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PortMiami
The biggest cruise port in the world, with ten terminals and a different garage for each one. Get the terminal right and everything else follows.
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| Port address | 1015 N. America Way, Miami, FL 33132. Operated by Miami-Dade County. |
|---|---|
| Terminals | AA, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, J and V, on both the north and south sides of the port |
| Parking | $10 short-term / $25 long-term per day at most garages. Terminal AA and Terminal B garages are higher: see below. |
| Distance from MIA | About 9 miles, per Miami International Airport. Norwegian publishes 10 miles, about 20 minutes. |
| Distance from FLL | 25 miles, about 45 minutes, per Norwegian. Neither the port nor Broward's airport publishes a figure. |
Which terminal, and which garage
PortMiami publishes the terminal each line uses, and each terminal has its own parking. Park at the wrong one and you are walking a long way with luggage, because these terminals are spread over a mile.
| Terminal AA | MSC Cruises. 2200 N. Cruise Blvd. Garage AA. |
|---|---|
| Terminal A | Royal Caribbean, "The Crown of Miami." 2000 N. Cruise Blvd. Garage A. |
| Terminal B | Norwegian Cruise Line. Garage B, 1756 N. Cruise Blvd. |
| Terminal C | Multiple lines; the port names none. Garage C. |
| Terminals D, E and F | Carnival Cruise Line. Garage D and Surface Lot D serve Terminal D; Terminal E parks at Surface Lot E; Terminal F parks at Garage G. |
| Terminal G | Royal Caribbean, per the port. Garage G, 921 N. America Way. |
| Terminal V | Virgin Voyages. 718 N. Cruise Blvd. Garage G. |
| Terminal J | Southside. No line published. Garages J and K. |
Parking at the port
Rates come straight from PortMiami's parking page.
| Garages C, D, F, G and Surface Lot E | $10 per day short-term, $25 per day long-term |
|---|---|
| Garage AA | $20 per day short-term with no overnight, $35 per day long-term |
| Garage B | $35 per vehicle per space per day, effective 1 January 2025 |
| Oversized vehicles, RVs, trailers | Surface Lot E only. $25 per space per day, $50 if you use two spaces. |
| Lost ticket | Up to $275 |
Garages are open and staffed by an attendant from 6am to 5pm on cruise days. You pay at exit.
The port also publishes garage height clearances, and some are low: Garage AA is 7 feet 0 inches, Garage B 7 feet 6 inches, and floors in Garages C through K run from 6 feet 8 inches to 9 feet 6 inches. If you drive a wheelchair-accessible van with a raised roof, check before you commit.
The disabled parking rule most people get wrong
This one matters, and it is published plainly by the county. A blue disabled parking permit or licence tag does not get you free parking at PortMiami. It gets you two hours of complimentary parking, after which you pay standard rates.
Free parking for the whole cruise is limited to two situations. Either the vehicle has specialised equipment such as ramps, lifts, or foot or hand controls, or it carries a State of Florida licence plate for disabled veterans, in which case the veteran must be in the vehicle when it is parked. Bring the parking ticket, your driving licence and the vehicle registration to the toll attendant.
Parking off the port
Honest answer: we could not find a single private park-and-cruise lot or hotel in Miami that publishes its own daily rate on its own website. Every search result was a reselling marketplace, and a marketplace price is not the lot's price.
The one genuine operator site we found is WeParkInMiami, which advertises covered options, car wash, EV charging and transfer services, but publishes no rate we could read. We will add Miami lots here as and when they publish their own prices.
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.
Downtown Miami and Brickell put you minutes from the PortMiami causeway. Miami traffic is the wild card on embarkation morning, so a hotel close to the port buys you real peace of mind.
- 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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Hotels near PortMiami
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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
PortMiami publishes several options and prices none of them.
- The free Coral Way Trolley serves PortMiami with three stops on the north and south sides. Free, and almost nobody mentions it.
- Brightline runs a vacation service to and from PortMiami.
- Metrorail and Metromover: Orange Line from the airport, or Green Line to Government Center, then Metromover to Freedom Tower.
- Cruise line shuttles pick up at Miami International's North bus station (Concourse D, Level 1, Door 1) or South bus station (Concourse J, Level 1, Door 33).
- Taxis and rideshare operate at the terminals on cruise days, with designated pickup zones.
There is a free shuttle between terminals, but only in one narrow case: when your ship departs from one terminal and returns to another.
Arriving
The port publishes very little here and refers you to your cruise line, but it does say two useful things: drop your luggage before you park, and there are no storage lockers anywhere on the port. Royal Caribbean's rule is that you must be checked in and onboard no later than 90 minutes before port operations close, and that arriving early does not get you on any sooner. Virgin Voyages opens luggage drop at Terminal V at 9am.
Accessibility
PortMiami publishes a real accessibility page, which is more than most ports manage. Published: accessible restrooms throughout the cruise terminals with grab bars, pictorial wayfinding, TTY/TDD phones at select terminal locations, and Florida Relay on 711. Miami-Dade's Special Transportation Service runs door-to-door paratransit. Wheelchair-accessible taxis are available with trained drivers, and the port states there is no additional surcharge to wheelchair users.
The port's ADA contact is Luis L. Gonzalez, Chief of Human Resources, on 305-498-4491, for accommodation requests and accessible-format materials.
One thing almost nobody tells you
There is a Global Entry enrolment centre inside Cruise Terminal D, at 1435 N. Cruise Blvd, open Tuesday to Thursday from 8am to 8pm for conditionally approved applicants, by appointment or walk-in. Global Entry enrolment also enrols you in TSA PreCheck.
Where these facts come from
- PortMiami, parking information
- PortMiami, cruise terminals
- PortMiami, cruise FAQ
- PortMiami, directions and transportation
- PortMiami, accessibility
- PortMiami, Global Entry enrollment center
- PortMiami, garages map (PDF)
- Miami International Airport, ground transportation
- Royal Caribbean, driving directions to PortMiami
- Royal Caribbean, port arrival time
- Virgin Voyages, Port of Miami
- MSC Cruises, Miami
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 best thing about this port
You park a few floors up and walk across to the terminal. No remote lot, no shuttle bus with your luggage on it, no transfer. For anyone whose hardest moment is getting in and out of vehicles, that's worth more than the money saved off-site.
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.
Two hours free, then the regular rate
At PortMiami, a disabled placard gets two hours free and then pays the normal rate. Full waivers apply only to vehicles with special disability equipment, a Florida DV plate, or a Florida Toll Exemption Permit.
Parking office: 305-960-5463. Long-term rates run about $25–$35 a day depending on the garage.
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, and the honest state of the prices
Rates here are terminal-specific and they move. Published figures we found ranged from roughly $20 to $35 a day depending on the garage, with the newest dedicated terminals at the top of that range and the older garages at the bottom. Oversized vehicles use a separate surface lot at a higher rate, charged by the space used.
- You pay for every day the car is there, including the day you return — a seven-night cruise is eight days of parking.
- Check your terminal before you budget. The difference between the cheapest and dearest garage is over a hundred dollars on a week's cruise.
- Payment methods are restricted. At least one source reports the port takes credit or cash but not debit — worth confirming before you arrive.
- Vehicles over about 20 feet go to the oversized surface lot, and a vehicle occupying two spaces pays twice.
What the port itself says about disabled parking
PortMiami states that designated spaces for guests with disabled permits are available in every garage, and that a complimentary shuttle runs between parking areas and terminals on cruise days. If the walk from the car is your limiting factor, those two facts decide your morning — ask at the booth on arrival.
Where to park: port-run and private, together
Off-site lots publish rates from roughly $8 to $15 a day with a free shuttle, and they take reservations while the port does not. On a long cruise that's real money. The trade is a shuttle ride each way, with your luggage.
| Where | Who runs it | Roughly | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| PortMiami garages | Port-run | about $20–$35/day | Garages sit directly beside the terminals — park a few floors up and walk across. The rate depends on which terminal you sail from. Disabled permit spaces in every garage. |
| Rightway Parking | Private | from about $8/day | Compares several private lots in one place with a guaranteed space. |
| ParkingAccess | Private | from about $8/day | Books off-port lots with free shuttles to every terminal, and free cancellation. |
| Park, sleep and cruise hotels | Private | varies | A hotel night plus parking for the week and a terminal shuttle, often cheaper than booking the two separately. |
Ask one question before you book any of them
"Is the shuttle wheelchair accessible, and does it have a lift?" Only some are. If a high step into a van is a problem for you, that question decides more than the daily rate — and if the answer is no, the port's own garage beside the terminal is worth every extra dollar.
Getting onto the island
- The port sits on Dodge Island, reached by the PortMiami Tunnel from I-395 or the MacArthur Causeway from South Beach.
- Miami International (MIA) is the main airport, and Fort Lauderdale (FLL) is a common alternative — cheaper flights sometimes land there, but I-95 at rush hour can add an hour.
- Aim to arrive by mid-morning. Port traffic peaks between about 9am and 11am, and in peak season the official garages can fill.
- Cell phone waiting areas exist for pick-ups, so whoever collects you doesn't have to circle the terminal.
Arrange wheelchair assistance in advance
Assistance from the parking area to the ship is arranged through your cruise line, not the port. Most lines want at least 48 hours' notice, and the accessibility form is best submitted 30 days out. The Accommodations Guide covers which form and by when.
Coming home, which is its own problem
Disembarkation is early, after a week of doing more than usual. Put your name down for priority debarkation the evening before if you need wheelchair assistance, read the instructions that night, and don't book a flight that forces you to rush across town in Miami traffic.
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 and garage your ship uses on your date — it sets your parking rate.
- Ask how to request pier and wheelchair assistance, and by when.
- Ask whether there's an accessibility lane at check-in and whether your companions can use it.
- Ask how far the drop-off point is from check-in at your terminal.
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 before you set off, and check with your own cruise line.
Prices change without notice
Miami's published rates vary more than any port we cover — different sources quote $20, $22, $25 and $35 a day for different garages and dates, and terminal fees move every season. Treat every figure here as the right order of magnitude rather than a quote, and confirm the current rate for your garage with the port before you travel.
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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