"Calling it a restaurant is a little bit of a stretch," Rose Marina general manager Daniel High told WINK News this fall. "It was a dive bar, but a very loved dive bar, and we're trying to rebuild on that on that same site."
The bar was Jack's Lookout. Hurricane Ian's storm surge took it in 2022. The plan to bring it back as a 200-seat waterfront restaurant on Factory Bay is the reason the Key West Express will not tie up at 951 Bald Eagle Drive this winter. For the first time in years, Marco's December guests who want a day in Key West have to start in Fort Myers Beach. Everything else at the marina keeps sailing, and for most visitors those shorter trips cover a boat day well.
The Trade the Island Made on September 10
The approval took a long time. The Marco Island Planning Board voted 5-2 on July 23, 2026 to recommend the project. City Council took it up on September 10, and as the Marco Eagle reported, the final vote came at 12:55 a.m., after seven and a half hours of council discussion and two years of review. Council approved three items, each by a 4-2 vote: a garbage and landscaping variance, a conditional use permit for boat storage, and a variance to reconfigure the docks.
The site plan covers more than the restaurant. It expands and reconfigures parking and adds 20 outdoor boat storage racks. High told WINK the marina faces "major parking improvements, major stormwater enhancements for not just our site but the neighbors and the Bald Eagle stretch of road, and yeah, a lot of seawall work." The planning board also added a condition that no debarkation vessel may stay overnight at the marina except during severe weather.
Residents were divided. Some neighbors on nearby streets raised concerns about tour buses, traffic and the growing size of the passenger ships that use the marina. Others called the family-owned marina, on Factory Bay since it opened as Marco River Marina in 1969, a long-standing community resource. The restaurant itself still has no announced name, operator or opening date, and construction dates have not been published.
The work is already shaping this winter. In August, Key West Express said it would not bring its boat to Rose Marina for the coming season because of "anticipated dock and parking improvements," and that it looked forward to "resuming normal operations at Rose Marina as soon as possible."
What the Pause Covers, and When It Should End
The Marco run has always been seasonal. The company told WINK its Marco Island service runs only from Dec. 26 through March, while the Fort Myers Beach route runs year-round. It described the Marco change as "temporarily suspending" service because renovations will affect dock space.
So the gap is one season, and High told WINK he expects the ferry back for 2027–2028. The Key West Express office on Marco Island stays open and staffed for bookings, so you can still reserve the Fort Myers Beach sailing in person on the island.
The Key West Day From Fort Myers Beach
The terminal is at 1200 Main Street on Fort Myers Beach. The schedule currently posted on the Key West Express fares page makes for a long day:
- Boarding opens at 7:00 a.m., and passengers must be checked in by 7:30 a.m.
- The boat leaves Fort Myers Beach at 8:00 a.m.
- The operator says to plan on about 3.5 hours port to port, depending on weather and sea conditions.
- Return boarding in Key West opens at 5:00 p.m., with check-in required by 5:30 p.m.
- The return boat leaves at 6:00 p.m., which puts you back in Fort Myers Beach around 9:30 p.m., before the drive home to Marco.
Currently posted round-trip adult fares run from $170 for advance purchase on Monday through Thursday to $194 at full fare. Seniors pay $170 to $184, juniors $135, and children four and under $85. One-way adult and senior tickets are $145. Parking at Fort Myers Beach costs $20 per vehicle per day, and the operator says this is the only one of its terminals that charges for parking. It recommends reserving a space ahead of time.
For two adults, that comes to at least $340 in fares plus $20 for parking. Sailing dates change by season, so check the operator's booking calendar before you promise anyone a specific day. With a 9:30 p.m. arrival on the mainland, some households may find that an overnight in Key West makes more sense than a same-day round trip.
What Still Leaves Factory Bay
WINK reports that construction will not shut the marina down, though it could affect some businesses that operate there. Rose Marina lists more than 20 fishing captains alongside a roster of tour operators. Here is what those operators are posting as of mid-October 2026:
| Trip | Operator | Length | Currently posted price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature & History Lunch Cruise | Marco Island Princess | 2 hours | $55 per adult on the fare page |
| Admiral's Sunset Dinner Cruise | Marco Island Princess | 2 hours | $79 per adult |
| Sightseeing cruise | Marco Island Princess | 2 hours | $45 per adult |
| Eco-tour and shelling cruise | Dolphin Explorer | 3 hours, 9 a.m. or 1 p.m. | from $59 |
| Island shelling | Sunshine Tours | 2.5 hours | $80 adult, $65 child |
| Shared backcountry fishing | Sunshine Tours | 3 hours | $85 adult, $75 child |
| Public cycle boat cruise | Paradise Cycle Boat | 1.5 or 2 hours | $49 or $59 |
| 20-foot, seven-passenger pontoon rental | Rose Marina | 4 to 7 hours | $174 quoted for Oct. 15 |
The Princess fare page says fares exclude tax, service charge and port charge. Children ages 4 to 11 ride at half price, and children under 3 ride free. Its October weekly schedule adds a $3-per-person fuel surcharge on two-hour cruises, a $5 port charge and 6% sales tax on sightseeing trips, and a $4.50 meal-service charge on meal cruises. It also lists no cruises on Sundays or Mondays. The weekly schedules also show the lunch cruise at $79, so confirm the fare for your date when you book.
The sunset cruise moves with the season. The Princess says departures run as early as about 5:00 p.m. in midwinter and as late as 7:00 p.m. in summer. In late December, a two-hour dinner cruise leaving around 5:00 p.m. has guests back on the dock by about 7:00 p.m.
For larger groups, Rose Marina's 22-foot, ten-passenger pontoons were quoted at $234 and $310 for the same October date, depending on engine size. Paradise Cycle Boat lists private charters at $650 for daytime and $750 for sunset.
These prices are October quotes, not winter rate guarantees. Even so, the gap is large. A Dolphin Explorer morning and a Princess sunset dinner together cost less per adult than the cheapest round-trip ferry ticket, and both leave from a dock on Bald Eagle Drive.
A Quieter Dock This Season
Rose Marina's charter directory still lists Key West Express. That entry is the island booking office, not a winter sailing. The Marco Island Princess, which stays, is 96 feet and carries up to 100 passengers, while the Key West Express ships run 155 to 170 feet and carry up to 500 passengers. Charter captain Dustin Beatty, whose family has run boats from the marina for years, told WINK that adding the restaurant would be "a huge improvement." If the marina's estimate holds, the ferry returns for the 2027–28 season to a Factory Bay rebuilt around the 200-seat successor to Jack's Lookout.
If winter guests are asking how to fit Key West into a Marco Island visit this year, ask us. We can help with which morning boat suits a houseguest, how a December day can be planned around the sunset schedule, and keeping up with the work on Bald Eagle Drive. The team at Darlene Roddy has called Marco home for decades, so if a question about this season on the water is on your mind, Contact Us.
