Sailing from Tampa---Questions

[Rudolph38]

Well, it's time for our annual winter cruise on HAL. This year we are considering our first cruise from Tampa on the Ryndam in early March. We have always sailed from Fort Lauderdale in the past. I have several questions about a Tampa departure.

 

We have never had any trouble getting a nice hotel with a free shuttle to the pier in Ft. Lauderdale. Will this be a problem in Tampa?

 

I will go the hotel board, but any quick hotel suggestions from any of you?

 

Our cruise will end on Sunday, March 11. I am thinking of a flight out of the Tampa airport at noon. Will this be a problem? It never was in Ft. Lauderdale.

 

What is the best way to get to the airport from the pier? We always took cabs in Ft. Lauderdale, and it was quick and cheap.

 

Thanks in advance,

Rudy

[sail7seas]

Tampa is a great, easy port to sail from.

 

We like Marriott Waterside. (There are several Marriotts in Tampa so be careful which you are looking at when researching.) It is walking distance to the dock and a taxi is very reasonable. If we didn't have luggage, we'd walk.

 

Taxi from port to airport at the end of the cruise on a Sunday should take about 20 minutes or so.

 

The only hold up is sometimes this port gets fogged in. If there is fog, the ships cannot come through the channel to dock. Doesn't happen often but it has been known to delay cruise ships.

 

[RetiredMustang]

Rudy,

 

We have done 3 HAL cruises out of Tampa. Two were on the old Noordam III, which is not in the fleet anymore, and Feb. 2011 on Ryndam. The first time, we stayed at the HAL hotel, which turned out to be the Marriott at the airport.

 

The other two times, we stayed at the Marriott within a few blocks of the cruise pier. That is a very nice hotel, but of course more expensive than staying further out. We have not looked for a hotel with shuttle service to the pier, but I know a lot of people have done so. Hopefully, they will come on this thread, but you might also want to do searches on the ports boards.

 

We have flown from Tampa, and driven. Once, we had a fog bank that delayed us coming into port, and we barely made our flight, which IIRC was about 2 p.m. This winter, we drove and were on the road by 8:30. So, it depends. Sorry for the caveat, but that's what it is. I think that if things go normally, you can catch a cab to the airport in plenty of time for a noon flight. The distance from the pier to the airport is greater than in Ft. Lauderdale, but I think Ryndam sails on the weekends, so traffic should not be a major problem.

 

FWIW, I blogged our Feb 2011 Ryndam b2b, including links to photos: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1353835

 

Enjoy Ryndam! We certainly did.

 

Dave

[aliaschief]

Our disembarkation Porter recommended a van that has a trailer attached for luggage. Can't remember the price but it was cheaper than a taxi and we were at the airport in a flash.

 

Tampa has a great extremely efficient terminal.

 

We stayed at the Marriott Waterside which was really nice but the disco across the canal was blasting music to 3 AM. It's a problem the area hotels were trying to fix but the cities sound levels ordinances need to be changed.

 

Trolley car is a great way of getting around the city.

 

Hope you enjoy your MS Ryndam cruise as much as we did.

[tcook052]

I will go the hotel board, but any quick hotel suggestions from any of you?

 

Hi Rudy. :)

 

FWIW I booked the Hyatt Regency Tampa which is roughly 8 blocks from the pier for a very good rate. The reviews are fairly positive and I'm partial to Hyatt's so will give it a try. I'm going 2 nights early to wind down before jumping on the Ryndam so am looking forward to this winter escape.

[flashopper]

The Marriott at the airport has had a warning on the site that there is major construction noise. I pass the airport weekly and have not seen any construction but you should check the airport site just in case. We have stayed at Marriott Waterside and not had a noise problem from the club across and it was a weekend.We have also stayed across the street at the Embassy Suites but much more $$.

 

Chris

[Krazy Kruizers]

HAL will be using a different termial this year.

In Oct 2010 we used taxis to get around -- there was a flat rate of $25 from airport to hotels / ships in that area.

We used the trolley to get around as well.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Check out this thread for HAL's new Tampa terminal:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1401323&highlight=tampa+cruise+terminal

[sail7seas]

We rode the trolley a few times, as well. Fun and fairly convenient.

We always taxi to and from airports and hotel to docks.

[Krazy Kruizers]

The Trolley -- here at home we used to call them streetcars:

[sail7seas]

Boston still has street cars.

[AttorneyVin]

Living in Tampa, I would highly recommend the Hyatt Regency Tampa. It is a beautiful hotel, offering excellent service at pretty good rates. They offer an inexpensive shuttle to/from the airport, and they are within walking distance to the port, or also for a small fee, will drive you to the port. I have stayed at this property many times when I have been downtown for business or theater, and I would highly recommend it!

[AllieKay]

AttorneyVin-

Completely different subject - my BFF and I arrive late on Friday night - staying at some La Quinta (free) near the airport. We have NO plans on Saturday and were planning to skip renting a car to save our pennies for the cruise. We did think about going to Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City for dinner - would you recommend? I am realizing that we haven't made any plans in Tampa for an entire day and that's rather stupid. I read about trolley service but am guessing it will be far from our hotel. What would you suggest as a not-to-be-missed for us in Tampa? I live in San Diego/Lish lives in CO.