Tampa Cruise Port Terminals: Ultimate Guide for Port Tampa Bay

Table Of Content

• Cruise Ports in Caribbean and West Indies region
• Sir Richard Branson Delivers Surprise Free Cruises on Streets of London
• Cruise Lines That Sail From Port Tampa Bay
• Cruises from Tampa, Florida
• Getting to the Tampa Bay Port from Tampa International Airport
• Read Next: Park & Cruise Hotels for Every Port in America

The best spots to stay for a night before or after your cruise are either in the city, close to downtown, or out by the beaches if you have a little extra time. Close to the port in downtown are a good selection of mid-range and luxury hotels, many with great waterfront views and locations on the Tampa Riverwalk. Located on Tampa Bay, Port Tampa Bay is right in the heart of downtown. Interstate 4 connects the downtown peninsula to Tampa International Airport, the beaches just west of the city, and Orlando with its world-famous theme parks and entertainment options.

Cruise Ports in Caribbean and West Indies region

However, this limited choice means Tampacruise port is much less crowded and busy than Miami, the “cruise capital ofthe world”. PortMiami is home to over 20 cruise lines and serves at least 60different passenger ships. If you want choice, consider cruises from Miami, butif you want easy uncrowded access to a smaller port, think about cruising fromTampa. In 2018, Carnival Miracle started from Tampa year-round 7-day roundtrips. On September 22-23, 2018, Port Tampa Bay celebrated its 1 millionth cruise passenger.

Sir Richard Branson Delivers Surprise Free Cruises on Streets of London

The terminals are convenient, parking a breeze, and the city itself home to interesting and unique attractions within a short walk of the port. If you are arriving byair, Tampa International Airport (TPA) is 9 miles northwest of Tampa cruise port.Transfers by taxi take about 20 minutes, depending on traffic conditions alongthe I-275. One of the best things about cruising from Port Tampa Bay is that parking is both convenient and inexpensive compared to other ports in Florida. For example, while parking for the Port of Miami is upwards of $20+ per day, you’ll only pay $15 — and at some lots much lower — to park for a Tampa cruise. Luckily, transportation, parking, and lodging is very easy to find here, and won’t cost you too much (depending on the options you go with).

Cruise Lines That Sail From Port Tampa Bay

As a hub for ultra-low cost carrier Allegiant Airlines, it could definitely be a cost saver to use this airport instead of Tampa International. Even though it is across the bay, the drive time is only about minutes from the cruise terminals. One of the most convenient things about Port Tampa Bay is its proximity to Tampa International Airport. Located just over 8 miles away, a trip from the airport to the cruise terminals takes about 15 minutes outside of commuting times and around 30 during rush hours.

Ways Cruise Passengers Get the Crew in Trouble

All your luggageshould be tagged with the color/group identification tags provided and leftoutside your stateroom door on the night before disembarkation. On arrival, bags are deposited in a huge hangar in groupsby tag color. It is very importantto keep your cruise pass safe, especially when you go ashore as you cannotreturn to the ship without it! As part of the Tampa cruise check-in process, you will be photographed and asked to provide credit card details. This is your stateroom key and serves as a charge card for any onboard purchases, drinks, daily gratuities, casino chips and chargeable amenities during your cruise.

Margaritaville at Sea Adds Second Ship, To Sail From Tampa - Cruise Industry News

Margaritaville at Sea Adds Second Ship, To Sail From Tampa.

Posted: Mon, 04 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

As a city that caters to cruise passengers, there are also a number of Tampa hotels that offer parking during your cruise, as well as hotels with cruise shuttles. Below are a few options for each, but we suggest seeing our full list in the articles linked above. Despite the lack of notoriety, Port Tampa Bay offers a ton for cruise passengers. This includes multiple terminals with a constant stream of ships, lots to do in the area, more convenience, and fewer headaches than dealing with a larger port.

Terminal parking at the Tampa cruise port is conveniently located across the street from Terminals 2 and 3 and adjacent to Terminal 6. For the sake of convenience, many cruise lines will offer transfers for their passengers from the Tampa airport. Although this is a great service, it can get expensive if you’re traveling with a lot of people. Also, your shuttle is only going to be available on cruise day, so if you fly in the day before you’ll have to seek alternate means of transportation. Tampa has fewer services at the port whenit comes to bars, restaurants and coffee shops.

Royal Caribbean® offers plenty of bolder-than-ever weekend sailings to some of the Caribbean’s most stunning shores onboard the world’s most incredible cruise ships — no days off required. Which means you can fill your year with even more bucket list adventures. The premise is simple — book at a hotel with a shuttle (often there is a cruise package you can reserve) and you’ll get your night’s stay plus a ride to the cruise port in the morning. Because Port Tampa Bay is a smaller port serving only two or three ships at any given time, it’s an easy place to get around. If parking in the garages, 30 minutes is plenty of time to park and walk to the terminal.

There is no shuttle offered, so you’ll have to get a ride to the cruise terminals. Still, to park for a week you won’t find any cheaper place unless you stay at a hotel with free cruise parking. Port Tampa Bay homeports five ships from four different cruise lines, offering travelers itineraries ranging from four days to two weeks. Its relatively small size makes it a popular choice for travelers who prefer easy access and convenience. All three cruise terminals in Tampa are within walking distance to several of the city's attractions and waterfront hotels.

Cruises generally offer duty-free shopping in their on-board shops. However, they cannot offer duty-free shopping until they are in international waters. If you are sailing out of a cruise port on East Coast USA, international Atlantic waters start just three miles offshore. If you’re driving to Tampa for a cruise,it’s wise to drive down a day or two earlier in case of bad weather furthernorth. Once you get the Sunshine State, you’ll have no more problems with iceand snow, unlike some other cruise ports. Ybor City is one of only two National Historic Landmarks Districts in the whole of Florida.

It makes a greatphoto op as you sail beneath the four-lane I-275 highway, especially at sunset. The terminal offers facilities like fast security and luggage carts. In 2013, the port Tampa was ranked USA's 16th largest (by domestic trade tonnage), 32nd largest (by foreign cargo tonnage) and 22nd (total shipping tonnage). Port's impact on Florida's economy is over USD 15 billion, with supported over 80,000 local jobs. Most handled vessels are bulk carriers and tankers, also Ro-Ro ships (car carries) and boxships (container carriers). Carnival ships here have passenger capacity between 1000 and 2600, and generally operate on Western Caribbean roundtrip itineraries.

Multiple cruise lines have already reaped the benefits of homeporting their ships at Port Tampa Bay. Located within walking distance from the cruise terminals is Sparkman Wharf. Here you will find all you could ever want in dining and shopping, as well as an open-air biergarten that includes over 24 taps of Florida craft beer, all with a breathtaking waterfront view.

If you want to extend your cruise or are considering a combined Stay and Park package, you’ll find plenty of great deals on hotels in Tampa close to the cruise terminal. While the entire Tampa area can offer hotels, there aren’t many right at the port. The closest hotels are in downtown, which is a short distance away. Read on for our breakdown of Port Tampa Bay, including address information, cruise line terminals, directions, services and more.

Since you selected your particular cruise the system knows how many days you need to pay for. As mentioned earlier it’s a flat rate of $15 per day but sometimes there are promotional rates. Port Tampa Bay is consistently rated as one of the easiest and most convenient ports in the state of Florida. The port is a major container and shipping center, but also has a popular and growing cruise business, which sail out of three terminals. All three terminals are a short walk from ample parking including garages and surface lots, the Tampa Riverwalk, Florida Aquarium, and Sparkman Wharf.