Today I wanted to talk a little about cruising out of Tampa, Fl. More to the point one of the super cool things about cruising out of that port (besides of course being on a CRUISE). And that is going under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
Let me start by saying I HATE bridges...no, no I HATE driving over bridges. It goes hand in had with my crippling fear of being trapped under water in a car. I have felt this way for as long as I can remember.
There is a smaller bridge you need to take to get to Cape Canaveral and even as a little girl of 6 or 7, I would have to duck under the seat when we got on it. In fact a trip to the beach was not as exciting as it should have been just because we needed to go over the bridge to get there.
Bennett Causeway Bridge
(Photo Credit: Long Bach Nguyen)
Being a Florida gal, bridges are hard to avoid. But one thing I can guarantee is... I will NEVER drive to Key West!
Seven Mile Bridge
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(Photo Credit: Wikipedia)
And now back to the Skyway Bridge. If I want to get to my yearly girls trip, I must go over it.
But I am much happier when I get to go UNDER it!
(Photo Credit: John A. Weeks III)
I have been able to do so 2 times already while cruising with Royal Caribbean and Carnival. Both companies leave out of the port of Tampa. Now because they must go under the bridge to get out into the sea, you will never get a mega ship stationed there. The ships they do send over are a close fit as it is.
I posted a youtube video of the last time I went under it. It is linked below if you want to see how cool it is.
This bridge also has a sad (and scary) history, which does not help my nerves when I have to go on it. Here is a link if you want to know more about it...
But if you were ever planning to take a cruise out of Tampa, be sure and get above deck after departure so you can experience the first of many cool thing this cruise will have to offer.
Do you HAT bridges, or LOVE bridges? Would love to hear from you in the comment!
(If you want to learn about how I budget and save for my cruises check out www.CruiseWithJosie.com)
PEACE.LOVE&CRUISES to all...