Tampa Sailing in November

Hello. Will be sailing out of Tampa in November. Could someone be kind enough to recommend some nice hotels close/convenient to the cruise terminal. Moreover, one with shuttle service to the pier would be even better. Thank you.

We have used the Holiday Inn Express Rocky Point twice for our pre-cruise hotel. It is about 15 min from the port but the cruise pkg is hard to beat.

They have airport pick-up, a spotlessly clean hotel, great complimentary breakfast and round trip shuttle to and from the port after the cruise. A lot of the cruise hotels will only offer the shuttle one way so having that return shuttle included is a nice savings. In addition, the hotel is located on Tampa Bay so the view and atmosphere is very nice. There is a Bahama Breeze restaurant/bar directly next door so it is very convenient to walk over for dinner. They usually have a band or two that plays out on their dockside area.

Make sure that you book the cruise package not just room only.

http://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/tampa/tpaap/hoteldetail/photos-tours

There is also a Hampton Inn Rocky Point and Chase Suites Rocky Point directly next door to the Holiday Inn so it may pay to compare rates. IMHO, the Holiday Inn is the nicest of the three and also has the best Bayview pool area.

For hotels closer to the port, you would want to be in the downtown Tampa area. These hotels may offer a shuttle to the port but none offer an airport shuttle. Taxi fare from Tampa airport to the downtown area is in the $25-$30 range.

Here is a link to the downtown Tampa hotels. The 2 closest to the port will be the Tampa Marriott Waterside and the Embassy Suites. The Residence Inn is my favorite.

http://www.downtowntampahotels.com

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Theres a Hampton Inn Ybor City which is a short distance from the port. They had park and cruise packages the last time I looked.

We booked the Hilton Garden Inn Tampa Airport Westshore for Nov. Haven't stayed there yet but they had a cruise package at a good price.

In addition to the above mentioned Holiday Inn, there are several hotels in the Rocky Point area that offer packages including both airport and port shuttles; it is a nice area with several dining options plus shopping if you need last minute items.

Downtown, very near the port (about 2 long blocks) is a Marriott and a little farther an Embassy Suites.

Good luck! :)