Help with hotels in Tampa

[nycruisers]

DH and I are doing the Inspiration at the end of January. Looking for a hotel that will pick us up from airport and near the cruise terminal. Any ideas??

Thanks for your help!!!

[vilwil]

My family and I are cruising on the Miracle, 12-05-04. We reserved a room at the Chase Suites Hotel..(link below).

 

They have complimentary shuttle service from the airport and complimentary shuttle service to the port. They are picking us up after the cruise and taking us back to the airport as well. They will also shuttle you around as long as it is within 5 miles of the hotel.:)

 

http://www.woodfinsuitehotels.com/tampa/

[GoinCruisin]

We stayed at the Hilton Westshore... got it for $50 on PL. Picked us up from the airport (complimentary) and took us to the pier ($5)... very nice hotel, we enjoyed our stay!

[wcftbl]

We also stayed at the Hilton (Airport). We left our three cars at the hotel for free and the hotel shuttle took us to the terminal.We made arrangements for them to pick us up on our return. We called the hotel when we arrived back at the terminal and the shuttles (2) were waiting on us when we got outside.We tipped the the drivers $100.00 which is less than half that we would have paid for parking for the week.The drivers were great both going and returning. We booked the hotel through Priceline ($50.00 ).

[bjkeen]

Hi I'm from Tampa. Most of the major hotels have shuttle service. Embassy Suites is in the Airport. Radisson Riverside has shuttle service and I think Hilton dt does too. Radisson and Hilton are one mile from the ship (I clocked it for host Randy). The Radisson has a web page. Most of the major hotels are in Tampa. Any hotel down town is close to the ship. Some of the other cc members have booked the Hilton dt on line and they got a great price.

[simkoreb]

We got the Marriott Airport for I think 70 on Priceline. It seems like a decent hotel. I will always do priceline, because I save so much money, and it's just for 1 night.

[emjay]

When in January are you cruising? We are going on the 27th. We booked at the Best Western.

[nycruisers]

We will be on the Jan 31 sailing of the Inspiration. Coming down to Tampa 2 days before to escape the winter.

[dmthoma76]

We are sailing Inspiration in February, Holiday Inn express has a deal where you can park for free during cruise. Room is 99.00 ride to port is 35.00 each way.

 

Is this hotel in a decent part of town? Should I worry about parking my car there?

 

Could we do better?

 

I have plenty of time to make sure I get the best deal.

 

 

~Donna

[mdc99]

nycruisers- The downtown hotels are closest to the pier, however most of these do not offer shuttle service. Also they are likely to be sold out or expensive as you will be arriving during Gasparilla.

[erRN2be]

Hi we are cruising in April 05 and we are staying at the Best Western. It is $99 for the night (Saturday night) we are allowed to leave our car there for the week and they will shuttle us to and from the pier for no extra charge.

[Scout and Jeff]

I was going to book the Hilton Westshore because it was coming up on Hotwire as well. I called the hotel and asked about leaving our vehicle there for the week. I was told there would be a $10 charge for that and the shuttle to the pier is $5 per person each way.

 

We are a family of 4 and therefore just the shuttle alone would be $40 and the $10 with parking... Well we are going to just drive to the pier and pay the $10 per day in the parking garage.

[cruising3times]

We are going to Tampa in December, we are going on the Miracle. We used Priceline and got the Hyatt for 48.00 per nite. I called them and they said they are about 20 minutes from the airport and right near the port, a 3.00 cab ride. The woman I talked to said you could even walk there.

[cathyoo]

We will be on the Jan 31 sailing of the Inspiration. Coming down to Tampa 2 days before to escape the winter.

 

We also are cruising on the Jan 31 sailing of the Inspiration. Three 50ish couples from the Phila area. Along with my mom and sister from Florida. We plan to fly in on the 30th. I read some good reviews on the Chase hotel in Tampa. Suite hotels a bit pricey but two couples can share. I know there is a Cruise special where the hotel picks you up from the airport and takes you to port. I need to check out all the details. Someone posted you can also park for the duration of the cruise at the hotel for free. You may want to check it out.

[cathyoo]

DH and I are doing the Inspiration at the end of January. Looking for a hotel that will pick us up from airport and near the cruise terminal. Any ideas??

Thanks for your help!!!

 

 

Are you still cruising on the Inspiration? We are a group of 8 - 6 of us from the Philadelphia area and two from Florida. We are meeting up with two other cruise critics from Georgia at a sailway. Let us know if you'd be interested in saying hi.

We are flying in the on 30th and staying at the Chase hotel. Praying for no weather problems getting of Philadelphia Airport.

 

Cathy

[cruising3times]

we used priceline and got the downtown Hyatt for 48 dollars but there was no free shuttle.

[Guest Time2gocruzn]

We are staying at the Sailport Resort. We got a 2 br condo right on the bay for $129. This is large enough for me dh our 2 kids and my mom and dad. Cheaper than if we rented 2 hotel rooms, and more room for the kids. The do have condos that are not 2 br, so you could probably get a room cheaper that what I paid. They also have a airport shuttle that will pick you up and they will take you to the pier. Approx 20 minutes away from cruise terminal. They do have cruise passanger specials. Check out the website.

 

 

www.sailport.com

[irislady]

djklove,

We're staying at the Sailport, too, (tomorrow night), but my sister was told that they would not provide transportation to the pier, just to and from the airport. I thought when we made our reservations there that a shuttle to the pier was provided, but the lady my sister talked to when confirming our reservation said we'd have to get a cab.

Shae

[Guest Time2gocruzn]

djklove,

We're staying at the Sailport, too, (tomorrow night), but my sister was told that they would not provide transportation to the pier, just to and from the airport. I thought when we made our reservations there that a shuttle to the pier was provided, but the lady my sister talked to when confirming our reservation said we'd have to get a cab.

Shae

 

Uh ohhh..That's news to me! I had to bicker with the lady when I reserved because when I first called she said $25 total to take our group of 4 adults 2 kids to the pier. When I called back she *tried* to tell me it was $25 PER PERSON (!!?) Well..as you can imagine..I was not having that and she agreed to give me what was quoted and I MADE them note it in my reservation. I am not in the mood to haggle this with them again...off to call them not..I will post an update, lol

 

HERE'S THE UPDATE!! They said that you have to upgrade from a regular reservation to the cruise package. To upgrade, you have to pay an additional $25 (For 2 people. If there are more than 2 ppl in the room it is an addtnl $5 each). This upgrade will get you the ride to the peir. They said that the only way you can use the shuttle is if you pay for toe "upgrade" to the cruise package. I know it is probably too late since you may already be there...but thought I'd post incase anyone else is interested.:)

[irislady]

djklove,

Thanks so much for the update. My sister made our reservations, and I doubt that she did the cruise package. We'll just take a couple of cabs to the pier since there will be 6 of us. The hotel rate we got seemed so reasonable compared to others we found that the taxi fare won't be that big of a deal.

Shae

[Guest Time2gocruzn]

djklove,

Thanks so much for the update. My sister made our reservations, and I doubt that she did the cruise package. We'll just take a couple of cabs to the pier since there will be 6 of us. The hotel rate we got seemed so reasonable compared to others we found that the taxi fare won't be that big of a deal.

Shae

 

Glad you got it! If we hadn't of got the special rate to the pier of $25 for ALL of us..I probably would do the same thing and take a taxi.

 

For 6 adults their would be $75 if you had 3 different rooms...pretty sure 2 taxi's wouldn't cost that much. Maybe they would still give you the $5 pp over 2 ppl rate (so $45 for all of you) if you told them you are all in the same group. Ya never know:)

[irislady]

Djklove,

We ended up using the Sailport's van to and from the cruise terminal as well. They must make up the rates as they go because we ended up paying $25 per couple for the first 2 people-in each room- and $10 per person for the 5th and 6th person. At least that's how they wrote it down. We'll have to see what my sister was actually charged. (We were told that the cabs would be $45 each.) I have to say their service was excellent. My sister's group got in just before ours did and called for the shuttle which arrived in 15-20 mins. We arrived at just about the same time and also called for the shuttle. They were picked up first at terminal A and then the van came around and got us at E. The 11 and noon shuttles to the pier the next morning were already booked, so we opted to go at 10 AM instead of waiting til 1 PM. I'm glad we did. We arrived at the cruise terminal not long after 10:30, but only had to wait about 20 mins. or so for the terminal to open. No lines at all for the embarkation process, and comfortable seats for waiting til we were allowed on board just before noon. We called the Sailport as soon as we had our luggage when we got back into port, and they arrived 30 mins. later and took us to the airport.

 

Both of our suites (one 2 bedroom and one 1 bedroom) faced the bay. The suites were quite spacious, plenty of room for the 6 of us to sit and chat in the living room. Our balcony railing was a little wobbly. The suites were very clean, but ours were in need of updating. In some places the wallpaper was coming off. There were also lots of pieces of siding still missing on the outside of the buildings from the hurricanes. The second bedroom was very tiny with barely enough room for the bed and a chest of drawers. Just fine for an overnight stay, though. Both bathrooms were spacious with good showers. Our icemaker didn't work well, and they had no ice left at the office icemaker either, so I'm sure others weren't working well either. We ended up bringing a bag of ice back from the restaurant. There was a nice pool that nobody was using, and a "beach" that was quite tiny with no access to the bay. Continental breakfast of mini muffins, doughnuts and pastries was available in the morning right outside the office along with coffee and juice. For the price we felt we got a decent deal. It was more comfortable, I think, than 3 hotels rooms would have been.

 

Only one of the 3 restaurants right by the Sailport are open right now. Two were flooded by the hurricanes last summer. We ate at the Rusty Pelican. The food and service were excellent. It might be pricey for a family of 4... most entrees were around $22.

 

Hope you enjoy your stay and your cruise.

Shae

[Guest Time2gocruzn]

Djklove,

We ended up using the Sailport's van to and from the cruise terminal as well. They must make up the rates as they go because we ended up paying $25 per couple for the first 2 people-in each room- and $10 per person for the 5th and 6th person. At least that's how they wrote it down. We'll have to see what my sister was actually charged. (We were told that the cabs would be $45 each.) I have to say their service was excellent. My sister's group got in just before ours did and called for the shuttle which arrived in 15-20 mins. We arrived at just about the same time and also called for the shuttle. They were picked up first at terminal A and then the van came around and got us at E. The 11 and noon shuttles to the pier the next morning were already booked, so we opted to go at 10 AM instead of waiting til 1 PM. I'm glad we did. We arrived at the cruise terminal not long after 10:30, but only had to wait about 20 mins. or so for the terminal to open. No lines at all for the embarkation process, and comfortable seats for waiting til we were allowed on board just before noon. We called the Sailport as soon as we had our luggage when we got back into port, and they arrived 30 mins. later and took us to the airport.

 

Both of our suites (one 2 bedroom and one 1 bedroom) faced the bay. The suites were quite spacious, plenty of room for the 6 of us to sit and chat in the living room. Our balcony railing was a little wobbly. The suites were very clean, but ours were in need of updating. In some places the wallpaper was coming off. There were also lots of pieces of siding still missing on the outside of the buildings from the hurricanes. The second bedroom was very tiny with barely enough room for the bed and a chest of drawers. Just fine for an overnight stay, though. Both bathrooms were spacious with good showers. Our icemaker didn't work well, and they had no ice left at the office icemaker either, so I'm sure others weren't working well either. We ended up bringing a bag of ice back from the restaurant. There was a nice pool that nobody was using, and a "beach" that was quite tiny with no access to the bay. Continental breakfast of mini muffins, doughnuts and pastries was available in the morning right outside the office along with coffee and juice. For the price we felt we got a decent deal. It was more comfortable, I think, than 3 hotels rooms would have been.

 

Only one of the 3 restaurants right by the Sailport are open right now. Two were flooded by the hurricanes last summer. We ate at the Rusty Pelican. The food and service were excellent. It might be pricey for a family of 4... most entrees were around $22.

 

Hope you enjoy your stay and your cruise.

Shae

 

Wow! Thank for letting me know how it was there! Glad it worked out for you all. Thanks for mentioning your room faced the Bay side, as I never thought about that, I will be calling tomorrow to request a room on that side, lol. :D I had heard that too, that some of the rooms needed updating, it didn't sound too bad tho. I figured for the price it would be okay, and sounds like it was. I am so glad you posted because I had no idea that Sailport would pick us up after the cruise and take us to the airport!!:eek: :) I just assumed the charge was to pick us up at the airport when we arrived in Tampa and to take us to the terminal on the day of the cruise. Do they charge you again for the ride back to the airport, or was that part of the original shuttle fee. Was their shuttle an actual van or more like a small hotel bus? I need to call and find out because if it is a bus I dont think I will need the car seat for my DS. Thanks again! Hope you had a good cruise! I am more than ready for mine!:)

[irislady]

I would definitely stay at the Sailport again for the money. I don't think you'll have any problems with it either. I don't mind a little run down as long as it's very clean, which it was. You and the kids may have the pool all to yourselves. It's lovely... not too big, but not too small, and there's a changing area right next to it. I guess it was just a bit too cool to use while we were there. We were told that the pool and parking lot were under several feet of water during the hurricanes.

 

The majority of rooms face the bay... in fact, maybe all of them do because of the design of the place. It's worth checking on, though, because we took some gorgeous sunset shots from the balcony. We didn't sit on the balcony very much since there were six of us, but we left the sliding glass doors wide open to enjoy the view and the weather while we were in the Living Room.

 

If you have an email address I can email you some pictures of the outside, pool, "beach" etc. I don't think any of us remembered to take any interior shots. I don't know how to post pictures on CC.

 

The pickup at the port terminal (right across the street actually in the limo/shuttle building) was included in the fee we paid for the cruise package. The to and from the airport was "free" with the cost of the rooms. All we had to do was call the Sailport as soon as we had our bags together when we disembarked. They picked us up about 35 mins. later.

 

The shuttle is a nice van with 2 rows of seats plus the passenger seat next to the driver. All of our suitcases (6 plus 6 carry-ons) all fit in the luggage area behind the back seat. It's a navy van with a big Sailport logo on it, so it was very easy to spot at the airport and at the cruise terminal. Both drivers we had were good drivers who really seemed to know their way around. They were friendly and courteous, too. One of the drivers said if they have too many people booked to go to the airport or cruise terminal at one time they do rent a second van.

 

Our cruise was lots of fun. We all thought the Inspiration was pretty darn tacky, but it was a "Vegas-y" fun kind of tacky. Lots of neon and weird stuff. The food was very, very good in the dining room for dinner, mediocre in the DR for breakfast and lunch. The Lido buffet (Brasserie on the Inspiration) was much better for those meals. The pizza and hamburgers were great. The 2 shows we saw were very well done, but I've read that they have been around since 01. Our Jeep excursion in Cozumel was the highlight of the trip. Instead of 4 hours it was 6, and we loved every minute of it.

 

We wanted to bring some wine or champagne onboard with us for sailaway. There was no liquor store within walking distance, but the Sailport had some champagne and Asti Spumante for sale in their little store in the office. It was already chilled, and cost $10 a bottle less than what Carnival was charging. Each couple bought a bottle, and we put it in our carry-ons. We only opened the one bottle the first evening, so our room steward replenished the ice in our buckets in the morning and evening.

 

There were a several kids on board. They were all so very well behaved... they were quieter and more polite than many of the adults. Those adults are a big part of the reason that while we really did have fun we most likely will not be sailing Carnival again any time soon unless they make us an offer we can't refuse. (Honestly, do grown men really need to have a burping contest? That happened not once, but twice with different groups of guys.)

 

I hope you have an absolutely wonderful cruise with better weather than we had... and no public burpers on board! Post any more questions you have, and I'll do my best to answer.

Shae

[Guest Time2gocruzn]

Thank you so much Shae! I just called the Sailport and you are right! All rooms there DO face the bay. I also confirmed their policy on carseats (not required on shuttle) and confirmed that the price we pay for the shuttle includes return to the airport.

 

 

Sounds like you had a good time on your cruise! I am so excited for ours, I am driving everyone here crazy, lol:D

 

Thanks again!:)