First time cruising out of Tampa.

[yancycruiser]

Planning to book Serenade of the Seas out of Tampa today.   We have been on 24 cruises but never out of Tampa.   .

First we will be 81 and 79 but in very good health.

1.  Should we park at the Port or book a hotel that provides transportation to the port of Tampa?.

2.  If at the port, is it fairly simple process and easy to find a parking spot?

3.  Any other tips for cruising out of Tampa?

 

 

 

[RosieRoo]

Used to live in the area and cruised from there often. Parking garage is right there, just park and walk across the street to the ship. Pre covid they had valet parking which wasn’t super expensive. It was great. They took your car right in front of the terminal and delivered it back when you disembarked. I’m not sure if they still offer that. Not sure if you are driving or flying, but don’t book a flight too early if you’re flying,  Tampa tends to get fog and it can delay the ships arrival. 

[yancycruiser]

We are driving from Montgomery, Al.  Thank you RosieRoo for taking time to respond.   I did see that the cruise port still offered the valet service for a one time fee of $20 plus the $15 per day.

 

[Jim40]

I paid in advance for parking online in 2019 and saved money and parked right in front of ship .

[ONECRUISER]

35 minutes ago, Jim40 said:

I paid in advance for parking online in 2019 and saved money and parked right in front of ship .

Thats what I miss in Miami, 25yrs ago Ships were smaller and parking so close could throw a Coin from my Balcony and hit my Car

[ZoeyVictoria]

You can arrange for parking through ParkConnect and park at the Channelside Parking Garage for $9 per night.

[Homosassa]

I checked the Port of Tampa  cruise schedule and it shows the Serenade of the Sea leaving from Pier (Terminal 6) for cruises starting in the fall/winter.

 

Terminal 6 is very easy to maneuver around in. We just cruised from that pier (departed 2/14/22).

 

Follow the signs to drop your luggage at the terminal and then simply follow the sign to self park (it was the first left after leaving the terminal)

 

We parked our car next to the pedestrian exit gate to the terminal and did the very short walk up the ramp to the terminal.

 

We prepaid our parking and simply showed the gate attendant the "ticket" (make sure you print the ticket). The ticket was also the parking pass for the dashboard.

 

Please note that only terminal 6 has the self parking right in front of the terminal.

 

The other terminals (2 and 3) use the parking garage on the far side of Channelside Drive. That walk is about two blocks long.  

 

All terminals have valet parking at the terminal.

 

Here is the Port of Tampa link to prepurchase parking:

 

https://www.porttb.com/parking

[time4u2go]

33 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

I checked the Port of Tampa  cruise schedule and it shows the Serenade of the Sea leaving from Pier (Terminal 6) for cruises starting in the fall/winter.

 

Terminal 6 is very easy to maneuver around in. We just cruised from that pier (departed 2/14/22).

 

Follow the signs to drop your luggage at the terminal and then simply follow the sign to self park (it was the first left after leaving the terminal)

 

We parked our car next to the pedestrian exit gate to the terminal and did the very short walk up the ramp to the terminal.

 

We prepaid our parking and simply showed the gate attendant the "ticket" (make sure you print the ticket). The ticket was also the parking pass for the dashboard.

 

Please note that only terminal 6 has the self parking right in front of the terminal.

 

The other terminals (2 and 3) use the parking garage on the far side of Channelside Drive. That walk is about two blocks long.  

 

All terminals have valet parking at the terminal.

 

Here is the Port of Tampa link to prepurchase parking:

 

https://www.porttb.com/parking

We recently cruised on Brilliance out of terminal 6.  As you stated, it was easy for embarkation.  However...the ship docked at terminal 3 when it returned.  (No idea why...there was no ship at terminal 6.)  We were told to wait at a certain spot for a van to take us to the terminal 6 parking lot.  The "van" turned out to be a single minivan.  Keep in mind that there were dozens and dozens of cars parked in the terminal 6 parking lot.  We decided to walk.  It's a nearly half mile walk, with luggage in tow.  Not fun, and not well-planned at all.

[wandb]

23 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

We recently cruised on Brilliance out of terminal 6.  As you stated, it was easy for embarkation.  However...the ship docked at terminal 3 when it returned.  (No idea why...there was no ship at terminal 6.)  We were told to wait at a certain spot for a van to take us to the terminal 6 parking lot.  The "van" turned out to be a single minivan.  Keep in mind that there were dozens and dozens of cars parked in the terminal 6 parking lot.  We decided to walk.  It's a nearly half mile walk, with luggage in tow.  Not fun, and not well-planned at all.

we were on that same Brilliance cruise I think. When we parked at Terminal 6, we were told that the ship would return to a different terminal. We opted to park there at 6 and took the van back when we disembarked. It was no problem. There were at least 3 vans doing the quick ride over to Terminal 6. We only waited a few minutes for the van, and they took us directly to our car. 

[time4u2go]

6 minutes ago, wandb said:

we were on that same Brilliance cruise I think. When we parked at Terminal 6, we were told that the ship would return to a different terminal. We opted to park there at 6 and took the van back when we disembarked. It was no problem. There were at least 3 vans doing the quick ride over to Terminal 6. We only waited a few minutes for the van, and they took us directly to our car. 

Interesting.  We waited a LONG time, then finally gave up and walked.

[yancycruiser]

Thanks so much for all the information.   Discovered this site about 20 years ago and the assistance from members have been truly invaluable. 

Since I have many responders with Tampa experience let me ask this.   I am looking for a place to stay for the night perhaps east of Tampa with about 30-45 minute drive to cruise port.   My ship leaves on a Saturday.   Any suggestions on where to stay for about $200 and would traffic be bad on a Saturday morning.   Thanks everyone.

[Homosassa]

No suggestions on a hotel as I live an hour from Tampa.

 

When do you plan to cruise?  There can be an issue if you plan to go during Gasparilla or if something is happening in Ybor City.  Otherwise, Saturday should be fine.

[hrhdhd]

Non-parking tip: Don't miss the ship cruising under the Sunshine Skyway bridge. 

[MamadawgFL]

12 hours ago, hrhdhd said:

Non-parking tip: Don't miss the ship cruising under the Sunshine Skyway bridge. 

THIS 1000%!!!  DO NOT MISS PASSING UNDER THE BRIDGE!! Get as high-up as you can, it really looks like the ship won"t clear it.

[Sea saw 56]

10 hours ago, MamadawgFL said:

THIS 1000%!!!  DO NOT MISS PASSING UNDER THE BRIDGE!! Get as high-up as you can, it really looks like the ship won"t clear it.

Do you remember how long it takes to get to the bridge after sailing away from the pier?

[KeepCalmBearOn]

On 3/22/2022 at 2:54 PM, yancycruiser said:

Since I have many responders with Tampa experience let me ask this.   I am looking for a place to stay for the night perhaps east of Tampa with about 30-45 minute drive to cruise port.   My ship leaves on a Saturday.   Any suggestions on where to stay for about $200 and would traffic be bad on a Saturday morning.   Thanks everyone.

 

I would look in the Tampa-Wesley Chapel area. There are nice hotels right off I-275, including a Hyatt Place, Hampton Inn and Hilton Garden Inn. That puts you about 30 minutes from Cruise Terminal #6.

[JohninDC]

6 hours ago, Sea saw 56 said:

Do you remember how long it takes to get to the bridge after sailing away from the pier?

Typically, about the middle of first seating dinner in the MDR.

[hrhdhd]

9 hours ago, Sea saw 56 said:

Do you remember how long it takes to get to the bridge after sailing away from the pier?

About 1.5-2 hours, depending on conditions. Your captain may mention it in the "Welcome Onboard" announcement.

[MamadawgFL]

15 hours ago, Sea saw 56 said:

Do you remember how long it takes to get to the bridge after sailing away from the pier?

like the others have said, close to the 2 hour mark. sometimes they announce it.