Tampa Bay Online

A cruise leaves the humdrum world behind
By Rick Wilber/For The Tampa Tribune

ABOARD THE TROPICALE - We stood on the top deck of Carnival Cruise Line's Tropicale and shivered in the cool night breeze.
To port, a shooting star arched over Egmont Key and winked out beneath Orion's belt. Off starboard, the lights of Fort DeSoto slid past, its silent guns hidden in the darkness. It was a good four hours since we'd left the Port of Tampa, and we were finally clearing Tampa Bay and headed into the open Gulf.
The shooting star, I thought, was a good omen.
Our cruise was a family celebration, 13 of us in the group celebrating my in-laws' 50th wedding anniversary. We chose the Tropicale because it was handy, leaving from Tampa, and because the itinerary is an interesting one, with three days at sea in the Gulf, and Grand Cayman, Cozumel and New Orleans as ports of call.
It's an unusual cruise in some ways, we discovered, and especially so in the winter. Tampa's weather was warm when we left and cold when we returned, and in between the weeklong cruise encountered balmy 80-degree sunshine in the Caribbean and a cold wind with snow flurries in New Orleans.

TAKING OFF FROM TAMPA
The Tropicale leaves Tampa in the evening and spends the next day at sea. We woke that first morning to cool, overcast skies and rough, rolling seas. The Tropicale is an older ship, built in the early 1980s, and it isn't as big as some of the new breed of cruise behemoths, nor as stable. It rolls a bit more in heavy seas than some might like, and about half of our large group made regular visits to the purser's office for free Dramamine.
Carnival says the Tropicale will be replaced in Tampa by the larger, newer Celebration in May.
We'd hoped to see the western tip of Cuba pass by off the port bow that first afternoon, but the weather didn't cooperate. Instead, with occasional rain showers and those rough seas, it was a good day to stay inside and check out the ship's possibilities.
The Tropicale's casino is large and active. There are two major lounges for floor shows and other entertainment, and while the requisite disco pounds and flashes appropriately, the piano bar offers a calmer evening's music.
The more athletically ambitious can find a 1/8-mile track on the top deck, good for walking and a dizzying jog. A compact workout room holds four treadmills and two stair machines, as well as his and hers saunas and massage rooms.
The Tropicale's restaurant, well below decks and amidships so there isn't much rolling, is a large, pleasant room serving excellent meals with the sort of ambitiously high-quality service you learn to expect from a cruise ship. The service, indeed, was splendid throughout our cruise, from the ever attentive cabin steward to the radio room personnel who helped us fax some papers back and forth to the States.
We were lucky. The Tropicale was in wet dock in Tampa for a spruce-up the week before we joined it, so it was only half full (the rest would join in New Orleans).
Part of our outstanding service may have been because there were so few passengers. But, empty staterooms notwithstanding, there is no question that the staff knows its work and does it well - and always, it seems, with generous smiles.
The maitre d' and head waiter even found the time and energy to arrange a special dinner for our 4-year-old and a handsome young playmate she found in the ship's day-care playroom.
The half-empty restaurant's main seating left plenty of room for Samantha and Jeffrey to have their own separate table and a delightful candlelit dinner of hot dogs and spaghetti with meatballs. It was all amazingly elegant for a pair of 4-year-olds and a delight for the parents as well.
CARIBBEAN AND JAZZ
The Tropicale's itinerary combines sunny and warm Caribbean appeal with Mexico's history and culture and a full day of jazzy New Orleans fun.
The stop in Grand Cayman is much too brief, with the ship docking about 7 a.m. and departing by 1 p.m. But that's enough time to get at least one of several Cayman basics done. Various snorkeling, diving or bus tours are offered from the ship, most in the $25-to-$50 range.
From the choices offered, I'd recommend one of the snorkeling tours, with Stingray City at the top of the list. For nonsnorklers, the Atlantis submarine tour is a winner. You'll be aboard a working sub circled by windows and you'll dive more than 100 feet down over the reefs and along the famous Cayman Wall. A do-it-all island tour also is available.
Having been to the Caymans several times before, we chose our own snorkeling excursion. From the dock where our ship's tender dropped us off, it's a short walk up North Church Street to the Cali Wreck shop. Through the shop, around the back, on with the mask and fins, and in minutes we were snorkeling over a sunken ship in warm water of startling clarity.
From there we took a short taxi ride to Parrot's Landing, a dive center south of George Town, where we snorkeled some more before walking down to restful Smith Cove, a shady park with its own tiny beach. By 1 p.m. we were back aboard ship and under way.
TOWARD THE YUCATAN
Grand Cayman deserves more time than that (see accompanying story), but one trade-off for leaving so quickly is the enjoyment of an afternoon's cruise through the western Caribbean. With the sunshine, tropical air and smooth seas, that afternoon's sail toward the Yucatan was our best day at sea and a pleasant reminder that a cruise is about cruising, too.
By 9 the next morning the seas had worsened, though the day was sunny and warm. Our captain opted to spend the day off Playa del Carmen instead of our planned stop at Cozumel, the large island just off the Yucatan coast from Playa del Carmen.
The change to the mainland port worked out just fine for our group, at least. More than half spent the day in pleasant Playa del Carmen, overindulging in Senor Frog's restaurant and bar or just walking around the town.
Five of us, though, rented a car from a local agency (about $50 for the day) and headed south down the ribbon of pavement that arrows through the Yucatan jungle to connect Playa del Carmen with Tulum to the south and Cancun to the north.
Within an hour we were visiting the 1,000-year-old Mayan pyramids at Tulum, scrambling up the main pyramid to look out over the cliffs that line the shore there with the blue Caribbean beyond.
On our way back, we stopped for a pleasant couple of hours at Xel-Ha. This sheltered lagoon mixes spring-fed fresh water with salt from the sea, so snorkeling takes you through interesting layers of warm and cold water.
It had been nearly 10 years since our last visit to Xel-Ha, and the years have not been kind to the water clarity in this otherwise remarkable place. The once-crystalline water is now murky in much of the lagoon, though clear spots can be found. The officials say suntan oil is the culprit and have banned it from the lagoon.
The area has a good outdoor restaurant, shower facilities and rental facilities for those without their own snorkel, mask and fins, and plenty of shade and comfortable chairs for those content to watch and relax. Admission worked out to about $5 (U.S.) each.
That night, back aboard the Tropicale, we watched the lights of the Yucatan go by off port. Sometime around midnight they disappeared behind us and we were back in the Gulf of Mexico.
The morning hours of that next day at sea were pleasant enough. The ship's pools were filled, people were sunning themselves or taking quick dips.
But as we sailed north into the Gulf, we left the tropics behind. By early afternoon it was overcast and cool, and by later that evening, as we approached the oil platforms and low barrier islands that mark the mouth of the Mississippi, it was downright cold.
It took us all night to get from the river's mouth up to New Orleans, a passage of more than 100 miles.
Our day in New Orleans was a cold one, but from where the Tropicale was tied to the city's dock it was a short walk to several attractions, including New Orleans' very fine aquarium, its downtown area, and the shopping bonanza of Riverwalk, where several dozen stores, bars and food-court style restaurants sit comfortably inside a long, riverside building that offers views of the river for the shopping weary.
The French Quarter is a bit farther on, but the inexpensive riverside trolley line runs from the docks all the way to the farmer's market and Cafe Du Monde, where a quick warm-up with chicory coffee and the cafe's famous beignets helped take the edge off the chill.
Lafayette Square, St. Louis Cathedral and the rest of the French Quarter lie just across the street, so, fortified by our pastry and coffee, we spent a thoroughly enjoyable couple of hours walking the Quarter.
The Tropicale, of course, offered a wide variety of day tours during the New Orleans stay, ranging from city tours to bayou adventures.
By 6 p.m., with sleet falling as we left, the Tropicale headed back downriver, and, eventually, after one more cold, raw day at sea in the Gulf, back to Tampa.
IF YOU GO
The Tropicale is well-maintained and well-crewed.
Certainly, in warmer months the three days at sea (the first day out from Tampa, the day going north from the Yucatan to New Orleans, and the day from New Orleans to Tampa) would be more enjoyable for those seeking sunshine and a splash in the ship's saltwater pools. On our cruise those at-sea days were mainly spent indoors.
Each cruise varies widely in cost, depending on which deck your cabin is in, how far ahead you book the cruise, the size of your group, the time of year you choose to sail and more. Ask your travel agent for advice, and remember that the more latitude you have in your travel plans, the better your price.
Overall, for the seven-night Tropicale cruise from Tampa, expect to pay in the neighborhood of $800 to $900.
Also, remember there are some hidden costs in cruising. There is a port tax of $49 that you will have to pay up front. And the requisite tipping of the crew happens at the end of your cruise. Expect to pay about $100 for tips to the cabin boy, maitre d', headwaiter and others. Your meals and some beverages are included in the basic price, but alcohol and soft drinks are additional.
Parking at the port of Tampa is $75 for the week.
This story was originally published in The Tampa Tribune February 4, 1996.