Tampa--help?!?!

[Dana30]

We are taling the Granduer on Thursday, but our flight gets in really early. Can any tampa-ites give us a place to eat breakfast somewhere between the Tampa airport and the pier?

 

We arrive in Tampa at 9am, so like I said, we have time. FYI, 4 adult in ealry to late 30s.

 

Thanks.

 

Dana

[spbflseas]

There is a Panera Bread on Westshore, just south of the Airport. There is a small coffee shop at Channelside (the shopping area near the pier). If you arrive at 9:00 am, by the time you get your luggage, get transportation to the port, the Channelside coffee shop may not be bad. Figure you get out of the airport by about 9:30, get to the port close to 10:00. You probably will only need to kill an hour before the check-in process begins.

[SUZCRUZ]

We want to drive in the night b-4 our cruise.

Can someone please recommend a hotel close to the pier?

Sailing Grandeur 2/16/06

[cooncat]

It depends how much you want to spend. There are three hotels, there is a Marriot - Waterside, almost within walking distance of the ship if it is parked at Channelside, there is a Hyatt Regency and a Radisson, both downtown. They are all within a five minute drive from the ship.

[tadjr]

http://www.visittampabay.com is the visitors bureau. They have a hotel search engine that shows hotels close to the downtown/Ybor area which are the two closest to the port. If you are driving, you might also check hotels in the Westshore/Airport area since some have stay/park options and transportation to the port. If not, a cab costs about $20-25 to the port from this area which would still be cheaper than paying to park.

As for breakfast, hit the Krispy Kreme on Kennedy enroute to the pier! You could probably even buy a couple dozen and sell them to people while they wait to board. :)

The Marriott in the airport used to have a good breakfast buffet. Not sure if they still do, but it was open to the public and not just hotel guests. 813-879-5151 is the hotel number. You can call to check it out. That way you can claim your bags, go upstairs to eat, then back downstairs to catch a cab without having to pack/unpack a cab while you eat and try to lug your bags around a regular restaurant.

[KJHorton]

Can anyone tell me how much a cab is from the airport to the port?

 

Also, any car rental places near the port?

 

Thanks.

[szorl]

My favorite place to have breakfast, lunch or brunch is a place called First Watch. They are great and have a location in downtown Tampa close to the pier:

 

520 Tampa Street

Tampa, FL 33602

813-307-9006

[KJHorton]

I forgot to ask if they have priority embarkation in Tampa?

[grizzy]

I second first watch.

 

Also, if you want to head about 5 min. in the other direction when you leave the airport then there's a great little omlette place called Nikki's on Hillsborough Ave. It's real easy to get to from the airport and is just a few hundred yards off the expressway (which will take you to 275 & the port).

 

There are a few good places in S. Tampa (Hyde Park & SoHo area) but it would take you about 15 min out of your way.

 

Chris

[chas2na]

Good morn everyone!!

 

There is priority embark for the Grandeur. We start ck-in at 10:30 & boarding starts at 11:00. For debark. we have express u carry off all your bags & that starts at 7:30. At approx 8:00 we start regular debark & the ship is cleared by 9:30 at the latest.!

 

The cab fare from tpa to cruise terminal is a flat $20.00 for up to 5 people.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[teajak]

Who is eligable for priority booking? We are Diamond C&A because of our status on Celebrity so I am not familiar with RCCL. We are traveling with another couple could they board with us? Thanks, teajak

[tadjr]

http://www.firstwatch.com/pages/locations.html

 

I thought FirstWatch had closed downtown, but it still shows open. We used to stop there every now and then when we were headed to the dock to work the offload (the other days were Krispy Kreme days). They did have good food.

Hertz is showing they have opened an office in Channelside at 1101 Channelside Dr. Hrs are Mo/Th 8a-6p, Sa-Su 9a-1p Closed Tu/We/Fr. They also show an office at the Marriott Waterside which is about a mile from the port.