Question about sunset cruises . . .

I%26#39;ve seen references to seasickness on the all day trip to the Dry Tortugas, and I%26#39;m wondering if anyone has encountered this on the sunset cruises.

I%26#39;d love to surprise my husband with a sunset cruise (we%26#39;re celebrating our 15th anniversary in Key West), but want to be sure I don%26#39;t have to worry about getting seasick during the trip! And I want to be able to enjoy some champagne, so Dramamine would definitely NOT be a good idea!

Any suggestions on the best sunset cruises? How long do they last?

Thanks!

Question about sunset cruises . . .

I think if someone is prone to seasickness, they can feel that way on any boat. If you%26#39;re not prone to seasickness, then there%26#39;s no chance of feeling that way unless you were to go out in very ';rolly'; or rough seas. The Dry Tortugas are out 70 miles in the ocean, so the ferries are bound to encounter some waves. I%26#39;ve certainly never had any problem with any queezyness on those trips, but I%26#39;m used to being on boats, too.

Hubby and I had the most fitting end to our first vacation in Key West: the sunset cruise on the Schooner America, which I can%26#39;t recommend enough. A little more pricey than others, but I felt the ambiance was worth it; the cruise was truly magical. (It was a particularly spectacular sunset that night!) You surely won%26#39;t experience any seasickness on one of these cruises; they just sail around not too far from shore. Hour and a half to 2 hours if my memory serves me correctly.

If it%26#39;s a clear night, consider the Western Union%26#39;s Stargazer cruise. We were disappointed that there was no champagne on this one, but thoroughly enjoyed it as well.

Question about sunset cruises . . .

The easiest way to prevent sea sickness, IMO, is Triptone. You can get it at any dive shop or probably drug store in KW. It costs like a quarter or something for a pill and it is very effective.

On our last trip to Key West, we took the Schooner Western Union sunset sail. We really enjoyed it. It was very entertaining. They shot off cannons, and there was a man on the crew who entertained us by singing. He was actually very good! It was a bit expensive, but they served conch chowder, beer, wine, pop and champaigne. I don%26#39;t remember exactly, but I believe we were on the boat for about two hours. Maybe a little less.

I%26#39;m a bit prone to seasickness, to the point that I only go out on snorkeling cruises if it%26#39;s REAL calm out there.

However, I took a sunset cruise on the Western Union, and had no problems at all. I don%26#39;t know if that is because it is a bigger boat, it was a calm evening, or just because I didn%26#39;t swallow any salt water like on the snorkel excursions. I%26#39;ve heard good things about the Schooner America as well.

One funny thing happened on our sunset cruise, involving their homing pidgeon. The idea is that they let a bird out of the box, and it heads back to the island. Well, they let this bird out, and it flew to the stern for awhile, seemingly not wanting to leave. Finally, it took off, but headed for a cruise ship not land LOL.

I really like the Western Union sunset sail. It is a fun cruise and the ship is very stable. They don%26#39;t really go to the open waters, so unless the seas are very rough, you shouldn%26#39;t get seasick. The Dry Tortugas trips can be rough, especially in the winter months, and I have seen a lot of people get very sick, so if you decide to take the Yankee Freedom to the tortugas, I%26#39;d advise taking Dramomine an hour before you board and you should be ok.

IMO if you want an intimate sunset cruise go with the Floridays which docks at the Hyatt. They only take a coupla dozen people and serve champaigne. For the other extreme, one of the Fury cats, the Altantic or the Pacific Fury. They take upwards of 200 people and after a few drinks a couple of hundred people can be alot of fun. But I like the Caribbean Spirit. I just like the way it looks.

Pjk

While I would normally suggest one of the big schooners (the America, the Western Union or - even better - the Appledore), if seasickness is an issue, you %26#39;d be better off with one of the big catamarans (which I may have actually spelled right). The Furys are probably the biggest. And you should do the obvious, which is check on the wind and sea conditions.