AIRLINE: We flew SouthWest Airlines from Denver to Tampa. Early Bird Check in was used both ways to insure we'd be in the "A" group and board among the first passengers.

TAMPA HOTEL Our first stop in Tampa was the Marriot Waterside. From our balcony room, we watched the Royal Caribbean ship (Grandeur of the Seas) leave Terminal 3 at 17:00. After celebrating Easter Mass in our room, we then adjourned (with 5 other family members) to the great Italian restaurant at the Marriot. The Marriot is the perfect place to stay. The cab ride from the airport is $25.00. The Marriot has an excellent view of the cruise ships and private boat activity. The Marriot staff is first rate (as with every Marriot). I'd rate them as A+. A wedding was held nine floors below our room. It was nice to attend a wedding without having to bring a gift.

EMBARKATION DAY 4/4 (Easter) We watched the Carnival Legend arrive at Terminal 2 around 06:30. Check out from the Marriot was at 9am. We took a cab to Terminal 3 for $10.00 including the tip. Jesse, a "Lead" Terminal Three porter and heck of a nice guy, met us. Within 5 minutes, our three pieces of luggage were checked and on their way to be held for the Ryndam. We then visited Tampa's fabulous aquarium until 12:30. Being Easter, many of the aquarium's guests attended a cute show by a scuba diving Easter Bunny. After a tasty lunch in their outdoor seating area, we walked over to Terminal Three. Although, there were health forms to fill out and documentation to present, the embarkation line moved very fast, From entering Terminal three to walking on the ship took less than 30 minutes. And, lo and behold, we were greeted by yet another Easter Bunny (They do multiply..don't they?) We found that the Holland America boarding agent was both very friendly and quite efficient. Two members of our nine person party noticed that one of the agents had a "it's just a job" kind of attitude. That did not fit the expected profile of a person working in the hospitality industry. Read more