Port Tampa Bay · Tampa
Tampa is the closest cruise port to Naples by road, about two and a half hours up I-75. Celebrity's The Retreat sails from here in winter. The big luxury lines do not, so most of Kathryn's Tampa bookings are Celebrity suites.
A cruise ship at the Port Tampa Bay terminal. Credit
Luxury sailings from Tampa
- Celebrity Cruises sails The Retreat from Tampa in winter on Solstice or Millennium-class ships. The Retreat page.
- Royal Caribbean and Carnival also sail from Tampa. Neither runs a true suite programme here.
- No all-suite luxury line bases a ship in Tampa. For Regent, Seabourn or Silversea you drive to Miami or Fort Lauderdale.
The drive from Naples
About two and a half hours from Naples and two hours from Fort Myers, straight up I-75 to I-4. No toll roads. Parking is in a garage beside the terminal.
What Kathryn tells clients
- The Sunshine Skyway Bridge limits ship height, so the very newest and tallest ships cannot use Tampa. That is why Celebrity sends its older ships here.
- Book a hotel the night before only if your sailing leaves before noon. Most Tampa departures are late afternoon.
- Western Caribbean itineraries dominate: Cozumel, Costa Maya, Grand Cayman, Key West.
Questions about Port Tampa Bay
Other ports
Sailing from Tampa?
Kathryn books the suite, the hotel the night before if you need one, and tells you what time to leave Naples.