Car rental at the port in Tampa?

[Latte Lover]

Can you rent a car at the port and return it to the airport? We have a whole day to play around town before our flight. Any suggestions of what to do for a family w/ 2 boys (8, 10)?

[Wales 2004]

If you rent from Alamo they will shuttle you from the airport to the rental place, and then from the rental to the port for free!

 

If you have just a little time to kill and you like Greek food, it may be worth your while to venture up the coastline to Tarpon Springs. Tarpon is a little greek fishing village that is known as the sponge capital of the world, as they dive for sponges.

 

My wife and I killed an afternoon there before our cruise and loved it. Plus it was fun driving up and down the coast and looking at all the sites.

 

You could also kill time at Ybor City, or just around town.

 

If you want to see our pics from tarpon springs, go to

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonandnicola

 

Hope this helps!

[Latte Lover]

Thanks Wales- Cool Cruiser. Our spare time is on the return after the cruise. So does Alamo shuttle us from the port to the airport to get the car? How long does that take? Then we return the car to the airport before our flight, right? Thanks for the idea on Tarpon Springs. I'll check out your pics.

[florida cruiser girl]

Contact Alamo as they are not actually "on site" at TIA, but nearby on Westshore. I am almost certain they will get you at the port and you will return the car to them and they will shuttle you to the airport. But again, check with them to be sure.

Here in Tampa, there are so many things to do with kids, depending on yor time her, of course. Tarpon Springs is very nice, as the previous poster states and is near where I live and where we keep our boat. You can take a boat ride out also to see how they dive for the sponges! Just keep in mind that it is a good 45 min to an hour drive from the port one way.

Closer to the port and depending on your time here...the Florida Aquarium is awesome!! The kids will love it!! Busch Gardens is cool for the kids too!

You can hang out in Channelside at the port if you like, they have food, bowling, movies, etc.

Beach time? Head over 60 to Clearwater Beach or for a quieter and more scenic beach head to Honeymoon Island/Caledesi (north os Clearwater in Dunedin on Alt 19)

Also, depending on when you are here, there are so many activites that are season specific, such as fairs, strawberry festival, etc.

Have a great time whatever you choose to do...it really is a great place to visit and lots to do!!

[Latte Lover]

Cruiser Girl - Thanks for all the great ideas! We'll be there in Feb. I think we'll check out the aqaurium - many posters rave about it.

[SeaPA1]

As others mentioned, Busch Gardens is nice. If the boys are rollercoaster fans they'll love it - there are several excellent coasters. It's about a 20 minute drive from the port (although as others metioned you'll lose some time getting the car as there are no onsight rental companies; if you have a full day you'd still have time to do BG).

 

The Aquarium is very nice & is adjacent to the port/terminal area. It's not a full day activity - probably a couple of hours.

 

You can catch the trolley from right in front of the Channelside complex (this is where the terminal is located) over to Ybor City & have lunch at a number of very good restaurants, especially the Cuban places.

 

How many hours do you have to kill? Also, what day of the week (some of the places have more or less to do on certain days).

[florida cruiser girl]

Cruiser Girl - Thanks for all the great ideas! We'll be there in Feb. I think we'll check out the aqaurium - many posters rave about it.

 

Latte Lover---Yep it awesome, especially for kids and adults too! You can check out the info on it @ flaquarium.org.

I see that you say you have a whole day to spend, so you could do that and then hang out in Channelside (plenty of places to eat, shop) or head over to Ybor also to grab something to eat there. With these options you can save the rental car money too!! You can check out channelsidetampa.com and there are links there also to various area things to do.

Have fun!!

[suezducruz]

I just called Alamo at the Tampa location and they said that they have shuttles outside the cruise terminal waiting to bring people to thier rental location and they will transport the entire party!:) :)