SMOOTH SAILING A trip to Tampa is smooth sailing indeed.


In the early 1500's, Spanish explorers couldn’t believe their good fortune when they found safe harbor in what is now called Tampa Bay. They reveled in its gentle climate and natural beauty, just as today’s visitors do.


Modern day explorers arrive by air or car. Tampa's location in the center of Florida makes for a large drive in cruise market. Guests arriving via jet experience the ease of disembarking at Tampa International Airport, which is served by 24 major air carriers. More than 17 million passengers pass through its airsides annually, where they will fi nd a seamless transition from air to sea in both luggage handling and ground transportation. Tampa International’s close proximity to Florida’s largest port, gives cruise passengers more time to savor the best the Bay Area and all the magic nearby Orlando has to offer.


It's no wonder Tampa has been recognized as Carnival Cruise Line's "Embarkation Port of the Year."


Nearly 500 years ago, a Spanish exploration party led by Panfi lo de Narvez sailed into what is now known as Tampa Bay, and one of his men quickly recognized Tampa's natural attributes as a seaport. "The port of which we speak is the best in the world," Cabeza de Vaca wrote in 1528.


Another historic milestone came in May 1898, when Lt. Col. Theodore Roosevelt led hundreds of Rough Riders, along with a handful of horses, aboard a steamer from Tampa bound for Cuba in a key deployment of the Spanish-American War.


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