Getting Around Fort Myers Beach

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The Key West Ferry, more formally known as the Key West Express, is the ferry from Fort Myers Beach to the old harbor at Key West. The Ferry costs about $146 round trip for adults, and only $81 for children. The boat departs Fort Myers Beach at 8:30 am, once per day, with schedules varying based on the seasons. The return trip from Key west departs at 6pm.

The FMB to Key West ferry is pretty laid back. Ticketing and boarding begins at 7:00am, the earlier you arrive, the sooner you board, so you can ensure you get a good seat (especially important if you have a group). We arrived about 7:30 and had no problems finding two seats; we decided to sit on the back deck where we were sheltered from the wind, and were a bit warmer than the air conditioned inside of the boat. People started drinking as soon as they set foot on the boat, and we got to listed to the door slam every thirty seconds as people went back and forth to the bar and restrooms.

For some reason, the Key West to FMB ferry is a bit more cut throat, and people show up hours ahead of time to get in position to claim the best seats. The ferry website claims ticketing and boarding begin at 5pm, but I have no doubt people were lining up at least an hour or two earlier. The return trip is another drunk fest, only this time many people have already been drinking all day, so it is louder and more obnoxious than the trip to Key West.

Even though the party boat theme can get old, this is still much better than the 6 or 8 hour drive from the Tampa Bay Area to Key West.