Parking your vehicle right at the cruise port when going on a cruise can be the most convenient option compared to using off-site parking.
You can walk right up to your terminal after parking, and after your cruise you can hop right into your car and head home quickly after disembarking.
But you will pay a little extra for this convenience. Sure, there are 3rd-party options for parking a mile or two from the cruise port, but then you also have to wait for a shuttle or arrange your own to where your car is parked.
I have just gone through every website for each cruise port in the United States to see the current parking rates. I then listed them in order of cost, from most expensive to least expensive, covering the top 10 in terms of pricing.
I should note that some cruise ports in the U.S. don’t have parking on site and rely on satellite parking lots of other parking garages to offer this service.
1. NYC Cruise Terminals
It’s not too surprising that the terminals in New York City top the list. Parking anywhere in the Big Apple will cost a pretty penny. Here are the rates for each of the three ports in NYC.
Manhattan Terminal: $45 per night. Parking opens at 8am. Check out at 3pm. Rates include taxes. Payment is due upon arrival.
Brooklyn Terminal: $45 per night.
Bayonne, NJ (Cape Liberty): $30 per day. Height restriction for garage is 7’4”. No reservations necessary.
Related: Manhattan cruise parking guide
2. Boston Cruise Terminal
The Massport Fargo Lot used for cruises out of Boston is a 5-minute walk to the ship, but free shuttle service is also provided.
The rate is about $189 for a 7-night cruise or a rate of $27 per night. When I looked at rates for 5-night cruises and 11-night cruises the rate remained $189 total, so it appears it’s a constant rate for the duration of a cruise.
Related: What to know about cruising out of Boston
3. PortMiami
PortMiami sees over 4 million cruise passengers a year, and there are several terminals for the many cruise ships that sail out of Miami each week. The newer Royal Caribbean terminal has higher rates and I have listed them below.
- Royal Caribbean Terminal A: $25 per night for sailings 6 days or more. $28 per night for sailings 5 nights or less. Day visitors pay $10 for the day.
- All other terminals and garages in PortMiami: $22 per day, short term (not overnight) is $8 per day.
No debit cards are accepted and cell phone lots are available. Disabled veterans receive free parking, and must have Florida disabled veterans tag on vehicle.
Related: Where should I park when cruising out of Miami?
4. Port of New Orleans
While servicing over a million cruise passengers a year, New Orleans is a popular port for residents of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. There are two cruise terminals that offer the same parking rates.
Erato Street Cruise Terminal and Julia Street Cruise Terminal: $25 per day. A 4-day parking costs $100, 5-day parking costs $125 and so on.
The port does not currently offer parking for over-sized vehicles at this time.
5. Port of Seattle
The Seattle cruise port is about a 40-minute drive from the airport. But for those parking at the port it will cost $23 to $27 per day.
There are two main cruise ports in Seattle, WA: Pier 91 and Pier 66. Pier 91 will cost $27 per day for parking and there are about 1,000 spaces available. Pier 66 will cost $23 per day.
6. Port of San Diego
There isn’t actual parking right at the cruise terminal in San Diego. Instead, the port offers pick-up and drop-off areas and a parking area that is about 2.8 miles away.
The daily rate for the San Diego Park, Shuttle, and Fly is $24.95 per day with a free courtesy shuttle.
7. Long Beach, CA 
Just a short drive from Los Angeles, the Long Beach Cruise Terminal is owned by Carnival Corp. and is also the home of the Queen Mary. The cost for parking at the Long Beach terminal is $23 per day. For visitors in and out in under 30 minutes there is no charge, and it will cost $4 if your car is there from 30 minutes to an hour.
8. Port of Galveston
The new Royal Caribbean Terminal has higher rates for parking, moving this port into a higher slot on the list.
The rates can vary when parking in Galveston’s cruise port. The new Royal Caribbean terminal has more expensive parking. The rates for each lot are detailed below.
North Lot: $22 per day
North Premium Lot (Covered): $27 per day
Pier 14 Lot: $20 outdoor and $25 for indoor per day
South Lot: $20 per day
Economy Lot B: $16 per day
Express Lot (no shuttles): $19 per day
Related: Best Galveston cruise parking tips
9. Charleston, SC
Cash is not accepted at the Charleston cruise port and rates are pretty straightforward. The cost is $21 per day, so a 7-night cruise will cost about $147 for leaving your car in the lot. Over-sized vehicles have to pay $50 per day.
For the disabled parking is free with a handicap placard or license plate with ID.
10. World Cruise Center at Port of Los Angeles
This cruise port is actually in San Pedro, California but bears the official name of the city of angels.
Parking is free for the first hour and then $2 per hour after that. The maximum charge is $20 per day.
There are over 2,500 parking spaces and a free shuttle service is provided from the terminals to the parking lot.
Other notable cruise ports:
Jacksonville, FL Cruise Port
Passenger vehicles will be charged $17 per day for parking in Jacksonville, making a 7-night cruise cost about $119 for the duration. Oversize vehicles will cost $34 per day, taxes all included.
Parking is free for those with a state-issued disabled veterans plate and those with a Florida Toll Exemption decal on their vehicle.
Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
$15 per day maximum. $19 per day for over-sized vehicles.
$3 for parking up to an hour. $6 for parking up to 5 hours and then $1 per hour afterward.
Includes: Heron Parking Garage, Palm Parking Garage, and Surface Lots.
Related: Port Everglades cruise parking guide
Port Canaveral
Parking at Port Canaveral is $17 per day for both vehicles and RV’s. Keep in mind that the number of days includes both the day of arrival and departure. This is one of my favorite ports to park at as it’s always been a very easy process and is a very short walk to the terminal.
Reservations are not needed for parking at the port.
Related: Port Canaveral cruise parking tips and guide
Port of Baltimore
You can only pay with a credit card at the Cruise Maryland Port of Baltimore terminals. The cost is $15 per night. Over-sized vehicles under 30 feet will cost $30 a night and anything longer than 30 feet will cost $40 a night.
* One of the more popular cruise ports that did not make the list was the Port of Tampa, which offers fairly reasonable parking rates around $16 per day.
Bottom Line
You can find cheaper parking rates by using a 3rd party park and cruise service, but again, it’s much easier and more convenient when using the parking right at the port. You will want to allot for a little more time when using an off-site parking service as it will take longer for the shuttle to arrive and fill up, and you also typically will want to tip the driver.
These parking rates have seen a slight uptick over the last couple years as cruise traffic has picked up, but that’s a great sign for the industry as a whole.
Parking is one of those budget items that cruisers forget about until the last minute. Many parking lots allow you to reserve or pay for the parking ahead of time, making it one less thing to stress about the day of your cruise.
Read more: The 10 most overlooked cruise expenses and how to avoid them
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