Help with a Tampa package for my elderly parents.

[bryanjaync]

Sending my 70ish parents on a Celebrity cruise out of Tampa sailing in December 2006. Worried about them flying in the same date as sailing due to possible bad weather in December. Equally worried about them flying in a day early and them trying to get taxis, manage luggage, hotel, and transfers to the port the next day. I love them dearly, but they are not the most savvy travellers.

 

Does anyone know of a good Tampa hotel that has an "airport pickup-one night hotel-transfer to pier" package. Would like to make it as seamless as possible for the folks. BTW, I am going to post this on the Celebrity board too.

[jkrislc]

Sending my 70ish parents on a Celebrity cruise out of Tampa sailing in December 2006. Worried about them flying in the same date as sailing due to possible bad weather in December. Equally worried about them flying in a day early and them trying to get taxis, manage luggage, hotel, and transfers to the port the next day. I love them dearly, but they are not the most savvy travellers.

 

Does anyone know of a good Tampa hotel that has an "airport pickup-one night hotel-transfer to pier" package. Would like to make it as seamless as possible for the folks. BTW, I am going to post this on the Celebrity board too.

I'd recommend the Doubletree Westshore Tampa Airport. We stayed there precruise a couple of weeks ago and it was a fabulous stay. The hotel itself is older, but the interior is well done and there are upgraded furnishings, linens, etc. in the rooms. Further, there's a restuarant on site and they offer complimentary shuttle service. We not only got picked up from the airport, they took us to the mall, we could have been shuttled to Walgreens, they took us to the port, and they even picked us up at the port and returned us to the airport after the cruise. A very good value overall.

[JimandStan]

Bryanjaync,

 

We did something similar with Stans' Eighty-something parents, and I cannot say enough good things about the Marriott Waterside!

First of all, it is literally three minutes from the port. If you book the hotel direct, you can even get them into a room with a view of where their ship will be docked! (we did this, and it made a big hit with mom & dad).

The transfer from the hotel to the port was the easiest, most worry free that we've ever been involved with. The hotel had wheelchairs for Mom & Dad, and, whisked them to the port in a private car (when the bus steps worried mom).

Their transfer was so darned good, in fact, that Mom& Dad were toasting us with champagne from their shipboard verandah while the rest of us were still boarding the ship. It was GREAT!

[mnsawyer]

Does anyone know approximately how much a cab fare is going to be from the airport to an airport hotel, hotel to pier and pier to airport. I know that the Doubletree has this as part of their stay but the rate I got was $229...way too much! Can go on priceline or have a rate for the Hampton for $109 but doesn't include shuttle from hotel to pier and pier to airport. Assume $20 for each segment?