My husband and I just returned today from a 7-night cruise from Tampa on the Carnival Legend. This was our first cruise, and we had an absolutely wonderful experience.
Our plane arrived in Tampa around 10:30 am on the morning of the cruise. We got a van shuttle to the ship port for $11 per person. We booked the shuttle right outside of the baggage claim area and waited about 20 minutes for the van to arrive.
Once we got to the port, embarkation was pretty easy. There were a lot of people in line, but it moved pretty fast, and we were on board by noon. We enjoyed a full lunch buffet as soon as we boarded.