Port of Tampa

[cue881]

I've been reading a lot of complaints about the Port of Tampa and the ships being delayed. Understand this-years ago a ship hit the Skyway Bridge and knocked it down. Since then safety has been the #1 concern for all ships passing under the bridge. As the weather turns cooler, the water temperature in Tampa Bay and the Gulf are still high. This creates fog and as long as its foggy the ships are not allowed under the bridge. If you are planning flights when you get off the ship you need to allow a lot of time to get to the airport. Booking a flight anywhere before 2 pm is crazy at this time of year. You have to allow time for the fog to burn off before the ship even gets past the bridge. On the other side of the coin, if you are going onboard, realize that you are probably going to have a significant chance of a delay. they cannot put you on board until every gets off! I am reading a lot of complaints from people who obviously didn't know this. If you get to the port early and get delayed, hand over your luggage and hop a taxi to International Mall or Westshore Mall (about 4 miles away) and kill some time, or go go east to Westfield Mall in Brandon (10 miles away but a direct route) and you can even hit a movie. Just be patient! Good Luck, Ken

[weelv2cruise]

Thanks so much for the great information!