Cruise Advice

Park and Cruise — Is it really worth it?

Doug Parker

May 3, 2010

While taking a cruise out of your home port is always a great idea…. it’s not always that easy.

Recently, I caught a cruise out of Miami, Florida so we will use that as our case study. Living in Jacksonville, Florida it was about a five hour road trip down to Miami. We left Jacksonville around 7:00 pm and arrived at the La Quinta hotel Airport East at exactly midnight (**TIP** Miami traffic can be a real pain in the butt, travel at night through Miami if you feel comfortable).

As with everything, park and cruising has its advantages and disadvantages.

Perks of Park and Cruise:

Get there a day early
Eat breakfast at the hotel
Not rushed
Avoid port parkings fees
Shuttle service to the ship
Get to sleep in

Disadvantages of Park and Cruise:

Leaving your car in an unsecured lot
Having to take a cab back to your hotel (varies per location)
Usually an open lot, while most ports offer parking garages

Cost Comparison:

Parking at the Port of Miami: $20 per day x 3 day = $60.00

Hotel with Free Parking (up to 7 nights) 89.00 + tax = $100.83 + $15 cab and tip back to hotel* = $115.83

As you can see after taking out the parking and cab, the hotel cost me roughly $55. Checking decent hotels in Miami and that close to the port, it wasn’t a bad idea. What it all boils down to is if they extra $55 is worth an night stay prior to your cruise. I am a very last minute person and I will pay the extra $ to not be rushed.

I hope this was helpful to you in deciding which route to take when going on a cruise that’s not in your own backyard.

* most park and cruise hotel packages make you get your own transportation back to hotel. Prices and participation may vary and all that other legal stuff!