Parking at POM

[LV0110]

Does anyone have recent experience with United Airport Parking near the Port of Miami? I found some 2 year old reveiws that were not very encouraging and only one recent one that seems to indicate they have made some improvements.

[CruiserBruce]

This topic is discussed regularly on the Florida Departures board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495

[TravlGrl]

Does anyone have recent experience with United Airport Parking near the Port of Miami? I found some 2 year old reveiws that were not very encouraging and only one recent one that seems to indicate they have made some improvements.

 

This is what I posted on Feb 18, 2012 on this thread -- http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1513994

 

GlobalAirportParking.com We just arrived back to Port of Miami today on Celebrity Eclipse, and I promised to report back on this thread regarding our parking experience.

 

I researched and researched and researched for sooooooo long before making a decision, and even after my first two decisions, kept changing my mind.

 

We ended up going to GlobalAirportParking.com (they are just a booking site -- they don't run the garage!) just a couple of weeks before the cruise, typed in our parameters and were given two options --

 

1. Cheap Cruise Parking -- Secure Self Port Parking
   
2. Premier Cruise Parking -- Secure Garage Port of Miami Parking
   

We chose the first option listed, Cheap Cruise Parking, because it was a few dollars cheaper. NOTE -- Google "Global Airport Parking coupon" and you will find a $3 coupon to use at checkout. Cheap Cruise Parking was initially $55, but with our $3 coupon we paid $52. Option #2 would have been over $60.

 

Here's the funny thing about this experience -- BOTH of the above parking options are THE SAME in terms of the garage! When we got to 1415 NE 2nd Ave, there was a sign out front that simply said, "Cruise Parking". It is a GARAGE! We drove in, showed our on-line confirmation, and they directed us up to the 3rd level where all of the cruisers were parking. Interestingly, this place is run by CBM Park & Sail (the guys parking cars and driving the shuttle all wear blue polos branded with CBM Park & Sail) and is called Premier Parking (not to be confused with Premier Parking Ventures) even though we chose "Cheap Cruise Parking".

 

The shuttle vans look pretty beat up, but hey, they run and they have working seat belts. All of the vans say Premier Parking in old lettering on the side of the vans, and most have dents. Not kidding. It's a little odd. Anyway, we parked where they directed us, kept our keys, and got into the shuttle with a handful of others sailing away on NCL Epic and a Carnival ship. We literally departed the garage 5 minutes after arriving. It was a smooth process.

 

Coming back, the instructions they gave us (in advance when we dropped off the car) were to wait at the curb at Passenger Pick-up/Drop-off at our terminal. The paperwork says the van runs continuously starting at 7:30 a.m., and that if we've waited 25 minutes to call them, but ONLY if we've waited at least that long. After waiting at the curb for 25 minutes with no Premier Parking van to pick us up, my DH called. They were dispatched and there within 10 minutes. Another couple had waited an hour, while a third couple had waited 30 minutes. We waited 35 minutes. Thankfully, we weren't in a hurry.

 

Would we park here again? Yes. The garage is secure and safe, and even though the vans look really crappy, I'd much rather wait on the curb for 35 minutes and save over $100 from parking at Port of Miami.

 

Something to note -- Two other couples on our roll call also parked here and we all paid different prices. Their pricing fluctuates like airfare does, so don't expect it to be the same...and REMEMBER to go online and grab your coupon code if you decide to park here.

[debnjoe1438]

Does anyone have recent experience with United Airport Parking near the Port of Miami? I found some 2 year old reveiws that were not very encouraging and only one recent one that seems to indicate they have made some improvements.

 

I used United Airport Parking back in 2010 and went to use them again this past January. However, they no longer used the same garage as they had in 2010.

 

I discovered that GlobalAirportParking uses the parking garagage DH & I used in 2010. Therefore we went with Global. TravlGrl gave a pretty accurate description. Our experience was a little different, we waited about 10 to 15 minutes for a shuttle to take us to the port. When leaving, we were out before 8am and waited less than 5 minutes for a shuttle.

 

Planning on using them again the next time we sail out of Miami. :D

[Bubbie123]

Just a quick question Travlgirl, we're going on Celebrity Reflection March 16th (POM). I too have been looking for a secure, reasonably priced & reliable service parking garage. A lot of the reviews are dated, it's hard to pick the best one. There are a number parking garage company; united air parking, global & premier. Please help.;)

[CruiserBruce]

Just a quick question Travlgirl, we're going on Celebrity Reflection March 16th (POM). I too have been looking for a secure, reasonably priced & reliable service parking garage. A lot of the reviews are dated, it's hard to pick the best one. There are a number parking garage company; united air parking, global & premier. Please help.;)

 

The best place for your research is, as mentioned above, is the Florida Departures board, with the link given above. This topic is discussed regularly there.

[TravlGrl]

Thanks CruiserBruce! Completely agree. Here's the thread again -- http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1513994&page=12

 

Bubbie123 -- We feel good about Premier Cruise Parking. There is a lot of discussion about it at the above thread. Happy cruising. You will LOVE Reflection!