Port-of-Charleston Embarkation

[flucocruiser]

So i have been looking at the parking information for the port of Charleston but it's still confusing me:confused :confused: confused on how to drop off luggage and park. also when you are checked in and if you check in early are you allowed to leave the ship explore the city and get back on the ship before the final embarkation call.

[wrigley80]

The Port of Charleston is like a maze of cones and misdirection. It is quite confusing

[cec311]

This is how it worked two years ago.

 

Drive into port thru maze of cones to first tent where they check your documents and you pay for parking. You then drive thru another maze to tent where they take your checked baggage. You then drive thru maze to the large warehouses where you get to park indoors. You then take a shuttle to the actual terminal itself.

 

You aren't allowed to drive up to the terminal and drop-off your bags or passengers.

 

I'm not sure if you can leave the secured area after you've checked in and boarded the ship. Based on the way the terminal works I'd guess the answer is no.

[aac123]

I lived in Charleston and sailed on the Fantasy. I took a taxi to the ship, so that cut down on some confusion. I'm pretty sure you can't drop of your bags and then explore. But you can find plenty of parking downtown near the port. Local hotels also have 'park and sail' deals. They offer discounts and free shuttles. Those hotels are mostly in Mount Pleasant, which is really convenient to downtown. If nothing else, park on the street and check out the market. It's close to the ship and pretty cool. Lots of other great options for quick site seeing before getting on the ship.

[CarnivalFantasyCharleston]

http://www.scspa.com/cruises/Documents/Directions_to_Gate.pdf

 

http://www.scspa.com/cruises/Documents/Cruise_Charleston_Driving_Directions.pdf

[CarnivalFantasyCharleston]

Written Directions here:

 

http://www.scspa.com/cruises/Documents/Cruise_Charleston_Driving_Directions.pdf

 

Map here:

 

http://www.scspa.com/cruises/Documents/Directions_to_Gate.pdf