Cruisers leaving from Tampa who need a large hotel room...

[CFitzRN]

If you are looking for a hotel in Tampa with large suites, I wanted to share the information I found. We are a party of 7 - husband and me, our 4 sons and one friend. It was challenging to find a hotel with something other than the standard two dbl beds. We would have had to get two rooms and if we wanted something more than, say, 2-star, it would have been quite expensive. I really don't like 2-star hotels much and definitely not less than 2 star.

 

After much research, I found the Embassy Suites Westshore (also called "ES airport" I think). They have a two bedroom/2 bath suite that sleeps up to 8. One bedroom has 2 queen beds, one bedroom has one queen bed and the living room has a queen sleeper sofa. It also offers two bathrooms and a kitchen with fridge, microwave, etc. They have a manager's reception nightly with free beverages (including alcoholic) and snacks. They also have a full, hot, cooked-to-order breakfast in the morning.

 

PARKING: They have a cruise package. You stay in their hotel at least one night, and you can park your car in their garage for the duration of your cruise for $5/day (cheaper than the $12/day charge at the pier). OR, there's a "park & fly" package that is $10 more for the room charge per night, but you get to park at their garage for free for the duration of your cruise. We chose that one (duh!). :p And you don't have to "fly" - it includes cruises too, I checked. We got that for $239 for the one night we're staying there. When you add up the cost of what two hotel rooms would have been, plus the fact that they offer a full hot breakfast (would have been close to $70 for us with 7 people), it's a pretty good deal, especially for a suite that size.

 

One drawback is they don't have a shuttle to the pier. They do have a taxi service that they work with and they will arrange for you to be picked up when you need to be. I believe it is about $6 per person. We decided to have one of us (husband or myself) drive our party down to the pier in our own van, leave everyone and the luggage, then one of us drive back to the hotel, park, and take a taxi down to join the rest of the group on the pier. Cheaper that way.

 

http://embassysuites1.hilton.com/en_US/es/hotel/TPAFLES-Embassy-Suites-Tampa-Airport-Westshore-Florida/index.do

 

Hope this helps someone else avoid some aggravation!

[loulou2]

Thank you for that great info. I have been searching for the exact rooms ;) . I appreciate all your help!!!

[waiting4acruise]

I was there for a week last December. They have a king and 2 double queen suites. The other room in the suite has a sofa. That room was huge so people can sleep on the floor. Each room has a balcony. The side of the hotel I was on had a view of Westside Bay. That was great for the sunset. There is a Waffle House right in front of the hotel. There are other places to eat within a few blocks of the hotel. The hotel provides a free shuttle to and from the airport. I enjoyed my stay there.

[BraysMom]

How was the condition of this hotel? It has mixed reviews on tripadvisor. I like having the whole family in one unit rather than split between two rooms and I like that they have suites with 2 bedrooms/2 baths (especially with 3 teenage girls and me all trying to get ready at once ;) ), but I'm a little concerned about the conditions that I read about. Did you find the rooms to be clean? How was the breakfast? Any other concerns?

[CFitzRN]

How was the condition of this hotel? It has mixed reviews on tripadvisor. I like having the whole family in one unit rather than split between two rooms and I like that they have suites with 2 bedrooms/2 baths (especially with 3 teenage girls and me all trying to get ready at once ;) ), but I'm a little concerned about the conditions that I read about. Did you find the rooms to be clean? How was the breakfast? Any other concerns?

 

Actually, I won't be staying there until July. I too read the mixed reviews and am hoping that we will have a good experience despite that. I will share my thoughts here after we come back, though it's not for a few months. Maybe others who've stayed there can offer more specific information? I'd like to hear it too.