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Port Canaveral
Parking sits beside every terminal, so there is no shuttle to catch. But the gates do not open before 10am, and there is no cash accepted anywhere.
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Put in your boarding time and how you're getting there, and get your sailing-day morning worked out: when to leave, where to park and the port's own deadlines. Free.
| Operator | Canaveral Port Authority, 445 Challenger Road, Suite 300, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920. Parking and transport questions: 321-783-7831. |
|---|---|
| Terminals | Seven: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 10 |
| Parking | $20 per day plus tax on the port's parking pages. The passenger FAQ shows $17 per day plus tax for long-term. Both are published; see below. |
| Orlando International (MCO) | About 45 minutes west, via S.R. 528 East to Exit 54A or 54B |
| Orlando Sanford (SFB) | About 1 hour northwest |
| Melbourne (MLB) | About 25 miles, 40 minutes south |
Terminals
The port publishes every terminal address but, unusually, publishes no cruise line assignments at all. Only two lines publish their own.
| Royal Caribbean | Terminals 1, 5 and 6. Terminal 1 at 9050 Discovery Road, Terminal 5 at 9245 Charles M Rowland Dr, Terminal 6 at 9241 Charles M Rowland Dr. |
|---|---|
| Disney Cruise Line | Terminals 8 and 10. Terminal 8 at 9155 Charles M. Rowland Drive, Terminal 10 at 9005 Charles M. Rowland Drive. |
| Carnival, MSC, Norwegian, Princess, Celebrity | All sail from Port Canaveral. Neither the port nor the lines publish which terminal, so check your cruise documents. |
| Terminals 2 and 3 | 180 and 220 Christopher Columbus Dr. No line published. |
Parking at the port
This is Port Canaveral's real advantage: the port states that garages and surface lots sit adjacent to each cruise terminal, with "no shuttles needed." If you have limited walking range, that is worth more than any price difference.
The published rate is $20.00 per day plus tax for vehicles and RVs alike, including the day you arrive and the day you get back. There is no separate oversized rate: the port states oversize parking is available at every terminal at the same rate.
The port is cashless. No cash at all, only American Express, Visa, MasterCard and Discover. And you pay on entry, before you sail, so the whole cruise-length charge lands on your card on day one. Parking garages and surface lots do not open before 10am on embarkation days, and Disney publishes 10:15am at Terminals 8 and 10. Arriving at 8am gains you nothing.
Free parking if you qualify, and Canaveral is more generous than Miami
The parking fee is waived for vehicles displaying any one of the following: specialised equipment such as ramps, lifts, or foot or hand controls; a Florida Toll Exemption Permit; or a Florida Disabled Veteran licence plate. The Toll Exemption Permit route is the one people miss. It is a Florida permit for drivers who cannot operate a self-serve toll device because of disability, and it covers your parking for the whole cruise.
Note that all three qualifying items are Florida-specific. An out-of-state disabled placard is neither listed nor excluded, so ask before you rely on it.
Parking off the port
Canaveral is one of the few ports where private operators publish real prices on their own sites.
| Port Canaveral Cruise Parking | Publishes "$8.95 per day" on its home page, and packages from $95.00. The accessibility standout: they advertise four 22-passenger shuttles with lifts, holding up to two wheelchairs, and call themselves the only off-site parking that is wheelchair friendly. Their address and distance to the port are not published, and their own advertising shows $12.95 a day elsewhere, so confirm the rate when you book. |
|---|---|
| Park N Cruise | 1700 Sea Ray Dr, Merritt Island. $15.95 a day for same-day parking, from $12.95 with a promo code. Two miles out, a two-minute ride. Air-conditioned shuttles every 60 minutes, and the last shuttle leaves at 2:00pm sharp. No accessibility provision published; they point Florida disabled veterans to the port's free parking instead. |
| Port Canaveral Parking | 3050 N Courtenay Pkwy, Merritt Island. From $12.95 a day. Spaces are 20 feet long; a longer vehicle books a second space under the same name, with no premium rate. Shuttle for up to five passengers, five-minute ride, last shuttle 1:15pm sharp, and shuttles waiting when you disembark. No accessibility provision published. |
Park-and-cruise hotels
| Radisson Resort at the Port | 8701 Astronaut Blvd, a mile from the port. Publishes real package prices: $339 a night for the 3-4 night package (one night's room, parking up to 4 nights, round-trip shuttle for up to 4 guests) and $374 a night for the 5-8 night package. Extra vehicle parking $12.95 plus tax a day. Accessible rooms available in queen and king. |
|---|---|
| Country Inn & Suites Port Canaveral | 9009 Astronaut Blvd, about a mile out. Stay-Park-Cruise packages with up to three days' parking, and a 6-10 night version. The shuttle is not free: $9.00 plus tax per person each way, booked up to 14 days ahead. Publishes strong accessibility detail: mobility and hearing accessible rooms, roll-in shower, visual alarm alert, 32-inch clear door widths, lowered closet rod, Braille room numbers. |
Stay the night before
The night before is the cheapest insurance you can buy. A late flight or a traffic jam on embarkation morning can cost you the whole cruise, and the ship will not wait. Every hotel near this port is on the map just below, with live prices, so you can pick by how close it is to the ship.
Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral sit right next to the port, and Orlando's airport is the better part of an hour away. If you are flying in, staying close to the port rather than near the airport means a short morning drive instead of a long one.
- Hotels picked for how close they are to the port
- Ask the hotel about a cruise shuttle and its price before you book
- Ask whether you can leave your car for the week, and what that costs
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See every Port Canaveral hotel on the map🏨 Find your hotel
Hotels near Port Canaveral
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Want to compare for yourself? The map below shows the hotels around the port with live prices from the big booking sites. Zoom in on the terminal, then tap a price to see the hotel.
Getting there without a car
The port names Cocoa Beach Express as its official ground transportation concessionaire, running vans, shuttles and buses on demand. Their own site publishes one-way service from Orlando International to Port Canaveral and area hotels from as low as $28 per person, and lists "handicap accessible" among their services without giving vehicle detail. Uber and Lyft operate at the port. Some hotels run shuttles, and some cruise lines sell airport and theme park transfers.
Accessibility, honestly
Port Canaveral's accessibility page is an ADA compliance and grievance page, not a traveller resource. It gives an ADA Coordinator at [email protected] and a grievance form, and publishes nothing about accessible parking, wheelchair assistance, accessible drop-off or accessible transport.
The only physical accessibility provision the port publishes anywhere is the disabled parking fee waiver above, and it appears on the parking pages rather than the accessibility page. For an accessible shuttle, the only operator publishing one is Port Canaveral Cruise Parking, with its lift-equipped buses.
Two things worth knowing
Port Canaveral runs a Space Operations division and publishes a launch schedule, because launches affect port waters. And the port lists Victory Casino Cruises among its cruise lines, a day casino boat sailing from the port itself.
Where these facts come from
- Port Canaveral, directions and parking
- Port Canaveral, parking rates
- Port Canaveral, cruise terminal guide
- Port Canaveral, passenger FAQs
- Port Canaveral, transportation
- Port Canaveral, cruise lines
- Port Canaveral, accessibility and ADA
- Port Canaveral, directions to the port
- Royal Caribbean, driving directions to Port Canaveral
- Disney Cruise Line, departure port address and parking
Ports change their rules and their prices. Check the official pages above before you sail.
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Mobility & access at this port
From Sails Anyway, the accessible-cruising section of this site. Nothing here is medical advice — it is what the port and the cruise lines publish, so you know what to ask.
The single best thing you can do
Fly in the day before. Port Canaveral is about 45 miles east of Orlando, and a delayed flight plus that drive on sailing morning is how people arrive at the terminal already exhausted — or miss the ship entirely. A night in Cocoa Beach or Cape Canaveral puts you ten minutes from the terminal, rested.
Parking at the port: whoever needs the shortest walk should never ride to the garage. Drop them at the door first, with the luggage, then park. Private lots work differently — you park first and ride a shuttle in.
Who actually parks free — and the number to call
Under Florida Statute 316.1964, the fee is waived only for vehicles with disability equipment such as ramps, lifts or hand or foot controls; vehicles showing a Florida Toll Exemption Permit; or vehicles with a Florida disabled veteran (DV) plate. The port says its parking agents won't waive fees "for any other reason."
Parking office: (321) 783-7831. Rate $20/day plus tax.
What a Florida Toll Exemption Permit actually is
It's an orange sticker from FDOT, for drivers with a severe and permanent upper-limb impairment who hold a valid licence and drive a vehicle with accessibility modifications. Most placard holders won't qualify — which is why a placard alone doesn't get you free parking.
Parking at the port, and what it really costs
- $20 a day plus tax, charged for the arrival day and the return day — so a seven-night cruise bills as eight days. The rate rose from $17 in late 2025.
- No reservations, ever. It's pay on arrival, card only, and the lots open at 10am on sailing days. On a multi-ship day there's no way to hold a space.
- Every terminal has its own garage or lot directly across the street. That's the reason to pay the port's price: no shuttle, no transfer, no waiting.
- The walk from the garage is still a walk, and there's no shuttle to help with it on the way back with your luggage.
Free parking for some disabled drivers — worth checking
The port waives the parking fee for vehicles transporting certain people with disabilities: those carrying special equipment such as ramps, lifts, or hand or foot controls, or displaying a Florida Toll Exemption Permit or a Florida Disabled Veteran licence plate. A blue placard alone is not the qualification. Very few people know this exists — confirm the current terms with the port before you travel.
Where to park: port-run and private, together
The port takes no reservations. The private lots do, they're cheaper, and booking ahead usually gets you the better rate and a guaranteed space. The trade is one shuttle ride each way.
| Where | Who runs it | Roughly | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port of Canaveral garages | Port-run | $20/day + tax | A garage or lot beside every terminal, so no shuttle at all. No reservations: pay on arrival, card only, lots open at 10am. You pay for the arrival and return days both. |
| Park Port Canaveral | Private | $13–15/day | About 1.5 to 2 miles out. Air-conditioned shuttles with wheelchair lifts and curbside drop-off at your terminal. Gates open 9:30am and close at 2pm on sailing days. |
| Park N Cruise | Private | from about $14/day | Merritt Island, roughly a 2-minute ride. Free air-conditioned shuttle. Reported to close on some midweek days — check before booking. |
| Port Parking Space | Private | from about $13/day | The closest off-site option, roughly a mile out. Covered and uncovered spaces, EV charging, and a loyalty scheme where 20 days parked earns a free day. |
| Go Port | Private | from about $8/day | The cheapest, with a catch: it serves only a few specific ships. Check that your ship is on their list before booking anything. |
| Rightway Parking | Private | from about $9/day | A booking site that compares several partner lots in one place, with a guaranteed space. |
Ask one question before you book any of them
"Is the shuttle wheelchair accessible, and does it have a lift?" Only some do. If a high step into a van is a problem for you, that single question matters more than the daily rate — and asking it at the lot on sailing morning is too late.
The order that makes the morning easier
- Drop passengers and luggage curbside first, then park. The port's model is drop, park, and walk back — so whoever needs the shortest walk should never ride to the garage.
- Hand luggage to the porters at the curb. Tip them. It removes the single heaviest part of the day.
- Know your terminal number before you leave the hotel. Port Canaveral uses Terminals 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 10, and assignments vary by ship and sailing date. Check your cruise documents or the line's app in the week before you sail.
- Request wheelchair assistance in advance rather than at the door — most lines ask for 30 days' notice, and at peak times there can be a wait even then.
Two things to check for 2026
A large new garage is under construction at Terminals 5 and 6, due to open in late 2026. Construction changes traffic patterns and walking routes, so confirm the arrival route close to your sailing date.
Port Canaveral is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world. On multi-ship days, lines and traffic are considerably worse — ask your line how many ships are in port on your date.
Coming home, which is its own problem
Disembarkation morning catches people out because it happens early, after a week of doing more than usual. Priority debarkation goes to guests needing wheelchair assistance — put your name down the evening before, read the instructions that arrive in your cabin that night rather than in the morning, and don't book a flight that forces you to rush.
Questions to ask before you drive
- Do you waive parking for my vehicle or plate, and what documents do I bring?
- Where are the accessible spaces, and how close are they to the terminal or the elevator?
- Can I drop my passenger and bags at the terminal first?
- For off-site lots: does the shuttle have a wheelchair lift, and can it take my scooter?
- What's the height limit if I drive a lifted van?
Wheelchair help at the terminal — ask ahead
Royal Caribbean: crew push wheelchairs on and off the ship at embarkation and disembarkation. Request it on the Guest Special Needs Form at least 30 days before you sail.
Celebrity: tick "wheelchair assistance at the pier" on the special needs form, at least 30 days ahead.
Princess: has an Accessibility Lane at check-in, and assigns crew when you request wheelchair help.
Check with your cruise line
- Ask which terminal your ship uses on your date, and how far the garage is from the terminal door.
- Ask how to request pier and wheelchair assistance, and by when — 30 days is the usual deadline.
- Ask whether there's an accessibility lane at check-in and whether your travelling companions can use it with you.
- Ask about early or priority boarding if standing in line is the limiting factor.
Questions people actually ask
How much is parking at Port Canaveral?
The port's own garages are about $20 a day plus tax, charged for the arrival day and the return day, so a seven-night cruise bills as eight days.
Is parking free for disabled drivers at Port Canaveral?
The port waives the fee for vehicles transporting certain people with disabilities: those carrying adaptive equipment such as ramps, lifts or hand controls, or displaying a Florida Toll Exemption Permit or a Florida Disabled Veteran plate. A standard placard alone does not qualify.
Can you reserve parking at Port Canaveral?
No. The port takes no reservations — it is pay on arrival, card only, and the lots open at 10am on sailing days. Private off-site lots do take reservations.
Rules and rates change — call before you drive
This is a starting point, not legal advice. Parking rates, free-parking rules and terminal assignments change without notice. Call the port's parking office on (321) 783-7831 before you set off, and check with your own cruise line.
Accessibility details last checked 22 September 2026. How we check this →
If stairs, gangways and tenders are a problem, there is a whole section of this site for you. Sails Anyway covers accessible and limited-mobility cruising properly instead of squeezing it into a paragraph: what each pier actually asks of you, which tender ports are a problem and why, the special-needs forms and the deadlines that catch people out, and how to choose a cabin you can move around in.
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