While visiting the Tampa area, you'll find plenty of opportunities to get out on the water. Day cruises in Tampa Bay offer you the chance to unwind and enjoy one of Florida's most famous resources: sparkling emerald bays and clear blue water of the Gulf of Mexico. Whether you want a day cruise that includes lunch, a lengthier island trip, or a high-speed dolphin watching adventure, you can find a trip that has what you want.
Lunch cruises offer you a tasty and leisurely way to spend some time on Tampa Bay. A good lunch cruise will offer table service, indoor seating, and a choice of entrees. Both sides of Tampa Bay--Hillsborough County and Pinellas County--offer several different types of lunch cruises, but a seated lunch cruise with a few different entree choices sets a nice tone for the cruise.
Yacht StarShip offers a lunch cruise that highlights the area waters as well as its history. This family-friendly cruise takes kids on a free tour of the bridge and makes them "captains" at the end of the bridge tour. Don't think this trip is just for kids, though, because the StarShip serves a full complement of adult beverages to go with its three-course meal. Local restaurant critics rave about the food, and everyone raves about the view from the ship.
Yacht StarShip cruises start at approximately $60, as of March 2010, with discounts available for Florida residents as well as children on some trips. This ship cruises primarily out of its Tampa dock.
Yacht StarShip, Tampa dock:
603 Channelside Dr.
Tampa, FL 33602
Clearwater dock:
25 Causeway Blvd., Slip 55
Clearwater, FL 33767
813-223-7999
yachtstarship.com
You won't find many places along Tampa Bay that aren't packed to the gills with tourists at one time or another--unless you take a cruise to an island. Egmont Key, the island at the entrance to Tampa Bay, is accessible only by boat and offers visitors a great vista of Tampa Bay. Once ashore, you can snorkel ruins, explore the beaches, or do some shelling--all the while surrounded by peace and quiet.
Dolphin Landings operates a four-hour cruise to Egmont Key. The trip itself takes about an hour, and you'll have the rest of the time to explore the island. Unlike many other cruises in the area, Dolphin Landings provides more than a shuttle service, with expert captains who can tell you the history of Tampa Bay and a boat that stays on the island with you for the duration of the trip (most other boats currently in service to Egmont Key do not remain on the island and return only to pick up passengers).
Trips to Egmont Key start at under $50, as of early 2010, with discounts available for children and certain affiliations, depending on the trip.
Dolphin Landings Charter Boat Center
4737 Gulf Boulevard
St. Pete Beach, FL 33706
727-360-7411
dolphinlandings.com
If you don't have time for an island trip or a lunch cruise, you can still explore the Tampa Bay area on a cruise--just opt for a shorter trip. The best way to cover the most water in the shortest amount of time is with a speedboat ride. These speedboats can race through the Gulf of Mexico while the crew gives you background on the area. Often these boats attract dolphins, who find the boat wake irresistible and "chase" the speedboat.
Sea Screamer's captain starts out slow as you wend through a busy marina, but as soon as you hit the open water, look out, because the thrills begin with a high-speed boat ride that turns heads. This cruise of the Gulf of Mexico remains the shortest option for tourists with a limited time window--and a limited budget--but that doesn't mean it isn't worth every penny and every second. Sea Screamer trips cost under $30, as of 2010.
Sea Screamer
25 Causeway Boulevard, Slip #15
Clearwater, FL 33767
727-447-7200
seascreamer.com
