Mobile cruise parking: the terminal's own deck, rates and overflow lot

Mobile's cruise parking is part of the terminal itself. The Alabama Cruise Terminal has an attached 500-space deck, so unless it is full you drop your bags, park and take the elevator or stairs down to check-in without a shuttle. Premium Parking runs the deck as the terminal's parking contractor, and the rates below come from the terminal's own parking page.

Before you leave a car there, check that your cruise comes back to Mobile. Carnival Spirit's 16-night Panama Canal voyage of 29 March 2027 is one-way and ends in Seattle on 14 April 2027. The Carnival Spirit page lists it with the ship's other sailings.

This site is independent. It is not the City of Mobile, the terminal, Premium Parking or Carnival, and it does not sell parking.

Terminal parking deck	What the terminal and the city say, read 4 November 2026
Location	Attached to the terminal at 201 S. Water Street, entered from Eslava Street
Size	500 spaces, with six covered pickup and drop-off lanes
Run by	Premium Parking, the terminal's parking contractor
Regular-sized vehicle	$23 a day
RV or camper	$46 a day
Bus	$69 a day
Paying	Online in advance, text "P2603" to 504-504, the Premium Parking app, or a kiosk
Proof of payment	Your license plate number
Opens	10 a.m. on embarkation day
When it is full	Overflow lot, with a shuttle back to the terminal
Security	Locked while the ship is away, watched by guards and cameras
Accessible spaces	On every level, at the regular price
Disabled veterans	Free, with a DV plate or proof of eligibility

Where do you park for a Mobile cruise?

In the Alabama Cruise Terminal's own parking deck, attached to the terminal at 201 S. Water Street. You drive in from Eslava Street, a stevedore takes your bags, and you then drive up the ramp to park. The City of Mobile says the deck has 500 spaces and six covered lanes for pickup and drop-off.

To get there, the terminal's directions use I-10 Exit 26A, Canal Street, then a right turn onto Water Street for two blocks. The terminal guide covers the building and the other routes in.

How much is cruise parking in Mobile?

$23 a day for a regular-sized vehicle when we checked the terminal's parking page on 4 November 2026. RVs and campers cost $46 a day and buses $69 a day. Regular-sized means anything that fits a space 8 feet 6 inches tall, 8 feet 6 inches wide and 16 feet long, which covers cars, minivans, pickups, SUVs and motorcycles.

The terminal's FAQ page, read the same day, gives lower figures: $21 a day for a regular-sized vehicle, $42 for an RV or camper and $63 for a bus. We quote the parking page because it is the page that sets out the rates and how to pay. Check it before you go.

Both pages quote a daily rate only, with no weekly price. Our schedule lists each cruise's dates and length, and the 6-night and 8-night pages group the trips by nights.

How do you pay for cruise parking in Mobile?

Online before you go, or at the terminal by text, app or kiosk. The terminal's parking page links to Premium Parking's booking page, where you need your license plate number. The terminal says all parking fees must be paid in full before you board the ship, and the plate number in its system is your proof of payment.

The four ways to pay, as the terminal lists them:

1. Online in advance. Through Premium Parking's page for the terminal. Have your license plate number ready.
2. By text. Send "P2603" to 504-504, as the signs in the garage show, and follow the steps.
3. At a kiosk. There is one in the elevator lobby on each floor and one at the off-site lot. Kiosks take cash but give no change, so bring the exact amount, and they take no bill larger than $50.
4. In the Premium Parking app. On the day you park, from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

If you forget to pay or enter the wrong plate number, Premium Parking's 24-hour assistance line is 1-844-236-2011. For other parking questions, the terminal's FAQ gives Premium Parking's number as 504-616-1442.

Can you reserve cruise parking in Mobile?

Yes, through Premium Parking. The terminal's FAQ says you can make parking reservations on Premium Parking's page for the terminal, its parking page invites you to reserve a spot there, and its home page says pre-pay parking is available. Booking ahead ties the payment to your license plate, just as paying on the day does.

Paying ahead also takes one job off a busy morning, since the terminal requires parking to be paid in full before you board.

What time does cruise parking open in Mobile?

At 10 a.m. on embarkation day, when the terminal says its gates open. The line to enter is at 22 Eslava Street. Carnival still asks you to arrive at the appointment you chose during online check-in, and the terminal says you cannot get into your cabin until 1:30 p.m.

The terminal guide covers Carnival's arrival appointments and departure times.

Do you drop your bags before you park in Mobile?

Yes. A stevedore meets you as you drive in, unloads and tags your luggage and sends it to the ship, and only then do you drive up the ramp to park. Keep your documents with you, not in your bags. The terminal asks you to give the stevedores anything you do not want to carry around the ship.

The steps, from the terminal's parking page and FAQ:

1. Turn right onto Eslava Street. A police officer or parking attendant directs you into the garage.
2. A stevedore unloads and tags your bags.
3. Drive up the garage ramp and park. Do not back into a space, and pay if you have not already.
4. Walk to the glass doors on the north side of the garage, at the opposite end from where you came in.
5. Take the elevator or stairs down to the first-floor lobby and show your documents at the door. Staff then direct you to screening and check-in.

What happens when the Mobile cruise terminal garage is full?

Drivers go to an overflow lot and ride a shuttle back. The terminal's parking page says that once the terminal fills, cars go to an overflow garage on the 5th floor of 100 Canal Street. Drop your luggage and your party on the terminal's first floor, then the driver parks at the overflow garage and rides a shuttle back.

The FAQ page, read the same day, describes the overflow differently: an off-site area at the civic center a few blocks away, with a police officer escorting you there and an air-conditioned shuttle bus back to the terminal. It adds that after the cruise, a shuttle takes you and your luggage back to your car.

Both pages agree on the order, which is to unload at the terminal first and park second. Staff direct you on the day.

Is it safe to leave your car at the Mobile cruise terminal?

The terminal's FAQ says yes. It says the parking garage is locked while the ship is away and monitored by security guards and cameras. The terminal as a whole operates under Department of Homeland Security guidelines, with oversight by the U.S. Coast Guard, and it does not let drop-off drivers park in the garage and wait.

Is there accessible cruise parking in Mobile?

Yes. The terminal's FAQ says there are handicap parking spaces on every level of the garage, at the same daily price as regular parking. The City of Mobile says a pedestrian tower with four elevators, an escalator and a stairwell links the deck to the terminal.

Disabled veterans park free. If your vehicle does not have a DV license plate, the terminal asks you to check in with a parking staff member after you park and to bring proof of eligibility.

The terminal guide covers Carnival's wheelchair help inside the building, including Scootaround rentals delivered on board.

Can you park an RV, a bus or a tall van for a Mobile cruise?

Yes. RVs and campers cost $46 a day and buses $69 a day when we checked the terminal's parking page on 4 November 2026. Anything that will not fit a regular space, 8 feet 6 inches tall by 8 feet 6 inches wide by 16 feet long, counts as oversized. Minivans, pickups and SUVs count as regular-sized.

Tall vehicles are where the terminal's two pages differ. The parking page says height-restricted vehicles that cannot fit a standard space are directed to oversize parking spaces inside the terminal. The FAQ says a vehicle over 8 feet 6 inches tall that still fits a standard width, such as a conversion van, is parked at the off-site lot for the regular-car price. If you are driving one, call the terminal on 251-338-7447 first.

Charter bus operators have their own rules under the terminal's tariff. Limousines, shuttles and buses pay no access fee to drop passengers off. To pick up, a charter bus paid a $60 access fee when we read the terminal's commercial vehicle page on 4 November 2026, unless it had parked at the terminal for the whole cruise. The terminal asks bus operators to be ready to pay by credit card or exact cash.

Can friends park and wait to see you off in Mobile?

No. The terminal operates under Homeland Security regulations and has no area where someone who is not sailing can park, wait and wave goodbye. A driver dropping you off cannot park in the garage to wait and will be asked to leave, so say goodbye while the bags come out.

For pickups, the terminal suggests calling your party and arriving once they have cleared customs. It names no separate waiting lot for drivers.

Does Mardi Gras affect cruise parking in Mobile?

The terminal's parking page and FAQ say nothing about Mardi Gras, and the City of Mobile's Mardi Gras parking page says nothing about the cruise terminal. The city's parade-season restrictions apply to on-street parking in areas marked with gold and purple signs, from two hours before each parade until two hours after it. Cars parked there may be towed.

The city does say parades fill downtown streets for weeks each season. It also puts its temporary impound lot for towed cars under the I-10 overpass on Water Street near Canal Street, close to where the terminal's directions leave I-10. If your cruise leaves during Mardi Gras season, check the city's parade schedule and routes before you set off.

Are there other places to park for a Mobile cruise?

The terminal names only its own deck and its overflow lot, and the City of Mobile's terminal page names only the 500-space deck. We have not found another lot that the terminal or the city points cruise passengers to. If you are staying in Mobile the night before, see the hotels guide.

For the drive in, see the driving guide. Flying in rather than driving? The airport guide covers getting from the airport to the terminal.