Opinion: Should DCL add port of Tampa?

[crysalize]

I really wish that DCL would add port of Tampa. With their new ships coming this would be really convenient. What are your thoughts? Tampa international airport is closer to port of tampa then Orlando-Sanford airport is to Port Canaveral. DCL please do this!!! Your Tampa folks want to see this happen!

 

[Eeyore daily]

I would love that just to avoid driving on I4 to get to Port Canaveral. It'd be great for 3 night cruises.

 

[starvenger]

Which gulf ports does DCL use now? Galveston I think? I think those are the competition for Tampa, because I don't see DCL moving away from the Florida ports on the Atlantic side.

 

[Barbydoll8]

I live 15 min from Tampa in Pinellas county. This isn't ever going to happen with the current Skyway bridge. The ships are too tall to fit under it. Until the bridge is replaced or the port is moved (talks of moving it to the St. Pete side have been rumored for years), this won't happen.

 

[crysalize]

Disney Magic Fact Sheet
The Disney Magic is the first ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, joined by the Disney Wonder (maiden voyage in 1999), the Disney Dream (maiden voyage in 2011) and the Disney Fantasy (maiden voyage in 2012).
Birthplace Fincantieri – Marghera & Ancona, Italy
Maiden Voyage July 30, 1998
Ship’s Registry Bahamas
Tonnage 84,000 gross tons
Length 984 feet
Beam 106 feet
Draft 25.3 feet
Height 171.5 feet
Disney Wonder ... Height 171.5 feet

Clearance for the skyway bride is 180. Both the older ships can make it under the bridge.

 

[Eeyore daily]

I don't see why it would be an issue of height if other cruise lines can get sail here.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

Which gulf ports does DCL use now? Galveston I think? I think those are the competition for Tampa, because I don't see DCL moving away from the Florida ports on the Atlantic side.

Also New Orleans.

 

[Quellman]

No real benefit in terms of itineraries. At least with Miami, Disney could consider more southern itineraries as a result of not having to travel back to PC.

 

[Pooh2]

Would love to see DCL come up to Boston!
Tampa would be awesome too!

 

[CamColt]

Considering Im flying into Tampa for my summer cruise because flights were about half the price as compared to MCO, I would say yes!

I also agree with Pooh2...Boston! Or even NY, but in the summer when school employees can sail!

 

[Barbydoll8]

I don't see why it would be an issue of height if other cruise lines can get sail here.

The ships that do sail from here are much older and smaller. The stacks on the Disney ships will not fit under the bridge. It's not just Disney either. The other lines are limited from the larger more diversified, newer ships from leaving the port of Tampa due to the bridge.

 

[pixiedustedme]

No. I want to sail on the open Atlantic, not the Gulf of Mexico.

 

[clten]

When I am sailing from Florida, I want to make sure my itinerary includes Castaway Cay, so I'd rather drive east to the port than west. So my opinion is no Tampa. (I know they have an occasional cruise from Gulf ports that include Castaway Cay, but they are boring itineraries and not worth the price of a 7 day Disney Cruise.)

 

[AquaDame]

Maybe if they ever do go to Cuba they would since it makes Havana a really convenient stop, but otherwise I don't see the draw. Tampa isn't terribly more convenient to those who don't already live in the state but it looks like you have a much further sail around Florida to get to most of the ports. Miami is a popular destination on its own, and I'd argue more well known than Tampa due to its nightlife and spotlight in movies and TV shows and Orlando is it's own beast. A third port in one state seems excessive. It's about a 2 hour drive from Tampa to Port Canaveral... that really doesn't seem bad.

 

[starvenger]

Fourth. Don't forget Port Everglades

 

[rere101399]

It seems redundant and unnecessary to me

 

[DCLCrazy64622]

I live 15 min from Tampa in Pinellas county. This isn't ever going to happen with the current Skyway bridge. The ships are too tall to fit under it. Until the bridge is replaced or the port is moved (talks of moving it to the St. Pete side have been rumored for years), this won't happen.

Yep. This.

 

[squirk]

I wouldn’t hold your breath. The NOLA cruises, at first blush, appear to be a success. And they are still running Galveston in the fall with the latest release.

That, plus the “doubling down” in PC, and continued sailings from Miami, and I’m thinking that DCL feels like they have the Gulf and FL covered.

And even when the new ships come online, it’s still a really small fleet. So many other more-profitable places even the older ships could be deployed than yet another FL port.

 

[Dug720]

It seems redundant and unnecessary to me

This. Especially given their multi-year contracts with Port Canaveral and Miami.

 

[jeepnjudy]

Noooooooooooooo...we took our first non-DCL out of Tampa and this is the worst port terminal I have ever experienced! Even NYC was 10 times better! Talk about small and right in the middle of a city with NO room to pull over to even unload. They were trying to tell me we couldn't even unload my handicapped father and the Sheriff had the audacity to ask my dad to prove his disability! My family will not be sailing out of this port ever again!