Tampa’s First Luxury Dinner Cruise Begins In March

If cruising Tampa’s scenic water views and luxurious dining sounds like your kind of night, you’re in luck. Craft Cruises is bringing the first-ever luxury dinner cruise to Tampa Bay and you won't want to miss it.

Craft is the first ship to be specifically designed for Tampa Bay waterways and will take off on its first cruise on March 8th at Channelside Drive. The boat has taken a low-profile approach drawing inspiration from the riverboats in Europe. Guests are set to experience some of Tampa’s best views with less than 11 inches of vertical clearance to pass beneath many low bridges on the river.

Craft isn’t your average river cruise. This multi-million dollar ship features America’s first river cruiser with gas cooking and an open kitchen. The “Bow & Stern Bar” onboard features a 1914 wooden vintage cruiser to give guests a truly unique experience.

Chef Allison Beasman has carefully crafted the menu options of this luxury dinner cruise to provide a blend of American fusion and tradition. Chef Allison Beasman is a Tampa native and says, “There is so much that can be learned about a culture from its food including: ingredients, spices, terrain, cooking equipment and techniques. I’m inspired by the concept of CRAFT … The whole idea is represented by one word, and I love that.”

If you’re looking to make a reservation for Tampa’s first luxury dinner cruise, you’ll want to plan ahead. Packages start at $79.95 for brunch/lunch and $159.95 for dinner. There are separate menus for Dinner, Brunch, Lunch, and Libations (cocktails).

Your ticket includes a 3-course brunch, lunch, or dinner, depending on the package you choose, as well as the cruise. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and upgrades are available to purchase on the boat.

To learn more about this unique Tampa dinner cruise by Craft Experience, visit their website.

We've had quite the cold front in Tampa Bay the past few weeks. With temps as low as the 40s at night/early morning going into the high 60s during the day. This makes it easy to spot the difference between locals and tourists. Locals avoid dining outside at all costs during this time, even if it's the only option available at their favorite spot. Meanwhile, the tourists and transplants are walking around in shorts and t-shirts and heading to the beach. Whether you can tolerate the cold or not, these Tampa Bay restaurants will keep you warm outside with outdoor heated patios.

Normally eating outside in Florida is rough. You're usually a pile of sweat from the humidity within 20 minutes of sitting down. Or you're fighting off mosquitos and other bugs. But with the cooler weather in the fall/winter months, that changes some things. I always prefer to eat outside because usually it's less crowded. And it's much nicer during the months of November-March.

We got our inspiration for this list from Tampabaydatenightguide.com. They have a list of 50+ places to eat outside in Tampa Bay. We picked a few of our favorite spots that we know have plenty of heaters to keep you warm all night. Remember during the pandemic when it was your only choice? That forced a lot of local restaurant owners to invest in the gas-powered heaters. In some countries, they have banned these heaters because guzzle energy and pollute the air. But that would never happen in Florida.

Here are a couple places that we left off our list but are still great options for dining outdoors when it's cold. The Nona Slice House in Safety Harbor is a great place to go for some good pizza. However, the dining room is completely outdoors. Thankfully they've invested in multiple heaters for the dining room and picnic tables.

The other spot we love but left off our list is Luna Lounge. You can enjoy some great views of Downtown Tampa on this rooftop bar. There is a huge fireplace and multiple heaters to keep you warm, plus the sangria will always help!

If you've never been to American Social, you're missing out on a Tampa staple. This place has a huge, covered patio with plenty of heaters to keep you warm!

Miguelitos Taqueria Y Tequilas is the perfect date night or brunch spot! Their outdoor patio has plenty of overhead heaters to keep you warm during winter.

Kona Grill has one of the best late-night happy hours in Tampa! Their sushi and appetizers are so tasty and there are plenty of heaters on their HUGE outdoor patio!

Tampa Bay Brewing Company in Westchase has plenty of ways to keep you warm on their patio if you wanted to bring your pup along for a beer.

Walk-Ons is one of the newer spots in Midtown Tampa. The place is lined with TV's so you can catch the game on no matter where you sit. Their covered patio also has shades and heaters to stay toasty.