Time to Tampa airport

[thon]

We have never cruised out of Tampa before.  Our Feb 5 Celebrity cruise is due to arrive at 7 a.m.  We are hoping to take an 11:45 a.m. flight to Montreal.  If we self dis-embark I am assuming that we’ll have more than enough time to catch our flight?

[FOPMan]

It is strongly recommended by most airlines to arrive at a US airport 3 hours before an international flight.

 

If everything ran smoothly, you would probably be OK. If anything didn’t, you could get jammed up. 

[Capt_BJ]

is it a weekend or a week day?

 

the airport isn't far but the roads downtown can be a bit of a PITA when folks are heading to work.

 

p.s. IMO over 50% of the folks on your average cruise today 'self disembark' to 'beat the rush'

 

on one recent cruise folks started queuing up around 5am

[JohninDC]

TPA is a 15-20 minute ride from the port - but as the CAPT says, traffic can add more time to your journey.  You should be okay.

[skrufy]

Not many people mention this. Tampa is prone to fog. You could be waiting outside the bay until the fog lifts. The Tampa Bay bridge was hit by a ship. Since it was repaired, they are very cautious going under it in foggy conditions. Try to have a backup plan if possible. 

[thon]

3 hours ago, skrufy said:

Not many people mention this. Tampa is prone to fog. You could be waiting outside the bay until the fog lifts. The Tampa Bay bridge was hit by a ship. Since it was repaired, they are very cautious going under it in foggy conditions. Try to have a backup plan if possible. 

Thanks for the heads up on fog. I just googled and found that there was a day in Jan/23 when cruise ships were kept out of the port for 9 hours because of fog.  So there goes Plan B, C, and D!!  We thought we had a pretty good deal on the cruise, but now if we have to make contingencies for fog, any savings may be moot.  There are not a lot of options to fly from TPA to Canada.

[FOPMan]

Fog is not an everyday thing in Tampa, but it can happen. The questions are how often, what delay may occur, and how do you manage delay?

 

If trying to fly early, have a backup, such as a class of ticket that allows for changes at a fee you can accept, or carry trip interruption insurance that covers weather conditions, or an airfare that permits cancellation anytime.

 

Orlando can be an alternate airport, though it is a bit of a drive.

[Capt_BJ]

Thanks for the heads up on fog. I just googled and found that there was a day in Jan/23 when cruise ships were kept out of the port for 9 hours because of fog.  

 

a couple of years ago the port was closed for THREE DAYS with a cruise ship waiting to get in!

[JohninDC]

When is your cruise?  Our last cruise from Tampa the ship returned 12 hours early to avoid any fog delay.

[thon]

1 hour ago, JohninDC said:

When is your cruise?  Our last cruise from Tampa the ship returned 12 hours early to avoid any fog delay.

Jan 24-Feb 5.  Celebrity Constellation - last port is Cozumel, leaving Feb 3 at 6 p.m.

Edited September 3, 2023 by thon