SemperFi_Cruiser

Hey Mark, I think I can relate to your coffee tastes... Started drinking coffee with my Mom around age 8...Well, there you have it! Fast forward, 1 tour in Vietnam with USMC, coffee-making involved a gas burner, a 30-gallon pot, and when the water boiled a 5lb bag of ground military grade coffee was dumped in....After a few minutes you dipped your metal coffee cup in (not too deep to avoid grounds) and Viola!. Needless to say all of us coffee afficionados loved it! Still like it strong to this day, usually stock up on French Roast, grind my own beans and love, love, love it El Strongo!! (As I grew older and away from home for years, when I did visit my Mom - (the root of coffee evil in my life) I had so evolved in my strong coffee tastes that she would not allow me to contaminate her Bunn coffee machine, I always had to bring my own pot and brew my own whenever I visited. LOL! We're taking our first cruise on Celebrity later this month, on the Apex. Looking forward to sippin' what I call "ship's coffee," i.,e. whatever they brew in the big urn in the buffet area. On past cruises I've always enjoyed "ship's coffee" more than the jazzed up overhyped stuff at the pseudo-Starbucks places.

I've cruised out of Tampa many times, and always stayed at the Holiday Inn Express at Rocky Point, about 3 miles west of TPA airport. Bahama Breeze right next door - walking distance. Also there's a Westin hotel also within walking distance, about 2 blocks. They have an upscale restaurant and a full service Starbucks in the hotel. I've always driven to these cruises as I only live 90 miles away, but as I recall the hotel does have a shuttle service to the port. Don't remember if it's complimentary or perhaps a small fee. You might give them a call, they can most likely answer your questions about the shuttle service.

As a fairly seasoned cruiser, I have a sorta kinda rule about not traveling to the port on cruise day. First of all, whether you're flying or driving, too many things can pop up unexpectedly that could end up preventing you from boarding on time. I live about 90 miles from Tampa and have cruised from there many times. But even so, I always drive up the night before and RON at a hotel. Same for Miami/Ft. Lauderdale - that's a bit farther, about 2 1/2 hours to drive over, but I use the same reasoning if I'm cruising out of either of those ports. So...consider this scenario and philosophy....as an example when I cruise out of Tampa, I usually stay at the Holiday Express at Rocky Point, a few miles west of TPA airport. There is a Bahama Breeze restaurant literally next door, easy walking distance. So, when I do this I mentally consider that I'm already on the cruise a day early. Guaranteed a few Margaritas will help ease you into the cruise mode.😁😎 I am fortunate to live in Florida. I can drive to five different ports. These days I don't fly anywhere that I don't have to, but if I did, I would never ever consider flying in on the same day of a cruise...too many things could end up delaying the flight....anyway, for what it's worth, there's my 2 cents...

Taking our first cruise on Carnival in just under 7 years. Managed to live without one all during the "pandemic" years. In my past 35+ cruises, i had a regular routine....as soon as I had access to my cabin, I turned off my phone, threw it in the safe, and that is where it stayed for my entire cruise. I've always cruised to get away from it all, the last thing I wanted while onboard was to have a phone in my possession. Well, it seems those days are long gone. I got an iPhone a couple of years ago, finally leaving the Android world, and I've been very happy once I got used to the "quantum leap" from Android to Apple. I used to love poring over the daily FunTimes (prev. "Carnival Capers") over morning coffee, but this time during our short 4-nt Cozumel cruise it looks like I may have to bite the bullet and make use of the Carnival Hub app. I'll give it a proper workout, but also I'll still see what info is available via other means, paper communications, etc. I used to walk down to the dining room and look at the day's menus posted on the wall near the entrance to see what was for dinner, and that always worked just fine for me. But hey, times change, and we must often change with them or get left in the dust of our former world. So, you can now call me "The Reluctant Technologist," as I make yet another quantum leap into the techno world. Who knows, I might even learn to like it. 😁

When I read of these accounts, the information that always seems to be missing is exactly how the passenger managed to "fall" off the ship. As a seasoned cruiser, I know from personal experience, it's virtually impossible to "fall" over the typical 4-foot railings that surround most of the open areas on cruise ships. So, there would have to be some kind of specific circumstances to make someone go over the railing. Some possible causes could be inebriation - which could lead to lack of judgment obviously - something more sinister like being pushed or assisted to go over by another passenger - or other possible situations which could get the passenger off the ship. Not to be excluded would be the possibility of jumping from one of the higher decks, in which case the railing wouldn't necessarily be a barrier. In all my years of cruising, I have never felt and danger about "falling" overboard, so I always wonder when I read these stories, just how exactly does a passenger end up off the ship and in the water? inquiring minds want to know.

Begging your pardon but you are dead wrong. It generally takes about 2 hours 15 minutes +/- There is no way any cruise ship makes that transit in 1 hour.

I have cruised out of Tampa six times. It will take approx. 2 hrs & 15 minutes. The ship's speed is restricted because the Tampa ship channel is narrow and has many turns along the trip, plus it is a very busy area. If you have early dinner seating, you'll go under the bridge about the same time as dinner seating begins. I usually opt for.my time dining so I can be on deck for the bridge passing- its quite a notable moment - then on to dinner afterwards. Also be aware of sunset times. I've gotten quite a few great photos on past cruises during the bridge moment. But if you cruise during late Fall/Winter it will be dark as you go under the bridge and you won't be able to see much.