Cruise Hospitality Center – Cruise Ship Operations & Hospitality Management Training

Five different cruise lines operate out of Port Tampa Bay, with eight cruise ships homeporting at the port and offering cruises of various lengths, from short four-day cruises to lengthier two-week cruises.

If you’re taking one of these cruises, you may need somewhere to park. Luckily, in addition to one large, on-site parking option, there are also plenty of off-site parking garages and lots in Port Tampa Bay’s proximity. Here’s where to get started shopping for the best deal.

Parking at Port Tampa Bay

No matter which of the five cruise lines that operate out of Port Tampa Bay that you’re cruising with — Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line or Margaritaville at Sea — you’ll still park in the same spot, if you choose to avoid the hassle of parking off-site.

The Channelside Parking Garage is Port Tampa Bay’s official parking option, located at 810 Channelside Drive, across the street from the central cruise terminal, Terminal 3. (Though the other two cruise terminals, Terminal 2 and Terminal 6, are just a short walk away.)

This parking garage offers several different options, including valet parking, self-parking and oversized vehicle parking. The parking garage is fully insured and surveilled 24/7 by trained staff.

Most of the garage’s 3,000-plus parking spaces are covered. You can pay in advance to save cash, too, and take advantage of promotional rates. Pre-booked parking is refundable for any reason up until the time of your cruise.

Parking fees start at $15 per day for self-parking, with valet services also available for a $20 upgrade fee. RV and oversized vehicle parking starts at $30 per day. You can receive free parking if your vehicle is outfitted with specialized equipment required for a disability, as well as if you have a disabled veteran Florida license plate.

Do note that, since this parking garage is so close to the terminals, there is no paid or free shuttle service available. You’ll just take your luggage with you, from your car, to the garage exit, and make your way to the terminal on your own.

Off-Site Parking Options Near Port Tampa Bay

For those who don’t want to pay $15 per day for self-parking at the Tampa cruise port, guests do have a few other options.

Before booking a parking spot, though, be sure to read up on the provider’s cancellation policies, the lot or garage’s safety parameters and the distance of the lot or garage from the cruise terminals.

If the garage or lot does not offer a shuttle service, make sure walking the distance from the lot or garage with all your luggage, to the port, or making the ride via a taxi, Uber or Lyft, will be feasible.

Rightway Parking

Rightway Parking is a third-party parking deal aggregator that operates in quite a few popular cruise ship port cities. The platform allows you to search through a range of lots and garages near any particular address, and then book parking based on your travel dates and budget.

Do note that, while sites like Rightway Parking can help you find great parking deals, you do get what you pay for in many instances.

Before booking what seems like a really cheap deal, check to make sure a parking lot or garage is monitored and read past customer reviews. In some cases, the parking options offered aren’t even at lots or garages, but are at businesses, like hotels.

Rightway Parking advertises parking options near the Tampa cruise terminals for as cheap as $4 per day.

Park Connect

Park Connect is a Tampa-based provider, with multiple locations throughout the city. The unofficial parking lot company promises guaranteed best rates, with no hidden convenience fee, at a secured, covered parking facility. You can book your parking and cancel, and get a full refund, up to 24 hours before your cruise departs.

Park Connect’s cruise port parking facility is 200 feet away from the Tampa Bay cruise port. Rates start at around $12 per day.

Park 4 Cruise

Park 4 Cruise offers a carpark on Channelside Drive (the same road that the terminals are on, as well as the same road that the official port parking garage is on).

This provider’s facility is less than 300 steps from the terminals and rates begin at $10.50 per day. There is a shuttle, though, if you’d like it, which will both drop you off at embarkation and pick you up after your cruise is over.

The lot is security-fenced, gated and lit, with 24/7 security monitoring.

On Air Parking

On Air Parking, similarly to Rightway Parking, offers parking options in various different cities, but they specifically specializes in providing parking near airports and cruise terminals.

They offer only one option for Port Tampa Bay and the uncovered but secure lot is just one block from the terminals. There’s no shuttle service available, but the provider’s reviews are great, and rates start at $7 per day. Free cancellations are allowed up to the day of your reservation.

One Stop Parking

One Stop Parking is much like On Air Parking, specializing in providing parking options near airports and cruise terminals. The platform’s lone Port of Tampa parking option is available through 241 Car Services.

While the gated self-park and handicap-accessible lot offers rates starting at $9 per day and does provide a shuttle service from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., on demand, do note that the lot is half a mile from the port. That means, if you can’t get the shuttle for some reason, you’re going to need to walk it.

Hotel Cruise Parking in Tampa

One other option to consider beyond just parking at a garage or lot in the city, is booking a park and cruise package at a nearby hotel. This is a favorite option of mine for a few reasons.

For one, I always advise cruisers arrive in their port city the day before embarkation day. This makes for a less stressful experience on the day that your cruise leaves, as you’re not rushing into the city, trying to make the ship.

You can take your time arriving, spend a restful night at a hotel and then leave for your cruise ship at a leisurely pace the next morning, getting your cruise off on a relaxed foot.

Worth Reading: Ideal Hotels Near Tampa Cruise Port

It also ensures that little mishaps like bad traffic or a canceled flight don’t completely derail your plans.

For two, if you do book a cruise park and cruise package at a nearby hotel, it means that you can plan some extra time in the port city before or after your cruise. While not all port cities are great vacation destinations, many are worth exploring, as is the case in Tampa. 

Lastly, I like this option because it often gives you parking, for the duration of your cruise, at a cheaper price. So, if you decide to take my advice and book a park and cruise package at a nearby hotel, what are your options?

Park and cruise packages at Tampa Hotels

Tampa hotels that offer these packages include the Barrymore Hotel, on the Tampa Riverwalk. If you book this hotel’s cruise package, you get an exclusive room rate, parking included for up to 10 days while you’re on your cruise and shuttle service both to and from the port.

Tampa Airport Marriott similarly offers a park and cruise package that includes overnight accommodations and up to four nights of parking, perfect if you’re going on one of those shorter cruises that leave out of the Port of Tampa.

The Quality Inn Airport Tampa likewise offers a park and cruise package that includes one night’s accommodations, but then up to 14 days of parking while you’re on your cruise, plus complimentary breakfast and shuttle service to the port.

Sailport Waterfront Suites on Tampa Bay additionally provides a Snooze and Cruise Package, which includes one night’s stay, seven nights of parking and shuttle service both to and from the Tampa International Airport and the cruise port.

While this is by no means an exhaustive list of Tampa hotels that offer these sorts of packages, it gives you an idea of just how much you can save when you book one of these packages rather than parking at a lot or garage.

Tampa Cruise Parking Guide: What Are Your Options?

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