Port Canaveral Parking

[oceanbeau10]

We are leaving on a Monday on our cruise out of CT1 at Port Canaveral.  Do you think we will have a problem getting a parking space in the garage?  This is the same garage that the Wonder of the Seas uses the weekend before.  If so, are there any other garages close by?  Thanks!  

[OCSC Mike]

18 minutes ago, oceanbeau10 said:

We are leaving on a Monday on our cruise out of CT1 at Port Canaveral.  Do you think we will have a problem getting a parking space in the garage?  This is the same garage that the Wonder of the Seas uses the weekend before.  If so, are there any other garages close by?  Thanks!  

 

We always drive and park at PC. If you get there early you should be fine. Remember, there will be people getting off your ship that morning to free up spots. They also have surface lots next to the garage for when the garage is full. There are offsite lots that are cheaper if you want to save a few bucks but then you have deal with taking a shuttle to the terminal of course instead of just walking from your car to the terminal.

 

EDIT: I just noticed your location. My in laws live in The Villages. They drive down to us and we go together on family cruises but I know The Villages has a shuttle service if that's something you'd want to look into.

 

I have a much worse situation next month when Allure joins Wonder and Indy for a brief overlap before Indy leaves for Miami. I'm on a Wednesday Allure cruise so everyone who parked for Wonder and Indy will still be there with no one disembarking. I contacted PC and was told there should be room in the surface lots and worst case is they'd send us across the street and shuttle us to the terminal.

 

I looked into offsite parking but I'd prefer to avoid a shuttle so we're just gonna go to the port directly and deal with whatever they give us. As long as I have somewhere to park, it is what it is. This was a last minute cruise.

Edited September 28, 2023 by OCSC Mike

[Ret MP]

Early, as stated, is good.  However, it's a matter of timing.  Too early and the disembarking folks haven't made much of a difference within the garage and surface lots.  Too late and the early arrival time embarkation folks will take up the available parking.  Also, the arrival time of the ship, coastguard inspection, and a myriad of other issues can make things very fluid/go south.  So, my recommendation, as a retired Airport and Cruise ship parking manager, is just to plan to be there as if nothing is going wrong.  I always plan to arrive, at the Port Of Canaveral, by no later than 9:30 AM, regardless of my official arrival time.  If things go south, there is always the bar right next to the terminal that has a very nice outdoor bar, which I have taken advantage of.  My priority is to get a good parking space as close to the terminal as possible.

[SherriZ366]

6 hours ago, Ret MP said:

Early, as stated, is good.  However, it's a matter of timing.  Too early and the disembarking folks haven't made much of a difference within the garage and surface lots.  Too late and the early arrival time embarkation folks will take up the available parking.  Also, the arrival time of the ship, coastguard inspection, and a myriad of other issues can make things very fluid/go south.  So, my recommendation, as a retired Airport and Cruise ship parking manager, is just to plan to be there as if nothing is going wrong.  I always plan to arrive, at the Port Of Canaveral, by no later than 9:30 AM, regardless of my official arrival time.  If things go south, there is always the bar right next to the terminal that has a very nice outdoor bar, which I have taken advantage of.  My priority is to get a good parking space as close to the terminal as possible.

Good advice.  

[SherriZ366]

10 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

We always drive and park at PC. If you get there early you should be fine. Remember, there will be people getting off your ship that morning to free up spots. They also have surface lots next to the garage for when the garage is full. There are offsite lots that are cheaper if you want to save a few bucks but then you have deal with taking a shuttle to the terminal of course instead of just walking from your car to the terminal.

 

EDIT: I just noticed your location. My in laws live in The Villages. They drive down to us and we go together on family cruises but I know The Villages has a shuttle service if that's something you'd want to look into.

 

I have a much worse situation next month when Allure joins Wonder and Indy for a brief overlap before Indy leaves for Miami. I'm on a Wednesday Allure cruise so everyone who parked for Wonder and Indy will still be there with no one disembarking. I contacted PC and was told there should be room in the surface lots and worst case is they'd send us across the street and shuttle us to the terminal.

 

I looked into offsite parking but I'd prefer to avoid a shuttle so we're just gonna go to the port directly and deal with whatever they give us. As long as I have somewhere to park, it is what it is. This was a last minute cruise.

Port Canaveral has added surface spaces for Terminal 1

[Capt_BJ]

port has acknowledged parking issues and announced plans to build two new garages ... but both will be on the north side of the port  .... none near T-1

 

there are several 'off site' lots withing a 10 minute drive from T-1 and with adv' ressie can be MUCH less expensive at the cost of a shuttle 'experience' ...

 

I usually park off site . . . saving around 50% off port price . . 

[villager70]

I got the Port Canaveral news fall report last week and this was included. I was at terminal 1 10 days ago and two new parking areas next to garage were being striped . There is another also being finished ., the old big grass lot .      Bob.  The Villages Florida

 

Parking Lot Expansion Project  Preparations are in full swing to accommodate the upcoming arrival of Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas to Port Canaveral’s Cruise Terminal 1 (CT1). On October 25, the Oasis-class size ship will make history as the first in its class to sail 3- and 4-day itineraries.   To accommodate the expected higher passenger counts, efforts are well underway to construct expanded parking facilities adjacent to CT1. Phase one of this project will provide an additional 870 parking spaces with plans to add another 400 parking spots in subsequent phases of the project. The new surface parking areas will have a pay-on-entry system that aligns with the current pay-on-entry system at the CT1 parking garage. This upgrade will expedite the parking process and ensure convenience for all passengers sailing from CT1.   Contractors for the project, Ivey's Construction and Canaveral Construction Company, began work in June and are on track for substantial completion just in time for Allure of the Sea's anticipated arrival. This $8 million capital improvement project is an investment in the Port’s commitment to ensuring a quality guest experience for cruise passengers.

[SherriZ366]

We're one month out today 

[villager70]

[SherriZ366]

On 10/15/2023 at 9:19 AM, villager70 said:

Is that the parking lot being paved?  Thanks so much!!  

[simplelife]

On 9/30/2023 at 7:08 PM, Capt_BJ said:

=

 

there are several 'off site' lots withing a 10 minute drive from T-1 and with adv' ressie can be MUCH less expensive at the cost of a shuttle 'experience' ...

 

I usually park off site . . . saving around 50% off port price . . 

We use Park-n-Cruise on Merritt Island

[hurricane0226]

6 hours ago, simplelife said:

We use Park-n-Cruise on Merritt Island

We use them also, never had a problem

[Chrissy3427]

Good day all. Does anyone have experience with Terminal 5? Do you pay as you enter the lot? Thanks in advance!

[SplashOfWater]

3 hours ago, Chrissy3427 said:

Good day all. Does anyone have experience with Terminal 5? Do you pay as you enter the lot? Thanks in advance!

We just sailed on Mariner of the Seas on Oct 21 out of Terminal 5. They had staff standing at the bottom of the ramp with handheld devices taking payment as you entered the garage. 

[Chrissy3427]

16 hours ago, SplashOfWater said:

We just sailed on Mariner of the Seas on Oct 21 out of Terminal 5. They had staff standing at the bottom of the ramp with handheld devices taking payment as you entered the garage. 

Terrific information; thank you very much. Hope you had a wonderful cruise! ❤️

[Ret MP]

On 10/31/2023 at 4:25 PM, SplashOfWater said:

We just sailed on Mariner of the Seas on Oct 21 out of Terminal 5. They had staff standing at the bottom of the ramp with handheld devices taking payment as you entered the garage. 

As I said, I'm retired from the Port Everglades and FLL parking facilities as the General Manager.  However, I have no experience with the pre-paid parking system.  We charged the advertised hourly or daily parking rate.  So, the good news, I guess, if you are going on a B2B, or B3B, or ...........  you only pay for the initial cruise time frame.  Unless they figured out a way to overcome that.  If that is the case, it isn't a very smart business decision.  I guess they figure that it is cheaper to charge upfront and maybe forfeit a few dollars than hire cashiers.  I could argue so many ways to do the hourly/daily rate system rather than the pay upfront method.  But, that's not for here.

[Ret MP]

On 9/28/2023 at 9:26 AM, OCSC Mike said:

I looked into offsite parking but I'd prefer to avoid a shuttle so we're just gonna go to the port directly and deal with whatever they give us. As long as I have somewhere to park, it is what it is. This was a last minute cruise.

While I have and probably will in the future park at offsite parking sites, FOR ME, it's worth it to just pay a buck or two or three extra a day to just park next to the terminal.  No shuttles or Sardine Cans, and no lugging around luggage unless you drop off the luggage prior to parking, which could take up some excess time.  On our next cruise out of Galveston in Jan., we have parking reservations in the North Covered Parking lot and I couldn't be any happier.   

[OCSC Mike]

3 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

While I have and probably will in the future park at offsite parking sites, FOR ME, it's worth it to just pay a buck or two or three extra a day to just park next to the terminal.  No shuttles or Sardine Cans, and no lugging around luggage unless you drop off the luggage prior to parking, which could take up some excess time.

 

Sadly I think I could save way more than $3/day parking offsite at PC (I wanna say possibly more like $6-7/day) but as frugal as I am, I also have zero desire to deal with a shuttle and all that comes with it.  There's definitely an intrinsic value to walking right off the ship to your car in minutes and being home in roughly an hour in our case.

[Ret MP]

1 minute ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

Sadly I think I could save way more than $3/day parking offsite at PC (I wanna say possibly more like $6-7/day) but as frugal as I am, I also have zero desire to deal with a shuttle and all that comes with it.  There's definitely an intrinsic value to walking right off the ship to your car in minutes and being home in roughly an hour in our case.

LOL, I'm so tight, I squeak when I move.  But, I also like convenience.  

 

But, for those that are Vets and want a good deal, my wife found this site that offers very reasonable parking for Vets, they advertise $8.95 per day and a free shuttle to/from.  I haven't used it myself so I can't vouch for it at all (Patriotportparking.com):

 

 

[OCSC Mike]

12 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

LOL, I'm so tight, I squeak when I move.  But, I also like convenience.

 

Understood. I'm the same way with most things but I'm trying to loosen up the reigns a bit when it comes to cruising. It will still be pretty darn frugal by most accounts though. 🤣

[bb252537221]

I havent been to PC in years, but I did park in FtLauderdale terminal and it was a GIANT hassle parking at the terminal and very expensive -i had to lug my suitcases very far -I dont even know if the was off site parking there.       I recently went to Mobile and took a golf cart from hotel to port and went around a giant car line at the port and went straight to the gate,  , it was GREAT!!!! poor port parkers. Tampa hotel shuttle was good too. I prefer a shuttle-they drop me of at the luggage drop off , no rolling/carrying luggage and hopefully  they are there when we leave and when i get to my car i am far enough away that traffic isnt too bad

[bb252537221]

I havent been to PC in years, but I did park in FtLauderdale terminal and it was a GIANT hassle parking at the terminal and very expensive -i had to lug my suitcases very far -I dont even know if the was off site parking there.       I recently went to Mobile and took a golf cart from hotel to port and went around a giant car line at the port and went straight to the gate,  , it was GREAT!!!! poor port parkers. Tampa hotel shuttle was good too. I prefer a shuttle-they drop me of at the luggage drop off , no rolling/carrying luggage and hopefully  they are there when we leave and when i get to my car i am far enough away that traffic isnt too bad