Tampa - General Info Please

[Donnask8pro]

Thank you for all your help.. I appreciate it.:D

[CruznTom]

Tadjr - any info + or - on Sailport Suites? They tell me I can park my car for 21 days for $25 which sounds better than $210 at the port.

[tadjr]

Havent heard anything negative about it. Its in a great area of town at Rocky Point. Shouldnt be a problem with the car there since its mainly hotels/office/restaurants in the area. Sorry I havent heard more about it, but maybe thats a good thing?

[CruznTom]

Thanks - We'' be there in Feb.

[Fatfish]

I was told that you can buy the transfers in the baggage claim area...has anybody done this? The only reason I ask this and I may be wrong but if I take the Celebrity transfers then I won't see my bags until I get them delivered in the cabin???

[jonnygozy]

There is a webcam that all the cruise webcam websites don't seem to list (correct me if I'm wrong) which will actually give you a great view of the port (You can see people walking around on the Carnival Miracle right now!). You can even take control of it and zoom in/out, pan left/right, etc.

I wasn't sure if anyone knew of this so I thought I would let everyone know just in case. Select Channelside from the presets at the bottom after taking control to get you a good view of the port right away, and then you can move it around from there.

[url="http://www.wfts.com/cams/remotecam.shtml"]http://www.wfts.com/cams/remotecam.shtml[/url]

[gambrell7]

[quote name='xntric1']We will be cruising out of Tampa. I would like some general info about the area. I hope that residents of the Tampa area and past cruisers will post and keep this thread alive. Tampa does not seem to be promoting itself to cruisers as much as some of the other domestic ports.

What is the one thing in the area tourist really should see/visit?
--good half day excursions and 2-3 hour ones.

The name of a couple good, non-chain, mid-priced restaurants in the area?
--family-friendly and adult oriented.

Interesting areas, prehaps less famous than Ybor, that one should consider?

Any interesting museums and such?

Is there a car rental facility in the cruise terminal area?

Any places to avoid?

Closest hotel(s) to the cruise terminal?

I am sure others will have questions as well.

xntric1[/QUOTE]

look up Brandon, FL on hotel websites. Brandon is only about 15 mins away from the port on Highway 60.

[tadjr]

[quote name='Melissa_A']xntric1, some of my favorite restaurants in the area are: Sangria's (tapas) and Cappy's (pizza place a few doors down). [/QUOTE]


Well, its been a while since this was originally posted, but I can second Melissa choice of Cappys. Went there tonight and the pizza was excellent. Had the Cappy special and will be checking them out again. They only take cash so bring some $. You can walk to the cooler and get your own beer while you wait. Neat atmosphere as well. They were packed and there were people waiting for tables.

[idlewood4]

Are there any sightseeing tours of Tampa? Duck tours, or trolleys? Thanks for any help

[tadjr]

There are the cruise arranged tours for the last day. Other than that, not much organzied as far as tours in town. We used to have the Duck tour, but they pulled out about a year ago because of insurance expense, I believe. The port does offer free tours, but its only M-F. Here is the link to their site. [url]http://www.channelside.com/channelside.asp?categoryID=2&siteID=12[/url]

Well, after doing some checking, here is some info on Tampa Tours. Not sure how accurate the page is, but its a good place to start.
[url]http://www.seefloridaonline.com/_tampa/tours.html[/url]

[idlewood4]

Thanks for the info. We'll be inTampa for 2 days before the cruise. Staying at Renaissance at International Plaza. Have no idea about the area. What is international plaza area like? Any restaurant favorites in the area? Thanks for any advice!

[cruisinmama0]

Just found out that this Hampton Inn provides free shuttle to the pier for its guests. You reserve it upon check in.

Also the Plaza in Ybor City will have sunset celebrations similar to Key West on Saturdays starting at 3pm until just after, you guessed it, sunset.

[tadjr]

International Plaza is a very nice mall with some good restaurants.
[url]http://www.shopinternationalplaza.com[/url] is their website. Also, across the street is LeeRoy Selmons Barbeque. If you like bbq, its very good. There is also a Roys and something else (I cant remember) right across the street (not in International Plaza). There shouldnt be a problem finding something nice to eat or do. Also the Blue Martini is supposed to be a great spot, but I have not been personally.