We chose this cruise because we live in central Florida and prefer to drive to the port. Tampa is about 1.5 hour drive for us. We are early 60's and this time our daughter and granddaughter joined us for our 7 day Western itinerary.
We arrived in Tampa around 11:30 and parked the car in one of many parking lots along the main road across from the pier. Pricing varies at these lots so do some research and check out Groupon to see if any are offering specials. We find the parking in Tampa to be cheaper than Port Canaveral. Our 1 week spot cost around $65.00 including the tip back and forth to the pier to the driver. We were dropped off at the entrance to the terminal checked our bags with the porter and rode up the escalator to start our check in process.
What a pleasant surprise that literally their was zero wait we were through all the check points including the first photo opportunity and on the ship in about 15 minutes. The ramps and halls leading to the ship are not as long as other ports which is nice for those with luggage. We entered the legend right into the elevator bank and their were staff directing you to deck 9 for lunch.