Key West: Duval Street starts at the end of the gangway.
Key West is the port where you need no plan: the two main piers, Pier B and Mallory Square, drop you straight into Old Town, and Duval Street, Sloppy Joe’s, the Hemingway Home and a slice of key lime pie are all within a 20 minute walk. Ships sail before sunset so the Mallory Square sunset party can go on, which makes this a daytime stop for hopping the Conch Train, snorkeling the reef or just wandering the conch houses with a Cuban coffee. SmartCruiser lists every cruise that calls at Key West from every line, priced with taxes and fees included, with the sailings that carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit or instant savings at the top.
Three ways to do Key West
Walk Old Town on your own, ride the Conch Train to the sights, or get out on the reef; the buttons filter the list of sailings below.
Duval Street and the conch houses
- Turn out of Pier B or Mallory Square and Duval Street is right there: Sloppy Joe’s, Captain Tony’s, the shops and the Cuban sandwich counters
- The Hemingway Home on Whitehead Street is about a 20 minute walk (about $19, cash only, six-toed cats included), with the Key West Lighthouse across the street
- Keep going to the Southernmost Point buoy for the photo, then loop back on Duval for key lime pie on a stick
Best for: first-timers, foodies, couples
Conch Train or Old Town Trolley
- The Conch Train (about $42) does a narrated 75 minute loop from Front Street; the Old Town Trolley (about $46 to $53) is hop-on, hop-off at a dozen stops all day
- Both pass the Truman Little White House, the Hemingway Home, the lighthouse, the cemetery and the Southernmost Point, so you see everything in the hours you have
- Pick-up is a few minutes from either downtown pier; buy on board the ship or at the booth
Best for: families, anyone with limited walking, hot days
Reef snorkel, sandbar sail or Fort Zachary Taylor beach
- Catamarans leave from the harbor beside the piers for the only living coral reef in the continental US, about 3 hours with gear and drinks
- Fort Zachary Taylor State Park is about a mile from the piers: the island’s best beach, calm water, snorkeling off the rocks and a Civil War fort for about $2.50 on foot
- Jet ski island tours, kayak trips through the mangroves and a schooner sail all run from the Historic Seaport
Best for: beach lovers, snorkelers, active cruisers
Key West cruises: SmartCruiser picks first
Every cruise that calls at Key West from every line, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings or bonus onboard credit. Below them, every other sailing that stops here, with full sorting by home port, line, month, length and price.
SmartCruiser picks
Sorted by what you save, biggest firstEvery cruise that calls at Key West
Stack any filters, then pick a sortPrices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.
Home ports that sail to Key West
Pick a home port and the list above filters to cruises leaving from there.
Things to do in Key West
Old Town is a 2-mile-wide island; nearly everything below is a walk or a short trolley ride from the piers.
Which lines call at Key West?
Key West limits calls, so it is mostly Florida-based ships on short and mid-length Caribbean loops.
When to go
Key West is the warmest city in the continental US; winter and spring are dry and ideal, summer is hot and humid, and September to November carries the hurricane risk.
Key West questions we answer every day
Where do ships dock in Key West and how far is it to Duval Street?
Most ships use Pier B, the private pier beside the Opal Key Resort, or the city’s Mallory Square pier next door; both put you at the foot of Duval Street in a 5 minute walk, and nobody tenders. When a third ship is in, it uses the Navy’s Outer Mole pier a few minutes away, and the line runs a free shuttle into town. The city’s lease on the Outer Mole ended in August 2026, so expect most calls at Pier B.
How do I get around and what does it cost?
Old Town is flat and walkable: Duval is 5 minutes, the Hemingway Home 20, the Southernmost Point 20 to 25. The Conch Train (about $42) and Old Town Trolley (about $46 to $53, hop-on hop-off) leave from near the piers. Taxis, Uber, Lyft and pedicabs are all outside the gate, and electric cars and bikes rent by the hour on Front Street.
What money, language and cell service will I find?
Key West is in Florida, so it is US dollars, English (with plenty of Spanish), Eastern Time and your normal US cell plan with no roaming. Nothing to exchange, nothing to declare on the way back aboard.
Is Key West safe for cruise passengers?
Yes; it is a small American resort town. The practical risks are sun, heat and the second margarita: carry water, wear a hat and note that the ship sails before sunset, usually between 4 and 6 pm, so give yourself a margin to walk back.
What is the best excursion and should I book it through the ship?
For a short call the Conch Train or trolley plus the Hemingway Home covers the island; for a longer one, the catamaran reef snorkel is the standout. You can do the town on your own without a tour, but book any boat trip through the ship so the operator knows your all-aboard time and the ship waits if you run late.
Do I need a passport for Key West?
Not for Key West itself; it is part of the United States. For the rest of the cruise, a round trip from a US home port (a closed-loop cruise) lets US citizens sail with a government photo ID plus an original or certified birth certificate, but we recommend a valid passport because it is the only document that lets you fly home from a foreign port if you miss the ship.
Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?
Yes. Every price on SmartCruiser includes the cruise fare, government taxes, fees and port expenses. Flights, hotels, shore excursions and gratuities are extra.
Talk to a Key West cruise specialist
Our consultants know which short cruises squeeze in a full Key West day and which sailings carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit; call to check availability and book. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.