Cruisin from Charleston

[Matt&Delta]

Just wondering if there is anyone out there who has sailed from CHarleston on Carnival? I have several times and don't get more than one or two replys?

Can anyone tell me anything about CHarleston as a port? DId you pay to park? Do they offer free parking for handicapped as does Miami?

The trips are a bit more expensive? Is it worth the cost?

[adbnva]

i havenT sailed on carnival, but will be on ncl in nov. parking is $10per day. we r staying at hampton inn which has a free shuttle. we hope to try carnival next yr. we will be on glory 09/10/2005. 1st time on carnival.

[adbnva]

again adnva. we will drive to sc. we also drive to fl. it's certainly worth money not to have to fly & to leave from close 2 home.

[GoinCruisin]

I have considered it before, but I have cruised from Tampa, NOLA and cruising from Miami cheaper even having to pay for air...

[dgack1]

matt, The port of Charleston is small. I live about 20 miles from charleston, but prefer to sail out of tampa or port carnival. I would suggest cruising from charleston if you have not visited the city and have an extra day or two to sight see. The city and surrounding areas are rich with beauty and history and will not disapoint you. Having said that, since I have already seen the sights it is actually cheaper for my family to drive to FL and catch a ship.

[flyingb]

Just wondering if there is anyone out there who has sailed from CHarleston on Carnival? I have several times and don't get more than one or two replys?

Can anyone tell me anything about CHarleston as a port? DId you pay to park? Do they offer free parking for handicapped as does Miami?

The trips are a bit more expensive? Is it worth the cost?

 

 

:)

M&D,

We have cruised from Charleston 2 or 3 times. Carnival & Celebrity to Bermuda. The parking lot was dirt :eek: at that time, may have been paved since, hope so. :confused: It is a great port but itinearys are limited. Check with all the lines as I have heard that Charleston is becoming more popular with cruisers. Good luck!

We are booked on the Glory in March '06, can hardly wait.:D

It will be # 14!

Luv's Crusin':cool:

[mdaviswv]

We've only sailed from there once, but it was great. The city was beautiful. Probably a bad time to say it, but I felt it was remarkably similar to New Orleans in its history and old southern charm.

 

Like another here, we also stayed at the Hampton Inn. Good location and decent rate as I recall. If I remember correctly there were two places to park. THe big parking garage and the shuttled lot. We parked in the garage, and I beleive the handicapped parking was there as well.

 

Lines were long to get in bc it was a month after 9/11/01 and security was top concern. All in all a very good experience though.

 

Mike

[BooBooMonkey]

We've sailed from there in March on Norwegian. It is a small port. The parking area was actually an indoor warehouse...very nice. $10/day. Things seemed well organized. You take a short shuttle from the parking garage to the pier. With the Norwegian ship, there is a long walk up a STEEP gangplank to get on the ship.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Chantal

[salty dingo]

Sailed from Charleston in Feb; it was on NCL Majesty but the port is the same. I thought the embarkation went pretty well. We drove down from Charlotte, got there around 11:15, and there was a short line of cars waiting to enter.

 

You pay to enter the parking area $70 (cash only) and are directed around to an area to drop off lugagge. The porter will take it straight from your trunk and put it onto a baggage cart like at the airport. Then you drive around and enter a big warehouse (actually a number of connected warehouses) and park where they direct you. It is indoor parking, totally safe.

 

There was tram from the warehouse to the cruise dock, the line was no problem, and we were quickly on the ship.

 

Don't know about Carnival's prices, but NCL had one of the least expensive rates I have seen. I was overall very pleased with the whole experience.

[Tluvs2talk]

I live in Charleston and have cruise out of Charleston 3 times. In 2003 on Celebrity and in Jan 2004 and Jan 2005 on Norwegian. The parking process and embarking was very smooth. The Charleston terminal is very small, but the people working there were very organized. Carnival only leaves from Charleston twice a year, but Norwegian has been making Charleston their home port for several months for the past two years.

 

 

Teri

[metney]

We sailed out of Charleston last Jan. It was a breeze. We parked in handicapped parking..no charge..but to get onto the ship we had to walk up a very steep gangway..because I have difficulty walking my husband had to pretty much push me up ! But, there is a handicapped entrance that we didn't see. We disembarked through it and had no problem. have fun

[Tluvs2talk]

I also wanted to add that if you do not park in the handicapped lot due to few spaces, there are shuttles that are provided to all to take you and your lugguage the block or so to the cruise Terminal. We asked about a different entrance since we had 2 large carry-on bags, and did not want to go up the steep incline with them and had no problems. They directed us to the gangplank set up for an alternate route. The worker's at the Port have been very efficient all 3 times I have sailed from Charleston. We have alway's been parked, shuttled, checked-In, and on the Ship in about 30 minutes from start to finish.

 

Teri

[salty dingo]

That is an important point. For those truly handicapped, there is free parking ($70 savings) and a special entrance onto the ship. The normal entrance is a steep gangway that rises parallel to the ship about 3 or 4 floors. There was a cop halfway up, I guess to assist if needed.

 

I was lugging some carryons, and was pretty winded by the top of the gangway. And I think I am in good shape.

But if you ask, there is a handicap entrance on a more level deck, so no need to walk up such a steep incline.

[BooBooMonkey]

Definitely a steep walk up the gangway!!! If you need assistance, please follow salty dingo's advice!

[RED318is]

I live in Charleston and know that if you have a handicapped parking pass, parking in any city garage is free. I believe there are free shuttles to the port from the visitor center parking garage, which is across the street from the Hampton Inn. Parking in that garage should be free with handicapped permit.

[Matt&Delta]

Thanks guys for all the info you have passed along it has been a great help. I am a little concerned with the steep gangway I keep reading about entering the ship?? Has anyone buy any chance taken pictures boarding that might accidentally show this?

My husband is not one for walking suffered a pretty bad motorcycle accident long story short doesn't sound like something we could do. But if there is a lower level for us we should do fine.

 

Can anyone tell me how the weather is here in January how to pack for the western route?

Thanks again