I Was Nervous to Try This Parking Trick…But It Made My Trip 10x Easier!

As a traveler who tries to go “by the book” on every trip we take, I did something on our last vacation that had me stepping outside of my comfort zone.

We like to warn you about the latest travel news and weather alerts that could affect your next vacation, especially when you’re getting ready to set sail on a cruise. But, while I’ve known there were alternatives to saving a little extra money before we actually board the boat, I was always too nervous to try it out…until we decided there was no better time to try it than NOW!

Since I tend to spend most of my time working (and playing) in the theme parks, the term “vacation” has transitioned a bit for me and my family. Don’t get me wrong, visiting Disney World and Universal on the regular is a dream come true, but sometimes I find myself looking for a change of scenery that doesn’t look like my everyday.

So, we turned to cruising and boy have we been bitting by the cruising bug HARD! And when we couldn’t find a cruise that met our vacation needs leaving from our typical ports we cruise out of, we decided to travel a tad farther to another one.

I’ll spare you the details of the anxiety that made my head spin thinking of the unknowns about visiting a “new to us” port, but after checking the pricing to park our car in the port’s parking garage for 5 nights, that became a whole new line item to budget into our vacation costs. So, I got curious and decided to explore the idea of parking our car off port — which is something I’d never considered before.

You might be surprised to learn there are several companies available to use for parking for cruises stationed nearby. After researching a few of the options and considering factors like cost (obviously), safety and security (especially since you’re away from your car), proximity to port, as well as shuttle and luggage transportation, I started to become more open to the idea.

Options for cruise parking away from the port’s parking garage can range in a wide variety, including options like a gated and locked parking yard with camera surveillance to similar parking garage floors within existing structures. Ultimately, I landed on the best option to meet our wants and needs for this trip mimicked as close to what we would have had parking at the port — so we chose the parking garage.

Not only was this cruise parking significantly cheaper, by around $20 per day cheaper, my family was very pleasantly surprised by just how easy and secure they were to use. As we drove up to the parking garage, we needed to confirm with a security guard our reservation details that we already arranged online, reconfirmed our departure and return date, and were sent right on to park our car. From there, the service we chose also included a complimentary shuttle transport from the parking structure to port as well as our luggage. They even provided us with instructions on where to meet again after our cruise and how to flag them down for our return to our car.

I almost liken the experience we had to staying at a Disney World Good Neighbor hotel over one right on Disney World property. You’ll still get a lot of the same perks (maybe a few more), with a trade off of traveling a bit farther to port.

Honestly, it was so simple I questioned why I hadn’t tried this option out before! While your mileage and experience may vary because each company is different, this is where I stress the importance of truly researching and vetting your top choices before you make a decision. From now on out though, I’ll be challenging my own thinking a bit and not be so opposed to thinking a bit outside of the box if it helps save us money during our next trip!

Stay tuned with us at AllEars to learn about the latest travel news, trends, and more!

Yes, Cruise Lines Have “Do Not Sail” Lists. Here’s How To Avoid Getting BANNED.

Where do you choose to park when you leave for a cruise? Tell us in the comments below!

Post a Comment