Tampa info needed FAST !!!

Good Morning all !! Just booked a last minute, end of summer cruise and have NEVER been out of Tampa before. In urgent need of info about either a great, not overpriced place to stay and park, or a safe affordable parking option for this port. Any and all info, big or small will be greatly appreciated. I know if we elect to spent the night before, I need to book a place NOW, just don't even know where to begin to look! Fellow cruisers here have been great in the past with sharing information and I know y'all won't let me down!

thanks so much......and Paradise here we come !!!

Why not book a fun place and make it part of your vaycay? Rocky Point has some fun hotels and cool beach bars.

Logan's and Whiskey Joes are two fun places.

I have no idea how nice or not nice these hotels are but the Holiday Inn and Best Western are two that come to mind.

Good Morning all !! Just booked a last minute, end of summer cruise and have NEVER been out of Tampa before. In urgent need of info about either a great, not overpriced place to stay and park, or a safe affordable parking option for this port. Any and all info, big or small will be greatly appreciated. I know if we elect to spent the night before, I need to book a place NOW, just don't even know where to begin to look! Fellow cruisers here have been great in the past with sharing information and I know y'all won't let me down!

thanks so much......and Paradise here we come !!!

We just booked a spur of the moment cruise. Also, we have never sailed out of Tampa. We are flying in the day before. My AAA agent suggested the Courtyard close to the port. Which has free shuttle service to the port. She did say they offer a Park and sail option. Not sure what that is.

Several hotels in the Rocky Point area offer parking packages with free shuttle service to/from the port of Tampa. They also offer free airport shuttle service - nice area with lots of options nearby for dining and last minute shopping.

Chase Suites is the most often suggested, but there are several others in the area with similar deals, so shop around.

http://www.parkingstay.com/p/tampa.html

this map and list of hotels might help you, you can see the location of hotels /port/cruise terminals and what the hotels offer in terms of parking and / or shuttles.

I booked Chase for our precruise one night stay.

Check out the Tahitian Inn

The Rocky Point area of Tampa is very nice and some hotels offer a park & cruise pkg.

Two that I have stayed at and would recommend are the Holiday Inn Express Rocky Point and the Best Western Bay Harbor Rocky Point.

Chase Suites RP and the Hampton RP are two others that are next to the Holiday Inn Express and offer the park & cruise as well.

The Best Western Bay Harbor has private balcony rooms and if you request one overlooking the Bay, the view is top-notch.

http://bestwesternflorida.com/hotels/best-western-bay-harbor-hotel

Holiday Inn has waterview rooms but no balconies. The hotel however was very clean and the service friendly and professional. The cruise shuttle was also very well organized. http://www.hiexpress.com/hotels/us/en/tampa/tpaap/hoteldetail?qAdlt=1&qBrs=6c.hi.ex.rs.ic.cp.in.sb.cw.cv&qChld=0&qFRA=1&qGRM=0&qIta=99504425&qPSt=0&qRRSrt=rt&qRef=df&qRms=1&qRpn=1&qRpp=10&qSHp=1&qSmP=3&qSrt=sBR&qWch=0&srb_u=1&icdv=99504425&dp=true

Chase, depending on what type suite you select may offer a water view and the Hampton is set back a bit, no balconies and perhaps just a slight view of the water. I have not stayed at these two but many others on this board have given them good recommendations.

Have a great time.

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I am hoping someone can tell me what I am missing on this topic. I have cruised a couple times where I had a car to park. Park-n-Stay hotel packages are usually more expensive to the point I don't see their value. For example, the Tampa hotels that offer parking during your cruise seem to cost about $200 for your stay the night prior to the cruise. I can get a hotel room elsewhere (St. Pete airport area for example) for about half that cost and have enough money to pay for parking at the port. I have a car so driving to the port to board my cruise in the morning is not an issue. Even a 30 minute drive the morning of the cruise is not that bad given that you would have to drive to your hotel near to port the night before anyway.

So where is the value in a park-n-cruise package at a hotel (specifically for Tampa)? Cost is about the same. Convenience? I would think walking to your car before and after the cruise would be easier than calling for and taking a shuttle. Maybe avoiding rush hour but my cruise leaves on a Sunday morning so that is not a factor. What am I missing?

Dave,

I agree with your analysis that for your dates the cost and convenience argue for parking at the port.

For other dates the parking packages may work out to be an advantage; it all depends upon the toursit season, where you are coming from, where you want to stay, and your cruise dates (and probably a few other factors I cannot think of right now).

Hope you have a good cruise. :)

I agree with JohnInDC as far as what time of year one books the package.

We have used the cruise pkg twice, both times in mid - late October and our cruise pkg rate was $109 and $119. Not bad for a clean room, water view, complimentary breakfast and roundtrip shuttle to/from the port.

The key is to shop around. Also, when you do book, keep checking back as sometimes the rate will drop and the hotel will honor it.

Lastly, sometimes, it is just a matter of convenience. Not worth it to me for a savings of just a few dollars.

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Thanks for the comments. I probably does depend on what is happening in Tampa. I am leaving in late Oct (the Buccaneers are even in town) and found good hotel rates in St. Pete. Since I am spending the day prior at the beach, I really don't care where my hotel is located. And the drive to the port from my hotel will still be fairly short.

The best point is to review your options and choose what is best for you. I was just curious if there was something I was missing since I have not parked at the Port of Tampa before.

We always book at the Holiday Inn Express Rocky Point, and use a taxi to the port. They allow you to leave your car, and its very safe. We also have Bahama Breeze right next door for our dinner before the cruise, to start the Vaca off right.

Have a great cruise, we will be headed out on Legend a week from Sunday.

We always book at the Holiday Inn Express Rocky Point, and use a taxi to the port.

Hi,

do you remember how much was the taxi ?

I have cruised out of Tampa before & will be cruising out of Tampa again at the end of August. Both times, I have booked my hotel via Priceline by bidding for my hotel room. The 1st time about 4+ yrs ago, we got our hotel for $65/nt & was in a nice hotel in the Rocky Point area. Again we got the same area for $55/nt. Neither includes parking - but for this rate we can park at the port.

Good luck!

Hi,

do you remember how much was the taxi ?

It's going to be around the $30 mark...... give or take a few $.

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