Port of Miami Parking

[CruisingLover]

We will be on Oasis over NYE and need to park our car for the cruise (have never had to do this before). Can we reserve a spot ahead of time and pay for it? Or, do we have to wait and just hope to get a spot and pay there?

 

If we can't reserve a spot, what is the recommended time to get there to insure a close to the ship parking spot? But also, what's the best place to park (and any we should avoid)?

[deliver42]

The garage is attached to the terminal. You may have to park on the roof, but you shouldn't have a problem finding one somewhere. There aren't any reservations that I know of. Been at that garage twice, and just kept going up and found spaces on deck 6 or 7.  Took the elevator down, dropped off our bags, and went into the terminal. Easy.

[CruisingLover]

Also......what about off "site" parking garages? We see a few that are MUCH MUCH less expensive than the RCCL garage but not sure which ones are better than others.

[Ourusualbeach]

20 minutes ago, CruisingLover said:

Also......what about off "site" parking garages? We see a few that are MUCH MUCH less expensive than the RCCL garage but not sure which ones are better than others.

Miami is one of the places where it is best to park at the port

[CruisingLover]

13 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Miami is one of the places where it is best to park at the port

Oh boy.... Unsafe there? 

[Ourusualbeach]

38 minutes ago, CruisingLover said:

Oh boy.... Unsafe there? 

Many are and they are not as close as at other ports so shuttles can be problematic

[Mum2Mercury]

We sailed out of Miami recently:  

 

Important:  Royal Caribbean sails out of at least two terminals in Miami.  Be 100% sure which one is for you before you leave.  Traffic is INSANE, and Miami taxis have no concern for anyone's safety.  We messed up, passed our terminal and were forced to exit the whole area /U-turn back.  

 

Once we found our terminal, getting a parking spot was super easy -- we arrived too early, to tell the truth.  We were on the lowest level literally within view of the entrance to the terminal.  Loved it!  

 

Yes, parking at the port is expensive, but parking off-site isn't cheap -- and with off-site you're at the mercy of a shuttle.  With a long drive home ahead of us, we use self-disembarkation and leave early.  We exited the ship approximately 7:15 and were literally in our car turning North by 7:30.  We are willing to pay for the convenience of walking directly to our car.    

 

We always leave the car "gassed up", headed outward, and clean -- makes facing the drive home easier.  

 

Last thought:  In Miami you pay as you leave the parking lot AFTER the cruise.  Not all ports are alike in this.  

[cruisinghawg]

2 hours ago, CruisingLover said:

Also......what about off "site" parking garages? We see a few that are MUCH MUCH less expensive than the RCCL garage but not sure which ones are better than others.

ONLY park at the port!!!!! Off site is usually a part of a parking garage and they are not monitored. I have heard some pretty bad stories about this. Miami is different than any other port for parking that I am aware of.

[capriccio]

As with any cruise port parking garage, arrive after the disembarking passengers have left and freed up the parking spaces. After 9:30 or 10 am should give you no problem.  

[CruisingLover]

On 7/15/2023 at 11:34 AM, cruisinghawg said:

ONLY park at the port!!!!! Off site is usually a part of a parking garage and they are not monitored. I have heard some pretty bad stories about this. Miami is different than any other port for parking that I am aware of.

It would cost us an extra $290 to park at the port 😞 I see quite a few offsite that say "monitored parking" "secure parking" so, is that false advertising going on?

[Capt_BJ]

POM is in the middle of down town. I worked down town. There is NO low cost parking. I tied a cruise off site in Miami once ... Big mistake ... Never again. Park at the port

[hrhdhd]

44 minutes ago, CruisingLover said:

It would cost us an extra $290 to park at the port 😞 I see quite a few offsite that say "monitored parking" "secure parking" so, is that false advertising going on?

Yes.

 

Can you explain the math here? How long is your cruise? An extra $290 seems off.

[LHT28]

Some of the airport hotels will let you park there  & some have secure parking

We did this  a few years  back  so  I would check with  the hotel  & reviews   it may have changed

 But parking at the port for  a month was not an option

We used Embassy Suites  at the time   you need to take a taxi back after the cruise but  it was still cheaper in the long run

The Audi survived unscathed

[cruisinghawg]

5 hours ago, CruisingLover said:

It would cost us an extra $290 to park at the port 😞 I see quite a few offsite that say "monitored parking" "secure parking" so, is that false advertising going on?

Yes!! Some hotels will allow parking but check their prices. Miami is not cheap. We like to stay at the Hilton Blue Lagoon and leave the car there. They will bring you to the port but will not come and pick you up once the cruise is over.

[CruisingLover]

8 hours ago, hrhdhd said:

Yes.

 

Can you explain the math here? How long is your cruise? An extra $290 seems off.

We will be on a 9 night cruise. Royal lot charges for day of drop off and day of pick up so that's 10 days. According to what I read, they charge $29/night. So added up, that equals $290

[CruisingLover]

3 hours ago, cruisinghawg said:

Yes!! Some hotels will allow parking but check their prices. Miami is not cheap. We like to stay at the Hilton Blue Lagoon and leave the car there. They will bring you to the port but will not come and pick you up once the cruise is over.

We will be staying at an Airbnb the night before the cruise. Tried for a hotel but they were either sold out or S U P E R expensive because the Orange Bowl will be there at that time. 

[hrhdhd]

11 hours ago, CruisingLover said:

We will be on a 9 night cruise. Royal lot charges for day of drop off and day of pick up so that's 10 days. According to what I read, they charge $29/night. So added up, that equals $290

Ah ha. So it costs $290, not an extra $290 over what another lot would cost. I see $28/day as the cost, but that $10 wouldn't mean much.

[CruisingLover]

11 minutes ago, hrhdhd said:

Ah ha. So it costs $290, not an extra $290 over what another lot would cost. I see $28/day as the cost, but that $10 wouldn't mean much.

Correct. My "extra" just meant on top of my vacation cost 🙂 

[Flymia]

14 hours ago, CruisingLover said:

Correct. My "extra" just meant on top of my vacation cost 🙂 

Right so $29.00 a day. What is the best off site parking? $10/day maybe? So it would be $19 extra a day, plus dealing with getting to and from the car, which is worth at least $50 IMO. 

 

Miami is not dangerous, it is just that parking is expensive no matter where you are. Anywhere you can park for cheap won't be great, and won't have a good shuttle. 

 

Unless you get a hotel that lets you park as part of the stay at the hotel, and factor in taxi/uber to and from hotel the hassle of using off site is never worth the $100 savings IMO. But everyone needs to decide how much it is worth it. 

 

I have yet to see a good review about off site parking near the port.