Terminal Parking availability in Port Canaveral (Wonder of the Seas)

[feeloftheocean]

We have a 1:30pm check in time to get on Wonder out of Port Canaveral and I'm wondering what parking looks like at the terminal at this time. Does it ever run out of space? I assume the parking garage will be full, but what about the surface lot right behind it? What happens if it fills up to capacity?

[Ourusualbeach]

Just now, feeloftheocean said:

We have a 1:30pm check in time to get on Wonder out of Port Canaveral and I'm wondering what parking looks like at the terminal at this time. Does it ever run out of space? I assume the parking garage will be full, but what about the surface lot right behind it? What happens if it fills up to capacity?

It was full by 11:30am on our sailing in December.  They directed people to the open lot nearby.

[feeloftheocean]

22 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

It was full by 11:30am on our sailing in December.  They directed people to the open lot nearby.

Does the open lot ever get full?

[Ourusualbeach]

8 minutes ago, feeloftheocean said:

Does the open lot ever get full?

No idea, we are always there by 10

[OCSC Mike]

1 minute ago, Ourusualbeach said:

No idea, we are always there by 10

 

Us too but I've never heard anyone complain of the lot being full, only of having to park there.

 

My educated guess is you'll be fine in the lot but it's just an educated guess.

[orville99]

39 minutes ago, feeloftheocean said:

We have a 1:30pm check in time to get on Wonder out of Port Canaveral and I'm wondering what parking looks like at the terminal at this time. Does it ever run out of space? I assume the parking garage will be full, but what about the surface lot right behind it? What happens if it fills up to capacity?

 

37 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

It was full by 11:30am on our sailing in December.  They directed people to the open lot nearby.

 

14 minutes ago, feeloftheocean said:

Does the open lot ever get full?

 

6 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

No idea, we are always there by 10

We are currently on Wonder on the second leg of a B2B. We were back in our cabin on TAD by 10:00, and watched from our balcony as the parking lot staff started directing cars to the overflow lots. The garage closed to inbound traffic around 10:20, and by the time we sailed out, the surface lots on both sides and across from the garage were full and they had opened a third overflow lot in the lumber yard freight lot just north of the terminal.

[Ret MP]

When it comes to Cruise Terminal parking, especially a terminal that services Oasis Class ships, the early bird gets the worm.  HOWEVER, not too early.  you've got to give the debarkation folks time to get the he!! out of the garage.  

 

Last Oct-Nov we cruised out of Canaveral on the Indy, the garage wasn't an issue and as far as I can tell, it was a full ship.  But, I've watched a few Youtube videos that show the new terminal backed up with an Oasis Class ship there.  

[OCSC Mike]

28 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

But, I've watched a few Youtube videos that show the new terminal backed up with an Oasis Class ship there.  

 

No issues on Harmony last May (Indy was a breeze as you said but smaller ship obviously). I'm pretty sure those videos are from earlier last spring when there were reasons (can't remember what they were) for the chaos that were resolved by the time I sailed at the end of May. If there have been recent backups, then I'm just unaware of them.

[Ret MP]

4 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

No issues on Harmony last May (Indy was a breeze as you said but smaller ship obviously). I'm pretty sure those videos are from earlier last spring when there were reasons (can't remember what they were) for the chaos that were resolved by the time I sailed at the end of May. If there have been recent backups, then I'm just unaware of them.

I believe the, or at least one of the reasons was because they didn't want people congregating inside the terminal ("social distancing").  But, nobody was "social distancing" in the line to get into the terminal.  So, they didn't allow anybody to enter the terminal until the ship was ready to take them right on after checking in and they could walk right on without sitting in the waiting area/lounge(s).   Of course, it slowed things down even more when people didn't have the paperwork ready or didn't have the correct/any of the required paperwork, you know, those 10 %ers.

 

In May 2022, Seattle, it was a total debacle, I couldn't believe how many people didn't have paperwork/documents ready, too many people had to go through carry-ons/handbags/whatever to get documents out and/or have the tired ole "I didn't know I had to have that" excuse.  The line to get into the terminal was backed up to the other end of the TAXI/Bus/dropoff area.    Yes, I know we are talking about Canaveral here.  But, that's just an example of what I experienced getting on the Ovation.  Indy (which I know is not an Oasis) was so easy, it was really organized and fast.  We had an issue but it didn't have anything to do with the speed of embarkation for the masses.  Our situation was unique to us, I believe.  

 

This is one of the videos that I watched.  It was done about 10 - 11 months ago.  I'd hope they learned from that lesson.

 

 

[OCSC Mike]

2 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

This is one of the videos that I watched.  It was done about 10 - 11 months ago.  I'd hope they learned from that lesson.

 

Yeah, that's what I was thinking of. I sailed Harmony shortly after those videos were going around on May 29th, 2022 and embarkation went very smoothly even with covid protocols in place. Should be business as usual now.

[Ret MP]

1 minute ago, OCSC Mike said:

Should be business as usual now.

LOL, I hope that is a good thing.