Cannot speak for Nassau, however have been in Key West for a couple of days as part of a land holiday in Florida. There is not a lot to "do" in Key West, simply a matter of strolling around, following your nose, and soaking up the atmosphere.

There is a tourist conch train, which takes you round some of the streets and sights etc. If this attracts you best thing is to do it soon after arrival so that you can visit later on foot anything that takes your eye along the way. Ernest Hemmingway's house is probably the main attraction and just about worth a visit.

Most cruiseships only have half a day at KW which is all you need really. If you happen to be sailing late, i.e. a couple of hours after darkness falls, you can take in the "sunset ceremony" which is performed every night in the little main square area with street performers/artists and the like.

A word of warning though, cruises hook you for life!!

Hi there,

We were on the Majesty of the Seas last September and it's a lovely ship. It was our first experience of cruising and it's given us the bug now!

I agree with hamrag - there's not a lot to do in Key West, although it is lovely. Definitely do the Conch Train - it's a sweet little overview of the city - and do it first so you can visit the key sites. We also wandered round the harbour and went to visit the little conch nursery nearby (small and cute!). Also, try the Key Lime pie and, if you're feeling adventurous, the conch fritters - both are scrummy!

Nassau was our first port of call and we were really disappointed! It's a grotty, dirty little place and we didn't feel particularly safe. However, take one of the boats from the harbour over to Paradise Island - the boat fare is really cheap (about $5 each return) and you get a bit of commentary on the way. Paradise Island is beautiful - a world away from Nassau. Again, there's not an awful lot to do, but we visited the huge Hotel Atlantis on the Island and just had a nice wander round, a paddle on the beach etc. There's a fab ice cream shop there too which has every ice cream known to man!

In Nassau itself we did a horse and cart tour, but it's not really worth it for the money (something like $20 each plus a tip). If you like shopping, apparently Nassau is the place to be, but we aren't shoppers so that's probably why we weren't impressed!

Hope that's helpful. Enjoy it - we certainly did!

Jennifer
xx

Hi hamrag and jenny_h44 - thanks for the tips so far....I think we'll go with your tips for Key West, I've done a bit of research but the Conch train sounds good followed by the visit to the Hemingway House but sorry literary buffs, it's more for the cats than anything else! The Key Lime Pie shop sounds good for my hubby as he loves the stuff and we'll just chill out for the other time we have..the ship is scheduled to leave about 6pm so it will be leaving at around sunset and it will be Thanksgiving Day too so not too sure what will be open if anything!
At the moment we are definitely looking at visiting Atlantis, maybe taking in the Thriller boat ride around Nassau and yes I'm afraid I will be shopping,I had imagined Nassau to be really quaint and colonial but hey we'll just go with the flow! Keep those tips coming and I'm already looking at Med Cruises for next year..think I have the bug without actually cruising yet!

There's a lighthouse opposite Hemingway's house in Key West that you can climb to the top of. Fabulous views all around and a good view of the ships in the harbour. It can be quite windy on the conch train so take a sweater with you.

I lived in Nassau some time ago. a walk on the main st and straw market is of interest, but recommend going over to Paradise island and the excelent beach