Parking at Port of Miami

[itzfitz]

We have a noon check-in time Monday and we are driving over from Naples to the port (a two hour drive).  Which terminal does the Freedom of the Seas depart from?  Which parking garage is closest to that terminal?  Should we lug our luggage from the garage to the terminal or is there a drop-off area?  Is the garage usually full so you have to park elsewhere?  Anyone with information about this would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

[Biker19]

54 minutes ago, itzfitz said:

Which terminal does the Freedom of the Seas depart from?

You will find all that out when you get to the port. 

[Mum2Mercury]

I don't know from which terminal Freedom sails, but it will be very well marked, and you will have no problem navigating your way in (this is from a couple with zero sense of direction).  

 

Luggage: 

- We always pull up to the terminal and drop off our luggage -- have it fully tagged and ready to hand over to the porters.  You'll see that they organize it according to your position on the ship; for example, they might have a bin for 8th floor aft.  When that bin fills up, they'll take it on board.  

- Have a couple dollars ready to tip them -- is it necessary?  No, but I've always done it and have always received my luggage quickly.  Might be coincidence, but I'll keep doing it.  

- The luggage drop-off area can be a madhouse.  Don't hold up the line by waiting to add this or that item to your suitcase or searching for your shoes.  When you pull up to the luggage drop-off, you need to be READY to jump out of the car and hand over your ship-ready luggage.  

- Double, triple check your luggage before you begin your drive so you know you have your identification and other valuables in your carry-on.  More than one person has sent his or her passport through with the luggage.  

- You should not need to "lug" anything.  Pack lightly and pack in suitcases with wheels. 

 

Getting yourself to the terminal: 

- When our kids were small, I'd get out with them along with the bags while Dad parked the car.  Back then we also had more bags to manage, so this system worked out in more than one way. 

- Now that it's just us two, we'll probably drop off luggage /then park the car together.  

- Take a picture or make a note of where you park your car -- a week is a long time to remember.

- You can count on a parking spot at the port.  That's part of why you pay a premium price.  

 

Other tips: 

- When we leave the ship on the last day, we know we'll have a long drive ahead of us -- so we gas up the car and toss any half-finished drinks and food before we enter the port.  Leaving the ship is sad enough; having the car road-ready makes it a little easier.  

- The garage accepts credit cards for parking payment -- why not earn a few points for your parking dollar?  

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, itzfitz said:

We have a noon check-in time Monday and we are driving over from Naples to the port (a two hour drive).  Which terminal does the Freedom of the Seas depart from?  Which parking garage is closest to that terminal?  Should we lug our luggage from the garage to the terminal or is there a drop-off area?  Is the garage usually full so you have to park elsewhere?  Anyone with information about this would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

When we sailed on the Freedom, we left from Terminal A "Crown of Miami". The parking structure is integrated with the terminal. You will always be sharing parking with all of the other ships leaving from that terminal (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday). Up until now, with reduced passenger loads, there has been no problems. 

 

[itzfitz]

Thank you all for the replies.  Much appreciated.

[Joseph2017China]

Have a couple dollars ready to tip them -- is it necessary?  No, but I've always done it and have always received my luggage quickly.  Might be coincidence, but I'll keep doing it.  

 

The above statement is funny.  The person you tipped just puts your bag on a cart.....nothing more, and has zero control of you luggage once the cart is full.  If you think that guy is going to tell the other guy that is pushing it in the waiting area for the fork lift drive, that also needs to be told that you tipped a person, but not him, who than transfers it to the ship, and as he lowers it to the floor, screams above all the noise, hey, that baggage owner, tipped the first guy, so make sure you move it fast.....and than off to sorting on the ship, up the elevator, and again in staging areas.  

 

So, no it is not necessary, required or expected and certainly has zero effect on how your luggage arrives.  

[renza]

Super easy to park. Never full and it’s easy to just take your luggage from your car down elevators to port guys. No reason to have to pull up front to drop off luggage 

[SG65CB]

1 hour ago, Joseph2017China said:

The above statement is funny.  The person you tipped just puts your bag on a cart.....nothing more, and has zero control of you luggage once the cart is full.  If you think that guy is going to tell the other guy that is pushing it in the waiting area for the fork lift drive, that also needs to be told that you tipped a person, but not him, who than transfers it to the ship, and as he lowers it to the floor, screams above all the noise, hey, that baggage owner, tipped the first guy, so make sure you move it fast.....and than off to sorting on the ship, up the elevator, and again in staging areas.  

 

So, no it is not necessary, required or expected and certainly has zero effect on how your luggage arrives.  

 

Or maybe it's as simple as they have a separate cart for luggage from passengers who don't tip. A cart full of luggage that takes a "special" journey on it's way to your cabin... Do you want to risk it??

[LisaLisa87]

We sailed from Port of Miami a few weeks ago. I’m glad I had determined which terminal beforehand, because there was no signage whatsoever. You can see the names of the cruise lines on the buildings, but it isn’t easy to tell which terminal they’re using until you’re right on top of them… Or have just passed by.

[ONECRUISER]

1 hour ago, LisaLisa87 said:

We sailed from Port of Miami a few weeks ago. I’m glad I had determined which terminal beforehand, because there was no signage whatsoever. You can see the names of the cruise lines on the buildings, but it isn’t easy to tell which terminal they’re using until you’re right on top of them… Or have just passed by.

Couple Decades last time I parked at Port of Miami. Miss those days, so close to Ship I could throw a Penny from my Balcony and hit my Car. 

[TerReuv]

On 6/19/2022 at 8:58 PM, SG65CB said:

 

Or maybe it's as simple as they have a separate cart for luggage from passengers who don't tip. A cart full of luggage that takes a "special" journey on it's way to your cabin... Do you want to risk it??

 

There is no separate cart.  There is one cart until it is full, then another. Joseph was right.  They have are just one cog in the wheel of several.  All the porters do is get the bags in the big bins then they are loaded onto the ship.  From there it is the ship crew that sort & deliver the luggage.