I’m not going to lie. The Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which connects St. Petersburg to Bradenton in Florida, terrifies me every time I drive over it. It’s not the bridge’s tragic history (more on that later). I’m just what we call up north a “Timmy,” someone too timid to drive over tall bridges. But while driving over the Skyway Bridge is a bit on the terrifying side, cruising under the Skyway Bridge is a whole different experience, and one you shouldn’t miss if you have the opportunity.
So what’s it like cruising under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge? And what makes this experience so unique? We were fortunate enough to enjoy this experience recently.
What is the Skyway Bridge?
If you’re not native to Tampa’s Gulf Coast, you may never have heard of the Sunshine Skyway bridge. This cable-stayed concrete bridge that connects St. Petersburg Florida to the Sarasota-Bradenton metro area is truly a sight to see. At more than four miles long, it’s an architectural marvel, and is objectively beautiful, especially when lit up at night. It’s also a necessary thoroughfare, given the geography of the Tampa Bay metro area.
Although you might associate Tampa with beach life, the city of Tampa isn’t actually located on the Gulf of Mexico. In fact, as the crow flies, downtown Tampa is about 25 miles from the gulf coast. Tampa Bay, a massive body of water, separates Tampa proper from the Pinellas Peninsula, home of St. Petersburg and many coastal communities. Three lengthy crossings connect the two communities in the Tampa Bay metropolitan area.
A History of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge
Not only does the bay separate Tampa from St. Pete, a large city in its own right, it also separates St. Pete from the communities south of Tampa Bay. While coastal living has its perks, it also has its pains. For people who lived in St. Petersburg and its suburbs on the Pinellas Peninsula, that pain was the distance they had to travel to drive south. Prior to the late 1920s, if you wanted to travel in your Model T from Pinellas County to Sarasota, the one-way trip could take more to 3 hours. That’s despite the cities being only 30 miles apart geographically.
In 1927, ferry service began to shuttle folks between St. Pete and the Bradenton area on the southern side of the bay. Shortly thereafter, efforts to fund and build a bridge began. However, it took until the 1950s before the original Skyway Bridge was constructed. When it finally opened, the two-lane bridge was the longest continuous bridge in the United States and one of the longest in the world. In 1970, a second two-lane span was added to accommodate more traffic.
Today, more than 62,000 vehicles traverse the Skyway each day. Built at a cost of $244 million, the Skyway is one of the most photogenic bridges in the United States, with elegant bright yellow cables soaring 480 feet above sea level. At night, the bridge is often lit in festive colors, thanks to 1800 LED lights installed in 2019. Its light shows also accompany holidays and celebrations, with patriotic red, white, and blue lights around Independence Day. The bridge has been lit purple for International Drug Overdose Awareness Day. It shone the colors of the Ukranian flag as a sign of support after Russia’s attack on Ukraine in 2023. The bridge’s festive color scheme also occasionally brings controversy. More than once, the Florida Department of Transportation has denied St. Petersburg’s request to light the Skyway in rainbow colors during June for Pride month.
Why is the Sunshine Skyway Bridge so Famous?
The modern-day Sunshine Skyway Bridge that cruise ships now pass under isn’t the original bridge. That’s because of a tragedy that occurred in May of 1980.
On May 9 ,1980, a sudden and severe storm formed in the Tampa Bay area during the peak of the morning rush hour. The Skyway Bridge disaster occurred when the Summit Venture, a 600-foot cargo ship, barreled into one of the bridge’s columns. The impact was devastating, causing a segment of the original Skyway cantilevered bridge to collapse. Twelve hundred feet of the southbound span plummeted into the water 150 feet below, bringing with it six cars, a truck, and a Greyhound bus. Tragically, 35 lives were lost.
It took seven years for the rebuilt Sunshine Skyway Bridge to emerge. This is the bridge that cruise ships now glide beneath daily. Today’s Sunshine Skyway Bridge officially opened on April 20, 1987. Cruising out of the Port of Tampa Bay, travelers pass through the very spot where tragedy struck.
What Happened to the Original Skyway After it Collapsed?
The remnants of the old bridge stood as a haunting reminder of the collapse until a new Sunshine Skyway Bridge was constructed in 1987.
Rather than dismantling the original Skyway Bridge entirely, its original north and south approaches were transformed into the Skyway Fishing Pier State Park The old bridge, once a symbol of tragedy, now stands as the world’s longest fishing pier. In total, the piers span an impressive distance of more than four miles. The Skyway Fishing Pier State Park is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In fact, you can see both fishing piers while cruising under the Skyway Bridge.
What Cruise Ships Sail Under the Skyway Bridge?
Because the Port of Tampa Bay is located in an interior bay, the only way to get to the Gulf of Mexico is to cross under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. But not just any cruise ship can sail under the Skyway. Only ships that measure 180 feet or less from the top of the waterline can make it under the Skyway.
That means mega-ships can’t sail out of the Port of Tampa Bay. In fact, even an average-size cruise ship, at 200 feet above the waterline, can’t pass under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. As a result, you’ll only see smaller, older ships sailing out of Tampa. Royal Caribbean’s Radiance Class ships can fit under the Skyway, as can smaller carnival ships like Carnival Pride (Spirit Class) and Carnival Paradise (Fantasy Class). For a more cruise ships that sail under the Skyway, read our blog, “Your Guide to Cruising out of Tampa”
However, not every ship allows passengers to stand at the bow as you approach and pass under the bridge.
What’s it Like to Cruise Under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge?
I was super excited for our first cruise under the Skyway Bridge in November, 2023. Radiance of the Seas has plenty of room on the upper decks at the ship’s bow to enjoy the crossing close up. Definitely check out your ship’s deck plans before you depart to spot the best place to go under the bridge. Some ships don’t have accessible space at the bow on the top levels– and you’ll want to be as close as you can get for this experience!
How Long Does it Take to Get to the Skyway Bridge?
Because your ship will need to navigate its way through Tampa Bay first, it’ll take a while to get there. In fact, it takes about two hours after leaving port before you’re cruising under the Skyway Bridge. Make sure to plan your dinner time and any shows you plan to attend accordingly!
After an hour or two still in port checking out the ship, my husband and I decided to retire to our stateroom to unpack before getting to the bridge. We had plenty of time to unpack and even take a quick catnap.
Our captain had a great sense of humor. When leaving port, he announced, “It’ll take about two hours for us to get to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, so we’ll reach it around 6:15 p.m. We’ll clear it by about two meters, or six feet. I sure hope we make it.”
At the time, we laughed. And then we wondered if he was being just a little bit serious.
Is it Fun to Cruise Under the Skyway Bridge?
Absolutely! it’s a unique experience that you can enjoy on any cruise out of the Port of Tampa Bay. If you’re cruising out of Tampa in the winter months, it can be a bit chilly (by Florida standards) on the top deck, When we cruised in November, the sun was setting before 6:00 p.m. Bring a light jacket or a sweater if you plan to cross under the Skyway in the winter. For us, it was only about 70 degrees, and since you’re in the middle of the bay, there’s nothing to block the breeze. It was cool, but comfortable with a light jacket on.
The chilly weather fortunately worked in our favor. When we arrived on Deck 12 about an hour before reaching the bridge, a crowd had already gathered. Folks soon realized they needed to go back to their staterooms to get something warmer to wear, and the crowd dwindled a bit. We were able to claim a spot dead center, right along the rail. We spent the next hour spotting dolphins, texting with friends in St Pete who we tried to get to drive over the bridge as we were passing under. Sadly, there were no takers.
By the time we reached the Skyway Bridge, it was pitch dark outside, but the bridge was beautifully lit. And when the captain said we’d be within six feet, he wasn’t lying. I felt like I could have touched the underside of the bridge from where we stood. In actuality, we were probably 20-30 feet below it. The radar at the top of the ship looked like it was going to scrape across the bottom of the bridge. Thankfully, it didn’t.
Now listen, I’m not the person who cheers when an airplane lands or at the end of a movie in the theater. But when we crossed under the bridge, I let out a pretty loud whoop, as did many of the other folks around me. Did I feel silly? A little. But it was a bucket-list experience.
Cruising Back to Tampa
Our cruise back under the Skyway heading back to Tampa was a bit different. We’d expected to cross under the bridge at around 4am, and I certainly wasn’t going to set my alarm for that! However, because of dense fog in the Tampa area, our captain got us back to port very early on our last night. Good news, since we were still awake to cross under the bridge around midnight.
This experience was completely different. We’d done a little Karaoke then headed up to the nightclub for our final evening on the ship. I I kept an eye on Google Maps on my phone to see when we were getting close. Once we knew we were just a few minutes away, we popped outside the Viking Crown Lounge. The fog was insane. We were amazed by how thick the fog had become. Although it wasn’t raining, we felt drenched the second we hit the outside air.
Visibility was only a few feet. We could barely see the other side of the ship let alone the bow from our position on Deck 13. The ship’s foghorn was blasting every few minutes as we approached the bridge. Still, we couldn’t see the bridge until we were nearly under it. It was unreal to realize that we were traveling under one of the largest bridges in the world but could barely see it!
All in all, cruising under the Skyway Bridge in Tampa was truly unique, and one absolutely worth experiencing. Next, I’m hoping to drive (well… ride) over the bridge while a ship is sailing under!
Let’s Cruise Under the Skyway!
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