Welcome to the Port of Champions!
Port Tampa Bay is rolling out the red carpet for cruise travelers this season.
With new cruise options announced, and tons to do just steps from the terminal, cruising from Port Tampa Bay has attractive and safe choices for every passenger! Now that cruising is poised to resume, Port Tampa Bay is bringing back options designed to meet the needs of eager cruise guests. Tampa Bay is abuzz with excitement following the Super Bowl win of our hometown Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a back-to-back Stanley Cup win for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and a World Series appearance by the Tampa Bay Rays. Our community has become the home of champions, and our port is excited to welcome visitors to our community that continues to shine. Cruising from Florida’s Port Tampa Bay has never been better. Just steps from our cruise terminals, guests will find brand new hotel offerings, a variety of dining options from fine dining to quick and casual, breweries and family-friendly attractions like Sparkman Wharf. Coupled with nearby white sandy beaches and a world-class airport, Tampa is an attractive destination in and of itself before you set sail on your next cruise.
The Fall/Winter 2021 season brings new options designed to meet the needs of every cruise traveler. In autumn 2021, Royal Caribbean International kicks off Port Tampa Bay’s return to cruising, operating two ships from Tampa. Serenade of the Seas and Brilliance of the Seas will offer 4-, 5-, and 7-night itineraries to a variety of destinations. Additionally, we have been working to bring the safe resumption of sailings from partners including two ships from Carnival Cruise Line, a ship from Norwegian Cruise Line, and and a ship from Celebrity Cruises, which makes their much-anticipated return to homeport in Tampa for the Fall/Winter 2021-2022 season. Now that Port Tampa Bay is a home for nearly all the major cruise brands, guests have a much wider choice of cruise options – from quick getaways to extended vacations. From Port Tampa Bay, travelers can visit a variety of Caribbean destinations that include St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Thomas, Dominican Republic, St. Maarten, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Cayman Islands, Belize, Cozumel, Costa Maya, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia.
The development of Tampa’s Water Street area and nearby hotel, dining, shopping, and entertainment projects continues to boost the attractiveness of the bay area as a homeport. Water Street brings the elements of a vibrant community in an interconnected and walkable space that is just steps from cruise terminals. Water Street boasts new high-end and boutique hotels like the Tampa Marriott Water Street, the JW Marriott, and The Tampa EDITION. Additionally, the area offers a mix of retail and entertainment options that include international brands and worldclass cuisine, to charming boutiques and local fare. The area has been developed to meet the needs of scores of new residents in beautiful and architecturally rich buildings and features a myriad of street-level shopping, dining, and outdoor activities that are attractive for visitors as well. Water Street prides itself on bringing green space to an urban environment to create an outdoor living-room vibe that is easily walkable and highly accessible.
Additionally, cruise guests have the convenience of a nationally top-ranked airport, adjacent secure parking garages, three updated cruise terminals, pristine beaches, and local attractions like Busch Gardens, the Florida Aquarium, Sparkman Wharf, and Ybor City. Tampa Bay is located in the heart of Florida’s Gulf Coast and offers many opportunities for outdoor fun including paddleboarding, kayaking, fishing, and swimming alongside dolphins and manatees. In addition to our sunshine and blue waters, cruise guests can walk from our terminal, explore our dynamic waterfront, and dive into a century of Cuban culture in historic Ybor City. Hop on one of several downtown trolleys to visit Tampa’s new Riverwalk, which features a variety of bars and restaurants, waterfront parks, museums, and beautiful architecture.
Port Tampa Bay wants to ensure our visitors feel safe before departing on their vacation. Our port values the health and wellness of its employees, tenants, industry partners, and visitors, as well as our cruise-line partners’ guests. We have rigorous cleaning and sanitation practices in place to maintain our cruise terminals, and we are now implementing an additional in-depth and cutting-edge process using an antimicrobial product called mPact, proven to be 99.99 percent effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19 for up to 30 days. This new process complements several other cleaning and sanitization efforts, including deep-cleaning each terminal following a cruise sailing, regularly cleaning and sanitizing high-touch areas like railings, doorknobs, and countertops, and increasing hand sanitizer available to guests while in the terminal. ⠛