Port of tampa ?

Hello,

Its been years since I boarded in Tampa, can somebody let us know what is the earliest time we can get to the terminal? Also, if you cruised out of Tampa before, what time did you get to board the ship?

We've gotten to the terminal at 10am before, and I don't know if you can get there earlier. Boarding somewhere between 11am and 11:30am.

Hi Bob, thats perfect, thank you.

as usual, Bob is correct, based on our Christmas cruise last year

I cruised out of terminal 3 back in May, I will warn you that around 10:30am, Channelside Dr was congested with a lot of stop and go traffic due to people trying to get into the port while people were still trying to leave the port and tourist traffic getting to the aquarium and shopping. It took longer to get to the port , unload and park (about 30 mins) than it did to get through check-in and get on the ship (about 15 mins). Granted this was for a Carnival cruise, but the terminals for all the cruise lines are in the same general area.

I cruised out of terminal 3 back in May, I will warn you that around 10:30am, Channelside Dr was congested with a lot of stop and go traffic due to people trying to get into the port while people were still trying to leave the port and tourist traffic getting to the aquarium and shopping. It took longer to get to the port , unload and park (about 30 mins) than it did to get through check-in and get on the ship (about 15 mins). Granted this was for a Carnival cruise, but the terminals for all the cruise lines are in the same general area.

Thanks for the heads up!;) We'll be driving and parking in the terminal this October and had planned on getting there at 10;00am but now may wait until 11:00am to allow passengers to GET OFF OUR SHIP!:* We'll be getting on RCCL's Majesty of the Seas; any idea which terminal garage to park?

Thanks I will get there earlier.

Suggest using the Valet parking service. Flat $20 surcharge over DIY parking and well worth it. Quick return of car when cruise is over

We originally was going to drive to Tampa that would be just around 3 hours but decided to fly there so we be taking Uber to the port.

We started our Transatlantic crossing on Brilliance in April from Tampa.

Planned embarkation was 11.30-15.30 (set sail 17.00).

Two days prior to embarkation we got an email, which postponed our embarkation to 13.00-16.00! (1.00-4.00 pm) Reason for it was the need for "enhanced sanitation".... :o:rolleyes:

The embarkation in the terminal went very smooth and professional. It just took about 15 minutes to get onbord. (y)

All the best! ;p

I’m not sure if it’s changed but the past couple of times that we cruised from Tampa we returned to a different terminal than we left from. We spent the extra 20.00 for Valet parking and they moved the cars to the other terminal and made it so much easier. Something to consider if you plan to park.

Thanks for that info, we won't have a car so returning to a different terminal is fine but I am sure others would not be happy to hear that.

Keep in mind the "new" terminal six is a small refurb terminal. It is much too small to handle the crowds IMHO. Do get there early if possible.

I thought Majesty uses terminal 3, anybody can confirm this?

I thought Majesty uses terminal 3, anybody can confirm this?

Good question. I was talking about Brilliance/Rhapsody cruises. Not sure which one MJ uses.

Leaving in 10 days. Majesty using Terminal 3 and Valet parking lot next to terminal 3 just west of ship. Maybe these will help. Bob

Cruise Terminal #3 | Port Tampa Bay

TAMPA VALEWT PARKING

Bob, thank you!

Thanks for the heads up!;) We'll be driving and parking in the terminal this October and had planned on getting there at 10;00am but now may wait until 11:00am to allow passengers to GET OFF OUR SHIP!:* We'll be getting on RCCL's Majesty of the Seas; any idea which terminal garage to park?

If it's docking at Terminal 3 like villager70 said, we parked across the road at the parking garage, we had two cars, my FIL and I dropped my husband and MIL off with the luggage at the terminal and went and parked the cars ourselves and we easily walked back to the terminal, took about 10 mins to park and walk.

Thanks everyone for the information. It sounds like valet parking will work best for us. We are leaving next week on Carnival Paradise but the address is the same so I'm assuming everything else is the same. DH uses a scooter on the ship which we are bringing & I am still a little weak in the knee after surgery. I will be pushing his rollator to use when we go off the ship.

We are cruising in November on Navigator OTS. I prefer Royal Caribbean but this itinerary & port worked for us.

Thanks for all of the info everyone. We have sailed out of Miami and Port Canaveral before but never Tampa, and never Royal Carribean. I think our hotel offers a shuttle to the port, but we may end up Ubering!

We don't want to waste time waiting for people to get down from their rooms and into the shuttle and having all those people in the shuttle with us, we also using uber!

Good plan CruiseGirl6! Patience is not my strong point!!!! Waiting on slow pokes would not make the shuttle a good idea!!

Exactly CathyandJim!

We cruised out of this port for the first time in June on Majesty. Seems really laid back and not nearly as busy as say Miami. Our departure was delayed for about 4 hours, captain said something about not having clearance to leave but I don't know what that meant. Going under the Sunshine Skyway bridge on the way out is interesting. Sure is a tight fit!

Suggest using the Valet parking service. Flat $20 surcharge over DIY parking and well worth it. Quick return of car when cruise is over

Yes! This was the best money I've ever spent out of the Port of Tampa! Well worth it!

-germ