For Now, There Won't Be a Carnival in Key West

The cruise line is skipping the party town for the time being.

Carnival guests will have to wait a little longer to enjoy the sights and smells of Key West, a small town where the most popular attractions are bars and t-shirt shops.

Carnival President Christine Duffy, in an email, informed booked guests that their cruise would skip Key West and spend more time in Cozumel, Mexico, where the most popular attractions are bard and jewelry stores. "We are still in discussions with the Key West officials on our restart plans. For the time being, we will skip the call to Key West for the sailings indicated below. This will allow us to extend our time in Cozumel, Mexico."

According to the website Cruise Hive, the Safer, Cleaner Ships organization and local commissioners are still pushing to ban cruise ships from Key West. The cruise line is in discussion with city officials to find a solution that will allow large ships to return to America's "Jello Shot" capital. The city's new lawyer Ed Pozzuoli believes there isn't much room to enforce the referendum results. He advised the city commissioners to find a resolution.

"I could not advise you to put into ordinance a mirror image of the voter referendums without you understanding the potential liability, but I believe we could get close through other means. There's a long-standing contract with Pier B, and it's not just a contract, but a formal development agreement. It runs through 2025 and is subject to an automatic renewal of 10 years…. You're governed now by that development agreement with Pier B."