Some background.....This was my first cruise but I have traveled extensively so I do not have any other cruise experiences to compare this to. My wife has traveled the world and has been on three previous cruises. We (I am 36 and she 33 years old) have four children that cruised with us (ages: 11,11,10,9). We picked Tampa as it is within 30 minutes of our house and cut down on travel and additional expenses.

We arrived at the port around 12:30 and decided to pay the additional parking fee for valet ($125 for the week). I highly recommend doing this if you are leaving a car in Tampa. It was way too easy!

The port seemed very crowded and I was thankful that we had a suite and didn't have to wait in the line with our 4 kids. If you have a suite, look for a single table with someone sitting at it after you depart security. If there is no one at the table, wait. There is one sign for Suite guests next to the folding table which is easy to miss (we did). You'll be escorted to a private area which has some drinks and snacks. I thought it was pretty nice and the kids loved it. You'll meet your concierge (Leah) and check in here as well. Read more