Port of Tampa Review

We departed from Carnival Paradise Port.
Do Not Pre Pay for parking... some of them are very sketchy and not in a safe area. Do not pre pay for Valet its just not worth it. Get there early as it gets very busy. Have cash to tip the luggage guys outside. Hate the fact that people are allowed to smoke in the waiting area. Very annoying for non smokers and people with children.

people were very cordial and attentive. great experience

It helps you a lot if you smile and say hello to the cops. A few are typically overly authoritarian but what else is new with cop's?

Beautiful building inside. Shame the front faces the other side. Still nice.

Don t pay for valet. Get there early and park yourself. Valet agents are rude and insist that you tip them. Stated they work for tips only! Lies. While I am sure not paid much it is not proper to be aggressive for a tip. Didn t want to load luggage until given a tip. Just stood there looking at us. We will definitely not pay 120 to valet park ever again. We were not late but they made us late.

A great port, easy to access and really fast to get in and out of.

Not horribly easy to navigate the traffic flow patterns. Law enforcement kept people moving, almost too much so. Port staff were very friendly and helpful. Definitely wouldn't stop here unless I was getting on another cruise ship.

Mucja is a huge place because people near the aquarium, and the boat museum, loved the place,

This was the first time taking a cruise out of Tampa. It was nice and organized and easy to get to. We'll definitely leave from there again.

Very warm inside, no a/c. A long line, stood over 40 minutes, pushing & dragging our luggage. No available wheelchairs for 83 yr old Parwnt

This is a tough review, the Port itself rates a 4, the Carnival Workers a 5, parking a 4, but the customs workers at this port deserve a -100, worse of any port!
We're always waiting on them for something here, sometimes for hours! The boss here needs to be fired!! We don't see any of the BS from customs at any other port, just Tampa, so its a local problem that NEEDS TO BE SOLVED! We can get off a mega ship at any other port far faster then off the little Paradise in Tampa! Customs here should be ashamed!

Confusing and not good at getting help.... But a beautiful place

Port authorities didn't seem to be too worried about getting passengers off a ship and more back on.

Norwegian Pearl & the Outlaw country Cruise is the best time of my life! Great music. Friends you will have for life! There is nothing better.... Like ever!!
Book your tickets now they sell out so fast!! Get the drink & spa packages!! Missing out if you dont!!
Cant wait to see my friends again!!!
The music is unexplainable! The artist so real! Go go go yourselves!

Signage is poor as you are trying to find your terminal. Also the parking was cash only which was a surprise

DO NOT prepay for their valet parking. We were running late with an ETA of 5 minutes before the ship gates closed. We figured we would pay the valet parking online and just pass out keys of the valet people and have one less thing to worry about.

NO ONE WAS AT THE BOOTH. Security tried to call the parking garage to have someone pick up the car for us and NO ONE ANSWERED.

We didn't have any options except to try and park the car yourself and ended up in another parking area and had to pay their parking fee .

We we got back from the cruise we tried to get a refund from our prepayed valet and they said it wasn't their problem

Considering the sheer volume they handle the port authority did an excellent job of handling the traffic.

You looking to catch a Carnival Cruise or any Cruise the Port of Tampa is a simple easy well-run embarkation and debarkation port. Brian and his crew doing a great job maintaining order and getting everybody ready to board the ship there's a large seating area and restrooms with complimentary water while you're waiting to board. Just make sure you show up at your proper time so you get on board when it's your turn to go

Love this area. The entire Channelside area is going through an upscale change and is turning into a great place to shop, eat, or watch a quality hockey team show off their skills.

We chose the Channelside Parking Garage at Port of Tampa Bay because we remembered it being across the street from the cruise terminals. But that was five years ago. The Port offices didn t move. Just the ships. We did not realize that Royal Caribbean s ships were way down on the other side of the Aquarium. Past Carnival s ships.

It was a little over a 6/10 of a mile walk through Aquarium crowds with heavy suitcases to Rhapsody of the Seas. It just felt farther & linger in the heat of midday. Once we got to the ship, which meant maneuvering through Carnival Cruise Lines cruisers & porters, it was easier than we anticipated. We made mental notes of closer, less expensive places to park in the future - if they don t move the ships again. When we came back from the cruise, we saw a sign for $50 cruise parking in our garage, and we paid $70 plus tax. So not sure what the best deal is!

At the terminal, it was quick and easy to check in. Everyone was friendly and efficient.

can get very busy when 3 ships R in port yet very organized

AS CRUISE TERMINALS GO, THIS ONE IS ALWAYS AS FAST AS YOU COULD EXPECT WITH A FRIENDLY AND PROFESSIONAL STAFF.

My first cruise... No complaints, a good experience.

Just checking out the port while waiting on our room to be ready

very dirty not a happy experience will never return

Port is pretty much right off i275, parking garages right across the street from the port. All of the staff we dealt with at the port was friendly and answered any questions we had.

One of the best ports if you're taking a cruise. Very fast check-in and very fast security ines. Parking is right across the street or you can do valet parking.

Trump wants to build a wall........it would be much cheaper to send everyone through this port.........nobody will get in.......a customs officer admitted profiling to a person in our group.......apparently if you have tattoos you must do drugs ...........On the good side all of the Carnival workers were great.

Often the fog is canceled twice the next port because it is delayed from entering this port or want to exit this port. Finally I can't go to Key West

Reasonable amount of time spent in it friendly helpers

Easy to navigate.. The only downside like the airport pickups no standing they have to be curbside.. Plenry of places to park and wait till time for pick-up...

Everyone was very nice to us when getting on the boat, lines moved at a decent pace and the facility it self was very clean. However I was very irritated when coming off the boat the staff today where very rude yelling and had a horrible attitude. Particularly the lady working by the elevator where we got off the boat, and the one standing outside the front doors. Everyone else today was helpful.

Excellent departure experience on Royal Caribbean! Returning through customs...not so much. Also, my luggage was misplaced upon arrival (not sure who's fault it was), and the luggage pickup is very not-secure (as in, all the bags are laying around in one big area with little to no supervision. Also, the porter upon arrival said tipping was optional, but I got a big glare until I was able to get change from my Uber driver. I would've still tipped, but it felt a little intimidating....