Where is the pier in Tampa?

[39august]

Is the pier nearer the airport or downtown, please? I am searching for a hotel prior to my cruise and have no clue what area I should be looking at.

[floridabum]

Tampa Bay Times Forum (areana) and Florida Aquarium are popular landmarks nearby. The port is on Channelside Drive.

Easiest way is look up Tampa Cruise port on google maps.

[Sumo64c]

39August, there are several hotels near the port of Tampa....your wallet decides how close you want to get. ;) We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Ybor City.....which was a 5 minute drive to the parking area/terminal. Some offer shuttle service / cruise parking as well. Good luck with your search, several helpful posts here as well, work that CC search engine magic for some great information.

[JohninDC]

Is the pier nearer the airport or downtown, please? I am searching for a hotel prior to my cruise and have no clue what area I should be looking at.

 

Downtown is the answer to your question - the closest two big hotels to the port are the Marriott and Embassy Suites.

 

Many choose to stay near the aiport in the Westshore area or in the Rocky Point area and shuttle to the port. Good luck! :)

[monicajay]

Downtown is the answer to your question - the closest two big hotels to the port are the Marriott and Embassy Suites.

 

Many choose to stay near the aiport in the Westshore area or in the Rocky Point area and shuttle to the port. Good luck! :)

 

We found downtown to be way to expensive for our dates. Enjoyed the Holiday Inn Express at Rocky Point. The have a cruisers special which includes transfers before and after your cruise and airport transfers. An ordinary continental breakfast was included and the Bahama Breeze restaurant next door was perfect for a pre-cruise diner. We particularly enjoyed the water views from this location. Ready to cruise by the time we got to the ship.

[wmac]

We stayed at the Marriott waterside and we loved it. We spent 3 nights there before our cruise and had a great time!!!

[AACJ]

If you use the "cruise and snooze" link found on some threads, it will give you a list of hotels in Tampa that offer shuttle packages. HOWEVER, once you find a hotel you like, be sure to go to the hotels corporate site to COMPARE prices, making sure that you find the same snooze and cruise package from the other link.

 

I have found that there is a price difference on by as much as 20.00 to 40.00 per night.

[FlaGrl4Evr]

Your best cruise bargains will be in the Westshore/Airport and Rocky Point area of Tampa. These areas are a 15 minute drive to the port. Your downtown hotels will get you closer to the port but will also cost you the most in rates.

 

Here is a list of some of the popular downtown Tampa hotels. The port is in the Channelside area closest to the Marriott Waterside and Embassy Suites. www.downtowntampahotels.com

 

 

The Howard Johnson Plaza will probably be the best bet if you are on a budget. It is a decent hotel, just on the older side. The Hampton Ybor also seems to offer good rates. My favorite

is the Residence Inn downtown Tampa. Sometimes you can snag a good rate here. One thing to keep in mind with the downtown hotels is that you will not be getting any airport shuttle perks.

a taxi will run you in the $25 range, so just keep that in mind when you are factoring in room rates and such.

 

 

 

Good luck to you.

.

[skrufy]

We stayed at the Hampton Inn at Rocky Point on our last cruise. The price was reasonable. Hampton Inn has a park and cruise package, they will take you to and from the port. Breakfast is included. It takes about 15-20 minutes to get to the port.