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TongaTam wrote:

TropicalTroubador wrote: She's thinking.

Hey Tam who did you go through for the house. I'm still thinking that route as well

She might not have to go that far:

http://keysnews.com/node/35688

I use Susie! She's awesome!!! Tell her Zoe sent ya!
http://www.KeyWestKey.com
tell her what you want.. she may not have something right away, but if you give her some time, she'll find you exactly what you're looking for!

I did not have a good experience, asking simple questions. And I was fairly straight forward. One of our members' has family down there full time - MOST helpful!

Yesterday, just for the fun of it, I checked ebookers for flights to Florida and discovered that airberlin, the cheapest carrier from Switzerland to FL, had flights on offer.
So I just finished booking the flights for Irene and I to Florida for October / November (with AB directly, cheaper than ebookers...)

Touchdown in Miami is Monday Oct 22, the flight back is Tuesday Nov 13, a bit more then three weeks of phun and phrolick in Phlorida! Flying weekdays is a lot cheaper, nearly 300$ saved compared to weekend flights!
You probably can't imagine how excited I am at this moment!

Will wait with signup for MOTM for a little while. Trying to convince Irene to sign up for BN so she can practice her written english a bit.
(I gave her an english course at a local adult scool for christmas. She's advancing quite fast I think and takes it serious! )
And she'll have her nickname for the badge!

So now on to the planning of the trip, still a lot of work to do!

See y'all at The End Of The Road!
(Wet my eyes as I wrote this...)

SwissParrotHeads wrote:Yesterday, just for the fun of it, I checked ebookers for flights to Florida and discovered that airberlin, the cheapest carrier from Switzerland to FL, had flights on offer.
So I just finished booking the flights for Irene and I to Florida for October / November (with AB directly, cheaper than ebookers...)

Touchdown in Miami is Monday Oct 22, the flight back is Tuesday Nov 13, a bit more then three weeks of phun and phrolick in Phlorida! Flying weekdays is a lot cheaper, nearly 300$ saved compared to weekend flights!
You probably can't imagine how excited I am at this moment!

Will wait with signup for MOTM for a little while. Trying to convince Irene to sign up for BN so she can practice her written english a bit.
(I gave her an english course at a local adult scool for christmas. She's advancing quite fast I think and takes it serious! )
And she'll have her nickname for the badge!

So now on to the planning of the trip, still a lot of work to do!

See y'all at The End Of The Road!
(Wet my eyes as I wrote this...)

WOOOOHOOOO!!!! Looking forward to seeing you and Irene again.

Okay, I need some feedback from those of you who have been going to MOTM for years. This is my first year going to MOTM, and I am figuring out the best way to get to Key West.

I would prefer to fly directly into Key West; however, the adventurous spirit in me is considering flying into Miami and then taking the Keys shuttle to Key West. Has anyone ever flown in to Miami and driven to Key West? If so, is it worth it? Was it cool driving through the Keys or was it a pain in the ass dealing with the highway? When driving to Key West did you have the opportunity to see the ocean, or is it just endless highway to the end of the road? The pro for me in taking the shuttle from Miami to Key West is that the shuttle will drop me off at the door of the Cassa and pick me up from the Cassa and take me back to Miami when I leave Key West. It is also a lot cheaper to fly in to Miami and take the shuttle to Key West, but in the end will it be worth it? I am just not sure if the cons outweigh the pros. Any feedback will be appreciated.

ParrotHeadInThe Making wrote:Okay, I need some feedback from those of you who have been going to MOTM for years. This is my first year going to MOTM, and I am figuring out the best way to get to Key West.

I would prefer to fly directly into Key West; however, the adventurous spirit in me is considering flying into Miami and then taking the Keys shuttle to Key West. Has anyone ever flown in to Miami and driven to Key West? If so, is it worth it? Was it cool driving through the Keys or was it a pain in the ass dealing with the highway? When driving to Key West did you have the opportunity to see the ocean, or is it just endless highway to the end of the road? The pro for me in taking the shuttle from Miami to Key West is that the shuttle will drop me off at the door of the Cassa and pick me up from the Cassa and take me back to Miami when I leave Key West. It is also a lot cheaper to fly in to Miami and take the shuttle to Key West, but in the end will it be worth it? I am just not sure if the cons outweigh the pros. Any feedback will be appreciated.

Many of times...about 150 miles from Miami and a 3 hour drive. Yes, you will get to see the water , at times on both sides of you. Shuttle makes it easier as far as not having to wait in lines for a rental car, and depending if you plan on keeping it down there ( not really needed) the hassle of dropping off and getting back to your hotel. I'm not sure what the Shuttle cost. But a car would be around 50.00 , plus around 40.00 to refill, and a cab to the hotel is around 15.00...unless your splitting the cost the Shuttle may be easier and cheaper. Another bonus if your not driving, you can relax and enjoy the scenery around you.

TommyBahama wrote:

ParrotHeadInThe Making wrote:Okay, I need some feedback from those of you who have been going to MOTM for years. This is my first year going to MOTM, and I am figuring out the best way to get to Key West.

I would prefer to fly directly into Key West; however, the adventurous spirit in me is considering flying into Miami and then taking the Keys shuttle to Key West. Has anyone ever flown in to Miami and driven to Key West? If so, is it worth it? Was it cool driving through the Keys or was it a pain in the ass dealing with the highway? When driving to Key West did you have the opportunity to see the ocean, or is it just endless highway to the end of the road? The pro for me in taking the shuttle from Miami to Key West is that the shuttle will drop me off at the door of the Cassa and pick me up from the Cassa and take me back to Miami when I leave Key West. It is also a lot cheaper to fly in to Miami and take the shuttle to Key West, but in the end will it be worth it? I am just not sure if the cons outweigh the pros. Any feedback will be appreciated.

Many of times...about 150 miles from Miami and a 3 hour drive. Yes, you will get to see the water , at times on both sides of you. Shuttle makes it easier as far as not having to wait in lines for a rental car, and depending if you plan on keeping it down there ( not really needed) the hassle of dropping off and getting back to your hotel. I'm not sure what the Shuttle cost. But a car would be around 50.00 , plus around 40.00 to refill, and a cab to the hotel is around 15.00...unless your splitting the cost the Shuttle may be easier and cheaper. Another bonus if your not driving, you can relax and enjoy the scenery around you.

I checked with Keys Shuttle Service, and the price is $90 one way which is not too bad, and sometimes the shuttle driver is an outgoing talkative person who is good at offering up factoids about the Keys, so it could be fun.

ParrotHeadInThe Making wrote:Okay, I need some feedback from those of you who have been going to MOTM for years. This is my first year going to MOTM, and I am figuring out the best way to get to Key West.

I would prefer to fly directly into Key West; however, the adventurous spirit in me is considering flying into Miami and then taking the Keys shuttle to Key West. Has anyone ever flown in to Miami and driven to Key West? If so, is it worth it? Was it cool driving through the Keys or was it a pain in the ass dealing with the highway? When driving to Key West did you have the opportunity to see the ocean, or is it just endless highway to the end of the road? The pro for me in taking the shuttle from Miami to Key West is that the shuttle will drop me off at the door of the Cassa and pick me up from the Cassa and take me back to Miami when I leave Key West. It is also a lot cheaper to fly in to Miami and take the shuttle to Key West, but in the end will it be worth it? I am just not sure if the cons outweigh the pros. Any feedback will be appreciated.

I might have a special view on this, since being from abroad driving around about anywhere in the USA I see something interesting.

But for me the drive down the keys was kind of spectacular, beautyful scenery at times (at times also boring ofcourse...), the Seven Mile Bridge, seeing the keys to the left, keys to the right in the distance...


Also we took a few breaks on the way down, one of the pros having a car. Bahia Honda SP, the Dolphin Research Center

and a little detour to have a drink (yes we found it!) and seeing Key Deer upclose on the way back to A1A...

It truly depends what you want.
I'm flying in to key west again. Cab from airport to Casa is about $7+ tip. The airport is just around the corner from the Casa.

The down side about coming from the main land down is potential weather. Which of course is the same with flying in. But I take the earliest flight in. If we were bumped back there is no horrible wait.

Driving, shuttle or ferry down could be relaxing as well as enjoyable; from sights and sounds. Of course the cool breeze on your face.

Just look at the time. Coming from main land down there are potential delays. Not like the roads at home that you can detour around. One way in and out driving.

But I have an equal split of friends that love the drive/shuttle down. Others like the flight in.

Dragging mom this year. She was with us at brunch at Belliago two years ago. I told her she needs a relaxing vacation. So no one tell her we 'go go go' at night.

ParrotHeadInThe Making wrote:Okay, I need some feedback from those of you who have been going to MOTM for years. This is my first year going to MOTM, and I am figuring out the best way to get to Key West.

I would prefer to fly directly into Key West; however, the adventurous spirit in me is considering flying into Miami and then taking the Keys shuttle to Key West. Has anyone ever flown in to Miami and driven to Key West? If so, is it worth it? Was it cool driving through the Keys or was it a pain in the ass dealing with the highway? When driving to Key West did you have the opportunity to see the ocean, or is it just endless highway to the end of the road? The pro for me in taking the shuttle from Miami to Key West is that the shuttle will drop me off at the door of the Cassa and pick me up from the Cassa and take me back to Miami when I leave Key West. It is also a lot cheaper to fly in to Miami and take the shuttle to Key West, but in the end will it be worth it? I am just not sure if the cons outweigh the pros. Any feedback will be appreciated.

karat wrote:It truly depends what you want.
I'm flying in to key west again. Cab from airport to Casa is about $7+ tip. The airport is just around the corner from the Casa.

The down side about coming from the main land down is potential weather. Which of course is the same with flying in. But I take the earliest flight in. If we were bumped back there is no horrible wait.

Driving, shuttle or ferry down could be relaxing as well as enjoyable; from sights and sounds. Of course the cool breeze on your face.

Just look at the time. Coming from main land down there are potential delays. Not like the roads at home that you can detour around. One way in and out driving.

But I have an equal split of friends that love the drive/shuttle down. Others like the flight in.

Dragging mom this year. She was with us at brunch at Belliago two years ago. I told her she needs a relaxing vacation. So no one tell her we 'go go go' at night.

ParrotHeadInThe Making wrote:Okay, I need some feedback from those of you who have been going to MOTM for years. This is my first year going to MOTM, and I am figuring out the best way to get to Key West.

I would prefer to fly directly into Key West; however, the adventurous spirit in me is considering flying into Miami and then taking the Keys shuttle to Key West. Has anyone ever flown in to Miami and driven to Key West? If so, is it worth it? Was it cool driving through the Keys or was it a pain in the ass dealing with the highway? When driving to Key West did you have the opportunity to see the ocean, or is it just endless highway to the end of the road? The pro for me in taking the shuttle from Miami to Key West is that the shuttle will drop me off at the door of the Cassa and pick me up from the Cassa and take me back to Miami when I leave Key West. It is also a lot cheaper to fly in to Miami and take the shuttle to Key West, but in the end will it be worth it? I am just not sure if the cons outweigh the pros. Any feedback will be appreciated.

Holly--Ms Sammie promises that she will not tell your mother that MOTM, disguised as a relaxing vacation, will be go, go , go! Right now, flying directly in to Key West from where I live is a $710 flight round trip, so if I fly into Miami and take the shuttle that knocks about $200 off travel expenses.

I appreciate the feedback so far.

Go Miami then. It's good to save. There are ups and downs to all forms of travel to KW.

I personally love the ferry from Ft Myers to KW but you still have the issues of getting to the ferry from the airport and generally it requires an overnight because the ferry boards at 7AM and gets back to Ft Myers on the return trip around 9PM. But coming in from that perspective is great. But it DOES seem like a loooooong trip on the way back because it's usually dark for most of the trip, as if you're not depressed enough to be going home!

ScarletB wrote:I personally love the ferry from Ft Myers to KW but you still have the issues of getting to the ferry from the airport and generally it requires an overnight because the ferry boards at 7AM and gets back to Ft Myers on the return trip around 9PM. But coming in from that perspective is great. But it DOES seem like a loooooong trip on the way back because it's usually dark for most of the trip, as if you're not depressed enough to be going home!

i'm surprised they don't do a Ferry from the east coast of Florida....Ft Lauderdale / Miami. The Ferry Coast is a lot more money then a shuttle, i believe isn't it 169.00 1 way or something like that. But, i'd love to go that way, on the water.

There may be a cheaper shuttle service, i thought MOTM used someone that gave a discount, and i thought the price was 59.00 or 69.00.

TommyBahama wrote:

ScarletB wrote:I personally love the ferry from Ft Myers to KW but you still have the issues of getting to the ferry from the airport and generally it requires an overnight because the ferry boards at 7AM and gets back to Ft Myers on the return trip around 9PM. But coming in from that perspective is great. But it DOES seem like a loooooong trip on the way back because it's usually dark for most of the trip, as if you're not depressed enough to be going home!

i'm surprised they don't do a Ferry from the east coast of Florida....Ft Lauderdale / Miami. The Ferry Coast is a lot more money then a shuttle, i believe isn't it 169.00 1 way or something like that. But, i'd love to go that way, on the water.

There may be a cheaper shuttle service, i thought MOTM used someone that gave a discount, and i thought the price was 59.00 or 69.00.

That would be great if MOTM had a shuttle service. I have Keys Shuttle service picked out now, but there is still plenty of time to come up with a better shuttle rate. Either way I slice it I still will come out ahead by flying into Miami and taking the shuttle. I just bought my plane ticket to Miami. Now I just save for the Casa, food, shopping, and oh yes, adult beverages.

$90 for the ferry. That's what Laurie priced it at to leave KW

$90 for the ferry. That's what Laurie priced it at to leave KW
2011

karat wrote:It truly depends what you want.
I'm flying in to key west again. Cab from airport to Casa is about $7+ tip. The airport is just around the corner from the Casa.

The down side about coming from the main land down is potential weather. Which of course is the same with flying in. But I take the earliest flight in. If we were bumped back there is no horrible wait.

Driving, shuttle or ferry down could be relaxing as well as enjoyable; from sights and sounds. Of course the cool breeze on your face.

Just look at the time. Coming from main land down there are potential delays. Not like the roads at home that you can detour around. One way in and out driving.

But I have an equal split of friends that love the drive/shuttle down. Others like the flight in.

Dragging mom this year. She was with us at brunch at Belliago two years ago. I told her she needs a relaxing vacation. So no one tell her we 'go go go' at night.

I'm LMAO that you told your Mother that MOTM was a relaxing vacation!

Hi Folks,

These last three years have been a whirlwind of a ride. It's time to set sail for another "Lovely Cruise" in
my life. I will be stepping down as Director of Conventions.

You all have made these three years a wonderful memory and I so hope I've done the same for you.
I will also never forget the friendships old and new by having this job. Thank you for all the support
over the last three years as Director of Conventions. Most important is all the support for Meeting of the Minds.
Remember without your support there would not be a Meeting of the Minds.

To all the Committee Chairs and volunteers who have helped put on Meeting of the Minds over these last 3 years
you all are "awesome". You are the ones that make MOTM run so smooth. Thank you!!!!!!

To the Parrot Heads in Paradise, Inc Board of Directors. Thank you for your confidence, support during this
time and giving me the chance to bring back the PHun & excitement to Meeting of the Minds.

This ole southern girl went to Key West and opened a lot of new doors in the community. All I ask is that you
keep supporting the ones that support Meeting of the Minds so the party will never end and continue like it
has over the last twenty years.

Now before I set sail its time to pass the torch to Andrew Talbert. Andrew will do a fine awesome job as
Director of Conventions. Please support Andrew as you all have supported me over the last three years.
Good Luck my friend!

It's been a lovely cruise and I'll see you when the sun sets in the Keys!

Charlotte Skinner
(MotherHen)
Director Of Conventions
Meeting of the Minds
2009, 2010, 2011

Charlotte--I am sorry to read this, but no doubt the next cruise that you sail on will be just as much of an adventure for you. Even though you are stepping down, will you still be coming to MOTM this year? I sure hope you do because Ms Sammie and I would love to see you again.

caphmobile wrote:Hi Folks,

These last three years have been a whirlwind of a ride. It's time to set sail for another "Lovely Cruise" in
my life. I will be stepping down as Director of Conventions.

You all have made these three years a wonderful memory and I so hope I've done the same for you.
I will also never forget the friendships old and new by having this job. Thank you for all the support
over the last three years as Director of Conventions. Most important is all the support for Meeting of the Minds.
Remember without your support there would not be a Meeting of the Minds.

To all the Committee Chairs and volunteers who have helped put on Meeting of the Minds over these last 3 years
you all are "awesome". You are the ones that make MOTM run so smooth. Thank you!!!!!!

To the Parrot Heads in Paradise, Inc Board of Directors. Thank you for your confidence, support during this
time and giving me the chance to bring back the PHun & excitement to Meeting of the Minds.

This ole southern girl went to Key West and opened a lot of new doors in the community. All I ask is that you
keep supporting the ones that support Meeting of the Minds so the party will never end and continue like it
has over the last twenty years.

Now before I set sail its time to pass the torch to Andrew Talbert. Andrew will do a fine awesome job as
Director of Conventions. Please support Andrew as you all have supported me over the last three years.
Good Luck my friend!

It's been a lovely cruise and I'll see you when the sun sets in the Keys!

Charlotte Skinner
(MotherHen)
Director Of Conventions
Meeting of the Minds
2009, 2010, 2011

Thank you, MotherHen!!!!!!!!


(((((((Charlotte))))))) You will be missed.

caphmobile wrote:Hi Folks,

These last three years have been a whirlwind of a ride. It's time to set sail for another "Lovely Cruise" in
my life. I will be stepping down as Director of Conventions.

You all have made these three years a wonderful memory and I so hope I've done the same for you.
I will also never forget the friendships old and new by having this job. Thank you for all the support
over the last three years as Director of Conventions. Most important is all the support for Meeting of the Minds.
Remember without your support there would not be a Meeting of the Minds.

To all the Committee Chairs and volunteers who have helped put on Meeting of the Minds over these last 3 years
you all are "awesome". You are the ones that make MOTM run so smooth. Thank you!!!!!!

To the Parrot Heads in Paradise, Inc Board of Directors. Thank you for your confidence, support during this
time and giving me the chance to bring back the PHun & excitement to Meeting of the Minds.

This ole southern girl went to Key West and opened a lot of new doors in the community. All I ask is that you
keep supporting the ones that support Meeting of the Minds so the party will never end and continue like it
has over the last twenty years.

Now before I set sail its time to pass the torch to Andrew Talbert. Andrew will do a fine awesome job as
Director of Conventions. Please support Andrew as you all have supported me over the last three years.
Good Luck my friend!

It's been a lovely cruise and I'll see you when the sun sets in the Keys!

Charlotte Skinner
(MotherHen)
Director Of Conventions
Meeting of the Minds
2009, 2010, 2011

Thanks for everything you did to make them so memorable - especially that last one!!!!