Familiarize yourself with current parking prices. Go online to the Alabama Cruise Terminal's website or call for the most up-to-date pricing information. For example, as of November 2010, it costs $75 to park a car for five days. Bear in mind that parking is more expensive for larger vehicles such as buses and RVs.
Drive to the Alabama Cruise Terminal. Terminal personnel or a police officer should be available to direct you to the parking garage. The parking garage has 500 parking spaces available as well as six covered lanes for dropping off and picking up cruise passengers.
Unload your luggage. A stevedore will be on hand to help remove your luggage from your vehicle. The luggage will be tagged and taken to the ship and will be delivered to your cabin later in the day. Make sure documents that you will need in order to board the ship are with you, not in your luggage, before giving your bags to the stevedore.
Park your car. After unloading your baggage, proceed to the parking garage ramp and pay the parking fees. Find a parking spot, grab purses, camera bags and any other items you'll be taking with you, and lock the car. Walk over to the elevators or stairs and head to the terminal lobby, where you'll check in for your cruise and go through security screening.
Park your car in the alternate parking area. In the event that the terminal's parking garage is full, cruise passengers can park their vehicles at the nearby civic center parking area. Passengers should first unload their luggage with a stevedore at the terminal parking garage, then a police officer will escort them to the civic center parking area. After parking there, passengers will take a shuttle bus back to the Alabama Cruise Terminal and proceed to check in for the cruise.
