Parking at Port Canaveral + Luggage Drop Off Questions

[scrappinginontario]

This will be our first cruise where we are parking a car at the port and we'd like to learn a bit more about how it works just for peace of mind.

We are 2 families who will arrive together - 1 in their own car and the other via Uber.

1. Can we drop off luggage and people in the same location or will we be split up? We'd prefer to stay together.

2. There will be one person who goes into the parking garage and parks the car. Will the rest of us wait outside? Will we still have the luggage with us or will it have been taken by the porters?

3. How easy/difficult will it be for the person parking the car to find us again?

4. We have a 10:30 PAT. We want to leave time for all of this so are planning on arriving around 10:00. Is that a reasonable time?

5. As the car will be there for a week with extra luggage in it, how reasonable is it to think that we will get indoor parking in the garage? I'm guessing with an early PAT it shouldn't be difficult but if there's a chance we'll be on the roof or outdoors it might make a difference as to what we left in the car.

Thanks for any help/suggestions/answers you can offer to these Port Canaveral parking newbies.

 

[Weedy]

It's very easy. You will be directed to either pull up in front of the terminal or just pull up to a curb spot. Tell the people directing that you want to stay together.
At this point the porters will take your bags. Be sure to have your luggage tags on your bags. Disney will send them to you a few weeks before the cruise.
You can wait outside the terminal for your husband to go park the car and then all go inside together.
Here is a picture of the parking garage/terminal area.
You will pull in at the top end of the picture. The terminal is on the left of the photo the parking garage on the right.
You can see there is a walkway connecting the garage and the terminal. Your meeting spot can be on the ground floor, under the walkway by the doors entering the terminal.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

This will be our first cruise where we are parking a car at the port and we'd like to learn a bit more about how it works just for peace of mind.

We are 2 families who will arrive together - 1 in their own car and the other via Uber.

1. Can we drop off luggage and people in the same location or will we be split up? We'd prefer to stay together.
Yes, the luggage drop off is right in front of the terminal.

2. There will be one person who goes into the parking garage and parks the car. Will the rest of us wait outside? Will we still have the luggage with us or will it have been taken by the porters?
The person driving can drop bags and extra people at the door. There are porters there. Then go park and meet up with the others inside the terminal. Alternatively, you all can wait out side to meet up.

3. How easy/difficult will it be for the person parking the car to find us again?
As large as the terminal seems to be, it's fairly easy to find others inside. You can wait near the top of the escalator; or over near the vending machines; or just find a place to sit. Generally you can see the top of the escalator from all seating areas inside.

4. We have a 10:30 PAT. We want to leave time for all of this so are planning on arriving around 10:00. Is that a reasonable time? The port typically doesn't open for new cruisers until 10:15 (at the earliest), but the actual opening time is 10:30. If you arrive earlier, you will be asked to circle around and come back later. There's really no reason to arrive spot on 10:30, actually. While check in is open at that time, actual boarding won't begin until later (around 11:30-11:45). Arriving at 10:30 will give you plenty of time to drop bags/people, park the car, meet up, check in all before boarding begins.

5. As the car will be there for a week with extra luggage in it, how reasonable is it to think that we will get indoor parking in the garage? I'm guessing with an early PAT it shouldn't be difficult but if there's a chance we'll be on the roof or outdoors it might make a difference as to what we left in the car. I'm thinking it won't be that difficult to be undercover. There are 6 decks in the garage (top deck is open). Lots of under cover parking.

Thanks for any help/suggestions/answers you can offer to these Port Canaveral parking newbies.

My answers in red.

Here's some various pictures to help with the answers:

View of terminal from top of escalator

Looking back at top of escalator


view of parking garage (on top right)

 

[OKW Lover]

We are 2 families who will arrive together - 1 in their own car and the other via Uber.

1. Can we drop off luggage and people in the same location or will we be split up? We'd prefer to stay together.

Ummm, you're arriving separately already, why do you need to stay together? However, yes you could meet up at the bag drop off location assuming the family driving is right behind the Uber family. Even then though, you might be as much as 100 yards apart. Perhaps more as there are separate loading stations and you'll be directed to one of them as you enter the DCL part of the port.

2. There will be one person who goes into the parking garage and parks the car. Will the rest of us wait outside? Will we still have the luggage with us or will it have been taken by the porters?

You can wait outside if you want to but the better move is to drop the luggage with the porters and proceed through security into the terminal. The driver can just cross over to the terminal using the bridge and pass through security to meet you inside. Be sure the driver has their photo ID and cruise documents.

3. How easy/difficult will it be for the person parking the car to find us again?

Not bad really. Just agree on a strategy and be sure the driver knows what everybody is wearing so they can spot them when they get inside the terminal.

4. We have a 10:30 PAT. We want to leave time for all of this so are planning on arriving around 10:00. Is that a reasonable time?

You should plan on arriving at 10:30. PAT stands for Port Arrival Time.

5. As the car will be there for a week with extra luggage in it, how reasonable is it to think that we will get indoor parking in the garage? I'm guessing with an early PAT it shouldn't be difficult but if there's a chance we'll be on the roof or outdoors it might make a difference as to what we left in the car.

Very reasonable to expect to be in indoor parking. AFIK, the garage has never filled up.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Thanks everyone!

Ummm, you're arriving separately already, why do you need to stay together? However, yes you could meet up at the bag drop off location assuming the family driving is right behind the Uber family. Even then though, you might be as much as 100 yards apart. Perhaps more as there are separate loading stations and you'll be directed to one of them as you enter the DCL part of the port.

We'd like to stay together as much as possible because all people with the exception of 1 will be in the car. The person in the Uber will be the one who will then take over the driving and park the car. This is a first cruise for our friends and we're trying to deminsh variables as much as possible just for peace of mind.

Very reasonable to expect to be in indoor parking. AFIK, the garage has never filled up.

That's great news...thanks!