Parking-Resolved

[Haley R]

Dh and I leave on our first cruise on Saturday. We just looked at parking our car and can't believe how expensive it is. Does anyone have experience parking with 528 Port Parking or Park N Cruise instead of right at the port?

ETA: we decided we’ll just park at the port

 

[Weedy]

Yes it is expensive but so worth the extra $$ in my opinion.
When you park offsite you have to take a shuttle, load all your luggage into the shuttle. If there are a lot of ships in port the day you arrive/leave it may take awhile to catch the shuttle and it may make numerous stops at different cruise terminals. When parking at Port Canaveral it’s so nice at the end of the cruise just to hop in your car and hit the road.
We all have things we are willing to pay a little too much for parking is one of those things for me.
Here’s a photo of the parking garage at Port Canaveral. When you arrive you can pull up and drop your luggage off with the porters. They will deliver your luggage to your cabin. You will then pull into the garage (you pay before you park).

 

[Haley R]

Yes it is expensive but so worth the extra $$ in my opinion.
When you park offsite you have to take a shuttle, load all your luggage into the shuttle. If there are a lot of ships in port the day you arrive/leave it may take awhile to catch the shuttle and it may make numerous stops at different cruise terminals. When parking at Port Canaveral it’s so nice at the end of the cruise just to hop in your car and hit the road.
We all have things we are willing to pay a little too much for parking is one of those things for me.
Here’s a photo of the parking garage at Port Canaveral. When you arrive you can pull up and drop your luggage off with the porters. They will deliver your luggage to your cabin. You will then pull into the garage (you pay before you park).
View attachment 448541

Thanks for your input! I guess I just need to convince Dh that we need to pay it and deal with it. What is it like when you pull in to drop your luggage off? Are they just waiting right there when you first pull in? I have no idea what to expect

 

[lds0191]

We have used Canaveral Cruise Parking a couple of times and they were very professional. We were able to keep our keys, paved lot and shuttle was easy peasy. The driver will load and unload your luggage and the shuttles ran continuously and the drive was only a few minutes to terminal. I have read that some who park offsite drop off the luggage/passengers at the terminal, drive to the parking lot and take the shuttle back to the port. We did not do that as it seemed like extra work. If you are staying in Cocoa Beach the night before your cruise, there are a few hotels that have park and cruise rates where you can leave your car at the hotel and take a shuttle to/from the port. Parking at the port is very easy, covered garage parking keeps your car cooler and it is nice to get off the ship and walk straight to you vehicle. More often than not we park in the garage at the port.

 

[Haley R]

We have used Canaveral Cruise Parking a couple of times and they were very professional. We were able to keep our keys, paved lot and shuttle was easy peasy. The driver will load and unload your luggage and the shuttles ran continuously and the drive was only a few minutes to terminal. I have read that some who park offsite drop off the luggage/passengers at the terminal, drive to the parking lot and take the shuttle back to the port. We did not do that as it seemed like extra work. If you are staying in Cocoa Beach the night before your cruise, there are a few hotels that have park and cruise rates where you can leave your car at the hotel and take a shuttle to/from the port. Parking at the port is very easy, covered garage parking keeps your car cooler and it is nice to get off the ship and walk straight to you vehicle. More often than not we park in the garage at the port.

I just looked at Canaveral cruise parking and they don’t include disney. We’ll probably just have to park at the port

 

[Weedy]

Arriving at Port Canaveral:
When you first arrive the will ask for ID (driver’s license) and what cruise.
Only Disney cruisers park in this garage


They will direct you to pull up to the curb and drop your luggage. You may have to wait a few moments to pull up. A few weeks before your cruise Disney will send you luggage tags. Have these on your luggage before you arrive.
Porters will take your luggage. You should tip a few dollars per bag.
Cabins aren’t available until 1:30 and luggage may not be delivered until 4-5:00. You should keep a day bag with you with bathing suits, sunscreen, RX and anything you may need


You then will pull into the garage. Pay first. There is a bridge on the third level connecting the garage and terminal or you can enter from the ground floor.
There are restrooms on the ground floor of the garage.
Parking garage opens at 9:45.
Terminal at 10:30. You will wait outside until the terminal opens.
When you arrive and check in you will be given a boarding number.
The earlier your Port Arrival Time (you book your PAT when your booking window opens) the lower your boarding number.
They usually start boarding the ship
11:15-11:30

sorry about the sideways photos. That happens after the latest Disboards update

 

[Haley R]

Arriving at Port Canaveral:
When you first arrive the will ask for ID (driver’s license) and what cruise.
Only Disney cruisers park in this garage
View attachment 448556

They will direct you to pull up to the curb and drop your luggage. You may have to wait a few moments to pull up. A few weeks before your cruise Disney will send you luggage tags. Have these on your luggage before you arrive.
Porters will take your luggage. You should tip a few dollars per bag.
Cabins aren’t available until 1:30 and luggage may not be delivered until 4-5:00. You should keep a day bag with you with bathing suits, sunscreen, RX and anything you may need
View attachment 448560

You then will pull into the garage. Pay first. There is a bridge on the third level connecting the garage and terminal or you can enter from the ground floor.
There are restrooms on the ground floor of the garage.
Parking garage opens at 9:45.
Terminal at 10:30. You will wait outside until the terminal opens.
When you arrive and check in you will be given a boarding number.
The earlier your Port Arrival Time (you book your PAT when your booking window opens) the lower your boarding number.
They usually start boarding the ship
11:15-11:30

sorry about the sideways photos. That happens after the latest Disboards update

Thanks for all of the info and pictures! That makes more sense now. When we get to the port do we have to go in a certain entrance or will there be signs to direct us to the Disney area?

 

[Shanon1217]

Thanks for all of the info and pictures! That makes more sense now. When we get to the port do we have to go in a certain entrance or will there be signs to direct us to the Disney area?

There are plenty of signs! I agree with parking in Disney's parking garage. Worth the money. And it is on par with most of the parking we deal with wherever we travel.

 

[Haley R]

There are plenty of signs! I agree with parking in Disney's parking garage. Worth the money. And it is on par with most of the parking we deal with wherever we travel.

Dh still isn't convinced. We found a parking lot that would be $54 compared to the high price of staying at the port. We could also take a lyft from our house, but that would be $80-90. I'm not sure what to do. I would rather pay the money for the convenience but I don't think Dh will see it that way

 

[Weedy]

Signage is good. But lots of different cruise terminals.
Here’s the link from Disney’s page with address and directions.
https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ports/port-canaveral-florida/

 

[Donna M]

We used the off site lot once then used the garage every time after that, but we only do 3-4 day cruises. What made me decide not to use off site parking again was waiting for the shuttle with a large unorganized group of people who all, including myself, wanted to get onto the next shuttle. Everyone won't fit, then you're waiting with the new people who just walked up and got into the bunch and may jockey into position to get on before you!
It is expensive to park in the garage, but it makes the trip so much less stressful for me.
We tried the one way rental only once too for many of the same reasons.

 

[Rob1872]

That picture of the parking lot/garage just brought back the memory of my last cruise. We were in the room waiting for my wife to finish her last packing, and my sons point out that they can see the van from our verandah. (We went ahead and paid the extra $ to be right next to the terminal so my MIL would just have to walk across the road to the building.) Just on a whim, I pull my key fob out and try to lock/unlock the van doors and we can see the brake lights flashing. We were high-fiving and shouting so loud that my wife came out to find out what the commotion was all about. (Amazing what will amuse you when you are killing time!)

 

[Haley R]

Dh and I talked it over and we’ll be parking at the port. We decided it’ll be less hassle and in the end it really isn’t that much more to park there. A lot of the offsite parking has such bad reviews and I just didn’t want to deal with that. Thank you everyone for your input and I’m super excited for our first cruise!

 

[Weedy]

FYI:
Typical first day at Port Canaveral:
9:30-9:45 Parking garage/drop off opens. You will wait outside until the terminal opens
When you arrive you will pull up to the curb and drop your luggage off with the porters. You should have your luggage tags on your luggage . You should tip a few dollars per bag.
Luggage will be delivered to your cabin
10:30 Terminal opens. When you arrive and check in you will be given a boarding number. The earlier your Port Arrival Time the lower your boarding number.
You pick your PAT when your booking window opens. For first time cruisers it’s 75 days prior to your cruise. The earliest PAT at Port Canaveral is 10:30-10:45
11:15-11:30 boarding begins. Concierge and Platinum board first. Then they start with everyone else. They call the next number(s) every 4-5 minutes.
11:45-12:00 all pools, slides, restaurants and bars open
1:30 cabins available.
Luggage may not be delivered until 4-5:00
3:30 all pools and restaurants close to get ready for the lifeboat drill.
4:00 lifeboat drill
4:30 quick service restaurants reopen
4:30 sail away party

 

[Haley R]

FYI:
Typical first day at Port Canaveral:
9:30-9:45 Parking garage/drop off opens. You will wait outside until the terminal opens
When you arrive you will pull up to the curb and drop your luggage off with the porters. You should have your luggage tags on your luggage . You should tip a few dollars per bag.
Luggage will be delivered to your cabin
10:30 Terminal opens. When you arrive and check in you will be given a boarding number. The earlier your Port Arrival Time the lower your boarding number.
You pick your PAT when your booking window opens. For first time cruisers it’s 75 days prior to your cruise. The earliest PAT at Port Canaveral is 10:30-10:45
11:15-11:30 boarding begins. Concierge and Platinum board first. Then they start with everyone else. They call the next number(s) every 4-5 minutes.
11:45-12:00 all pools, slides, restaurants and bars open
1:30 cabins available.
Luggage may not be delivered until 4-5:00
3:30 all pools and restaurants close to get ready for the lifeboat drill.
4:00 lifeboat drill
4:30 quick service restaurants reopen
4:30 sail away party

Our PAT isn’t until 1:30 because we booked last minute on a Florida rate. I was planning to still get there by 12:30 just in case we can get on earlier.

 

[lklgoodman]

Our PAT isn’t until 1:30 because we booked last minute on a Florida rate. I was planning to still get there by 12:30 just in case we can get on earlier.

If you get there by 12:30 you should be able to check in by then or soon after. Open boarding usually begins around that time, so you should be able to board before 1:30.

 

[Haley R]

If you get there by 12:30 you should be able to check in by then or soon after. Open boarding usually begins around that time, so you should be able to board before 1:30.

That’s what I was told so I’m hoping it works out that way. Thanks!

 

[Capt_BJ]

I use PnC every time

been parking here for YEARS

I save $

but my drive from here/port to home is about 40 minutes so the 'extra time waiting for a shuttle' is a non issue!

and YES .. parking for a seven night trip here costs LESS than two UBER trips . . .

 

[Haley R]

I use PnC every time

been parking here for YEARS

I save $

but my drive from here/port to home is about 40 minutes so the 'extra time waiting for a shuttle' is a non issue!

and YES .. parking for a seven night trip here costs LESS than two UBER trips . . .

We can’t use park n cruise because they told me they don’t do the Disney fantasy. I have no idea why because they do all of the other ships.

We live about 30 minutes away and a lyft would be like $90-100 so not much cheaper than parking at the port ($130).

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We can’t use park n cruise because they told me they don’t do the Disney fantasy. I have no idea why because they do all of the other ships.

We live about 30 minutes away and a lyft would be like $90-100 so not much cheaper than parking at the port ($130).

They (https://www.parkcruise.com/) said "we don't do Disney Fantasy"? I find that hard to believe. I went to their website and they advertise all 4 (Disney) ships as being ones they shuttle to.