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Gasparilla Festival & hotel choices


HappilyEverAft-ers
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Hi.

 

I just found out the Gasparilla Festival is on the day we're to leave on Brilliance.  I have a hotel booked in Rocky Point.  Am I better off booking a hotel closer to the port, or should I stay where I am?  I'm concerned about traffic and how long it will take us to arrive to the port in a cab or Uber from Rocky Point.  Can someone offer any help?

 

Thanks!

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on the 25th of Jan this year ....

 

don't cancel what you've got!!!!!!!  I'd be very surprised if you could find something better / nearer at this late date.  It woudn't be a bad idea cuz downtown and the water front (river front) are gonna be a zoo but don't cancel unless you find something better first.

 

Plan extra taxi time since you'll probably need to go the long way around to get to the terminal.

 

this map shows the parade route ... I added the terminal area in BLUE if not familiar . . . 

image.thumb.png.21d3913967aa729a9815c4334f362907.png

 

map and other Gasp' info at http://gasparillapiratefest.com/main-festival/parade/#map

 

<many years ago I was serving on the Coast Guard Cutter that carried a Krewe in the water parade .... OMG what a mess! We ended up being rammed by the boat (a tour boat) carrying another Krewe who wanted our place in line . . . >

 

p.s. from the FAQ page for the event:

 

Information on the street closures and the parking and traffic plan for the Gasparilla event is best found via the City of Tampa’s Special Event Office website by CLICKING HERE, or by calling 813-274-8750.

The Florida Department of Transportation encourages travelers to use the 511 Traveler Information System before hitting the road to stay up-to-date on crashes, congestion and construction along their route. The 511 system provides information on all of Florida’s interstates, toll roads and other major metropolitan roadways, including those traveling near Gasparilla Pirate Fest.

For real-time traffic updates, travelers can call 511 toll free, visit FL511.com, download the free 511 mobile app on Apple App Store or Google Play, or follow FL511 on Twitter.

Edited by Capt_BJ
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5 hours ago, Capt_BJ said:

on the 25th of Jan this year ....

 

don't cancel what you've got!!!!!!!  I'd be very surprised if you could find something better / nearer at this late date.  It woudn't be a bad idea cuz downtown and the water front (river front) are gonna be a zoo but don't cancel unless you find something better first.

 

Plan extra taxi time since you'll probably need to go the long way around to get to the terminal.

 

this map shows the parade route ... I added the terminal area in BLUE if not familiar . . . 

image.thumb.png.21d3913967aa729a9815c4334f362907.png

 

map and other Gasp' info at http://gasparillapiratefest.com/main-festival/parade/#map

 

<many years ago I was serving on the Coast Guard Cutter that carried a Krewe in the water parade .... OMG what a mess! We ended up being rammed by the boat (a tour boat) carrying another Krewe who wanted our place in line . . . >

 

p.s. from the FAQ page for the event:

 

Information on the street closures and the parking and traffic plan for the Gasparilla event is best found via the City of Tampa’s Special Event Office website by CLICKING HERE, or by calling 813-274-8750.

The Florida Department of Transportation encourages travelers to use the 511 Traveler Information System before hitting the road to stay up-to-date on crashes, congestion and construction along their route. The 511 system provides information on all of Florida’s interstates, toll roads and other major metropolitan roadways, including those traveling near Gasparilla Pirate Fest.

For real-time traffic updates, travelers can call 511 toll free, visit FL511.com, download the free 511 mobile app on Apple App Store or Google Play, or follow FL511 on Twitter.

 

Thank you so much for this.  It is so helpful!  This is our first cruise out of Tampa, so I'm in the dark.  We had a cruise from Miami one year on the same day of some marathon, and even though we were very close to the port, because of road closures, it took over a hour in a taxi.  Not fun.  I did find something a half mile from the port, but of course it costs more.  That's not a big deal.  We chose Rocky Point so we could go to Bahama Breeze the night before, get the party started early and all that.  I need to make new plans.

 

Thank you for your service!  💙

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so i am in one of the krewes in Gasparilla. i also live in tampa. The parade starts at 2pm. most of the krewe members are down at their floats by 11am (ish. there are like 150 units so it varies greatly where you are in the parade). i know one year we were unit #2 and so we started at 2:10pm and ended at 3:30. (yes we have someone every year time when we started and when we finish because we always get people who ask "when will we be done") most of the spectators are there between 11am and 4pm. so as long as you plan extra time to get from rocky point to the terminal you should be fine. normally that would be like a 30 min drive. i would give it easily an hour. just in case. the taxi/uber will also have to take alternate routes to get to the terminal as part of the parade goes through downtown and they shut down a lot of roads. there are many areas i would avoid, but rocky point is going to be a better place to be than most of south tampa.

we once sailed out on gasparilla ourselves. just be prepared for your departure to be delayed. sometimes the ship is delayed a bit returning and sometimes the coast guard also holds the ships from leaving at 4pm like they usually do.

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