Hotel suggestions for Tampa

[EMTRa]

Jeff,

 

Thanks so much for all of your insight! I think we will go with Chase...It was the first one that I found too. Bahama Breeze (we don't have them in IL so we are game!) sounds like a good place to have lunch/dinner/drinks and entertainment.. perfect. Nice to have a 2 BR suite too. We will be tripping over each other soon enough..LOL!

DH will just HAVE to bring me back to do the nightlife in Tampa..for sure!

 

I have spent hours and hours here on CC (ask DH how much work I have finished this week...NONE!;) )have been through many, many of your posts..overwhelming how much info is on this thread! :eek:

You and Ken have helped so many of us ..thanks guys!

 

Hey, can you make sure that the weather is sunny and perfect too???? :D

[The Cruisers]

We drove my the Embassy Suites - Convention Center. I was telling Jimmy it still looks pretty "incomplete".

 

The Embassy Suites - Westshore was fine. It looked a little "tired" in some places...but they had equipment in the back ...so perhaps they are going to do some remodeling as soon as the other location is up and running.

 

The staff was excellent. Made to order full breakfast was great and so was the free booze for 2 hours every night.

 

We felt comfortable walking over to the Westshore Mall. The hotel called a taxi for us when we needed to go to the pier. It was $20 from the hotel. ($22.00 from the pier back to the airport after the cruise)

 

We had a WONDERFUL cruise....love the Miracle!!!!

 

There is a group of us who are going to stay here before our Nov. 12 cruise. Glad to hear the service is good even if the hotel may need some renovating. We are only staying for one night and will be too excited to get on the Miracle to much care about how the hotel looks.

 

So the hotel has no shuttle service to the pier, they will call you a taxi? How long is the ride to the pier?

[jessemon]

Jeff,

 

Thanks so much for all of your insight! I think we will go with Chase...It was the first one that I found too. Bahama Breeze (we don't have them in IL so we are game!) sounds like a good place to have lunch/dinner/drinks and entertainment.. perfect. Nice to have a 2 BR suite too. We will be tripping over each other soon enough..LOL!

DH will just HAVE to bring me back to do the nightlife in Tampa..for sure!

 

I have spent hours and hours here on CC (ask DH how much work I have finished this week...NONE!;) )have been through many, many of your posts..overwhelming how much info is on this thread! :eek:

You and Ken have helped so many of us ..thanks guys!

 

Hey, can you make sure that the weather is sunny and perfect too???? :D

Will try to help out on the weather too...but...

Make sure to have a jacket or sweater handy. Sometimes that time of year it can get a bit brisk. Especially on deck if you want to stand on the open deck while the ship is leaving port.

Gets windy sometimes.

Jeff

[tomatopa]

Jeff, i will not be on your sailing, but a later one out of Tampa. We have booked rooms a the Comfort Inn Airport at RJ stadium at 4732 N Dale Mabry .

 

can you tell me if there is a place to buy wine, soda, water, and such with in walking distance....also a place to eat a light dinner?

 

thanks, Judy

[jessemon]

Jeff, i will not be on your sailing, but a later one out of Tampa. We have booked rooms a the Comfort Inn Airport at RJ stadium at 4732 N Dale Mabry .

 

can you tell me if there is a place to buy wine, soda, water, and such with in walking distance....also a place to eat a light dinner?

 

thanks, Judy

Just a question? Are you driving into Tampa or flying?

On dining. You should be right at Sam Seltzer's Steak House. Moderate price. Good specials.

If you want to eat lite...I'm sure you can.

[tomatopa]

Jeff, we are flying in...thanks,

[LHP]

[quote name='The Cruisers']There is a group of us who are going to stay here before our Nov. 12 cruise. Glad to hear the service is good even if the hotel may need some renovating. We are only staying for one night and will be too excited to get on the Miracle to much care about how the hotel looks.

So the hotel has no shuttle service to the pier, they will call you a taxi? How long is the ride to the pier?[/QUOTE]


The Embassy will pick you up from the airport. After we had all our luggage, hubby called...I am assuming on a courtesy phone. But we had their local number in our cell phone just in case...so he may have used that.

The hotel will call a taxi for you. They use ADDI. We used a couple of taxi services while we were there (like coming back from Channelside) and the others were not as good. ADDI was excellent...so the hotel does call the best one for you.

The hotel will shuttle you for free to anywhere within a 3 mile radius.

The ride to the pier was quick on Saturday afternoon (around 4) and on Sunday morning....not bad at all. It is interstate 90% of the way until you get downtown. But with it being on Sunday, there was no traffic.

Have a wonderful cruise.

[jessemon]

[quote name='tomatopa']Jeff, we are flying in...thanks,[/quote]
The reason I asked if you are flying in is that if you are looking to pick up wine, soda and water to take on the ship the taxi drive will know where to stop on the way.
He can stop before you get to the hotel on Kennedy at the ABC or Walgreens.
Have a list and run in fast...grab what you need and get your butts out fast. The meter is going...tic...tic...tic:mad:
jeff

[tomatopa]

Jeff, I guess by your answer there is no place within walking distance to shop for those few things. we will be taking a shuttle from the airport to the hotel...so doubt if he would stop....

thanks for the information....

Judy

[nat9511]

Any info on the Days Inn Port of Tampa/Ybor City would be greatly appreciated. The pictures look good but can be decieving. The price is right for a place just to sleep and you can leave your car there while on your cruise. It says it is 2 miles to the port. Does anyone know what cabfare would be to the port?

[glorya]

Would anyone have information on the Quorum Hotel in Tampa? Has anyone stayed there? Anything around the hotel within "safe" walking distance? Mall? Restaurants? We are looking for a one-night stay in Tampa prior to our cruise. We will fly in and won't have a car at our disposal and will rely on shuttles. The Quorum has a precruise package but it is a little high priced for one night. I have read of a number of hotels on this site but my head is spinning. Can't keep them straight, lose the location (good or bad), etc. etc. etc.

[KAWS]

Don't know about the Quorum but we're booked at the Chase Suites. They have a precruise package too that includes breakfast and shuttle to/from airport and to/from the pier. You might give them a call. They have good reviews.

I've driven myself absolutely insane with this too. But we're happy with our final selection of the Chase.

Kim

[jessemon]

Just to let some folks know...there are some questions I am good at answering and there are others Ken is great at answering. He will be back shortly.
Some of the questions that have been asked are covered in this thread...ie...the Quorum. But it was maybe 10 pages ago. It is in a good area...Westshore. Mall and dining close. But that is about all I can tell you.

Also Days Inn Ybor has also been talked about earlier. it has been awhile though.

[nat9511]

I have gone back through at least 300 posts and can't find any info on the Days Inn Port of Tampa/Ybor. Please does anyone have any current info on this hotel. We are staying with friends in Tampa before the cruise but have at least 6 friends looking for an inexpensive hotel close to the port where they can leave their car. It doesn't have to be fancy, just a place to sleep. Thanks for any info you can give me.

[glorya]

[quote name='KAWS']Don't know about the Quorum but we're booked at the Chase Suites. They have a precruise package too that includes breakfast and shuttle to/from airport and to/from the pier. You might give them a call. They have good reviews.

I've driven myself absolutely insane with this too. But we're happy with our final selection of the Chase.

Kim[/quote]

Thank you Kim, I called and booked the Chase also. I became so weary and confused from trying to make a decision and am happy that the reservation is finalized. One would think I was moving to Tampa permanently for all the time I spent on this. It sure is interesting and informative to read the help/advice/recommendations given by so many people so willingly on this site. Thank you all!

[tomatopa]

can someone tell me how much it costs for a shuttle or taxi from the pier to the airport? how far a distance?

thank you, Judy

[Deb C.]

[SIZE=4][COLOR=red]Hi Judy![/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][COLOR=red]Taxi-$20.00[/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][COLOR=red]BayShuttle--$11.00pp--I took the shuttle last Nov. to the pier and back to the airport. No problems.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=#ff0000]Deb C.:cool: [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[tomatopa]

DebC.

thanks for the info. was the taxi $20 a person or for the whole taxi?

did you have to reserve your place on the Bay Shuttle ahead of time?

thanks, judy

[Deb C.]

Yes, that is per taxi.

And yes, I did call BayShuttle ahead of time once I got to Tampa. They also knew to pick me up when I returned from the cruise. I did call them again once I got outside the cruise terminal. It took them about 10 or so to get there. I even had the whole van to myself.

Since I was solo, the shuttle was cheaper for me. With two, I'd say go with the taxi!

[The Cruisers]

[quote name='LHP']The Embassy will pick you up from the airport. After we had all our luggage, hubby called...I am assuming on a courtesy phone. But we had their local number in our cell phone just in case...so he may have used that.

The hotel will call a taxi for you. They use ADDI. We used a couple of taxi services while we were there (like coming back from Channelside) and the others were not as good. ADDI was excellent...so the hotel does call the best one for you.

The hotel will shuttle you for free to anywhere within a 3 mile radius.

The ride to the pier was quick on Saturday afternoon (around 4) and on Sunday morning....not bad at all. It is interstate 90% of the way until you get downtown. But with it being on Sunday, there was no traffic.

Have a wonderful cruise.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the info. We appreciate it.

[Doughboy77]

Springhill Suites:

DW and I stayed at Springhill Suites last Sunday and had a great time. After landing and collecting our luggage we called and they had the shuttle pick us up. We didn't use it after that as a local friend picked us up to hit Wal-Mart then to dinner at a Thai place at Channelside. The free continental breakfast was one of the best I've seen and it had my favorite, belgian waffles (wish the ship had them!). When we checked in we requested a taxi for 11 and it was there right on time. We ended up sharing it with another couple so it was only $15 per couple. Overall it was a great experience and we're likely to stay there next time we visit Tampa.

[Cracker Ken]

[B]nat9511 - [I]Don't do it!!![/I][/B] Better yet, don't even [U]think[/U] about it. Seriously. I'm familiar with this area, as you probably know by now, and I know of this location. At one time, this was a LaQuinta Inn. The area is bad, and getting worse, and LaQuinta sold it. Days Inn picked it up. I wouldn't stay there if the room was free, they fed 3 free meals a day, and transported me anywhere in Tampa for free, not even if I had guns with me. I'd rather not get in a gun fight with someone anyone. To start with, this place isn't in Ybor, and it's quite a distance from the port, relatively speaking. It might be closer than the hotels out by the airport, but this place is no count. While I'm at it, I'll warn you away from the Howard Johnson's on 50th St too. It's close to the LaQuinta. This is a deteriorated area of town, and the construction in the area is horrible. It is not safe in this area.

In addition to my knowledge of the area and location, check this out:

[URL="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g34678-d87630-Reviews-Days_Inn_Port_of_Tampa_Ybor_City-Tampa_Florida.html"]http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g34678-d87630-Reviews-Days_Inn_Port_of_Tampa_Ybor_City-Tampa_Florida.html[/URL]

Instead, consider one of the places people have mentioned near the airport, like the LaQuinta Inn Airport. It's not fancy, has outside entry rooms, but I understand they allow you to leave your car there. It's a lot safer, and I haven't seen any body give a bad report. Also, if you are driving, you might search for hotels in the area of State Road 60 and I-75 near Brandon, FL. It's not bad out there, lots of places to eat, shopping centers, etc., and it's a straight shot to the W down SR 60 to get to the port.

Ken

[tomatopa]

Ken,

I clicked on your lnk to the review of the Days Inn...sounds pretty awful.
Nice that you could help us all out with that information. I will not be staying there.

Judy

[nat9511]

Thanks Cracker Ken for the info. I figured for the price it couldn't be too good but the reviews make it sound awful and not a place I would recommend to friends. I think I will just tell them about this thread and let them wade through the 1000+ post and they can decide for themselves where they want to stay. We are staying with friends in the Valrico area and they are going to take us to the port and pick us up after the cruise. We are lucky to have such nice friends.

[tomatopa]

Nat, you could have your friends look into staying at the comfort inn airport RJ stadium on Dale Mabry. the have a free shuttle from the airport and then it is $5 pp for shuttle to the pier. it is the best price i have found with a shuttle. not sure how nice it is, but sounds like an okay location....

Judy