Pauly76 Posted November 2, 2019 Report Share Posted November 2, 2019 Hi All First time poster here but have been an avid reader for the last year so thanks for all the hints and tips that I’ve been able to pick up. Took my first taster cruise last November on Adventure for 6 nights out of Fort Lauderdale and loved it so next week we’re off on Rhapsody from Barcelona to Tampa.....14 nights.... throwing myself in at the deep end..... My question is can anyone let me know of your experience at immigration disembarking in Tampa as Brits? One has a US Visa and one has an ESTA. I’m asking because I want to get a flight out of Tampa at 11:45am. If we self disembark can you foresee us not making that flight if the ship docks at 5am? Thanks in advance Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted November 2, 2019 Report Share Posted November 2, 2019 Great to see you out from the shadows. Welcome to the sunlight...and to the blog ! Pauly76 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted November 2, 2019 Report Share Posted November 2, 2019 Welcome to the Boards As a fellow brit the only advice i can give is to remember that a Visa or Esta doesn't mean you just walk through customs, you could be unlucky and be picked out for any reason resulting in a missed flight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen2 Posted November 2, 2019 Report Share Posted November 2, 2019 Our last visit to TPA was a serious issue regarding departure: not enough agents and almost a two hour wait. We felt lucky to be out of the terminal before 10:30. Airport is a good distance; my advice is that a 11:45 flight is VERY risky. Pauly76 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jticarruthers Posted November 4, 2019 Report Share Posted November 4, 2019 Like all ports there can be good days and bad, airport is about 20 minutes or so from the port. Personally i would be ok with booking the 11.45 flight but planning to do walk off disembarkation to get into the line early. Pauly76 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jticarruthers Posted November 4, 2019 Report Share Posted November 4, 2019 Adding to that i live in Tampa and have cruised out of Tampa 6 times ... 5 no issue, 1 disaster. If you get a fog day and cant dock then it doesnt matter which flight you book but if you are willing to do early walk off and the ship docks on time you will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pauly76 Posted November 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2019 Thanks everyone for your replies and tips. I’m an airline employee so gonna wing it on Standby instead of committing to buying confirmed seats, just in case there’s any delays in getting off the ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rigs32 Posted November 8, 2019 Report Share Posted November 8, 2019 I experienced fog into Tampa once and we were delayed several hours. We knew the night before it was likely as the pool deck looked like we were inside a cloud around midnight and the ship was barely moving. It then stopped moving. I ended up fine as I had a late flight out, but most airlines were good about rebooking people given the circumstances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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