Parking in the Miami cruise terminal

[cmpaula]

We are driving, for the first time, to our sailing in August on RCI. Is the parking "safe" at the cruise terminal? I have searched the forum and would like the answers to the following, if anyone can help.

 

How long should we expect the drive to be from Fort Lauderdale to the Miami terminal?

 

What is the cost per day of the parking?

 

It is safe? (Will our car be in one piece when we return?)

 

Thanks so much for any and all advice!

[trvlqueen]

When we were there in October last year, the parking was $20 per day or free if you are handicapped. It seemed safe enough to me ... we've parked there 4 times for different cruises and never had an issue. It is in a 'secure' area - you have to pass a guard and a gate to enter. You pay upon entry, so no worries about running out of money while you're on vacation (I wonder sometimes if they learned that the hard way). They know how much you should pay based on which ship you tell them you are sailing on. (not sure what would happen if you were on a back to back cruise and failed to pay the full amount or decided not to pick your car up on time. I would think they would have to mark down the license plates or that the receipt they give you to prove you've paid might indicate to them that you are over your limit)

 

Hope this helps. The only covered parking is in the handicapped ramp. I think there are non-handicapped spots in there, but not sure. I didn't notice that all the cars in there had placards or marks on the license plates - we were with my mother in October and she was in a wheelchair at the time, so we did qualify for handicapped parking. If you do qualify for that, save yourself some hassle and make sure the handicapped party is with you in the car when you park (they shuttle you over to the door of the cruise terminal) or that at the very least you have their govt id so they can match it up to the permit number (which they will do).

[JohninDC]

We are driving, for the first time, to our sailing in August on RCI. Is the parking "safe" at the cruise terminal? I have searched the forum and would like the answers to the following, if anyone can help.

 

How long should we expect the drive to be from Fort Lauderdale to the Miami terminal? 45 minutes or so

 

What is the cost per day of the parking? $20/day - pay in advance.

 

It is safe? (Will our car be in one piece when we return?) As safe as any parking lot in Miami - much safer than leaving your car at some of the hotels offering "free" parking deals.

 

Thanks so much for any and all advice!

Good luck!:)

[Elmo31]

It has changed a little bit with parking procedures. We just got back 2 weeks ago from the Liberty cruise. They do charge 20.00 per day for parking but you get a ticket when entering the garage and pay when you leave. Do not lose your ticket. So make sure you have 140.00 for a 7 day cruise saved on the side so you can leave the parking garage after your cruise. We were sent to park in the brand new parking garage right across from the terminal. There are other parking places too so not sure if any of the other parking places have different procedures. I hope this helps.:)

[rlchaney]

Has anyone recently used other parking garages then the one at the Port. Are they safe? They seem to be about 1/2 the price. Do they shuttle you to the Port? Any info would be great. Thanks