Port Tampa Bay celebrates the return of cruising with Royal Caribbean International’s Serenade of the Seas
Port Tampa Bay celebrates the return of cruising with Royal Caribbean International’s Serenade of the Seas
Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas (Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean)
Port Tampa Bay and Royal Caribbean International celebrate the return of cruising from our port that has been more than 18 months in the making. Port Tampa Bay will welcome Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas to Cruise Terminal 6 before she departs on her maiden voyage from Tampa Bay with cruise guests on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021. This is the first cruise vessel departure from Tampa Bay since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a no-sail order on March 14, 2020.
Port Tampa Bay Terminal Signage (Photo by Alanna Zingano, Travel the World A To Z)
The return of cruising will have a far-reaching impact on our region, with many small and local businesses standing to benefit. Business Research & Economic Advisors estimated that a 3,000-passenger ship generates an average of $334,000 in passenger and crew onshore spending per call in a homeport city. The development of Sparkman Wharf, Water Street, Armature Works, and other hotel, dining, shopping, and entertainment projects in Tampa continues to boost the attractiveness of the bay area as a homeport. Cruise visitors to Tampa have the convenience of accessing a nationally top-ranked airport, secure parking garages – just steps away from all three cruise terminals, world-class beaches, and local attractions like Busch Gardens, the Florida Aquarium, and Ybor City.
Three Cruise Ship’s in Port Tampa Bay (Photo courtesy of Port Tampa Bay)
