Cracker Ken
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Posts posted by Cracker Ken
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No, no pay. I'd work for tips, but I haven't found anywhere to place my jar. :)
The Tampa Chamber of Commerece or Tourist Council doesn't pay me either. :(
Cruise Critic should send me some "free stuff."
If you get a chance, go to my Flickr photo album and look at the Tampa pics.
Ken -
[B]Hoosier Gal -[/B]
1/ Probably either Bay Shuttle (Google it - Tampa Bay Shuttle), or Super Shuttle - both ways.
2/ Yes, but it's a ways. If it's good weather you can walk it if you don't have disabilities. It's 1/2 mile, max. HOWEVER - The street cars run by the cruise terminals and the S. end station for the street cars is right next to the Embassy Suites, right out the door. Street cars are cheap, and can even take you into Ybor if you like (check the schedule to make sure they are running when you want to return to the hotel though)
3/ No experience, but I've never seen a hotel of this type and size where the bell man won't store luggage for you. I've even stored luggage at a Hampton Inn before.
4/ See 1.
[B]Poolguppy [/B]- Rocky Point is nice, but further away from the cruise terminals, like 10 miles. It's W of the airport. It's clean and quiet out there, mostly an office building park. There are 5 restaurants of various levels out there. I'm going out there to work in about an hour - our offices are there. No problem with staying on Rocky Point. I thought you wanted to be real close to the cruise terminals at the port. I don't know why people are getting afraid of Tampa. It's not that bad, and certainly no worse than any other larger city, better than many. There are indeed some areas of Ybor, futher to the east from the Hampton, blocks away, are get rowdy at night. There are a lot of clubs on 7th Ave/Broadway, and where there are drunks, there are problems. The Hampton is not in the middle of the problem area. Also, that area has more police presence than anywhere in town at night. I'm retired from law enforcement in this area, and I would stay at the Hampton in Ybor - I just have enough sense to know where to go and when (even if I'm not using my concealed carry permit). The Dale Mabry area isn't too bad in the area of the Holiday Inn Express either.
[B]One thing for sure[/B] - If I ever see people on this thread wanting to stay in what I'd consider really bad areas, I'll warn them about it - no holds barred.
Ken -
To my knowledge, there is no Holiday Inn Express near the cruise terminal. The closest I know of is on Dale Mabry Highway, closer to the airport, or at Rocky Point (W of the airport). Both of them are just fine.
The Hampton Inn in Ybor is quite nice. Cool looking place. They built it to match the architecture in the area of the Ybor City Latin District. It fits right in. It's across the street from the street car garage and next to the line. If y'all stay at the Hampton Inn, I'd recommend being indoors after dark. The area of the hotel isn't so bad, but there are areas further to the East of there that are kind of crazy at night. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there, but I wouldn't be walking the streets very far from there at night myself.
Ken -
Two close choices - One expensive, the other not so expensive.
1/ Marriott Waterside Hotel. Very nice. Restaurant on premises. Expensive. Easy to get on the street car out front and go down to Channelside. This is about 1/2 from the dock, if not closer. Expensive and worth it.
2/ Hampton Inn - Ybor. Nice hotel and close, within a block or so, of good eating places. It's also along the street car line. This is about 1 mile away from the dock. Suggestion - The Spaghetti Warehouse Restaurant is close by, the folks at the hotel can show you the way, a couple of blocks. Hotel - Moderate and well worth it.
Ken -
The Holiday Inn Express and the Comfort Inn on Dale Mabry are right next to each other. At the same spot is Sam Seltzers Steakhouse, a moderately priced good steakhouse. The area is OK and reasonably clean. Across the big highway is the back side of a huge city park. I don't know what they charge for shuttles, but a taxi would be about $22 (+ or -). Other than these two hotels, the restaurant, and a couple of closeby diners, the area has bunches of car dealerships along Dale Mabry to the N of the Raymond James Stadium. The stadium, and Legends Field (spring training for the NY Yankees) is just to the South.
If I had to select between the Holiday Inn Express and the Comfort Inn, it would be the Holiday Inn Express, without a doubt. It's relatively new. The Comfort Inn is a remodeled older motel that has outside entry, no inside halls, so not as safe. That's what I can see from driving through the area.
Here's what some folks say on Trip Advisor:
[URL]http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g34678-d87700-Reviews-Comfort_Inn_Airport_at_RJ_Stadium-Tampa_Florida.html[/URL]
I don't usually pay much attention to Trip Advisor entries, but these might be worth reading.
Ken -
There's a lot more going on than the Italian Festival. I view that more as a local thing and not a draw that would pack out hotels and run the rates up high.
I imagine what's really causing the problem is the NCAA-Women's Final Four 2008 which will be on April 6 and 8 at the St Pete Times Forum (formerly known as the Ice Palace). That location is a block down the street from the Embassy Suites and Marriott Waterside Hotel downtown. That's enough to pack out Tampa hotels for sure. That location is also just a few blocks from the cruise terminal.
Also in town that weekend is the American Invitational Horse Jumping Championship at Raymond James Statium.
Stamptherapy - I hope you get this in time - There's a very nice restaurant at Rocky Point - The Castaways. It overlooks the water. Sunset dining there would be nice. It's not cheap.
Another very nice option would be CK's Restaurant:
This is a revolving restaurant on top of the Tampa International Airport, and not far from Rocky Point. It's not cheap, and would probably require reservations to be on the safe side.
There's another nice seafood restaurant at Rocky Point, Landry's. It's good, moderate prices, but not what I'd call a romantic dinner like the other two places I listed.
Ken
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I can't answer your question on the rate packages. One thing for sure - If I relied on Trip Advisor ratings to find places to stay, I'd end up sleeping in a car. I think the only people that go there for reviews are people who have been made mad for some reason and decide to trash the places. Sheraton Hotels doesn't operated rat holes. Sheraton and Hyatt downtown are popular hotels. Sheraton is along the Hillsborough River in the downtown core. The Riverwalk and Convention Center is just S of there. You may need a cab to get somewhere for dining.
Ken
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I'm bumping this to the top.
Moderator - Could you consider making this thread, and the other really high volume threads like Cape Canaveral "stickies" so folks can find them easy. That way, they could find answers quicker without starting lots of threads about the same thing. Of course, some will still start a new thread for a redundant question because they won't take the time to read.
Ken
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cat26 - This hotel was refurbished and the name changed from Wyndham to Westin not too long ago. I haven't stayed there, but I've been there and all around the area. Nice hotel and location. It's on an island across the channel from the cruise terminals, known as Harbour Island. It's located where the Hillsborough River meets Tampa Bay. The cruise terminals are about 3/4 a mile a way, if that. The island consist of business and upscale residential areas. It's clean and nice down there. Across the channel (you can easily walk it, short, low bridge) is the Marriott Waterside Hotel, the St. Pete Times Forum, and the Tampa Convention Center. Right by the Marriott Waterside is the street car station. The street car can take you up the road to the E to the Channelside complex for dining and entertainment. There are restaurants in the Marriott too. There's a new Embassy Suites next to the Convention Center. The street car can take you all the way to Ybor City for even more dining and entertainment possibilities. Be sure to check street car schedules to make sure they are operating when you want to return, because they don't run all night long. If you go to my Flickr photo album page and go to the Tampa album, you will find photos of this hotel and the surrounding area.
Ken
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obxer - Yep, that's been asked before, lots of times. I'll be nice and answer - If you are looking for something really nice, it's going to be hard to beat the Marriott Waterside. Great location. Convenient to the street car line (across the street). Close to the cruise terminals. Very nice, large hotel. The President of the USA has stayed there. Classy place. It sits right on the channel, yacht slips out back, places to eat on premises, and it's easy to go down to the Channelside complex, or on down into Ybor City on the street car line. If you really want something special, call the hotel and see if you can manage to set up a room facing in the direction of the cruise terminals (to the East, down the channel). You could get up in the morning, look out the window, and be looking at your ship at dock. I'd say it's very much worth it.
wvufan - I've eaten at the Green Iguana when it was at another hotel on the W side of town. Good food, mainly of the sports bar variety (big burgers, fries, sandwiches, wings, and much more). We used to go there from the office for lunch about once a week. I haven't been to the current location at the Westshore Hotel. This hotel is in the Westshore business district, and any place in that area with a bar can potentially get very busy during and just after happy hour on a Friday night.
I didn't know they made a "sticky" out of this thread. Cool. I'll have to check it out.
Ken
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BigGreg - Thanks much. I was once thinking about reviewing the entire thread and making an index of where certain topics are located, based on the posting number. That would be awful time consuming and I've never got around to it. Still, as sure as I did that, someone would ask a redundant question in the next post. :rolleyes: I've seen people ask questions within 4 posts of the same question and answer. Go figure.
By the way - The pictures on my photo pages of the Port of Tampa area are getting kind of dated. When I can catch a nice clear weekend, I'm heading over there to get some updated pics. Everything in my pics is still there, but there are a lot of changes and additions.
The Channelside area has build up tremendously with condos of various sizes, including two high rise condos. The building is improving the area considerably. Still, there are no economy hotels immediatly near the port or cruise terminal area (like within a block or two). Real estate in that area is sky high, which is probably why you don't find any rent-a-car lots down there, as well as cheaper hotels.
Ken
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bellybutton - The only car rental place I've heard of in the area of the Port of Tampa is a Hertz desk at the Marriott Waterside Hotel. That's about 1/2 mile or so to the W of the cruise teminals, on Channelside Drive. Also, I don't know if that's just for hotel guests or not. I know of no other rental place in that area.
Pho777 - Yes, do a search on this thread - try "Riverwalk" as your search term, and/or maybe Sheraton. I have stayed there in the past, like maybe 9 years ago. Nice place. The port and the Channelside complex is on the other side of the downtown core from the Sheraton Riverwalk. The hotel is in the middle of the business district with big tall meetings all around. It's a ways to get to anything else of interest.
Folks - Everyone - You would be surprised as to what's on this thread. It's mighty long, for sure. There's hardly anything I've written on this thread that's out-dated. If folks would take the time to look at the thread and make notes, or at least scan over it, you can find a lot of good stuff. If people would spend 10% of the time reading this thread that I've spent typing and answering, it would be a lot easier for me. Actually, if it wasn't for redundancies, and answering the same questions over and over, the thread would probably be about 1/2 the size it is, or less.
Ken
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linsue1231 - You asked that question on post #1451 above (1 page back), and I answered it in post #1453.
Maybe someone who has stayed there will answer too. Additionally, the building has been there man years. I recall going to a conference there in 1980-81. The HoJo's renovation isn't too old though. I didn't realize it until you asked and I drove by and looked.
Ken
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bellybutton - Yes, I think we have something similar. Check this out:
http://www.channelsidetampa.com/
This complex surrounds the Carnival cruise terminal.
Ken
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NCTribeFan - I covered the Holiday Inn Express at Rocky Point in post #1447 just above your first question. It's not a bad place at all. Right on the water, facing a small bay and the airport on one side, and across the island in the other direction. There are three restaurants within 1/4 to 1/2 mile.
Crowne-Plaza on Princess Palm Drive - Big hotel. I stayed there many years ago (like 17-18 years) when I helped to put on a conference there. Crowne Plaza's tend to have a nice reputation - never stayed in a bad one. The down side, is the location. This is on the corner of an office park out to the E of Tampa. There is a couple of other hotels around, lots of office complexes, and that's about it. Yes - taxi needed for Ybor. Restaurants are located along SR 60 (Adamo Drive) which is an exit S of Martin Luther King Jr Blvd (where the hotel is located). I checked MapQuest, and it's about 3.5 miles from the hotel to the intersection of I-75 and Adamo Drive (SR60) in Brandon. Lots of places to eat within 1 mile either side of that intersection.
Intercontinental Hotel (W Kennedy Blvd) at Westshore Blvd . This was originally built as a Sheraton. Very nice place. It joins an office building. Parking is in a garage. There is a excellent steak house (Shula's) on the premises - expensive. It went from being a Sheraton to a Westin, now Intercontinental, which is the upscale line of the group which includes Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza. Across the street on one corner is a Walgreen's Drug store. On the other corner is a little shopping plaza with a Blimpies Sub Shop, and other stuff. Directly across the street is the Westshore Plaza Mall. There is a food court inside, and outside is a nice Chinese restaurant, Maggianno's Italian (family style), and out at the street is a Steak and Ale Restaurant. You can walk, quite easily and relatively safely, to all of the above. It's all at the intersection of Westshore Blvd and Kenndy Blvd.
Actually - I've covered all three of these in the past, probably several times each - so the above serves as a refresher.
Wentworth - Taxi's are available at Rocky Point. A lot of what you may want to do is not close to Rocky Point. I'd recommend renting a cheap car at the airport when you come in to the airport. On the day of the cruise, turn it in at the airport and take a taxi from there to the port. $50 for a rental car will give you a lot of mobility for the day before the cruise.
Ken
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jaspercat -
1. Yes. Downtown Tampa is safe during the day. Busy place.
2. Yes. You could walk a few blocks to the S on Franklin St. and end up at the channel, the Tampa Convention Center, portions of the Riverwalk, etc. From there, you could walk to the E to the Channelside Bay Plaza complex.
3. I haven't stayed there before. I've heard nothing bad about it though. Hyatt has a good reputation in the hotel business. I take those trip advisors with a grain of salt. Consider - how many people stay there per night, versus how many people write something on TripAdvisor? I've seen limo's and such pulling up there a lot. Seems to be a really nice hotel to me.
4. It's a ways to the aquarium, but it's next to the Channelside complex. If you walk to the S. to the base of Franklin St or Florida Avenue, you can find the street car station out front of the Marriott Waterside. It's cheap. You can jump on the street car and take it down to Channelside, the Florida Aquarium, or on down to Ybor City.
If you are in OK shape and have good feet, you should be OK. Needless to say, 1, 2, and 4 become an emphatic NO after dark.
Ken
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This hotel used to be a Holiday Inn Select before it was remodeled into the current hotel. For info, go here:
The hotel is on Ashley Drive, and on the NW corner of the downtown business core. There is a bad area across the river 1/4 to 1/2 mile to the W, but I don't think it will pose a problem. You may, however, need a taxi or a car to go do dinner somewhere, unless the hotel restaurant suites you.
Take the reviews at Trip Advisor in context of the date it was posted. The renovations are, or will soon be, completed. Looks like they have a park and sail w/shuttle option.
WARNING - If you plan to leave your car outside in the parking lot at this hotel, be sure to take EVERYTHING out of the car, including your car title and registration. Don't leave hidden keys - nothing. Lock it too. Don't take chances in that area. From what I recall, all parking at this property is outside - no garage with a gate.
Ken
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No, taxi from Rocky Point to the port is not a problem. It's $20-$25 to the port from the airport. Rocky Point is a few miles further away from the port. Maybe $30? Not bad. You also have an option like Bay Shuttle if you have a bigger crew needing transport to the port.
Again - please note - The shuttle for the Hampton Inn and the Holiday Inn Express is the SAME van. Both hotels signs are on the SAME shuttle van. The same van/driver services both hotels. I saw it as recently as last week. These property join each other, and I think the same organization is behind the ownership.
BTW - The Holiday Inn Express is a nice place. I've stayed there overnight. They just recently refurbed the outside. Hampton looks like it's fine too. The skyline is changing out there at Rocky Point. On the property between the Hampton/HIE and Courtney Campbell Causeway, they are putting up a high rise condo/hotel building. The cranes are there now, and the building is on the way up. Also in the planning stages is a new Ritz Carlton Resort that's going to take up the ground where the Radission is presently located. There are no stores or fast food joints on Rocky Point. Just hotels, office buildings, and a few more expensive places. When I'm at the office on Friday and some of us want to go somewhere away from the building for lunch, we have to leave the island and go elsewhere (or else blow more money than we want to).
Ken
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Did y'all know that these two hotels are right next door to each other, and both next to the Bahama Breeze? That's right. There's nothing at all between those hotels. Both are on Rocky Point to the N. of Causeway. Also, the SAME shuttle van services BOTH hotels.
Landry's Seafood is on Causeway a block E of Rocky Point. You could probably con the shuttle guy into taking you around there. Bahama Breeze isn't always crazy, but Friday and Saturday nights can be a mess, for sure. There's a casual seafood joint at the Radisson which is a block W of Rocky Point, S. side of the road.
Ken
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Many of the Walgreen stores sell liquor down here. I would have to take a look to be positive, but I think the one I mentioned does. If not, there is a Wal-Mart on Dale Mabry Highway just N. of I-275, same side of town. The shuttle driver probably knows of a place you can buy wine too.
Ken
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The Hampton Inn at Rocky Point does indeed have a shuttle. I see it out there frequently when I'm going to and from my office. It shuttles for both Hampton Inn and the Holiday Inn Express (I think the same organization owns both, and they are next to each other).
For wine, etc, the closest place I can think of, which might be in range of the shuttle, is Walgreens located at Kennedy Blvd and Westshore Blvd.
I think the shuttle primarily goes between the hotels and the airport, but the area of Walgreens isn't too far out of the way.
Ken
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Tuggers - Thanks. I'll be sure to read your posting. I think DW has already read it all, but I need to get over there and read up. We need to be sure that we want to keep that booking.
Ken
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sallyb - You are certainly on the right track. I'd stay out there too, without question. Chase Suites, Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn, and a Double Tree on Rocky Point are options. There's the Double Tree just off of Westshore on W Cypress. Intercontinental at Westshore and Kennedy is nice.
kebboli - Check out the last 3-4 pages of this thread. There is an abundance of information for you in just those pages, as well as what I wrote in the above paragraph.
Ken
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Callie - Try that site that Tuggers mentioned. If you are driving to Tampa, the hotels in the area of State Road 60 (Adamo Drive) and I-75 are a reasonable distance from the port, and an easy drive on SR60 directly to the port. There's a big mall out there, and many good places to eat.
The Marriott Waterside Hotel and the Embassy Suites downtown (convention center) are the closest hotels, but pricey (unless one of the discount web sites finds a deal). The Sheraton Riverwalk (mentioned just above on this thread) would be an option - someone found that with Priceline.com). The zip code for downtown is 33602, if you need it. The Hampton Inn in Ybor is the closest to the hotel that's not in the higher price range (look back on the thread a page or two for discussions about the Ybor Hampton Inn).
Tuggers - We are booked on the Grandeur OTS when it gets to Tampa in 2008 - got a great deal on a mini-suite (or junior suite, whatever they call it). Let us know how it goes. Thanks.
Ken
Hotel suggestions for Tampa
in Florida Departures
Posted
I need to take a ride to downtown Tampa on a Sunday afternoon and update my pictures. For instance, there's now a big new Embassy Suites next door to the street car station that's out front of the Marriott Waterside. There are condos and condo towers built or being built in the Channelside District too. They are making things very nice down there. The two things cruisers want in that area - economy and moderately priced hotels, and rental car agencies - are not there though (other than the Hertz desk at the Marriott Waterside).
This works for the Sheraton Riverwalk Hotel, the Howard Johnsons (noted on the map as Ashley Plaza), the Courtyard and Residence Inn. It's nice that they have this set up, or else folks would have to walk considerable distances just to get to the street cars.
It's been a long while since I posted the links, so here they are:
Here's a link to the TECO Street Car Site:
[URL]http://www.tecolinestreetcar.org/[/URL]
Here is a link that shows the routes and schedules:
[URL]http://www.tecolinestreetcar.org/news/20_ride_discount.pdf[/URL]
Note that the weekend service for the In-Town Trolley is the dotted lines.
Again folks, don't forget to note the schedules.
[B]riu girl - [/B]Ditto's what Signman said. I was there at a meeting last year. Nice place. Kind of like a Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn Express. It's close to a bunch of good restaurants. Clean and safe area.
Ken