Tampa

Tampa’s cruise terminal is on the downtown Ybor channel, near Ybor City and about five miles from Tampa International Airport. The surrounding cruise-terminal complex has plenty to see and do.

The Port of Tampa begins and ends many cruises.

There are many transportation and shuttle choices between Tampa airport and the cruise terminal: catch a shuttle, take a taxi, hire a limousine or rent a car. Travelling the 5 miles from airport to port should take about 25 minutes.

The free TECO Street Car trolley runs along the road in front of the cruise port, and its website links to many downtown activities.

Stroll the River Walk beside the Hillsborough River, then cross Kennedy Ave. bridge for the H.B. Plant Museum at the University of Tampa.

The Tampa History Museum is a 5 minute walk from port. While there, try a Cuban sandwich or Spanish Bean soup at the Columbia Restaurant.

The Port of Tampa’s new 730-space parking garage charges $15 a day. It is on Channelside Drive opposite Channelside Bay. Many hotels also have park & cruise packages.

GPS users should use the following details:

Carnival Cruise Lines uses Cruise Terminal 2, 651 Channelside Dr Tampa, FL 33602; Royal Caribbean Intl uses Cruise Terminal 3, 815 Channelside Dr Tampa, FL 33602; the Parking Garage for Terminals 2 & 3 is 810 Channelside Dr Tampa, FL 33602; Holland America Line uses Cruise Terminal 6, 1333 McKay Street Tampa, FL 33602.

A printable map is available to take along.

Cruise calendar for this port and its terminal.

On Florida peninsula’s west coast, multi-ethnic Tampa is a thriving city where historic neighbourhoods coexist with sleek skyscrapers and shrimp boats compete with cruise liners in the busy port. Cuban immigrants led by Vicente Martinez Ybor put it on the map by introducing cigars in the 1880s and developing Ybor City, now restored to Latin Quarter elegance and popular with tourists by day or night.

Most Tampa-area visitors stay in St Petersburg and Clearwater resorts across Tampa Bay, but most visit Tampa for its exciting attractions and excellent museums, especially families with children. Busch Gardens entertainment park is the most popular attraction.

The permanent Chihuly Collection presents unique work by world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly. It is the first Chihuly installation in a building designed specifically for that purpose, where art and architecture combine for an experience unlike other exhibitions of his art.

In the Tampa area, hiring a car is your best bet.

Orlando, home to the world-famous Walt Disney World's theme and adventure park, is also easily reached from Tampa.

St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, has the Salvador Dalí Museum, devoted to Salvador Dalí and holding the largest collection of his works outside Europe. It stands on the downtown waterfront by 5th Avenue Southeast, Bay Shore Drive and Dan Wheldon Way.

Next to Tampa International Airport, International Plaza is Florida West Coast’s most distinctive shopping and dining destination, with three fashionable department stores, over 200 specialty shops, and Bay Street at the Plaza, an open-air village of fine restaurants and small boutiques.

Tampa uses the official U.S. currency, the United States dollar (symbol: $); ATMs are found everywhere.

Visa, MasterCard and other major credit cards are widely accepted, even for purchases of only a few dollars, and sometimes are the sole transaction option. Overseas visitors should note that prices look lower than they are because taxes and gratuities are seldom included.

Most states levy sales tax from 2.9% to nearly 10% of retail price, typically 4-6%. It is almost never included in displayed prices, apart from gasoline and, in most states, alcoholic drinks consumed on-premises; it is calculated and added at payment.

Tipping is widely used and expected in America. Americans debate the appropriate amount and recipients, but generally accepted rates are:

• Full-service restaurants: 15-20%. This is often a wait(ress)’s only income. Leave cash or add the tip to the credit card slip. Few restaurants automatically add service charge; if they do, decide how much extra to tip and check your bill.
• Taxi drivers, hairdressers and other personal services: 10-15%.
• Bartenders: $1 per inexpensive drink or 15% of total.
• Bellhops: $1-2 per bag, with a $3-5 minimum regardless.
• Hotel doorman: pay $1 for every bag assisted and $1 for arranging a cab.
• Tour guides: based on tour length, size and overall guided-tour quality; half day tours or less $5-10 per person, longer tours $10-20 per person.
• Private car and limousine drivers are normally tipped 15-20%.
• For hotel housekeeping, leave $1-2 daily on a long stay or at least $5 on a very short stay (optional)
• Pizza delivery and other food delivery typically warrant $2-5, with more for unusually large orders.

At federal level the U.S. has no official language, but English is overwhelmingly standard in daily use. Several states designate English officially. Spanish is also official and widely spoken in New Mexico; French is official in Louisiana and Hawaiian in Hawaii, though neither is used nearly as much as English and their official status is primarily historical.

For emergencies, call 911.

In major metropolitan areas such as New York and Los Angeles, many drugstores and supermarkets routinely operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Department stores, shopping centres and other big retailers generally open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with shorter Sunday hours, commonly 11 a.m. or noon to 5 or 6 p.m. They tend to remain open on holidays except major ones such as Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, when stores generally close.