Key West Express

Rode the ferry to Key West this past Sunday. The ride out was great. Lots of seats. It was a quiet ride. My only advice, if you want to sit outside, sit on the top deck because the smoke from the lower deck will engulf you. Smokers go to a lower area to smoke. If you sit on the top deck, have a hat or scarf or your hair will be blown to smithereens.
The trip on the way back: a totally different story. The boat was crowded. Almost sold out. We were able to get seats on the top deck. It was fine. I had a hat, the people on the top deck were quiet but having fun. An hour or so into the trip, the weather turned bad and we were told to leave the top deck. There was nowhere to sit so we stood at the top of the stairs leading to the smoking area. There were quite a few very drunk people in this area. They were seriously annoying. We left that area and went inside. We stood by the bar. These same people returned to the bar over and over and were served every time. They announce before you get off of the boat in Key West that they won’t allow any people who are drunk back on the boat. They sure will let you get totally wasted while you are on the boat! I am all about having fun and don’t expect people to sit and be well behaved but don’t throw your ridiculous behavior in everyone else’s face. What a bunch of hillbillies! One guy came up to the upper deck before we were asked to leave and was jumping in the air to show everyone how stupid he is or how hard the wind was blowing. If he would have been blown off, I’m sure his family would have sued. What an idiot! I’m not saying don’t take this ferry. It was good for a while. Just beware of the return trip. Get there early to board so you can get a good seat away from the riff raff. It is a beautiful vessel and the captain got us through some rough weather. It is too pricey though to have to stand for over 2.5 hours. Rent an electric vehicle from the guy inside the terminal when you get to KW. Best idea ever! Easiest way to get around Key West and will save your feet! And buy the refundable tickets!!! Can’t believe people are complaining about this. You are in South Florida! It can be a very volatile weather area. Don’t be a fool…

This is a great alternative to get to Key West instead of driving. The vessel is very big and well maintained. There is all sorts od seating available, everything from comfy movie theater style seats, tables with chairs and loungers. There is also plenty of outdoor seating as well which offer great views of the open ocean, as well a good viess for when the sun sets. I used this service yesterday to get to and from Key West for the day. Both rides were smooth with no sea sickness for me. However, the weather was ideal. I would recommend bringing some meds with you on the vessel just in case, as I do not think any is on board. All the crew on board are very polite and friendly. Food and booze is available for purchase on board. The only negative I have is that no wifi is available and the A/​C is on full blast so I was very cold sitting inside. I sat outside to remedy that. Bring a light jacket or sweater with you if you get cold easily. This was a nice way to get to Key West and I will be using them again in the future.
SN: Look for holiday voucher specials for this company on groupon or living social. I found one for $ 99 dollars round trip.

Just awesome! Have been waiting to do this for 4 years. It’s a beautiful sunny day. Just left fort Meyers on our way to KeyWest for the day. Just awesome!

We’ve thought about taking this high-​speed catamaran for years and this was the trip we finally did it! From a price standpoint, I wish we would have planned ahead, as being impromptu caused us to pay full price :(The Key West Express is a truly unique way to get down to the Keys… believe me, the drive in a car is awful. I recommend outside seats on the second deck to get the best experience. A lot of people rush to sit on the upper deck, HOWEVER, you see a lot of them making their way down as soon as the boat hits full speed; it’s windy up there!!! The indoor seats are OK if the weather is bad, but it feels kinda like a drab lounge with the dark interior and full-​blown air conditioning. There’s a full bar and a little snack shop; the bar had a decent Bloody Mary but the food at the snack bar was dismal. Other reviews mention the ride being turbulent, though that wasn’t the case for us despite rough seas. My only complaint, but a pretty big one is that seats aren’t reservable; so many seats «are saved» by partial groups, leaving gaps of one seat… it was really aggravating and rude!

We bought tickets for our out of town friends. The night before the trip, Key West Express cancelled due to weather. They would not refund their money because the tickets were «non-​refundable». They issued vouchers. Hello, our friends live in the midwest, they aren’t planning another trip to FL. Our friends did not cancel, Key west express did. The business did not provide a service and they feel right to keep the $ 267. They are thieves. Do not book unless you’re ready to get nothing for your money. It’s a win win for the business.

The trip is actually pretty nice but be aware it is MORE than 3 hours and getting there early will allow you to board and pick out a good spot to sit.
And if you leave in the AM from ft Myers you can get on and get comfortable with a coffee and roll that you purchase on board
BUT when you go back from the Keys not so nice— no boarding early you GET to sit outside and wait to get on the boat — many got there at 4 as they said 60 – 90 minutes b4 they leave at 6 oh no really you GET to board at 5 and they leave about 45 minutes later you also can wait inside but you board After the outside crowd which wraps around the building yuck! No reason not to let people board 90 minutes early just like the do in the morning
Tables for 6 along the sides and airline type seating in the center 2 groups of 4 across– very full so really no seats open
If you choose to sit outside you better have someone else inside with a seat
There are snacks and pretty good casual food on the boat but we should have brought our own fruit or treats
Still fun but be aware !!

I wish I could be writing this review with a «5», but the reality is I can’t because I never got the chance. I bought two adult «advance purchase» non-​refundable roundtrip tickets for a total of $ 281 for a Friday-​Saturday overnight visit to Key West. This was part of a vacation to SW FL in late January 2016, which I would imagine is not an unusual use of the KWE ferry. Alas, the marine forecast for the area that weekend turned poor (thunderstorms, not a rare weather phenomenon for south Florida. but I digress), so KWE notified us via two emails that they were cancelling both portions of our trip. I called as directed to inquire about a refund, given that it was KWE who cancelled the trips– not me. I was informed by the employee that my fare was non-​refundable **even when cancelled for any reason by the company**. To add insult to injury, she then informed me that I could use my credit balance within two years, but that would require the deduction of an additional service fee of $ 25 per ticket. from the $ 281 I already paid them for 2 tickets THAT *THEY* CANCELLED!!! I understand «no refund» ticketing rules, but even airlines don’t charge a re-​booking fee (and often offer full refunds) when they are the ones who cancel a ticket (s)! If you are going to take a gamble and use this ferry, be forewarned that you risk imperfect weather costing you at minimum an additional $ 25 per ticket, or as in my case, the whole balance you paid! As it turns out, I also lost the $ 250 hotel room I had paid for, as that cancellation refund date had passed by the time the ferry was cancelled less than 24 hours before boarding. It is not as if one can easily just change or extend hotel bookings in Key West at the height of the winter season (!) I don’t know if our future vacation travel plans will ever bring us back to SW FL, as we don’t tend to return to places we’ve already been as a rule. It’s a safe bet we probably won’t plan a whole vacation back to the area in the next 2 years just to try and make use of my $ 230 «credit» (after the additional $ 50 rip-​off «service» fee) to take a ferry to Key West. A total lack of competition for this novelty pleasure service, and taking advantage of marine-​naïve and recourse-​less one-​time visiting tourists, is not an honorable business model. As if to be even ruder to me as I declared my flabbergasted beffudlement on the phone, the employee told me I could «gift» my balance to someone if I weren’t able to return myself and use it… as if I have a rolodex of people who are awaiting the opportunity to buy ferry tickets from Fort Myers to Key West?! Thanks KWE for costing me $ 281 for nothing ($ 500 if you include the related hotel room), and having the worst customer-​friendly policy of any company I have ever dealt with. I’ll eat the $ 250 hotel room as a «gambling» loss, but there’s no justifiable reason for your no refund policy when YOU cancel the service I paid you for. The $ 25 per ticket fee to theoretically re-​schedule a future booking under these circumstances is just adding insult to injury, a perfect example of an incredulous abuse of fine print and diversion of risk. **I’m editing the end of this review here with two questions before it gets the standard sarcastic response from «Scott S.» that all the reviews similar to mine appear to have gotten in the past– WHY have a policy that refuses to refund without penalty fares to customers whose itineraries you had to cancel, and WHY charge a service fee to the same customers if they choose to actually attempt a re-​booking? We get that it is printed in the booking disclaimers, no one disputes that. It clearly doesn’t «click» with stupid customers like me who, at the time of purchase, are likely making what they anticipate to be a positive purchase for an enjoyable future vacation event. Our collective disbelief is in the policy’s actual application to situations where we the customers had no control over your company’s decisions, regardless of the reasons. THAT is the poor customer service and poor business practice we complain of. «Just because» or «it says so» are not mature adult responses to the legitimate question of «why». Would it render your business unprofitable to amend the non-​refundable/​change service fee to apply to only those customers who choose on their own thru no fault of KWE to cancel or amend their tickets? THAT would be completely understandable and in comport with comparable standard business practices. Thank you.

Trip down from Ft Myers was great

The good: pretty quick and comfortable transportation to Key West on a good day with good but spends drinks. If you get in line early you can score a padded booth or table with an outlet to charge electronics.
Areas of concern: it’s kind of a mixed bag regarding what you get. The trip there was smooth quiet and quick. On the way back there were mildly rough seas and many people started hurling. While there were people obviously sick and distressed the bar over-​served two couples in one section who could barely stand and were shouting rudely and obnoxiously. One elderly couple politely asked them to tone it down, but one of the drunk ladies accused them of being upset because they were foreign and speaking another language and got in their face. Several passengers informed the crew that it wasn’t safe to serve them more alcohol and that they should be asked to respect the sick people in our section or be relocated. They were laughed at. Drunk idiots aren’t this transport service’s fault, not addressing a potentially dangerous issue is.
Overall: bring seasickness cures just in case and come on a day with no rude and obnoxious passengers and it will be a great experience. All in all I enjoyed it.

This was a great alternative to flying but we only stayed a day. It would be best if you have time to stay there at least overnight if not a few days.
So what’s good about it. It’s cheap and you get a fairly nice boat ride down the Gulf Coast.
What’s bad about it?
— Having to pay for parking and limited take off spots.
— if you get a lousy day you might not get to sit on the top and you might get to fill a barf bag.
— Having to get back to the wharf early to get a seat and limited scheduled times.
— Missing the beautiful ride from the Southern tip of Florida through the Keys.
— The onboard food is mediocre and expensive.

We were so disappointed in this ferry service… we were called at 5 pm the day before that we were to leave at 8:30 am to be told that our ferry was canceled! Of course no one was available to talk to about this until 9 am the next morning! When we called we were told that we purchased Non REFUNDABLE TICKETS! But I said we DID NOT CANCEL. YOU DID… we spent over $ 500 for 4 tickets and had to drive to key west so we DO NOT need to
have tickets for the FUTURE ferry ride!
All the woman could say was sorry. You can sell them. But that is also a complication because these tickets are in our names! When I asked her to send email confirming all this… IT NEVER HAPPENED!
So, my suggestion is BEWARE OF WHAT YOU BUY!
I’m not finished trying to get to the bottom of this!
I feel strongly that there is no reason not to return our $ 500!
Think about the people who were already in Key West… They were stuck there… The ferry did not travel for two days from this cancelled day!
BEWARE OF WHAT YOU ARE BUYING!!!

Boat ride was smooth. It was a very rainy day so there was no sitting outside. Food was good and service was friendly. Enjoyed having TV’s to watch since the trip is 3.5 hours long. My only complaint is that their were a number of single people who occupied entire booths by themselves. That was very inconsiderate and maybe there should be a rule that booths need to be occupied by at least two people.
5 hours in Key West isn’t long enough to do everything you want, especially if you use the Conch train which only has 4 transfer points, 3 of which are on one end of the business district and the 4^th on the far end, with no stops in between. Since you can only get on and off at transfer points, it’s not very convenient and cuts into the already short time. Rent a scooter or electric vehicle to maximize your time.

This is our second trip on Key West Express. Good times. Great service. No complaints.

Great short trip to key west only 3 ½ hours. Always a great time and runs smoothly.

Man looking at these reviews had me extremely nervous to board. I’m glad I overlooked them and went aboard.
I have nothing but nice things to say about the express. Upon arrival I was greeted by a gentleman asking me I’d I had my ticket or needed to purchase and directed me into the right direction.
The lady at the corner gave me a map and ticket instructions and then I proceeded to the boat. Again greeted by another friendly person.
I walked aboard in search of an outlet to charge my phone… Fyi extremely hard to find, lol… But in that hunt I met some extremely nice first timer ferry rides who made my experience nothing but great and even had the pleasure of riding back with them the following day.
The following day back I boarded a different ferry, wow this one was huge. The bartender Jeremy was great (so were the brothers on the way down the day before) and kept my drink full. Best part about the second ferry was there was no line for drinks. But the again I had seat at the bar :) First ferry didn’t have a sit at bar so there lines stayed extremely long. I found myself double up drinks each time. Hince why I was feeling good at 10 am lol. I do fine it quiet amusing they use the liquor counter for there drinks especially since I use to bartend.
Nonetheless I made it key west there and back safety thanks to you guys. I will definitely use again in the future.

Great alternative to the long drive to Key West. Decent price. Food options are limited, but plenty of alcohol options. Boat can get pretty rocky at times, but Dramamine was a huge help.
Seating is first come first serve and there are various options. To get the best seats, ie something around a table, arrive at:
7am or earlier for morning cruises from Ft Myers
4p for cruises leaving the Keys
Cruise is 3.5 hours. Arrives at Key West around noon/​Fort Myers around 9:30. Cost for two people was around $ 250.
We had a great time.

We took the key west express for a day trip down to key west in April 2015. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The boat was clean and comfortable. Prices I thought were reasonable. Overall it was a great trip and I would do it again. I probably would do an over night trip through because it was tough getting around to see everything in a short amount of time.
They advise to get there 60 – 90 minutes before they set sail. We got there a little after 7am for an 8:30a sail time and we had our pick of seats. Don’t arrive less than 30 minutes before sail time though. They won’t let you on.
It gets really windy on top. Nice to sit up there for a little while but I wouldn’t want to for the whole trip. It did take us a little over 4 hours and that was even with leaving about 15 minutes early and seas were calm. So really we were in key west from about 12:15 to about 5 when went back to the port to board.
Coming back we got to the boat early as well but the line to get on was already pretty long, although it took no time to get on the ship once they started boarding. We didn’t get our pick of seats that time but didn’t really matter to us. Next time I think we’ll just wait until closer to the sail time and enjoy key west a little longer.
I would recommend bringing your own snacks just because you can and save a little money. But they do have hot meals and snacks for purchase if you don’t want to bother. They also have a full bar too. And they play a movie and some TV shows while your cruising to pass the time.
Also I think the time of year we took the cruise made it more enjoyable. We went on a Tue and the boat was maybe ½−2/3 full. I would imagine going down there during spring break or on a weekend when it’s full and there may be some rowdy people might make for an unpleasant trip. (but maybe that’s your thing… I’m an old lady though.)
Word of advise to those like myself that are very prone to seasickness… Take the heavy duty stuff. I thought the boat would be big enough and moving fast enough so that wouldn’t happen but I used a prescription patch just in case and I’m glad I did. It was a lot rougher than I thought. Dramamine I don’t think would have been enough. When I say rough I mean you really had to steady yourself when walking around at times. Nothing terrible but I’m very sensitive to it. My husband was fine and I didn’t see anybody get sick.
The only thing I would change is leaving a little earlier and coming back later. I would have liked to have left ft myers at 730am and then leave key west until maybe 730pm just to give more time down there. Just my 2 cents.
Overall it was a great trip and I would definitely do it again.

A little pricey, but definitely better than driving.
I’m a little divided over whether this is worth the money. My friends and I drove from Tampa to Ft. Myers (2 hours), boarded (45 min) and then got to Key West (4 hours). In the end it was a little faster than if we just drove and definitely more expensive. However, I was the driver and I got a chance to sleep the entire boat ride. It was nice being able to walk around the boat. instead of being cooped up in a car.
I think we got awesome seats. We sat in the back row so we could stretch out our legs. Like I said, I slept the whole boat ride, so I felt like it passed by quickly. On the way back it was more choppy. A lot of people felt sea sick, including myself. My defense mechanism was to go to sleep again. This really helped, because I wasn’t tired when we got there and I wasn’t too tired the next day.
Some people were really enjoying themselves. You can buy drinks and food and sit at a table. I definitely heard people enjoying their liquor. However the food was understandably expensive. I would suggest bringing your own.
So in the end I think I’d have to say I would travel by Key West Express again. You really can’t beat having the ability to sleep and walk around.

My husband and I looked forward to our pre scheduled to Key West Excursion on January 26, 2015. We traveled for 45 minutes to arrive and board at 7:00am for an 8:30 departure. The unenthusiastic, unapologetic representative at the counter informed us that our trip was cancelled. In addition to our disappointment, she casually informed us that our money was not refundable, even though the company cancelled it due to weather conditions. The fact that we were to become victims of the unpredictable weather was deplorable and unacceptable to us.
Certainly this is a poor example of good will and a lack of better business practice. When we asked to speak to a supervisor, she told us it was too early. Then she went to «check» and reported again that there was no one in the back room. Magically, another woman suddenly appeared. She was even worse by use of a condescending tone and an unsympathetic manner. In the midst of our dismay, sarcastically, she did tell us to «Have a great day.»
As consumers, we left feeling both aggravated and our concerns ignored. The business management needs to be aware of these two employees who have no idea how to deal with the public who lack people skills and have little or no common sense. Consumers beware if these two rigid women are there if you choose to take a chance like we did… And we had to end our vacation on a sour note feeling ripped off and abused. Needless to say, we will be contesting our credit card charges.
Sylvia E

First timer over here.
I recently took the Key West Express from Ft. Myers with my wife and her cousin for a one night trip. A quick turn around I would say.
It’s pretty simple what this is about but they definitely make it comfortable enough to not hate getting to the keys. They have loads of seating areas upstairs, downstairs, inside, and outside. I would definitely recommend the inside seating solely on the basis that it’s air conditioned. They also have TVs playing either a movie or a show. We got to see Transformers on the way there. Also if you get there early enough, you can get a table with like a booth area. That’s what we did. We ended up playing cards for a while but then my wife got a little sea sick so we stopped. Overall not a bad ride. They do sell food but nothing fantastic as you can imagine. Hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and sodas. That sort of thing.
The bathrooms are clean, the luggage area is secure but a hassle to get through at the end (if possible, take your bag without at all times), and they were pretty accurate with their schedule.
I would take this again. Maybe I’d bring a bike and my dog next time.