Tropical twists: Carnival's short sailings from Tampa offer a Western Caribbean alternative - Carnival Cruise Lines

Cruise Travel, Sept-Oct, 2002 by Debbie Meyers

Seating along Sensation Boulevard is in the form of double-faced sofas in between whose common backs are rooted fiber-optic, tree-like sculptures that emit light from the sides as well as the ends. Fifteen miles of neon tubes and 1,000 miles of cables go into creating the ship's special effects.

The stylish Polo Lounge, at the aft end of Sensation Boulevard, features rich woods, paintings of polo players, and a gray-and-green carpet with emblems of crossed polo mallets and British crests. Offering a more whimsical atmosphere, the ship's Touch Of Class piano bar pays tribute to the sense of touch with a hand motif, from the arched hands entrance to tables and barstools supported by hands.

Tampa, Florida's third most populous city, is a vacation mecca in itself and well worth several days before or after a cruise. The entire Tampa Bay area abounds with beach resorts and commercial attractions.

The supreme visitor attraction is Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, the African-flavored theme park that combines zoological wonders with a galaxy of thrill fides. In 1965 its 65-acre Serengeti Plain became the country's first free-range habitat for herds of African animals, with a monorail affording aerial views. Visitors today capture the majesty from the Serengeti Express Railway or feed giraffes apples and carrots from a Serengeti Safari flatbed truck on a reservations-only, 30-minute tour of the newly landscaped savanna. In addition to five roller coasters, Busch Gardens offers three drenching water rides. Next-door is Adventure Island, one of the country's leading water parks.

Near Carnival's terminal at the Garrison Seaport Center is Florida Aquarium, one of the nation's premier facilities for saltwater and freshwater animals. "Wetlands Lookout," located near the signature glass dome overlooking the Wetlands Gallery below, houses "Frights of the Forest," an Amazon River exhibit featuring electric eels, scorpions, tarantulas, poison arrow frogs, vampire bats, and a pair of pythons longer than the average car. Between the aquarium and Ice Palace area is a new entertainment-shopping complex called the Shops At Channelside.

Carnival offers a variety of pre-/post-cruise land extensions in Tampa, as well as in the Orlando area, home to the Central Florida attractions of Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, and more. Combine these stays with either Sensation itinerary--four days to Key West and Cozumel, or five days to Grand Cayman and Cozumel--and you have a package with something for everyone. Cruise-only brochure rates, per-person/double occupancy, for the four-day cruise range from $849 to $1,379; five-day fares run $999-$1,749.

For information on cruises from Tampa, contact Carnival Cruise Lines (Cruise Travel Magazine), 3655 NW 87th Ave., Miami, FL 33178; or log on to www.carnival.com.

For Tampa tourist information, contact the Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau (Cruise Travel Magazine), 400 N. Tampa St./Suite 2800, Tampa, FL 33602; or log on to www.visittampabay.com.