PortMiami Embarkation Guide: Terminals, Arrival Times, and What To Expect
PortMiami assigns each major cruise line its own lettered terminal, and the letter printed on your boarding pass decides where you park, where your driver drops you, and how far you walk with your bags. Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Carnival, MSC, and Virgin Voyages each run their own building, so a Miami embarkation goes smoothly when you know your letter before you leave the hotel.
This guide covers every Port of Miami cruise terminal, which line uses which, the parking garage that matches each one, and how I would time the morning. PortMiami calls itself the Cruise Capital of the World, and it handled more than 8.2 million cruise passengers in 2024, so expect heavy traffic on Port Boulevard on a busy turnaround morning.
PortMiami Cruise Terminals at a Glance
| Terminal | Main cruise line | Parking and address | Long-term rate (as of October 2026) |
| Terminal AA | MSC Cruises | Garage AA, 2200 N Cruise Blvd | $35 per day |
| Terminal A (The Crown of Miami) | Royal Caribbean | Garage A, 2000 N Cruise Blvd | Set by Royal Caribbean's parking operator |
| Terminal B (The Pearl of Miami) | Norwegian Cruise Line | Garage B, 1756 N Cruise Blvd | $35 per day |
| Terminal C | Several lines | Garage C, 1648 N Cruise Blvd | $25 per day |
| Terminals D and E | Carnival Cruise Line | Garage D, 1400 Cruise Blvd; Surface Lot E, 625 Florida Way (oversized vehicles) | $25 per day; Lot E $25 per space |
| Terminal F | Carnival Cruise Line | Garage G, 921 N America Way | $25 per day |
| Terminal V | Virgin Voyages | Garage G, 921 N America Way | $25 per day |
| Terminal J | Small ships and luxury lines | Garages J and K, 1122 and 1124 Caribbean Way | $25 per day |
| Terminal G | Royal Caribbean (under construction) | Expected to open in 2027 | Not yet open |
Distances from the airports: PortMiami sits about 8 miles from Miami International Airport (MIA) and about 26 miles from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). My guide on getting from Miami airport to the cruise port breaks down every option from both.
Every Port of Miami Cruise Terminal Explained
The port is laid out in a long line on Dodge Island. Most of the big ships tie up on the north side along North Cruise Boulevard, with Terminal J on the south side near Caribbean Way. Signs on the way in are organized by letter, so the letter matters more than the cruise line name once you cross the bridge.
PortMiami Terminal AA: MSC Cruises
Terminal AA opened in 2025 and is the biggest cruise terminal in the world by the port's count, at 490,000 square feet. It can berth up to three ships and process up to 36,000 passengers in one day. Any MSC ship sailing from Miami uses this building.
PortMiami Terminals A and G: Royal Caribbean
Terminal A, nicknamed The Crown of Miami, opened in 2018 and runs 170,000 square feet, with a separate expedited security area for international guests. Royal Caribbean's Miami ships sail from this building, and Royal Caribbean has announced that Hero of the Seas will start sailing from Miami in August 2027. A second Royal Caribbean building, Terminal G, started construction in summer 2025 with an expected opening in 2027, so sailings before then stay at Terminal A unless the line tells you otherwise.
PortMiami Terminal B: Norwegian Cruise Line
Terminal B, The Pearl of Miami, is Norwegian's 190,000-square-foot home. Norwegian also publishes its own garage reservation page through its parking operator, which I cover in the parking section below.
PortMiami Terminals D, E, and F: Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival uses Terminals D, E, and F. Terminal F is the large one at 471,000 square feet after the 2018 and 2022 projects. Check your boarding pass for the exact letter, because Carnival often has more than one ship in port on the same morning and the buildings sit far enough apart that a wrong drop-off means a long walk.
PortMiami Terminal V: Virgin Voyages
Terminal V opened in 2022 and is 100,000 square feet, sized for Virgin's adults-only ships.
PortMiami Terminals C and J: Rotating and Luxury Lines
Terminal C handles several lines on a rotating basis. Terminal J, on the south side, is the port's boutique terminal for small vessels and luxury lines. If your line is not one of the five big operators above, expect one of these two and confirm with your cruise documents.
Arrival Times for a Port of Miami Cruise Terminal
Every major line now assigns a check-in window through its app or online check-in, and the window is the time to plan around. Arriving well ahead of your slot usually means waiting outside the terminal with your bags, and the roads into the port are the slowest part of the morning on a busy Saturday or Sunday when several ships turn around at once.
The way I plan a Miami embarkation: pick the earliest check-in slot you can get, leave the hotel with time to spare for the bridge traffic, and have the driver drop you at the curb first, then park. PortMiami itself tells drivers to drop luggage before parking and to have passengers dropped at the terminal when possible. The rest of my morning routine is in my embarkation day tips.
Pro Tip: Screenshot your boarding pass with the terminal letter on it before you leave the hotel. Cell service on Dodge Island gets slow when thousands of people open their cruise apps at the same time, and drivers will ask you for the letter.
Have your documents ready before you reach the door. My cruise documents checklist covers what each line asks for, and do you need a passport for a cruise explains when a birth certificate and ID work on closed-loop sailings from Miami.
Port of Miami Cruise Terminal Parking and Drop-Off
The port operates its own garages next to each terminal, and the rates are posted by Miami-Dade County as of October 2026:
- Garage AA (MSC): $35 per day for cruise parking, $20 per day short-term with no overnight.
- Garage A (Royal Caribbean): rates are set through Royal Caribbean's own Miami parking site, so check there before you drive.
- Garage B (Norwegian): $35 per vehicle, per space, per day, with reservations through Norwegian's parking partner.
- Garages C, D, G, J, and K: $25 per day long-term and $10 per day short-term.
- Surface Lot E: for oversized vans, RVs, and vehicles with trailers, $25 per day for one space and $50 per day for two.
Payment is cash or a major credit card. Miami-Dade County states that debit cards are not accepted, so bring a credit card or cash for the exit gate. Height clearances are low in most garages, under 7 feet on the upper floors of several, so tall vans should check before pulling in. Disabled permit holders get two hours of free parking.
For off-port lots, shuttles, and how the garages compare on price, read my full Miami cruise parking guide.
Getting to the Port of Miami Cruise Terminal
From MIA, a taxi, rideshare, or cruise line transfer covers the 8 miles in most traffic. Miami-Dade taxis run on the meter with a $2 surcharge for trips that start at the airport or the port. Carnival sells its own MIA to PortMiami transfer at $22.99 per person as of October 2026, with flights required to land by noon.
From FLL, the distance is about 26 miles, and Brightline adds a train option: an airport shuttle to the Fort Lauderdale station, the train to MiamiCentral, then a short ride to the port. Every option with costs and timing is in my Miami airport to cruise port guide, and if you land at FLL with a ship leaving from Fort Lauderdale instead, use my Fort Lauderdale airport to cruise port guide.
Miami Hotels the Night Before Your Cruise
I tell anyone flying in to arrive the day before. One delayed connection is all it takes to miss a ship, and Miami has plenty of hotels within a short ride of the port. My roundup of hotels near the Miami cruise port sorts them by distance and price. For a specific pick, the InterContinental Miami sits on Biscayne Bay downtown, about as close to the port bridge as a full-service hotel gets, and I wrote it up in my InterContinental Miami review.
I can book the hotel, transfer, and ship as one trip at no extra cost to you, so if a flight slips, one person already has every confirmation number.
Extra Time Near the Port of Miami Cruise Terminal
If you have a few hours before check-in or after you get off the ship, Bayside Marketplace and the downtown waterfront are a short ride from the port, and Miami Beach is about 20 to 30 minutes away depending on traffic. For guided options like a Biscayne Bay boat tour or an Everglades airboat ride timed around a late flight, you can book this on Viator and pick a tour with luggage storage or port pickup.
On the way home, the process runs in reverse. My cruise disembarkation guide explains self-assist versus tagged luggage and how late to book a flight out of MIA or FLL.
Port of Miami Cruise Terminal: Frequently Asked Questions
Which Port of Miami cruise terminal does Royal Caribbean use? Royal Caribbean uses Terminal A, The Crown of Miami, on North Cruise Boulevard. Terminal G, a second Royal Caribbean building, is under construction with an expected 2027 opening.
Which PortMiami terminal does Carnival use? Carnival uses Terminals D, E, and F. Your boarding pass names the exact one, and it can change from sailing to sailing.
How much is parking at the Miami cruise port? As of October 2026, Miami-Dade County lists $35 per day at Garages AA and B, and $25 per day at Garages C, D, G, J, and K. Royal Caribbean's Garage A rate is set on its own parking site. Debit cards are not accepted.
Is there luggage storage at PortMiami? The port says it has no storage lockers. Ask your cruise line about luggage services, or book a tour that includes bag storage if you have time to fill after disembarking.
How far is PortMiami from Miami International Airport? About 8 miles, and Fort Lauderdale's airport is about 26 miles away.
Book Your PortMiami Cruise With Jackson Jetsetting
My pricing is the same as booking direct with the cruise line. On top of it, I can often add group rates or promotions that are not on the line's website, and you get a person to call when a flight cancels or a ship changes terminals. Send me your dates, and I will price the cruise, the hotel the night before, and the transfer to PortMiami as one trip.
