PortMiami or Port Everglades: which port for a Miami-based cruise trip
Last reviewed: November 7, 2026. Sources for this page are listed in its fact sheet.
Short answer first. If your ship sails from both ports on similar dates, pick by total trip shape, not by the port's name. PortMiami pairs with MIA flights and a Miami Beach or downtown stay, and its parking now runs $28 a day in the standard garages and $35 a day at the garages for Terminals AA and B, under the tariff that took effect October 1, 2026. Port Everglades, about 30 miles north in Fort Lauderdale, pairs with FLL flights and a Fort Lauderdale beach stay, and its parking is a flat $25 daily maximum with no reservations accepted. The ports are close enough that the wrong choice won't ruin a trip. The right choice saves an hour of cross traffic on the two days you can least spare it, embarkation day and the flight home.
A cruise ship docked at PortMiami. Photo: Felix-Antoine Coutu, Pexels.
The two ports on paper
PortMiami, on Dodge Island in Biscayne Bay, brands itself the Cruise Capital of the World, and its terminal roster is a set of line-dedicated buildings: Terminal AA for MSC, the largest cruise terminal in the world at 490,000 square feet, able to handle up to three ships and 36,000 passengers a day; Terminal A for Royal Caribbean; Terminal B for Norwegian; Terminals D, E and F for Carnival; Terminal V for Virgin Voyages; Terminal J for small and luxury ships; and a new Terminal G for Royal Caribbean under construction, expected to open in 2027. One naming warning that saves confusion: the port's official home is on the Miami-Dade County site at miamidade.gov/portmiami. The look-alike domain portmiami.com is a for-sale page, not the port.
Port Everglades, at 1850 Eller Drive in Fort Lauderdale, runs eight cruise terminals (2, 4, 18, 19, 21, 25, 26 and 29) and, for its 2027-28 season, lists nine cruise lines and 40 ships in the port's own October 22, 2026 season release: Celebrity, Cunard, Crystal, Disney, Holland America, Orient Express, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Viking, plus the Balearia Caribbean fast ferry. Disney is the name that shifts family trips north: Disney Believe homeports at Port Everglades from December 2027.
Parking: the cleanest price gap between the ports
PortMiami, per the county's parking page checked November 7, 2026: garages C, D and F, Garage G and Surface Lot E charge $28 per day for long term overnight parking, with a $10 short term rate. Garage AA and Garage B charge $35 per day. Garage A parking is priced and booked through Royal Caribbean itself. PortMiami garages are staffed 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on cruise days, and one payment detail catches people: debit cards are not accepted at PortMiami parking. Bring a credit card.
Port Everglades, per the port's parking page: a $25 daily maximum for standard vehicles, on an hourly ladder that reaches the cap after 12 hours, and $35 for oversized vehicles. The port takes no reservations and no pre-payment, and it counts over 5,500 spaces, with the Heron Garage (1,818 spaces) serving Terminals 2 and 4 and the Palm Garage (1,966 spaces) serving Terminals 19, 21, 25, 26 and 29. Week math: a seven night sailing costs $196 at PortMiami's standard garages, $245 at AA or B, and $175 at Port Everglades. That gap alone can pay for the rideshare that makes an airport hotel the smarter base, which is why our hotels near Miami airport page and the port parking pages belong in the same planning pass.
Airports and stay zones
The pattern from our existing logistics pages, stated as approximate travel times: MIA sits about 15 minutes from PortMiami, and FLL sits about 10 minutes from Port Everglades, while the cross trips, MIA to Port Everglades or FLL to PortMiami, take most of an hour on a good run. So the stay zone follows the port. PortMiami sailors do best downtown, in Brickell, or on Miami Beach. Port Everglades sailors do best on Fort Lauderdale beach or near the port. The car-free link between the systems is Brightline: the Fort Lauderdale station sits about 3 miles from Port Everglades, roughly 10 minutes by taxi or rideshare, and our Brightline to Port Everglades page walks that leg. Our pre-cruise guide covers the night-before routine for PortMiami sailings.
The 2027 headline ships, by port
PortMiami's 2027 debuts, carried from our new cruise ships page with its corrections intact: Norwegian Aura starts Miami sailings in June 2027 on seven night Caribbean cruises; Margaritaville at Sea Beachcomber enters Miami service in early 2027 and moves to Galveston in October 2027; Royal Caribbean's Hero of the Seas starts from Miami in August 2027; Carnival Venezia sails from Miami from May 2027, with Carnival Firenze seasonal in early 2027. Two names that older roundups still park in Miami don't belong here: Icon of the Seas leaves Miami for Galveston in 2027, and Star of the Seas sails from Port Canaveral. At Port Everglades, Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas makes its US homeport debut in November 2026, spends May to October 2027 in Europe, and returns for the 2027-28 season, and Disney Believe arrives in December 2027.
The verdict, by traveler
Flying in the day before, no car: either port works; choose by ship and fare, and stay in that port's zone. Driving in and parking for a week: Port Everglades wins on parking price and simplicity, $25 flat and no booking step. A Miami trip with a cruise attached: PortMiami, because the beach days and the sailing share one base and one airport. A Bimini add-on: Port Everglades, because the Bimini ferry sails from there too. Pick the port your whole trip points at. The ship will be fine either way.
The facts that matter
Port facts checked November 7, 2026: PortMiami parking is $28 a day long term in garages C, D, F and G and Lot E, $35 a day at garages AA and B, debit cards not accepted (miamidade.gov/portmiami parking page, tariff from October 1, 2026). Port Everglades parking is a $25 daily maximum for standard vehicles, $35 oversized, no reservations, over 5,500 spaces (porteverglades.net). Port Everglades lists nine lines and 40 ships for 2027-28 across eight terminals (port release, October 22, 2026). PortMiami's Terminal AA is the largest cruise terminal in the world, and Terminal G is under construction for a 2027 opening (Miami-Dade County). Distances and drive times on this page are approximate planning figures from our existing logistics pages.
Frequently asked questions
Can I park at the other port and shuttle over?
No. The ports run their own parking for their own sailings, and there's no inter-port shuttle. Park where you sail.
Which port is easier with kids?
The one that matches your flight and hotel, because the terminal buildings at both ports are modern and the hard part is the road in between. Disney's December 2027 arrival makes Port Everglades the pick for Disney sailings by definition.
Do I need to book PortMiami parking ahead?
Garage A is booked through Royal Caribbean. The county garages run on arrival. Port Everglades takes no reservations at all, so an early arrival is the whole strategy there.
Keep planning
Next steps: the cruise hub, hotels near PortMiami on Expedia, the Bimini ferry and flights guide, and Miami cruises and water tours on Viator for the days around the sailing.