parking question

[alexney]

The choice is parking at a hotel or the port. :confused: Please offer pros and cons so we can decide where to leave our car. Thanks!

[firefly333]

We could probably give a better answer if we knew which port??

 

Without knowing which port, everyone is guessing and our answers might or might not apply.

[golfadj]

To simplify save a lot of money by parking away from the pier but it takes some time to get to the site after the cruise.

 

I will usually leave my car at either a hotel or off site parking location that offers free shuttles to the pier.

[alexney]

We could probably give a better answer if we knew which port??

 

Without knowing which port, everyone is guessing and our answers might or might not apply.

Oops! I didn't think of that. We are sailing out of Jacksonville, FL.

[JohninDC]

Check parksleepfly.com for hotels offering parking deals and the FLA departure page on these boards for more JAX info.

 

Parking at a hotel can save you money, especially if your were going to arrive one night prior to departure (like all smart cruiser do!:cool:) and stay in a hotel anyway. The downside is security - compare your average hotel parking lot (flat asphlalt, maybe a few lights, and lots of people coming and going all the time:() to the security offered at the typical cruise terminal (sorry, I have not sailed out of Jax, yet!:rolleyes:). I've done both and never had a problem, but I worried a lot more about my car when it was parked at the hotel.

 

Be sure to include the cost of a taxi or shuttle to/from your car (if not included in the hotel package) in your planning budget. Good luck!:)

[WendyVF]

We do both hotel and port parking, depending on the port and how long of a drive we have home. I break the decision down to cost, convenience, and security. Security is always a priority. Be sure to check how much the hotel is without the parking package as some hotels charge extra and some don't include transportation to and from the port. If we're cruising with the kids, we usually just park at the port. We've found that some of the popular park and cruise hotels can be quite chaotic when it comes to getting on the shuttles. Everyone wants to be the first on the boat!

[golfadj]

Wonder why?