Tampa Hotel and things to do

[kgerkin]

I'm getting ready to change our cruise for next summer from the Carnival Glory to the Carnival Legend out of Tampa. I've never been to Tampa before and I have some questions. We will be driving from Maryland to Tampa and plan to arrive a day or two before the cruise. We are looking for a nice hotel that will let us leave our vehicle there while we are on the cruise and that will provide a shuttle to and from the port (even if we have to pay for it).

 

Since we are adding a few days to our vacation, I would like to find a nice hotel with a nice pool area with things to do not too far away. There are 4 of us.... my husband and myself and our 7 year old and 17 year old daughters. I've read through the posts but wanted to get opinions on a nice hotel (at least 3 stars) and things to do in Tampa. We've never been to the Gulf side of Florida so we thought we'd spend a few days before our cruise sightseeing.

 

Any information will be greatly appreciated!

[KreinKrunker]

Since you are extending your stay, you might want to think about going to Clearwater Beach. If not beach people there is Busch Gardens. I'm sure some locals will have more ideas for you.

 

Check this link for info on hotels and things to do.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=108072

[megr1125]

I'm not sure if any of the downtown hotels such as the Marriott, Embassy Suites, Westin, Courtyard or Residence Inn have any sort of package where you could leave your car. You could probably find a park n fly package (or park n cruise, same difference!) out by the airport...there are lots of choices!

 

The gulf coast is my favorite part. Never been to clearwater but would like to......

 

for a day before in tampa, there is a lot you can do...there's a streetcar that goes to ybor city...you could walk around channelside (right at the pier) - there are shops and restaurants...

 

The downtown Marriott was nice, had a nice looking pool area and you can see ships from some of the rooms....i really loved it! They sometimes have deals too.....

[snowbird1]

I would recommend against staying at one of the Extended Stays if at all possible. Megr1125 mentioned some good places to stay. I stayed in a Residence Inn near the airport and 2 malls that wasn't bad and I was there for 2 months. There were plenty of places to go from there. I can say I was at the Extended Stay for 1 month and I will not go back there again even for the lower price. If you stay downtown there is a chance you will be parking so be aware of that.

[detroitwingsfan]

There are a ton of things to do - just depends on your activity level, if you have kids and what you are in the mood for. Lots of museums, amazing beaches, Busch Gardens, Adventure Island, Florida Aquarium (at the cruise pier). HAVE FUN!

[dttampa]

Lowry park zoo is great for the age range you have. You could spend 2-5 hrs there.

 

The Howard Johnson's in Tampa next to the Performing Arts center will never notice if you leave your car there. I used to work next door and that was our staff parking lot. They NEVER do a lot inventory. There is a "rubber tire" trolly that stops right outside the door and connects with the real trolly and Hooters runs a free noon time shuttle from there to Channelside (the port).