Getting from Tampa port to Clearwater Beach

[gratamama]

Hi there:

 

There will be five of us (me, the hubs, my parents and our 7-year-old son) and we'll be staying at Clearwater Beach for two night after our cruise in April. (then flying out of TPA)

Considering both budget and aggrevation, what would you suggest:

* Cab for the five of us?(Both to Clearwater and then to the airport)

* Is there perhaps some sort of bus charter to clearwater beach?

* Rental car? Can I even rent a car from near the Port?

* Dare I say it? Public transportation

 

 

We're all fairly budget conscious, but I want to be able to tell my parents that I've looked at all the cost options.

 

thanks!

Liza

[SMSACE6]

With 5 people, I think cab might be the best option. You can ask your cab driver for an estimate before you get in the vehicle. As far as the beaches go, Clearwater is I think the closest beach area to the Port of Tampa. Others may have more up to date info than I do, but this just my opinion.:)

[FlaGrl4Evr]

A cab from the port to Clwt Bch will cost you a small fortune. If it were me, I would rent a car. There is a Hertz rental at the Marriott Waterside which is 2 blocks from the port. Just return it to TIA when you leave. Another option would be to take a taxi to TIA after the cruise, and then rent the car there. That way you will be picking up and dropping off at the same location. Just price it both ways and figure in about $25 for the taxi from port to TIA if you rent from this location.

 

SuperShuttle also runs from the port to Clwt beach and then back to TIA.

www.supershuttle.com

 

 

Good luck to you.

 

:):)

[gratamama]

man i love these boards. What do you mean by a "small fortune?"

 

Hertz for a 48-hour rental from Mariott to TPA is about $150. TPA-TPA is a bit less, but obviously way more of a hastle.

 

SuperShuttle for the five of us, i think, is $80 (plus tip? Do you tip?)

[Mom2B&Z]

We spent $102 renting a full size vehicle for 2 days from TPA at Enterprise from Dec 30-31, 2011 with unlimited mileage. We used the hotel shuttle to get back and forth from the airport to pick up and drop off the car.

We drove from the airport to St Pete's beach in about 30 minutes, it was fairly slow once we crossed the causeway. Parking was a couple of dollars an hour iirc.

[SeaPA1]

man i love these boards. What do you mean by a "small fortune?"

 

Hertz for a 48-hour rental from Mariott to TPA is about $150. TPA-TPA is a bit less, but obviously way more of a hastle.

 

SuperShuttle for the five of us, i think, is $80 (plus tip? Do you tip?)

 

Standard cab fare in Tampa is $2 + $2.25 per mile (meter clicks every 2/10ths of a mile @ 45 cents a click). Depending on where you go in Clearwater, it's about 25 to 30 miles from the port - so a decent guess would be in the $60 to $70 range, each way, pre-tip.

[DanJ]

man i love these boards. What do you mean by a "small fortune?"

 

Hertz for a 48-hour rental from Mariott to TPA is about $150. TPA-TPA is a bit less, but obviously way more of a hastle.

 

SuperShuttle for the five of us, i think, is $80 (plus tip? Do you tip?)

 

I'd get the car. Supershuttle will be that price each way I think, based on the distance. Then you also have the use of the vehicle for the time you are there. I trust you looked at an appropriate vehicle for 5 of you, and if so, $75 a day ain't bad.

[FateHappens]

Check the rental car companies at Tampa Airport. Some will send a shuttle to the cruise port to take you to the airport to get your vehicle, and then you just return the car to the airport when you leave. My sister rented a van that held her family of six, with their luggage, and got a great rate booking online. I believe it was with Dollar. A rental car would probably be nice to have, but check to see if your hotel charges for parking. Good luck!

[FlaGrl4Evr]

Check the rental car companies at Tampa Airport. Some will send a shuttle to the cruise port to take you to the airport to get your vehicle, and then you just return the car to the airport when you leave. My sister rented a van that held her family of six, with their luggage, and got a great rate booking online. I believe it was with Dollar. A rental car would probably be nice to have, but check to see if your hotel charges for parking. Good luck!

 

 

Yes, I totally forgot about this free perk. Check out National, Thrifty and Dollar. We saw their shuttles coming and going on a regular basis while we were waiting for our hotel shuttle to arrive.

 

 

 

 

.

[gratamama]

Looking at hotwire for cars - $61 for the two days!

But of course i don't know the car company. What would happen if say, I got on one car rental's shuttle, but had a reservation with one that doesn't have the shuttle...

 

evil....

[DanJ]

Looking at hotwire for cars - $61 for the two days!

But of course i don't know the car company. What would happen if say, I got on one car rental's shuttle, but had a reservation with one that doesn't have the shuttle...

 

evil....

 

People do try that at Ft Lauderdale (going either way), where Alamo/National run a free shuttle between port and airport. The driver usually (but not always) asks for proof of rental. Not sure what the driver would do if you just said "I unexpectedly need a car and haven't been able to reserve one from the ship". Also, some people do an online reservation, print the confirmation page, then cancel the reservation, and try to use that for the shuttle.