Stayed in Hilton Garden Inn which is approximately 15 minutes from the Tampa Airport. It is located in Ybor City (Historic District). Can walk from hotel to restaurants and bars on 7th Avenue. Had dinner at the Columbia Restaurant (2117 East 7th Avenue) - excellent traditional Spanish restaurant. Reservations are recommended and casual attire is acceptable. Hotel provided a free shuttle to the port. Port is 2 miles from hotel. Took the 10:30am shuttle and was greeted by a porter at the dock.
Embarkation: smooth process. Less than 30 minutes from security check to walking onto the ship. When checking in, we needed two copies of the Guest Certification for Authorized US Travel to Cuba - one for the ship, the other for our files - this form can be downloaded prior to the trip. We also purchased our VISA for Cuba - $75.00 each - required for entry into Cuba.
Ocean View Stateroom - small but manageable. Room was clean.
Ocean View Stateroom - Room had a picture window behind the bed. Normally we get a room with balcony but this ship has very few balcony rooms. The space was small but manageable for 2 adults. The bathroom is small - shower has a curtain. The closet has enough space to hang clothes as well as 4 shelves including a safe. The desk with mirror has 4 drawers on each side as well as storage around the mirror. The TV is hung in the corner - can be easily viewed from the bed. A small table with ice bucket is in the corner. The room is functional and the room steward was attentive. The only down side to the room is the walking/jogging deck above us - Deck 7. There are signs posted around Deck 7 stating no running or jogging from 10pm to 10am. No one seems to pay attention to the notice - we heard pounding above us starting at 6:30am. While at dinner on the second evening, the maitre'd asked if everything was satisfactory. We told him about the early morning running. The following day we received a call from Customer Relations stating that they would try to resolve the running issue by posting security on the deck. There was an improvement, the running did not start till 7:30am which was better than 6!
The ideal deck would be 5 if you want an ocean view window (with no obstructions) and no pounding sounds in the early morning hours. Decks 5 and 6 are in a good location on the ship - can walk to the dining rooms, casino and theater.