First cruise out of Charleston on Sunshine Jan 13-17! Mini review!

[ninjacat123]

Re-reading through this thread I realized that there are shuttles to take passengers if needed to Building 324 from where the passengers park. Wheelchair assistance should be available in Building 324, then a shuttle bus to the terminal, then wheelchair assistance in the terminal.  I'm hoping I have this protocol correct since I plan on using it in 26 days with my mom on Sunshine! @EllaDuChien Please let me know if I'm correct.  TIA! 

Edited March 2, 2022 by ninjacat123

[EllaDuChien]

11 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

Re-reading through this thread I realized that there are shuttles to take passengers if needed to Building 324 from where the passengers park. Wheelchair assistance should be available in Building 324, then a shuttle bus to the terminal, then wheelchair assistance in the terminal.  I'm hoping I have this protocol correct since I plan on using it in 26 days with my mom on Sunshine! @EllaDuChien Please let me know if I'm correct.  TIA! 

 

This is exactly correct.  We got on the little golf cart style tram to take us from the parking lot (they will stop at the end of any parking row to pick people up) to the entrance to Building 324.  At the table right in front of the ramp to the building, a port employee was standing there and he called for a wheelchair (there are benches if you need while waiting).  That wheelchair guy took us through the check-in process in 324 and out to the shuttle bus to the terminal.  At the terminal, there were more people there to ask to call for a wheelchair. 

I am not sure if you have rented a scooter or anything like that, but if you have, the scooter pickup is after the metal detectors but before the elevator up to the boarding ramp.  The terminal wheelchair guy took us to the scooter pickup and we took the scooter from there onto the ship. 

It seems really complicated, but it really isn't.  Everyone there was going out of there way to help my father, it went very smoothly.

[bguppies]

Does anyone know how to drop off passengers in Charleston?

Figure I can drive downtown and just drop the ladies off for their weekenmd cruise in 3 weeks.

[EllaDuChien]

1 hour ago, bguppies said:

Does anyone know how to drop off passengers in Charleston?

Figure I can drive downtown and just drop the ladies off for their weekenmd cruise in 3 weeks.

 

I am actually not sure how it works with the addition of Bldg 324.  Previously, there was a Uber/passenger drop off point right in front of the terminal, but that is when all the paperwork was done inside the terminal as well.  Now that is done in a separate building.

[ninjacat123]

Maybe where Uber drops off passengers?  It will still be a walk with your suitcases to Building 324.  Has anyone been dropped off at Port of Charleston?  Bueller....Bueller? 😉

[mtns2sea]

On 1/18/2022 at 7:16 PM, ninjacat123 said:

I'm thinking next time out of Charleston (booked a 5 day this September) we will at least check our luggage with the porters at parking and reduce our load. If you have to go check in at building 324, then go to the terminal (a hike and a half) that would make it more doable.  Hey, at least I'm burning calories so I can chow down onboard!😄

What was the cost for parking?

[ninjacat123]

5 minutes ago, mtns2sea said:

What was the cost for parking?

I believe $20 per day.  I think there was tax on top of that because the amount we paid out before parking was not divisible by 20.

Edited March 4, 2022 by ninjacat123

[sueandtimj]

Thank you so much for this review.  Though we've sailed with Carnival multiple times, never out of Charleston, and never on the Sunshine, so this was really informative.  We're booked for the five day March 28th sailing.  We will be flying in the night before and ubering to the port.  I saw where you circled the uber drop off point.  Is there any way to drop our luggage with the porter or do we have to haul it ourselves since we won't be near the parking area?

[SurfCat]

On 3/2/2022 at 12:58 PM, bguppies said:

Does anyone know how to drop off passengers in Charleston?

Figure I can drive downtown and just drop the ladies off for their weekenmd cruise in 3 weeks.

Did you ever figure this out?  We are having someone drop us off in a couple of months and are curious where to enter.  Last time we got forced to enter with the cars that were parking and wasted about 45 minutes looping through the parking lot.

[pinniped71]

On 3/1/2022 at 6:48 PM, teacher34 said:

We are sailing out of Charleston for the first time onMarch 7 and I was wondering how you found where to park. Can we put Charleston terminal in our Google maps ? I want to use the map to get us from here in TN to the port, but not sure what to put as our destination. Thanks for any info. We will certainly have to wait for a shuttle, because there is no way my husband could walk that far.

 

cruise-charleston-driving-directions-1.pdf

[pinniped71]

On 3/4/2022 at 4:24 PM, ninjacat123 said:

I believe $20 per day.  I think there was tax on top of that because the amount we paid out before parking was not divisible by 20.

https://scspa.com/passenger-information/cruise-parking/   $21 per day.  

[bguppies]

I found this when dropping DW off back in March.
You use this gate

 

one block closer to East Bay St. than the parking gate.

 

 

Picking them up is at the old Uber/taxi dropoff area.

 

[bguppies]

Alos, any people with valid handicap plates or placards, DO NOT pay to park.

Parking is free in the state of SC.