Parkin & Shuttle at Port of Miami

[algriff]

We are leaving on a cruise in Feb 2020 from Miami.  We are driving to Miami from northern FL so would like any advice on where is a good place to park and dependable shuttle service to the ship.  I know you can park right at the port but 22.00 a day is a little pricey.  There will be 6 of us and I notice that some shuttle services only take 4 people.  I need some advice from all you cruisers who have driven to Miami and parked there.  Thank You

[Merion_Mom]

20 minutes ago, algriff said:

We are leaving on a cruise in Feb 2020 from Miami.  We are driving to Miami from northern FL so would like any advice on where is a good place to park and dependable shuttle service to the ship.  I know you can park right at the port but 22.00 a day is a little pricey.  There will be 6 of us and I notice that some shuttle services only take 4 people.  I need some advice from all you cruisers who have driven to Miami and parked there.  Thank You

 

I can't tell you where to park in Miami, but I can offer some other advice.

 

First of all, if there are six of you, can't you split the cost of the $22 a day parking?  It is always easier to park at the pier.  Just a suggestion.

 

If you pick an off-site location to park and they have a limit of 4 for the shuttle, just drop everyone and the luggage off first at the pier, then you take the car to the lot and take the shuttle back.

[tallnthensome]

Try the Florida departures forum for parking a shuttle questions. 

[FLHugh]

I just sailed the Allure from Miami last week,  4/7 to 4/14 and we parked at the terminal.  Let me tell you, that was the best $22 bucks a day we spent.  Drive into the garage and up to the 3rd floor, stop and the porters take your luggage.  You won't see it again until it is outside your cabin.  Park you car, take evevator to the first floor, up the escalator.  Go thru TSA Screen, show your SeaPass and walk onto the ship.  Maybe 20 Minutes.  Now getting off of the ship is even easier.  Disembark when your Luggage Tag number is called.  Your luggage is in a group of about 50 bags, easy to find.  For 6 people, you probably need 2 porters.  They load your luggage onto their cart, take you to Customs, you look at the Blue screen, It says OK, your porter takes you thru the Mad House (Taxis, private cars, shuttles, ubers, lyfts and about a thousand people)  at the outside curb and to the elevator,  He/She takes you to your car and loads your luggage, you pay your $22 per day and leave.  Maybe 20 minutes from when you walked off the ship.  

[Gatordad815]

4 minutes ago, FLHugh said:

I just sailed the Allure from Miami last week,  4/7 to 4/14 and we parked at the terminal.  Let me tell you, that was the best $22 bucks a day we spent.  Drive into the garage and up to the 3rd floor, stop and the porters take your luggage.  You won't see it again until it is outside your cabin.  Park you car, take evevator to the first floor, up the escalator.  Go thru TSA Screen, show your SeaPass and walk onto the ship.  Maybe 20 Minutes.  Now getting off of the ship is even easier.  Disembark when your Luggage Tag number is called.  Your luggage is in a group of about 50 bags, easy to find.  For 6 people, you probably need 2 porters.  They load your luggage onto their cart, take you to Customs, you look at the Blue screen, It says OK, your porter takes you thru the Mad House (Taxis, private cars, shuttles, ubers, lyfts and about a thousand people)  at the outside curb and to the elevator,  He/She takes you to your car and loads your luggage, you pay your $22 per day and leave.  Maybe 20 minutes from when you walked off the ship.  

 

Yes. This. All of this. This was our exact experience 2-3 weeks ago when we arrived and when we left. Prior to the trip I looked up reviews for less costly options thinking along the same lines as you, but across the board the reviews were horrible, so we just parked at the port.

 

I’ve never had such a convenient parking experience with such great service.  I hate wasting money on unnecessary stuff, yet I felt like I definitely got my money’s worth for a $154 week of parking. They know how to do it right there & the ease of getting in and out definitely takes the sting out of the expense.  Especially the ease of getting out if you have to drive to North Florida tired after a weeklong vacation like we did. We were already in Orlando before noon.  I wouldn’t even consider a different option next time we are there.

 

Good luck whatever you end up deciding!

[EdandMary]

Does anyone know if there are shuttles between the new, and old Royal Caribbean terminals for folks that want to do a ship to ship back to back?

[Merion_Mom]

7 minutes ago, EdandMary said:

Does anyone know if there are shuttles between the new, and old Royal Caribbean terminals for folks that want to do a ship to ship back to back?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

 

Inquire at Guest Services during your cruise.  If you have access to one of the concierges, you can try that, too.

[jenniferop]

13 hours ago, FLHugh said:

I just sailed the Allure from Miami last week,  4/7 to 4/14 and we parked at the terminal.  Let me tell you, that was the best $22 bucks a day we spent.  Drive into the garage and up to the 3rd floor, stop and the porters take your luggage.  You won't see it again until it is outside your cabin.  Park you car, take evevator to the first floor, up the escalator.  Go thru TSA Screen, show your SeaPass and walk onto the ship.  Maybe 20 Minutes.  Now getting off of the ship is even easier.  Disembark when your Luggage Tag number is called.  Your luggage is in a group of about 50 bags, easy to find.  For 6 people, you probably need 2 porters.  They load your luggage onto their cart, take you to Customs, you look at the Blue screen, It says OK, your porter takes you thru the Mad House (Taxis, private cars, shuttles, ubers, lyfts and about a thousand people)  at the outside curb and to the elevator,  He/She takes you to your car and loads your luggage, you pay your $22 per day and leave.  Maybe 20 minutes from when you walked off the ship.  

 

 

Greta info for Allure - does anyone have experience with the new terminal for Symphony - do they have porters waiting in the garage? If we (2 cars - 8 people) can drive right into the garage and not go to the drop off area first that would be so convenient.

[Ourusualbeach]

28 minutes ago, jenniferop said:

 

 

Greta info for Allure - does anyone have experience with the new terminal for Symphony - do they have porters waiting in the garage? If we (2 cars - 8 people) can drive right into the garage and not go to the drop off area first that would be so convenient.

Allure and Symphony use the same terminal.  There will be porters in the garage.  Avoid the drop off area.

[Bookish Angel]

I think the Port of Miami parking, while pricey, is a good value as it is easy to find, navigate and leave from.  It is clean, does not smell, and security seemed very good.

 

A tip from this native Floridian - arrive early enough that you don't have to park on the hot roof deck of a parking garage.

Edited April 19, 2019 by Bookish Angel

[AshleyDillo]

Two one-way car rentals for that drive will cost about the same as just parking at the terminal for 7 days and it is so much simpler.  However if you are looking into renting a car because you don't have one already that will seat 6, National/Enterprise/Alamo all share an port/airport shuttle.

[Diver2014]

I lived in Miami for 23 years up until 3 years ago.  We always left our car at the port, regardless of which ship or cruise line you are on.  The parking around the city of Miami is not safe.  I worked downtown for 13 years on Biscayne Blvd and there is no parking lot within miles that I would leave my car in, included the covered parking where I worked (took Metrorail and Metromover since I didn't trust downtown parking).  Coworkers cars were broken into constantly.  Park at the port.  Best peace of mind you'll have for the whole cruise and very convenient when you return to Miami.

[Marbel69]

Good info - my son and I will be driving to Miami from NC in November for our cruise and will be using the Port parking.

[RenieRaider]

23 hours ago, FLHugh said:

I just sailed the Allure from Miami last week,  4/7 to 4/14 and we parked at the terminal.  Let me tell you, that was the best $22 bucks a day we spent.  Drive into the garage and up to the 3rd floor, stop and the porters take your luggage.  You won't see it again until it is outside your cabin.  Park you car, take evevator to the first floor, up the escalator.  Go thru TSA Screen, show your SeaPass and walk onto the ship.  Maybe 20 Minutes.  Now getting off of the ship is even easier.  Disembark when your Luggage Tag number is called.  Your luggage is in a group of about 50 bags, easy to find.  For 6 people, you probably need 2 porters.  They load your luggage onto their cart, take you to Customs, you look at the Blue screen, It says OK, your porter takes you thru the Mad House (Taxis, private cars, shuttles, ubers, lyfts and about a thousand people)  at the outside curb and to the elevator,  He/She takes you to your car and loads your luggage, you pay your $22 per day and leave.  Maybe 20 minutes from when you walked off the ship.  

WOW!!!! That sounds awesome!!!! Thank you.

[Metro1142]

By far the best, detailed information I’ve seen on this topic.  Thank you! 

[AlanFromFL]

While $22/day seems pricey, what's peace of mind worth compared to the overall cost of the cruise?  There's been far too many horror stories regarding sketchy POM off-site parking over the years. Of course, ymmv.

[algriff]

Thank you for all the replies...I think we will take your advice and park at the terminal...sounds too easy to be true.  Do I have to know what pier the ship leaves from before we get there or is there only one parking garage?  Thanks to FLHugh for the great post.

[Clarea]

1 minute ago, algriff said:

Thank you for all the replies...I think we will take your advice and park at the terminal...sounds too easy to be true.  Do I have to know what pier the ship leaves from before we get there or is there only one parking garage?  Thanks to FLHugh for the great post.

 

There will be signs at the port, but this should give you advance notice:

 

https://seaport2.miamidade.gov/dailydock/Default.aspx