katie286

I just wanted to apologize to everyone. I did not mean to sound frustrated or upset when I replied to Doughboy77. I will think more carefully before posting next time. I should have replied like Ken and said that many times their questions are answered in just a few posts before theirs. Again, I am sorry.

No need to apologize. :)

Doughboy...Have a wonderful time!! I don't see why they wouldn't take you to a liquor store or a Walgreens since they took us down the road to the Steak and Ale (which is across the street and down a very little further) from the Waldgreens. They just dropped us off and returned whe we called. If you by chance go to dinner there, you could always cross over to the stores and have them pick you up there.

Just to warn you, there was a brand of water at the Shell station, Zepheryillas (something like that) that didn't taste good. We bought it and brought it on the ship, but I used the water from the ship next to the juice machines instead. That was much better tasting.:)

Suncoastgirl - I see that you are encountering frustrations similar to mine, in that many people ask, but don't read what's already here. I dare say that this thread would be no more than 20-25 pages long, if it wasn't for redundancy. I've had many questions when the answer was no more than 2-3 posts above. I love to answer questions about our area, and help people out (as evidenced by my many hours of typing on this thread, and sometimes a little research to go with it), however, it would be great if people would try to at least read the last 4 or 5 pages. There's not a lot about Tampa that hasn't been covered at least once in this thread, and some items multiples of times. If I was bored or had the time, I'd like to go through this thread and catalog the post numbers of various topics (like an index) and and the host to post it as a sticky note at the top of page 1 (I guess people would come to the last post and not see it though).

 

katie286 - Thanks for the review! I love it when people come back to the thread and give updates and reviews.

 

Ken

Suncoastgirl...doughboy was just asking me because I stayed there recently. Honestly, I don't mind answering the question as it was asked to me. You can always not reply to someone if you have already answered a question similiar. You do have that choice.

Kracker Ken...I was very happy to post a review. I've gotten so much help from this thread, along with other threads at CC that it was my turn to help someone!:)

katie, thanks for the great review of the hotel...you've got my wife and me seriously considering staying there before our Inspiration cruise. Since we'll be flying in we're planning on picking up some Cokes and (hopefully) some rum and Bailey's to go with the free punch and coffee onboard. Were there any places near the hotel where we could pick up these things?

Hi doughboy...you can get the coke at the shell station on the corner. As for the Rum and Baileys, the hotel shuttle will take you anywhere within 2 miles. Just ask them where a liquor store is and they will get you there. It's that easy!!:) You won't regret staying there.

We to like all the good reviews about Springhill suites. And I called them and they have a service to the port for 6.00$ a per person. So for my family that is still around 125.00$. Thats a great deal. I will find my own ride(like a cab) back to the airport after the cruise. When I get off the ship I don't like to be waiting around for a shuttle service that might not show up for a 1/2 hour or a hour. I get off the ship I need to get to the airport and catch the first flight home.

We just returned from our cruise and stayed pre-cruise at Springhill Suites. We were so happy there and I highly recommend it. Very clean hotel. The breakfast was very good in the morning. We arrived early at the airport around 10:00am and called the hotel for their shuttle. It arrived in a matter of minutes. After dropping us off, we went to see if the rooms were ready. THEY WERE!! This was about 10:30am. We checked out our rooms, which were wonderful. We had two beds, a sofa bed, a desk with chair and also a chair with an ottoman. Small kitchenette area too. Plenty of room for the 4 or us. We then took their shuttle to the mall and had lunch and the Cheescake factory and walked around a bit. Called the hotel for the shuttle to pick us up and take us back to the hotel. We rested and then took their shuttle to a restaurant (Steak and Ale) for dinner. There are no restaurants in the area, only a gas station that has a convenience store in it and also sells Subway sandwiches. When we were finished with dinner we called the hotel and they sent the shuttle back to pick us up. I have never used shuttle services before as we always rent a car and I have to say, Springhill was fantastic! We inquired about arranging a ride to the port the next morning and were told that their shuttle doesn't do it, but they have someone that will take us for $5.00 each. He was in the lobby waiting for us at 10:15 the next morning. He even gave us his card and we called him directly to bring us from the pier back to the airport upon our return. He was there in minutes to pick us up yesterday!. We enjoyed our stay at Springhill very much. I saw the pool area, but didn't use the pool. It was nice, nothing special, just a rectangle pool with chairs around it. But, if you wanted to get wet, it would have served its purpose! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!! :)

We to like all the good reviews about Springhill suites. And I called them and they have a service to the port for 6.00$ a per person. So for my family that is still around 125.00$. Thats a great deal. I will find my own ride(like a cab) back to the airport after the cruise. When I get off the ship I don't like to be waiting around for a shuttle service that might not show up for a 1/2 hour or a hour. I get off the ship I need to get to the airport and catch the first flight home.

I didn't know that they had a service to the port for $6.00 per person. I only knew of a free shuttle from the airport to the hotel. They will also shuttle you around within 5 miles, I think. We were planning on taking a taxi to the pier the morning of our cruise. I'll check it out when I get there.:)

Holiday inn told me that rate is only good for weekends that they didn't do sail and shore packages on the week days. So we went with Spring Hill Suites with airport pickup for $99.00. Best of luck to you.

We are staying at the Springhill Suites this Sunday prior to our Monday cruise. No too much is mentioned on this thread about it so I will give a review when we return.:)

Has anyone recently stayed at the Springhill Suites? We're booked there in August and haven't heard anything about it for a long time. Is it a good hotel or should we be looking elsewhere?

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katie286 - Yes - It isn't very far to walk to the South to the Westshore Plaza mall. There's a Steak and Ale out front along Westshore Blvd. Joined to the mall is Maggiano's Italian and another place (the name slips me right now). Also, directly E on Cypress is Charley's Steakhouse.

Ken

Thanks so much Ken. We just wanted to know if we could walk to the Mall and to somewhere to grab dinner or if we would need a taxi. :)

We are staying at the Springhill Suites in August. Does anyone know if there are any restaurants within walking distance from there? Is there a mall close to this hotel? Thanks for your help.:)

TBR - Thanks for the suggestions I will check them out.:)

Jeff - We are only staying one night before our cruise. We are sailing on a Monday in August so we need a place for Sunday night. We don't want to spend a fortune, but don't want to stay in a not so nice place or area either.

Thanks Jessemon...I have read this entire thread and while I agree completely that it is very informative, I am completely overwhelmed with information regarding Tampa Hotels. I thought it would be a good idea to narrow it down a bit.

BUMP..where did everyone go????:)

Can anyone who has stayed at these hotels tell me which one I should go with. We will not have a car, so parking is not an issue. Both include some transportation and breakfast. I am traveling with my daughter (16) and mother. A suite sounds better than a hotel room. Can someone tell me the pros and cons of each. I'd love to know what is close by to each. (mall, restaurants, how close to the port, etc). We are traveling with my sister and her 2 daughters (16 & 18) as well. Thanks for you input!:)