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On my trip to Florida, I discovered that I could take Amtrak's Silver Meteor to Orlando or Silver Star to Tampa and then the bus to Fort Myers, where I could take a taxi to hotel at Fort Myers Beach and the next day catch a ferry to Key West. Does anyone know how far Fort Myers Beach is from the place the Amtrak bus shuttle drops you in Fort Myers?
Also, I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for taking the train (or train and bus) to Florida and then a ferry or other boat to other places in the Caribbean, and any ferries or other boats I could use for island hopping after that. I believe there are ferries to the Bahamas; does anyone have any info on those? How far are they from Amtrak stops, and where would it be best to stay overnight? And are there boats from Florida directly to any islands other than the Bahamas? What about between-island boats; is there a way I could take a boat to the Bahamas or Key West and eventually get to other islands further south (such as Anguilla, Antigua, or Curacao) without taking a plane or a cruise that stops for just 1 day? Are there any cruises that let you get on and off like a train?
Thanks for the info.
Kairho Member # 1567
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Discovery runs a daily ferry from Ft. Lauderdale to Grand Bahama (www.discoverycruise.com). I believe most of the others are out of business, although you could check on the Yucatan Express.
An d I am 99% sure you cannot board a cruise ship in Key West and continue onwards from there. Board in Miami or Ft. Lauderdale.
gp35 Member # 3971
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Too bad you can't go back to the early 1900's. Then you could take a train to Bolivar, at Bolivar the train is put on a ferry, the ferry takes the train to Galveston Island, off loads the train to continue your train ride.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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If you are contemplating using Amtrak to get to a port for a cruise, don't even THINK about a same day arrival, even if you are booked on some kind of "rail/sail' arrangement.
Anyone in the travel industry knows that airline flights later in the day are far more likely to be delayed than those early. This is why the cruiselines tend to book their passengers on the very first flight out, and even resort to using "red eyes' when, if flight schedules were more reliable, a same day flight would suffice.
Regarding scheduled ferry service, as distinct from cruises, between the various Caribbean islands, I don't think there is any, except between some islands of one soverignty, i.e. St John-St Thomas, Trinidad-Tobago.
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