolley bus ride away from downtown.

In mid-July 2020, to the November ballot was added a referendum (3 proposed amendments) to limit the number of big-sized cruise ships calling at Key West. The ballot's amendments restricted the ship's size ( max passenger capacity 1300), limited the number of disembarking tourists (max 1500 per day) and also gave priority to newer and safer liners - more environmental (engines, technologies) and with fewer accidents (especially onboard illness outbreaks ) and better VSPs (CDC vessel sanitation records).

• According to a CLIA-commissioned study conducted in August 2020 (CLIA-Cruise Lines International Association), the industry's economic impact for Key West is that ~7% of the island's total spending is from cruise ship tourists who contribute ~USD 73 million of the island's total ~USD 1,2 billion annual visitor spending.
• In November 2020, Key West's residents voted for the three proposals and effectively banned the large cruise ships, including the fleets of Carnival, Royal Caribbean, NCL, MSC.
• In late April 2021, the Forida Senate passed (in a 25 to 14 vote) "Senate Bill 426" that could overturn Key West's initiative to limit cruise shipping. The bill (aka "State Preemption of Seaport Regulations") was introduced by Jim Boyd (Senator of District 21). In the bill, he indicated that allowing each port city in Florida to impose its own rules on the port's maritime activities could result in "abrupt changes in the supply lines bringing goods into and out of this state", thus disrupting the state's economy. However, to become a law, Bill 426 must pass Florida's House of Representatives.
• On June 29, 2021, Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis signed "Senate Bill 1194 (2021)" (aka Transportation Bill). The Bill contains various transportation-related (road, airports, seaports) provisions but also doesn't allow ballots/referendums (conducted by local municipalities and counties) to impact the state's seaport businesses. "[the Bill] Provides that with respect to any port that has received or is eligible to apply for or receive certain state seaport funding, a local ballot initiative or referendum may not restrict maritime commerce in such port based on specified but unlimited factors. These provisions apply retroactively and prospectively, prohibiting, rendering void, and preempting to the state any conflicting initiative or referendum".
• Since July 1, 2021, Key West's ban on cruise liners is history.

In 2019, the cruise port handled 417 ship calls and nearly 965,000 passengers.

On December 1, 2017, RCI-Royal Caribbean added a 5-night itinerary on Empress of the Seas visiting Key West and Havana (overnight). For summer season 2018, Empress OTS had scheduled roundtrips to Cuba from Tampa FL with a series of 4-5-night itineraries to Key West, Mexico ( Costa Maya , Cozumel ) and Cuba ( Havana ). For winter season 2018-2019, the ship was homeported in Fort Lauderdale .

On November 27, 2018, upon leaving Key West, due to heavy winds, the luxury liner  Silver Spirit collided with The Fisherman Wharf (aka Mallory Pier/at Mallory Square). The ship departed the berth at ~6:30 PM and started to turn around when strong winds stopped it and pushed it back towards the dock. The crash resulted in minor hull damages and no injuries, but the concrete structure sustained damage that left the berth unusable (remained closed until May 2019). Berth damages were estimated ~USD 0,5-0,75 million. Silversea agreed to pay for the repairs plus ~US$50,000 reimbursement (for not-received passenger fees during the restoration period).

In 2023, ACL-American Cruise Lines included Key West as a call port of its 7-night/8-day "Florida Gulf Coast and Keys" itinerary. The roundtrip from Tampa was specifically designed for ACL's newbuild catamarans (Coastal Cats) and was first operated by American Glory in 2023.

On this ACL ex-Florida voyage, on days 3 and 4 the ship stays in Key West overnight. This allows tourists to explore Key West City on Day 3 (with a complimentary guided tour to the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum) and the Dry Tortugas National Park on Day 4 (visiting Fort Jefferson/Civil War prison).

The Caribbean island Key West was initially called "Bone Key" (Cayo Hueso) honoring the Indian skeletons found by the Spaniards on its shores when they landed here for the first time in the 16th-century. The USA bought Cayo Hueso from Spain in the early-19th-century, and eventually, the name was Americanized to Key West. Today, the island is best-known with its pleasantly warm weather and great beaches, architecture, historical sites, and easily-traversed streets lined with restaurants, bars, nightclubs, shops, galleries, theatres, museums. Cruise ship tourists may easily explore the downtown on foot and see Duval Street, Mallory Square, visit the Aquarium, Mel Fisher Museum, Audubon House, Hemmingway's House. A quick tour is offered by the Conch Train.

The island is one of nearly a thousand coral islets (Florida Keys archipelago) stretching southward from Miami. Key West is directly linked to mainland-USA (Miami) via Overseas Highway (113 mi / 182 km long US Route 1). Overseas Highway is part of US Highway 1 (serving East Coast USA) that has total length 2369 mi (3813 km), starts in Key West and ends in Fort Kent (Maine, at the USA-Canada border).

US Highway 1 connects most large US East Coast cities ( Miami , Jacksonville FL , Raleigh NC, Richmond VA, Washington DC , Baltimore MD , Philadelphia PA , NYC , Boston MA ) and is the USA's longest south-north route linking Southeastern US to New England.

Key West cruise terminal

Most cruise ships in Key West dock at The Fisherman Wharf (aka Mallory Pier/Mallory Square). Alternatively, the cruise port has two more berths - Outer Mole Pier (Truman Waterfront Park) and Margaritaville Resort (near Mallory Square).

Next are listed the most popular Carnival Cruise Lines tours in Key West, with USD prices per adult:

• catamaran and snorkeling tour ($50)
• Butterfly Conservatory ($40)
• Trolley and Train tours ($30-65)
• History tours ($40)
• parasailing ($90)
• Key West Pub ($40)
• kayaking ($55)
• speedboat ride ($100)
• scuba diving tour ($115)
• biking tour ($45)
• boat rides ($70)

Key West tours, shore excursions, hotels

City tours and shore excursions.

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Margaritaville at Sea's newest ship MAS Islander sets sail from Tampa FL

The newest addition to the Jimmy Buffett-themed Margaritaville at Sea cruise line has arrived in Tampa, Florida. MAS Islander, the company's second...

Margaritaville at Sea's ship Islander sets sail for homeport Tampa Florida after major refurbishment

The newest Margaritaville at Sea vessel, the Margaritaville at Sea Islander, has commenced her voyage to Tampa, Florida USA. Departing from the...

Savannah Buffett named Godmother of Margaritaville at Sea Islander

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Margaritaville at Sea introduces Key West cruise aboard MAS Paradise ship

Margaritaville at Sea is offering a voyage to Key West Florida and Freeport Grand Bahama on its MAS Paradise ship, providing a convenient alternative...

Celebrity Cruises ships Reflection and Beyond made first calls at CocoCay Bahamas

In recent years, CocoCay Bahamas has emerged as a beloved destination for RCI-Royal Caribbean’s ships. However, until this week, it had...

Celebrity Cruises introduces short Caribbean voyages for 2025-2026 season

Celebrity Cruises has unveiled its newly announced 2025-2026 cruise season, catering to guests seeking short Caribbean getaways on Celebrity...

ACL-American Cruise Lines christens American Glory ship in Key West Florida

American Glory, the second catamaran-type vessel in American Cruise Lines/ACL's fleet of 100-passenger Coastal Cats, was officially christened in Key...

ACL-American Cruise Lines' newest voyage makes a second stop in Punta Gorda

ACL-American Cruise Lines' latest vessel American Glory, navigating from Saint Petersburg to Tampa, Key West, and back within an 8-day itinerary...

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Where to Watch 4th of July Fireworks in NYC 2024

By Juliet Izon

There may be no city more closely associated with 4th of July than NYC , due in large part to the famed Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks event, which is the largest Independence Day celebration in the country. This year, the dazzling display in the sky will feature over 60,000 shells in more than 30 colors, as well as live performances from Tanner Adell, Luis Fonsi, The War And Treaty, and Lainey Wilson.

Also new for this season is a return to the west side of the city for the firework barges. “This year’s Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks display will launch an inspiring spectacle of patriotic color, light and sound from the Hudson River for the first time in more than a decade,” said executive producer Will Coss in a statement. The location change means some riverside New Jersey residents will be treated to firework designs like cross rings, strobing comets, and waterfalls (but no such luck for Brooklyn this year).

One of the highlights of the celebration last year was the use of a drone display for the first time ever. As for what Macy’s Studios and their partner Pyro Spectaculars by Souza have in store for this season? They’re most excited to launch the new silver cascading burst, a never-before-seen firework that features a center kaleidoscope and alternating red and blue colors. Coss is mum on more of the particulars, but you should expect the unexpected: “Our team has been hard at work developing new ways to surprise and delight our fans,” Coss said.

Read on for the best places to catch the brilliant display, from 360-degree rooftop terraces, to river cruises in the center of the action.

Where are the 4th of July fireworks in NYC?

This year, Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks will be launched from barges on the Hudson River, roughly between 14th Street and 34th street.

What time are the 4th of July fireworks?

The two-hour live broadcast on NBC and Peacock will start at 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 4th, with fireworks set to launch around 9:25 p.m.

Where can you not see the fireworks?

For the first time since 2013, the fireworks will be launched from the Hudson River, which means the east side of Manhattan and Brooklyn will not have great views of the display.

Official viewing points

While the official viewing platform locations have not yet been announced, information on their exact whereabouts and how to access them will be posted on the Macy’s website when available. Good news: If you can snag a spot at one, entrance is totally free.

Observation decks

New York is home to many a skyscraper, but not all are created equal when it comes to fireworks viewing. The observation decks positioned on the west side of Manhattan or at the tip of the island will have the best vantage points for the show. And, of course, the well-situated are taking full advantage of their location by throwing parties. The Edge , the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere, is hosting a bash with an open bar, unlimited appetizers, and a live DJ. And further downtown, One World Observatory is celebrating with not one, but two events: An all-inclusive dining experience at on-site restaurant ONE Dine; and ticketed access to the observatory during the display.

Hotel parties

While rooftop soirees at hotels might not be quite as sky-high as observation decks, they more than make up for their lack of height with stellar food and cocktail offerings. Again, hotels on the west side will have better vantage points: If picture-perfect, ’grammable spots are important to you, make sure to ask if the fireworks view will be unobstructed wherever you're headed. Some of our favorite hotel fetes to keep an eye out for? Gansevoort Meatpacking will be throwing a rooftop viewing party , with food and drink available for an additional cost. For something a bit more intimate, Equinox Hotel New York is running a special package for the event, which includes a river-view room, bottle of champagne, and $150 credit toward food and drink. And if ringing in America’s birthday with top-notch food and cocktails is a must, then grab a ticket to Nubeluz ’s event at The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad , which will include bites like lobster rolls and strawberry shortcakes, as well as tons of seasonal specialty drinks.

Restaurants with a view

Manhattan also boasts quite a few restaurants with a view, a few of which are taking advantage of their tall perches to throw some fabulous celebrations. Overstory has impressive 360-degree views of the fireworks show from their outdoor terraces: Tickets include tons of canapés as well as cocktails, spirits, and beer. And just a few blocks away, Manhatta is hosting their Sky-High 4th of July , a summer barbecue with everything from brisket to boozy snow cones, plus live music, mini-golf, and even full-court pickleball.

River cruises

There may be no way to get closer to the fireworks action than by being on the Hudson River itself. And many of the city’s famed cruising companies will be offering special trips just for the 4th of July holiday. Much of Classic Harbor Line ’s fleet will be running that night, from cruises with Yacht Manhattan and Manhattan II, along with a Fourth of July sail aboard the Schooner Adirondack. For a dinner cruise option, look into booking a spot on the four-level Hornblower Infinity, which will be host to a party by July4th.com; or one of City Cruises’ three cruises (we’re partial to the glass-enclosed Bateaux .)

About the author: New York City-based Juliet Izon regularly covers the city's latest and greatest for Condé Nast Traveler, including our annual guide to the best places to watch 4th of July fireworks in NYC.

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