The port lot, and the other ways to leave the car
One official lot, one price. What’s left to settle is how you pay, since older pages disagree, and whether a hotel beats $19 a day. None we read prints a rate you could compare.
The port’s own lot
- A walk to the terminal on a temporary pedestrian walkway
- American Express, Visa, Mastercard or Discover; no cash
- No prepaid parking; valet suspended
A hotel that holds the car
- No hotel in our twenty prints a rate to leave the car while you sail
- We found no park-and-cruise package in Palm Beach
- We checked them one by one: see the ranking
Get dropped off
- Use 1 East 11th Street, Riviera Beach, for GPS and rideshare
- From the airport, Uber and Lyft pick up on Level 3
- Viator lists port transfers from US$38
What the pages say
| Where you read it | What it says | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Port of Palm Beach parking page | Self-parking $19 a day; major credit cards including American Express; no cash; no prepaid parking; valet suspended for construction | Current |
| Margaritaville at Sea arrival page | $19 a day, arrival and departure days included; “VIP parking is $25 per day”; cash not accepted | Current — VIP isn’t on the port’s page |
| Margaritaville at Sea directions page | “Parking at the Port is valet only”, $19 a day from July 1, 2023; cash, Visa, Mastercard, Discover and traveler’s checks, no American Express | Older — follow the port |
| Cruise Critic, 2024 | Parking beside the docking area | Third party |
Parking at the Port of Palm Beach
- Rate: $19 a day to self-park, per the Port of Palm Beach. Margaritaville at Sea counts the day you arrive and the day you get back, so by our math that’s $57 for 3 days, $76 for 4 and $95 for 5. Neither page mentions tax. Review periodically
- Bigger vehicles: vans, RVs, buses and trailers pay the daily rate for each parking space they use.
- Payment: American Express, Visa, Mastercard and Discover. “No cash accepted.”
- Reservations: none — “Prepaid parking is not available at this time.”
- Security: the lot is “secured and patrolled 24 hours a day”, and the port’s FAQ adds that cameras watch it at all times.
- Getting to the door: on foot, by the temporary pedestrian walkway from the parking area to the terminal. The port mentions no shuttle.
- Valet: suspended “until further notice due to construction improvements”. The port’s page lists its usual 3-, 4- and 5-day valet prices, but you can’t book it now.
- Fee waived: for vehicles with special equipment for disabled drivers, Florida Toll Exemption Permits and Florida Disabled Veteran plates.
Sources: the Port of Palm Beach’s parking page and FAQ, and Margaritaville at Sea’s arrival and directions pages — rechecked October 3, 2026.
Sail morning, in order
The port opens at 9:30 AM on sailing days. Drive in, pay by card and walk the temporary walkway to the terminal with your bags.
Mind the other end of the window. Margaritaville at Sea shuts the terminal doors promptly at 3:00 PM — late arrivals are no-shows, not standbys.
Coming home, neither the port nor the line publishes a debarkation time — don’t book anything tight for the afternoon.
Hotels and other options
We didn’t find a private off-site cruise lot with published rates we’d stand behind. The port’s lot is beside the terminal — so $19 a day is the number to beat.
The one weekly rate in print belongs to the Delta Hotels by the airport, on our just-missed list — $16 a day or $112 a week. It isn’t sold for cruising. The hotel is also about 6.8 road miles from the port by our routing.
Hotels that hold the car
We went through the Palm Beach hotels’ own sites one at a time, the airport hotels too, looking for a rate to leave the car while you sail. Nobody prints one. Nobody sells a park-and-cruise package that we found, either. Several park free for the night. Ask before you book. Our twenty-hotel ranking scores every one on parking and distance.
The top six, and what each says about the car
Ranked on distance, a ride to the ship, free breakfast and the evening. Each card shows the hotel’s own parking line. Tap one for the full review.
Who should pick what
| Traveler | Likely best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Driving in on sail day | The port’s lot | $19 a day, a walk from the terminal. Bring a card. Arrive well before the 3:00 PM door. |
| Flying into DJT | No car: a cab or rideshare | A rental would sit at $19 a day while you cruise. The port is about 20 minutes away, per the Palm Beaches’ listing. |
| Staying on Singer Island the night before | A cab, or drive and park at the port | The nearest hotels in our ranking are about 3 road miles away — none prints a cruise-parking rate. |
| Driving an RV or towing a trailer | The port’s lot, by the space | You pay the daily rate for every space you use, per the port. |
| With a disabled driver or veteran’s plate | The port’s lot | The fee is waived for the vehicles and plates the port lists. |
| Want valet | Wait, or ask | Valet is suspended for construction; the VIP option on Margaritaville’s page isn’t on the port’s. |
Still deciding how to get to the ship?
Tell us how you're arriving and what matters most.
Driving in the same day or flying into DJT, an RV, a hotel deal you want checked — tell us the actual situation and we'll tell you straight which option fits.
Answers checked against current pricing and itineraries before you book.
Parking FAQ
How much is cruise parking at the Port of Palm Beach?
$19 a day to self-park, per the port. Margaritaville at Sea says the arrival and departure days both count, so a 2-night trip is $57, three nights $76 and four nights $95. Vans, RVs, buses and trailers pay the daily rate for each space they use.
Can I pay cash for parking at the Port of Palm Beach?
No — "No cash accepted." The port takes American Express, Visa, Mastercard and Discover. An older Margaritaville at Sea directions page says cash and no American Express; the port's own parking page is the one to follow.
Can I prepay or reserve parking at the Port of Palm Beach?
No. "Prepaid parking is not available at this time," per the port. You pay when you arrive.
Is there valet parking at the Port of Palm Beach?
Not right now. The port says valet "has been suspended until further notice due to construction improvements". Margaritaville at Sea's arrival page mentions VIP parking at $25 a day that the port's page doesn't, so ask before you plan on it.
How far is the parking lot from the Palm Beach cruise terminal?
Close enough to walk. The port asks you to use the temporary pedestrian walkway from the parking area to the terminal, and doesn't mention a shuttle. Cruise Critic describes the parking as beside the docking area.
Is parking free with a disabled parking permit?
The self-parking fee is waived for vehicles with special equipment for disabled drivers, Florida Toll Exemption Permits and Florida Disabled Veteran plates, per the port.
Which Palm Beach hotels let you park while you cruise?
None of the twenty in our ranking prints a rate for it, and we found no park-and-cruise package. Several park free for the night, and the Delta Hotels by the airport prints a $112 weekly rate that isn't sold for cruising — ask, or use the port's lot.