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Hotel suggestions for Tampa


lambcom
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So they are moving us to the Embassy - Westshore. I was going to cancel completely and go with the Marriott...but the Westshore is going to not only be free (because we were using points) they cut the number of points in half for the inconvenience.

 

Why were you going to cancel with the Embassy Westshore? Have you heard something nasty about that place? Curious because that's where we've booked for March and if it's nasty we still have time to change to somewhere else.

 

Kim

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Why were you going to cancel with the Embassy Westshore? Have you heard something nasty about that place? Curious because that's where we've booked for March and if it's nasty we still have time to change to somewhere else.

 

Kim

They were originally booked at the new Embassey at Channelside near the port. That hotel will not be done in time for their cruise. They where thinking of staying at the Marriot Channelside.

Embassy made them an offer they couldn't refuse in the Westshore area. It is a good hotel and there are many things to do around there also.

I think I got that right.

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Well I'm glad to hear the Westshore is alright. I thought it was but that's not how I read her posting. She said they were going to move her there and she was going to cancel and move to Marriott BUT she got Westshore free with 1/2 points so decided to go with it because she would save a substantial amount of money. Good enough reason for anyone but it was the "was going to cancel and move but" that triggered my question.

 

Kim

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Well I'm glad to hear the Westshore is alright. I thought it was but that's not how I read her posting. She said they were going to move her there and she was going to cancel and move to Marriott BUT she got Westshore free with 1/2 points so decided to go with it because she would save a substantial amount of money. Good enough reason for anyone but it was the "was going to cancel and move but" that triggered my question.

 

Kim

 

Jessemon's assessment was correct. If you will read the very first sentences of my post:

 

"Just a note about that new Embassy Suites - Convention Center. They called me last night and will not be open until October 23rd. We made a reservation there back in June for October 8th and they called last night to say "sorry, construction is not complete". So they are moving us to the Embassy - Westshore."

 

You would see the only reason we not staying at the Convention Center is because it will not be open in time.

 

My only reason for considering a switch to the Marriott-Waterside was because I really wanted to stay in the Channelside area. However, I never told Embassy that I was going to switch to Marriott. I just hate last minute surprises and was "thinking out loud" (if you can be :out loud : on a message board) with the Marriott comment.

 

Embassy Suites offered the Westshore relocation at the reduce points level, because of our inconvenience all on their own (not under any duress of me "switching" to Marriott) ... which I think was very nice of them.

 

Over all, I am pleased with the way they handled it. Things happen..that's life. However, I booked the Convention Center room back in June and my limited (but obviously noticeable frustration) was due to the fact that after having this reservation for 4 months...I got 9 days notice that it wasn't going to happen.

 

Enjoy your stay there in March. I know it will be wonderful.

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They were originally booked at the new Embassey at Channelside near the port. That hotel will not be done in time for their cruise. They where thinking of staying at the Marriot Channelside.

Embassy made them an offer they couldn't refuse in the Westshore area. It is a good hotel and there are many things to do around there also.

I think I got that right.

 

You got it absolutely correct.!! Thanks!

Both ES are Catagory 4 hotels where the points are concerned.

They ended up moving us there for almost half the points we would have used to stay at the Convention Center for our inconvenience.

So, yes, that was an offer hubby could not refuse!! : )

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I was wondering which is a better choice: Crown Plaza Hotel or Holiday Inn Express Rocky Point? We enjoy walking; shopping; and sight-seeing. We have enough points for either hotel so it's not a money issue. We are cruising on the Miracle on the Sunday and are arriving on the Friday mid-morning. There are 9 of us--3 teens and three couples. I would love some help picking one of these hotels.:)

__________________

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Hi folks. We were away on a one week cruise to Alaska out of Seattle. Not the best cruise we have had (bad weather in all ports of call), but it sure beats the heck out of being at work. Just getting settled in again. Jessemon and Suncoastgirl - Thanks for the help.

 

teanbean16 - Which Crowne Plaza are you looking at? If it happens to be the one in East Tampa, in the area of Martin Luther King Jr Blvd and I-75 (address - 10221 Princess Palm Ave, Tampa, FL) - it's a nice, large hotel. The hotel is in a business park. Not much of anything around there other than corporate office buildings. It's on the far opposite side of town from the airport, actually outside the E city limits of Tampa. If you have a car, it's not far to get on I-75 and go S a few miles to State Road 60. In that area, there are all sorts of restaurants within a mile either side of I-75, and a very large mall just E of I-75 on SR60. It's not hard to drive to the port from this side of town - just take SR60 to the West from I-75, and don't make any turns until you get to the ports. There will be large lighted overhead signs, and the road will force you into a left hand turn. Can't miss it.

 

As for the Holiday Inn Express on Rocky Point - I've stayed there a time or two myself. It's your usual Holiday Inn Express. Nice property. Right on the water, with a really good restaurant next door - Bahama Breeze. There are others in the area, close by. For shopping, you would have to get a ride down to either the Westshore Plaza or the International Mall (it's rather upscale and expensive - Westshore is better for us common folks). There are theaters at Westshore Mall, some restaurants, and a food court. Rocky Point is only a few miles from the airport (you can see the planes taking off and making approaches to the airport). It would be much quicker to get here if you are flying in and don't have a car. It's quiet, safe, and clean out there.

 

If you have any specific questions, let me know.

 

optmax - It's been quite a while since we covered Sailport on this thread. I'm quite familiar with this location, since the office for my employer is right next door. We used to house people at this hotel for business. These days, we either use the Holiday Inn Express or Chase Suites on Rocky Point. The USAF and other branches of the military put people in this hotel as well, when there's no place to stay at MacDill AFB. The area is like I mention just above regarding the Holiday Inn Express. It's down the block, on the other side of the main road (Courtney Campbell Causeway). This hotel is a few stories high, with nothing on the first level but parking (it's close to the water). A majority of the rooms face the water with small balconies. The units are basically little vacation condo's. They have a small kitchen/dining area, a small living room, bedroom, bathroom, and a couple of bunk beds in the hall (kind of in-set into side of the corridor). The units aren't fancy, but very adequate and liveable. I've been in a number of the units, and they are all basically the same. The property is clean. There is a small beach area. I don't think they have a pool. If any other questions, just ask.

 

Ken

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Welcome home Ken. Hope Alaska was kind to you. Not to hot...not to cold. Not to cloudy or rainy.:cool:

Well, the weather is getting nicer here in Tampa. Almost time to do that hotel photo thing. What do you think?

Jeff

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Hi Ken...sorry to hear about the weather. Glad you still had a good time.

We went in July 2005 and were blessed with perfect weather every day. I could not believe it! We did the Southbound from Whittier to Vancouver.

What a trip.

 

Just a heads up...I was the "spy" that was suppose to report on the new Embassy Suites - Convention Center. However, they blew my cover! They won't be open until the end of October...sot they had to switch us to the ES-Westshore.

 

Glad you were on the cruise, because you missed my "whining" about it. I had made the reservations back in June and they waited until 9 days before we were to arrive to say..."sorry...we have to move you". On the upside, they recovered the fumble by cutting the number of points we had to use for those 2 days by almost one-half. ( Both hotels are Catagory 4 hotels that require 30,000 points per night. )

 

So we are headed out Friday for a couple of days of R&R before we get on the cruise ship. We are just going to take a taxi down to Channelside late Saturday afternoon and "pretend" we are staying there. LOL

 

Thanks for all the tips you provide and may your next cruise have:

calm seas, warm days, cool drinks!!!

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I know you all have been very helpful with a lot of suggestions, but we are coming in to town 3 nights before our cruise, and want to take our son to see the beach. We were thinking of staying on the beach somewhere in the clearwater / st.pete's area for the first couple of nights, and were looking at the Holiday Inn at Indian Beach. Any comments? What about the trolley system in that area? Is it safe for tourists? We were thinking of staying there for 2 nights, taking a cab - then using the trolley in the area; and then taking a cab back to Residence Inn in downtown Tampa, and using the trolley system over there. Any thoughts on this from the locals?:confused: :o

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Thanks in advance for any responses I can get. I have been reading these posts about hotels in and around Tampa but, no one has mentioned the town of Brandon. Hubby and I are booked along with another couple for our pre cruise on the Miracle Oct 22. Is this a safe area or should I try to rebook elsewhere? Thanks again.

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Thanks in advance for any responses I can get. I have been reading these posts about hotels in and around Tampa but, no one has mentioned the town of Brandon. Hubby and I are booked along with another couple for our pre cruise on the Miracle Oct 22. Is this a safe area or should I try to rebook elsewhere? Thanks again.

Where in Brandon? Like all areas there are safe areas and not so safe.

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We are staying at the Fairfield/Marriott in Brandon. Here is what information I received from another post:

 

Fairfield - Brandon: This is a new property and in a very populated area. Plenty of dinner options, a mall, convinence stores, home depot, etc. Brandon is a suburb of Tampa and as a whole very safe.

 

I don't think we will have any problems. t isn't too far from the airport. We will be reting a car and will be out seeing the area all day anyway, just need a clean bed for the night......... What hotel will you be staying at? I booked on Priceline for our 2 day pre-cruise stay in January for $70 per night.

 

When you get back from your cruise, please post on the boards and let us know how it was...thanks!

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Here's some info for the folks thinking about staying in the Brandon area:

 

Distance from Tampa International Airport to SR 60 and Faulkenburg Rd in Brandon (approximate area of the Fairfield Inn) : 20 Miles.

This ride can take 30 minutes, or it can take an hour, relative to the time of day, and the day of the week.

 

Distance from the cruise terminals to SR 60 and Faulkenburg Rd: 10.5 miles. It can take from 15-20 minutes, up to over 30, depending on which day of the week, and the time of day. There's a dreaded railroad crossing in the E side of Tampa that crosses SR60, and it can easily put a 30 minute dent in your ride if the train catches you.

 

Brandon is a rather decent place. These hotels you are asking about are out to the W side of Brandon, between there and Tampa, and very close to I-75. Lots of restaurants out there, and a huge mall. As far as safety goes, that's all relative. It's not bad, but it's not immune to problems, including car burglaries, etc.

 

ssg - You had better plan on a lot of taxi rides. The trolley system in Tampa doesn't go everywhere, and the W end of the system is a long ways (on foot) from the Residence Inn. Use Google and look for the TECO Street Car System in Tampa. All the info is there. As for Indian Rocks Beach, not bad. I don't know anything about a trolley system over there though. If they have one, it's probably one of those busses that look like a street car, and I don't know if they have one of those or not. Perhaps someone who is more familiar with the Pinellas County Beaches can advise. Public transportation in the Greater Tampa Bay area is very poor. It consist mostly of taxis and the city bus service. Trolley's and light rail systems are almost non-existent, except for the line in Tampa that runs from the Channelside district up through Ybor City.

 

Jessemon - I haven't forgot about you. Yes, the weather is just right for a photo safari in the Tampa area. I'll see how things go this week. Maybe one of the next two Sunday afternoons will work out. I'll be in touch. If you want to e-mail me, its: mken1 at tampabay.rr.com (I'm sure you know how to correct that and make it work).

 

Ken

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Ken -

 

Thanks for the advice!! On the website for the teco line streetcar system it showed some kind of connection up by the Mariott, I think they refer to it as "in-town trolley" not as a street car. I think we have decided to stay out at Clearwater Beach area for our entire pre-cruise, Any advice for that area? Also - is the Florida Aquarium worth a visit? Thanks for all of your help and advice!

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looking for a motel/hotel just to spend the night before a cruise. i would like it to have free transfers from the airport and to the cruise ship. would like a free breakfast and be close enough to walk to a store for soda and such. i am sure this information is some where in this thread, just not finding it. thanks to all you good, helpful people on CC. i have learned so much from you and so many helpful hints...

 

Judy

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Judy, I say: Chase Suites. They provide free shuttle to and from the airport to the hotel and a free hot continental breakfast. They also have ship to shore packages that include the transfer to and from the pier from the hotel but it's not free. They are the nicest people there and gave me a really good deal when we booked. I've read some very wonderful reviews about them and they are rated #14 of all the Tampa hotels on trip advisor. Good enough for me!

 

Kim

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Kim,

 

thanks for the information. i will check out Chase suites. we are indeed leaving from Tampa. this will be our first cruise out of Tampa. can you tell me how close they are to the terminal? is there a place that you can walk to and do that last minute shopping?

 

Thanks, Judy

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Judy, they told me that shopping (a mall) is nearby and that their shuttle would take us there and back for free. I think I read that the port is about 10 miles from the hotel.

 

They also told me that the restaurant that is right next door to the hotel is a Caribbean restaurant so I thought GREAT - that will get us in the mood for the cruise in a hurry!! :)

 

Kim

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Judy, they told me that shopping (a mall) is nearby and that their shuttle would take us there and back for free. I think I read that the port is about 10 miles from the hotel.

 

They also told me that the restaurant that is right next door to the hotel is a Caribbean restaurant so I thought GREAT - that will get us in the mood for the cruise in a hurry!! :)

 

Kim

Chase Suites is right next door to a place called Bahama Breeze. Not a bad place. Sits right on the water at the very top of Tampa Bay. Beleive it or not it is owned by Red Lobster...but don't hold that against it. You'll like.

Friday thru Sunday it is very busy.

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