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Hello all. I am looking for recommendations for transportation from DisneyWorld to the Port of Tampa. We do not want to rent a car to drive there. I am hoping that someone knows of a reliable transportation / shuttle company who does this route. I used to use Michael from VIPLimo. Seems that he is no longer in business as I have tried to call them. I have tried google search just not sure I am finding much or those that would be reliable as we want to get to the port early in the morning. Any suggestions would be quite helpful. I have time as we do not cruise now until March 2023. Had to cancel the last few years because of Covid so really looking forward to this vacation. The other alternative would be to just fly into Tampa and stay at a hotel close to the port. Any and all suggestions on hotels would be appreciated as well. Some place that either has a restaurant on site or restaurants in walking distance. We have never stayed in Tampa so the area is very new to us. Usually cruise out of Miami and always stay at the Hyatt. Thank you in advance for any and all help.

On 4/26/2022 at 10:54 AM, Quencups said:

Thank you....don't know him 😞

Patrick is one of the best. In my opinion. Have had the pleasure of cruising with him several times. 

We have stayed in11560 several times when we have had the 2 bedroom suite on the Dawn. The only noise I remember hearing is when the deck chairs move. I think that is what is above. It has been many years since being in the suite. I have not stayed in 11060 which is the mirror image as I always book the same room when cruising. We do love the Dawn. Awesome ship! 

I love Patrick. He is one of the best.  He has always gone above & beyond. Have traveled with him many times. He was on the Dawn however he just went on his vacation. If you do have an opportunity to travel with him as your Concierge watch out as you will be spoiled...

Patrick is currently on the Dawn. However I believe he is only there until February for his time off. 

16 hours ago, JohninDC said:

I understand that you don't want to rent a car, but your best bet is a one way car rental. There are a few (Avis, Hertz, & Enterprise) close to the port, or take a quick Uber or taxi to TPA. The drive from Tampa to Orlando takes about 1.5-2 hours, depending upon traffic. A rental let's you explore, dine, etc. before you head to the airport.

Thank you. We definitely do not want to rent a car. Too much of a hassle and won't have the time to explore. We do go to Florida every year just not Tampa. For me I would prefer a company to transport us or I may just book an extra night in Tampa and go home the morning after the cruise. Still have time to decide what to do. I appreciate everyone's help.

Thank you. I did do a google search as well. I was hoping for someone who has experience with a company. Also, would prefer to be able to pay once they come to pick us up and not ahead of time. I had always used Michael from VIP Executive Limo. He was great and always prompt. They do not seem to be in business anymore as I can not find the info for them. The numbers I have just say to try the call again later. Hopefully someone has information on who to contact. Would prefer to get transportation to Orlando so we do not have to sit at the airport until 8pm+ the night the cruise ends. Thank you for any and all your help.

Still trying to find a shuttle service or transportation service that will pick up at Tampa port and bring us to Orlando airport. Hoping someone knows of a service that will do this. Need to find service before I book my flight home. Just really do not want to wait at the airport for an 8:00pm flight. Sitting around with luggage and nowhere to go is not fun. Any and all thoughts would be appreciated. Thank you.

10 minutes ago, Travel Junkie Judy said:

 

Yes, Alaine is definitely on the Dawn.  We had lunch today with folks on the Dawn while they were here in port.  They said he is there.

Great to hear this. I hope he is still on when we cruise. 

17 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

Mears has always been Magic Express

Yes it has always been. I think that is why they will continue with a fee. I am sure it will be just a little different then the way it’s been for so many years. At least they offer an option to get from Orlando airport to Disney hotel and back. 

I too am sad that ME is going away. However, Mears transportation will still be offering transportation to & from the airport for a fee. You can actually go on the Mears site and it will give you all the information for your travel date. Hope this helps.

So I checked out Marriott Water St. No availability for our dates. Kind of crazy coz it is far enough out. Weekend before & after are available. I will keep checking though coz it does look nice. I got in touch with Grand Hyatt. Seems to be quite a way from the port. Will reach out to a few more this week. I think I prefer to be closer to port. I always like to get there early. With the way the embarkation is now not sure how that will all work.  Thank you all I will continue on my research. 

I appreciate everyone's help. I think I may have it down to 3 places to stay. Any opinions on the Hyatt Place, Grand Hyatt or the Sheraton Riverwalk? When searching it looks like the Hyatt Place is the closest to the port. If I have the address correct. lol  It also looks like it is a new hotel. Not sure if I am reading that correctly. Any other options with opinions are greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

I am hoping to hear who will be on the Dawn come April. I know it is a ways away. I am hoping that Alain HD is still on her. He is fabulous!! Also would hope to find out who the concierge will be. I know Patrick is on now but he will not be there in April. 😞

Wondering if anyone knows if the suite menus for breakfast & lunch will be similar. This would be on the ships that do not have the Haven or Haven Restaurants. 

I appreciate all the answers. Looks like we will just fly into and out of Tampa. Probably most convenient. Will contact a few of the hotels to see if we can get a 1 day available day. It think I will stay away from Ybor City> really just want peacefulness and not rowdy. 

Have never done an uber or lyft so I will look into both of these as well. 

Thank you everyone.. Can not wait to get back on a ship!!!

Thank you both so much. I also started to look at places in Tampa. Not sure how close any were from the port or what area they are in. Do you know anything about location for the Hyatt Place Downtown, Westshore, Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay or the Riverwalk? Do not know the areas. Also someone had recommended Ybor City area. Do you know anything about that area? My only other thought is to find transportation company to drive us from Orlando to Tampa port. The company I used to use seems to be out of business. Do you know any company that would do this? 

Thank you again.

Hello all. I am not at all familiar with the Tampa area. Any suggestions as to where to stay near the Port of Tampa. Cruising out of Tampa and would prefer to stay in the area close to the port or close enough to be able to get transportation to the port early in am. It doesn't need to be a shuttle from the hotel. Thank you in advance.

Hello. Looking for recommendations. Cruising from Tampa. Does anyone know of any shuttle or car service to get from the Tampa port to Orlando? I have done this several times over the years however I do not believe the guy I used is still in business. I do not want to rent a car or take an uber. Looking to find someone or a company that is reliable and safe. Thank you all in advance for any suggestions. 

Brad fantastic review. Thank you for taking the time out of your days to keep us updated. You have some beautiful pictures as well as some very informative. I felt like I was on this cruise. Alaska is on my bucket list. Hoping to get there someday. Thank you again. 

Brad, loving your live review. So glad you are all having a great time. I am vacationing (in my mind, lol) through your review. So happy to see the industry coming back. Can’t wait to cruise again. Have a great week! 

3 hours ago, GreenValleyDogWalker said:

Are hash browns available for breakfast ?? 

I have gotten them with almost every breakfast. May not be the type of hash brown you are looking for as they are the round ones.  

I do not think it is your CN that goes away. However, your CC points do come off the price you paid for the cruise. That is what they see. If you were to go online to MyNCL look at your summary. It shows what you pd for your cruise fare minus CN & any other deposit. However, the cruise fare will have been brought down by the amount of the CC points. They use the CC points the same as if there was a discount on the fare when you booked. So, if original price was 1500 & you used 300 in CC points you pay 1200 on your cruise fare minus your deposit..Hope I explained that right. 

Any updated information on the Pearl? TY

Looks like the Pearl has chartered cruises now through almost end of February. Then it goes to 3 day, 5 day then the 7 day. The itineraries are different and they probably have dailies that will not pertain to regular sailings until March 1st.  😞