Kathy

Will be going to Marco Island, Florida in July. Was thinking about going on the shuttle service boat to Key West. Has anyone ever done that before? Thanks, Kathy

BettyAnn

Is this the one day, Marco/KeyWest/Marco trip? If so, I would advise against it. I did it a couple of years ago from Naples ,just north of Marco. It was a four and a half hour (maybe five hours), extremely rough ride, with engine noise so loud most people had headaches when we arrived in KW. The rough ride was not due to bad weather, it's due to the speed the boat must travel in order to do this round trip in one day. The weather was very good. We had about three hours in KW and the return trip to Naples was as unpleasant as getting there. The trip will take longer than advertised so that will cut into your time in KW. Sorry to be negative, but we felt it was just not worth it, physically or financially.

Sandi

I am not sure which boat Betty was on, but the Key West Express runs from Marco to Key West in about 3 hours and is a very stable boat. The url is: www.keywestwaterexpress.com or 1-800-650-keys. Another alternative is to fly Cape Air, their url is: www.capeair.com or 1-800-352-0714. Cape Air departs from both Ft. Myers and Naples.

J T Kirk

I'd fly. If the water is at all choppy, that will be one rough ride. Plus, 3 (plus) hours ONE-WAY eats into your day.
Plus, I've been out in the flats fishing in July and August -- it gets HOT, HUMID and not much fun. Scenery isn't much to write home about either.

blbloodgood

I live in Estero and wanted to treat my son and his wife to a day in KW. I made a big mistake, this certainly did not add to their vacation. I book the Key West Shuttle from Ft. Myers. They got up very early in the morning arrived at the dock and no one was there. They waited an hour, finally someone showed up and said the trip was cancelled that day because they could't get enough passengers. They said they called us. Not true. I've talked to other people about their experiences. Equal Horror. One person told me the sea got rough and the boat couldn't return from KW. They had a choice: rent your own room or a free bus ride home!

George

You are at the mercy of the weather and the sea when you take the boat. IMO, I would be happy they cancelled rather than take a chance of injuring someone if the seas were rough. Personally, I would fly CapeAir, it's faster.

Tanya

Several years ago we flew into Miami and we going to stay with friends in Key West. We looked at 3 options, shuttle, air or renting a car. Wound up with the car as least expensive and enjoyed our ride down. We dropped the car off in Key West (at the airport) and picked it up on our return.