Cruise and Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral Cruise Terminal Guide: Parking, Drop-Off and Boarding at Each Terminal
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Short answer
Your boarding documents name your terminal: Royal Caribbean's big ships sail from CT1, Carnival from CT3 and CT6, Norwegian and Celebrity from CT5, Disney from CT8 and MSC from CT10. Each terminal has its own garage at $20 a day plus tax, open from 10 AM. Drive to the curb first, hand checked bags to the porters, then park. Private rides from Orlando Airport are $159 to $249 per vehicle.
Port rules and parking rates last checked October 27, 2026. The Port can change them without notice.
Which Port Canaveral terminal is your cruise line?
Port Canaveral has seven cruise terminals on two sides of the harbor. Exit 54A off SR 528 East takes you to the north side (CT5, CT6, CT8 and CT10) and Exit 54B to the south side (CT1 and CT3). These are the ships the Port's September 2026 to February 2027 schedule puts at each terminal:
- CT1Royal Caribbean: Utopia, Harmony and Star of the SeasExit 54B
- CT3Carnival Glory, Mardi Gras and Venezia; Caribbean Princess (September and October 2026)Exit 54B
- CT5Explorer of the Seas; Celebrity Apex; Norwegian Epic, Getaway and PrimaExit 54A
- CT6Carnival Vista and Freedom; Adventure of the Seas (September and October 2026); Sky Princess; Norwegian EscapeExit 54A
- CT8Disney Fantasy, Disney Treasure, Disney WishExit 54A
- CT10MSC Seashore and MSC Grandiosa; some Disney Wish sailingsExit 54A
From the Port's 2026 master cruise schedule. A few sailings move: Adventure of the Seas uses CT5 on three October and November dates, and Norwegian Escape uses CT5 on three dates in November and December. Your documents have the final word.
Need each terminal's street address? Our Orlando cruise port guide lists them.
Port Canaveral cruise terminals at a glance
Every terminal has a parking garage, surface lots and oversized-vehicle spaces right beside it, so you park and walk with no shuttle bus. The Port's own map gives these figures:
| Terminal | Side and exit | Parking spaces | Berth | Drop-off layout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CT1 | South side, Exit 54B | 3,000 | 1,417 ft | One pickup and drop-off route that ends at the parking |
| CT3 | South side, Exit 54B | 2,200 | 1,319 ft | One pickup and drop-off route that ends at the parking |
| CT5 | North side, Exit 54A | 1,200 | 1,049 ft | One pickup and drop-off route; a new garage for CT5 and CT6 is being built |
| CT6 | North side, Exit 54A | 2,000 | 1,422 ft | Separate routes for luggage drop-off, passenger drop-off and parking |
| CT8 | North side, Exit 54A | 1,500 | 1,160 ft | Separate passenger drop-off and parking routes; meet and greet at the curb |
| CT10 | North side, Exit 54A | 2,500 | 1,152 ft | Separate passenger drop-off and parking routes |
Spaces and berth lengths from the Port's cruise terminal map; drop-off layouts from each terminal's arrival guide. Cruise Terminal 2 has no regular ship this season.
Port Canaveral parking: how it works and what it costs
The Port charges $20 a day plus tax, the same for cars and RVs. The count includes the day you sail and the day you come back, so add one to your number of nights:
| Cruise | Days charged | Parking, before tax |
|---|---|---|
| 3 nights | 4 | $80 |
| 4 nights | 5 | $100 |
| 5 nights | 6 | $120 |
| 7 nights | 8 | $160 |
- Pay when you drive in, by American Express, Visa, MasterCard or Discover. The Port takes no cash.
- No reservations. You take a space in your terminal's garage or lot on the day.
- Parking opens at 10 AM on embarkation day. Coming home, you can reach your car at any time.
- Oversized vehicles have their own spaces at every terminal, and Port staff patrol the lots around the clock.
Drop-off at the terminal: porters and your bags
The Port asks everyone to drive to the terminal first, before parking. There, the cruise line's porters take your checked bags at the curb and parking staff point the driver to the lot. You can also unload people and bags inside the parking facility.
- Tag every checked bag with your line's luggage tags before you leave the hotel or the airport.
- Keep a carry-on with passports, boarding documents, medicine and swimsuits. Checked bags reach your stateroom after you board, sometimes not until evening.
- Hand the tagged bags to a porter at the curb. Porters work for the cruise lines, not the Port.
- Walk in with your carry-on to security and check-in.
At CT6, the terminal guide sends luggage drop-off, passenger drop-off and parking down separate routes. CT8 and CT10 split passenger drop-off from parking. CT1, CT3 and CT5 use one route for pickup and drop-off. Follow the signs for your terminal number once you leave SR 528.
When to arrive at your terminal
Arrive in your boarding window, not hours ahead of it. Your cruise line gives you a check-in or boarding time, and the Port's ground transportation rules say passengers arriving in a hired vehicle "are not permitted to be unloaded at the Cruise Terminal until their pre-determined boarding time." A van, shuttle or car service that shows up early has to wait.
Driving yourself? The garages open at 10 AM, so arriving before then means waiting in line. From Orlando International Airport (MCO), the drive is 42 to 45 miles, about 45 to 60 minutes. Sailing over Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's? See what time to leave Orlando for a holiday cruise.
Coming home: debarkation pickup at the terminal
On the way out, you meet your ride in front of the terminal entrance, or walk your bags to your car in the garage. The Port sets different rules for each kind of ride:
- Uber and Lyft drivers wait in the Port's rideshare holding area with the app on, and come to you once you request a ride.
- Pre-booked drivers with a Port permit meet their guests only in each terminal's designated meet and greet area, holding a sign. At CT8 that area is the curb.
- Every other commercial ride must be pre-arranged and pre-paid, and drivers may spend only 15 minutes in a loading zone.
Flying home the same day? Check the earliest flight to book after your cruise, or keep your bags with a baggage hold while you visit Kennedy Space Center or Cocoa Beach.
Wheelchairs and accessible parking at Port Canaveral
- Accessible spaces are in every garage. The Port waives the parking fee only for vehicles with special equipment such as ramps, lifts or hand controls, a Florida Toll Exemption Permit or a Florida disabled veteran plate.
- Royal Caribbean provides complimentary wheelchair assistance for embarkation and disembarkation, and asks for 30 days' notice for special equipment.
- Carnival offers wheelchair assistance at the terminal, first come, first served, with no curbside or cabin help and a 325-pound weight limit. You can request it on Carnival's form before you sail.
- Other lines: ask your cruise line, since the porters who push wheelchairs work for the line.
The Port's ADA coordinator handles accommodation requests at the terminals.
What is changing at Port Canaveral's terminals
- Cruise Terminal 6 East garage: a 13-story, 3,732-space garage for CT5 and CT6 guests, with a pedestrian bridge to the CT5 entrance. The Port's March 2026 update scheduled it to open in fall 2026; check the Port's parking page for its status before you go.
- Cruise Terminal 5: an expansion is under way. The terminal stays open during the work.
- Cruise Terminal 10: the Port announced an expansion set to begin in fall 2026.
Parking or a ride to the terminal?
Parking suits a family with a car and a short cruise: 4 nights costs $100 plus tax. Flying in, you'd need a rental car first, and a week at sea parks your car for 8 days at $160 plus tax.
A private ride drops you at your terminal's curb in your boarding window and picks you up on the way home. We charge one flat price per vehicle, from a minivan to a 14-passenger van, so a family or a group of 12 rides together with their bags. From MCO, one way is $159 to $249 per vehicle; pick your vehicle on the booking form for your exact price.
Coming from a Disney resort? See Disney World to Port Canaveral rides. Comparing shuttles and cruise buses? Read whether there's a free shuttle from MCO to the port.
Why cruise families book JOB for the port run
- One flat price per vehicle, tolls included, from a minivan to a 12- or 14-passenger van.
- An enclosed luggage trailer on request for groups whose suitcases outnumber the seats.
- Car seats and boosters on request. See our car service with car seats.
- $1,000,000 in liability insurance, the amount Port Canaveral requires of its permit holders.
- Family-run: riders know Pedro and his family by name. Hablamos español.
He has a 14 seater and a trailer for the luggage. He's very reliable and reasonably priced.
Book your Port Canaveral ride: dropped at your terminal in your boarding window, one flat price per vehicle. Pick your vehicle on the booking form for your exact price.