Where to Park for a Carnival Cruise at Long Beach: Rates and Lots

Eric DawsonByEric Dawson Boats & Cruises

Carnival Cruise passengers sailing from Long Beach can park directly at the cruise terminal for $23 per day, though several cheaper alternatives exist nearby. The terminal garage operates on a first-come, first-served basis with no advance reservations, and height is capped at 7 feet. Starting at $8.99 per day, the Courtyard Long Beach Garage is 0.5 miles from the cruise port and has no shuttle service. Drivers can also use the city-run Queen Mary lot, book a hotel park-and-cruise package, or arrange parking online through the ParkWhiz platform. This comparison covers every option by price, location, and vehicle restrictions so travelers can pick the lot that fits their budget and cruise length.

How Much Does Long Beach Cruise Terminal Parking Cost

Long Beach Cruise Terminal parking costs $23.00 per day for a standard vehicle in the on-site parking structure. Drivers who only need a short stop pay far less, since the first 30 minutes are free, 31 to 59 minutes cost $4.00, and one to two hours cost $8.00.

Rates climb quickly for anyone staying beyond that two-hour window, because the terminal charges the flat $23.00 daily rate for a full parking day. A seven-day cruise costs $161.00 in on-site parking alone, before any tips or add-on fees. Passengers with oversized vehicles that use more than one parking space cannot park in the terminal garage and must make alternate off-site parking arrangements.

Terminal parking accepts cash and credit cards, with the full balance due when the vehicle exits, and Long Beach does not accept advance reservations for the cruise terminal garage. Drivers with billing questions can call the terminal parking line directly at (800) 764-7419.

What Height and Vehicle Restrictions Apply at the Terminal

The Long Beach Cruise Terminal garage enforces a strict 7 foot (7’0″) height limit, and any vehicle taller than that cannot enter the structure. Drivers of trucks, vans, or vehicles carrying roof boxes need an alternate parking plan before arrival.

Vehicles using more than one parking space cannot park in the garage and must make alternate offsite parking arrangements. The terminal garage has room for 1,450 parking spaces, but capacity may be limited for affected sailings. Carnival urged affected guests to use alternate transportation that does not require parking.

Call (800) 764-7419 with parking questions before driving to the terminal.

Where to Park for a Carnival Cruise in Long Beach

The Courtyard Long Beach Garage starts at $8.99 per day and is 0.5 miles from the cruise port. Independent operators near the port compete directly with the cruise terminal garage on price and convenience.

At $8.99 per day, the Courtyard Long Beach Garage sits about half a mile from the terminal, making it one of the cheapest options within walking distance. Rightway Parking charges $13.99 per day or more, but includes a complimentary shuttle and a guaranteed space, and its own estimates put potential savings at $60.00 to $100.00 over a seven-day cruise compared with parking at the terminal. Both operators, along with most other off-site lots, offer gated access and 24 hour security.

Booking ahead is possible at most off-site lots, unlike at the terminal itself. ParkWhiz operates as a booking platform for several Long Beach area lots, including arrangements tied to the Queen Mary lot, and reservations can be made online before the trip. Travelers who book through a participating off-site operator before December 31, 2026 can apply the promo code CRUISELB7 for an additional $7.00 off. Shuttle transfers from off-site lots can add 30 to 45 minutes to embarkation, so drivers should build that buffer into their arrival schedule.

How Does the Queen Mary Lot Compare for Cruise Parking

The Queen Mary lot, run by the City of Long Beach, charges up to $25.00 per day and sits right next to the ship at 1126 Queens Highway. Short stays cost less, since the first 20 minutes are free and 21 to 59 minutes cost $10.00, with the $25.00 rate serving as the daily maximum.

Overnight hotel guests pay a flat $30.00 rate instead of the standard daily maximum, and diners with a restaurant validation receive a $10.00 discount off their ticket. The lot offers self-parking only, positioned directly next to the Queen Mary’s entrance, which makes it convenient for travelers who want to combine sightseeing with their cruise departure.

Queen Mary Stay and Cruise Packages

Queen Mary’s stay and cruise package pairs an overnight stay aboard the ship with extended parking for the length of the cruise, reserved online before the trip. As of September 2026, parking reservations through this package cover sailings from January through June 2026, and Queen Mary directs overflow to the adjacent Carnival Cruise garage if its own lot fills.

Guests can arrange the package through the ParkWhiz platform or by calling (800) 764-7419 for current pricing. Anyone planning a cruise later than June 2026 should call ahead, since availability beyond that window was not confirmed at the time of research.

Which Hotels Offer Park and Cruise Packages

Four Long Beach hotels pair a one-night stay with several days of free parking for cruise passengers: Hotel Maya, Hotel Current, Hilton Long Beach, and the Cove Hotel. Each package bundles lodging, parking, and a shuttle to the terminal into one rate.

  • Hotel Maya: package rates start at $229.00 and include seven nights of complimentary parking plus shuttle service.
  • Hotel Current: the Snooze and Cruise package includes one night of lodging and seven days of parking with shuttle service.
  • Hilton Long Beach: the Park, Stay and Go package includes one night at the hotel followed by seven nights of parking and shuttle service.
  • Cove Hotel, Ascend Hotel Collection: bundles an overnight stay with multi-day parking and shuttle service.

These packages sometimes cost only slightly more than paying for terminal parking alone on a seven-day sailing, once the included hotel night gets factored in. Weighing the total package price against the $161.00 that a week of terminal parking would cost on its own helps determine which option saves more.

How Do the Parking Options Compare at a Glance

The table below lines up every Long Beach cruise parking option by price and key restrictions as of September 2026. Rates for on-site and off-site lots come directly from each operator’s posted pricing.

Parking Option Rate Key Details
Cruise terminal (on-site) $23.00/day First-come, first-served; 1,450 spaces; 7 foot height limit
Short-term terminal Free to $8.00 0-30 min free; 31-59 min $4.00; 1-2 hrs $8.00
Oversized vehicles (surface) Off-site arrangements required For vehicles exceeding standard space dimensions
Queen Mary lot $0 to $25.00/day 0-20 min free; 21-59 min $10.00; $25.00 daily max; $30.00 overnight for hotel guests
Rightway Parking (off-site) $13.99+/day Shuttle included; advance booking; guaranteed spot
Courtyard Long Beach (off-site) $8.99/day 0.5 miles from the terminal
Hotel Maya package $229.00+ 7 nights parking plus 1 night stay and shuttle
Hotel Current package Varies 1 night stay plus 7 days parking and shuttle
Hilton Long Beach package Varies 1 night stay plus 7 nights parking and shuttle

Hotel Current and Hilton Long Beach did not publish fixed package prices at the time of research, so travelers should confirm current rates directly with each property before booking.

What Caused the May 2026 Parking Capacity Crisis at Long Beach

A parking capacity crisis hit the Long Beach Cruise Terminal on May 28 and 29, 2026, when two ships departed on back-to-back days and overwhelmed the garage. Carnival Radiance, carrying 2,984 passengers, and Carnival Firenze, carrying 4,126 passengers, together accounted for nearly 7,000 travelers competing for 1,450 parking spaces.

The terminal’s parking structure was built decades ago for smaller ships, and it never grew to match modern vessels that regularly carry more than 4,000 passengers. Long Beach’s constrained waterfront geography also limits how much the facility can expand, so the mismatch between ship size and parking supply is likely to resurface on other high-capacity sailing days.

Passengers were urged to rethink their arrival plan for that week, since the standard advice to simply arrive early no longer guaranteed a spot. That shift pushed many travelers toward the alternatives covered in the next section, and it exposed how little slack the terminal has left for its busiest sailing days.

What Alternatives Does Carnival Recommend for Getting to the Terminal

Carnival recommends four alternatives to driving and parking at the Long Beach terminal: public transit, ride-share, off-site parking with a shuttle, and carpooling with other passengers. The recommendation followed the May 2026 capacity crunch, but it applies on any sailing day when parking demand runs high.

The Passport transit line runs to the Queen Mary area near the terminal, giving passengers a no-parking option straight to the port. Ride-share pickup through Uber or Lyft avoids the parking question entirely, though drop-off traffic can back up on peak departure mornings. Carpooling with fellow passengers cuts the number of vehicles competing for the terminal’s 1,450 spaces, and it splits whatever parking fee the group does pay. Combining one of these options with an early arrival time gives the most reliable path through embarkation on a busy sailing day.

How Much Can Drivers Save with a Seven Day Parking Example

A seven-day Carnival cruise from Long Beach costs $161.00 in terminal parking alone, calculated from the $23.00 daily rate, and off-site lots can cut that total roughly in half. The figures below use each operator’s posted per-day rate to show the real difference over a full week.

Parking at the Courtyard Long Beach garage for seven days costs $62.93, based on its $8.99 daily rate, which saves $98.07 compared with the terminal. Rightway Parking at $13.99 per day comes to $97.93 for the week, a savings of $63.07 before any discount, and applying the CRUISELB7 promo code lowers that total by another $7.00 to $90.93. Both figures land inside the $60.00 to $100.00 in savings that Rightway itself advertises for a seven-day cruise.

Hotel Maya’s package starts at $229.00, which is $68.00 more than seven days of terminal parking on its own, but that price includes a hotel room for the night before the cruise. Travelers who need a pre-cruise hotel stay anyway effectively get a week of parking for a small premium over the room rate alone, while those who do not need a room save more by choosing Courtyard or Rightway instead.

Back in 2019, in Columbus, I took a used 2014 Honda Fit with 61,000 miles and let the dealer add a $1,395 service contract; six years on, I have never made a claim. That expensive lesson in optimistic paperwork is why, for Long Beach cruise parking savings, I would check whether the bargain requires a walk or offers a shuttle before counting it as savings.

This guide does not promise a shuttle timetable; allow extra time for any off-site transfer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Reserve Parking at the Long Beach Cruise Terminal in Advance?

No, the Long Beach Cruise Terminal garage operates strictly first-come, first-served, and it does not accept advance reservations. Arriving early does not guarantee terminal parking, since the 1,450 spaces can fill on busy sailing days. Off-site lots and the Queen Mary lot, by contrast, generally do accept advance bookings.

Is There Free Parking Near the Long Beach Cruise Terminal?

There is no free full-day parking directly at the terminal, though the first 30 minutes are free for drop-off. The Queen Mary lot offers a similar grace period, with the first 20 minutes at no charge. Longer stays at either location require payment of the posted short-term or daily rate.

What Happens if My Vehicle Is Taller than 7 Feet?

Vehicles taller than 7 feet cannot enter the covered terminal garage because of its strict height limit. Drivers in that situation need to arrange parking at an outdoor surface lot or an off-site facility instead. Calling the terminal parking line at (800) 764-7419 ahead of time helps confirm which options can accommodate a taller vehicle.

How Far in Advance Should I Book Off-Site Parking?

Exact lead times vary by operator, but booking as soon as travel dates are confirmed is the safest approach for off-site lots such as Rightway Parking. Early booking helps lock in a guaranteed spot and the shuttle service that come standard with most off-site reservations, unlike the terminal’s first-come approach. Confirming the shuttle schedule at booking time also avoids a scramble on embarkation day.

Does the Promo Code CRUISELB7 Work at Every Off-Site Lot?

The CRUISELB7 code applies to participating off-site parking bookings through December 31, 2026, and it takes $7.00 off the total. It is tied to specific operators rather than every lot near the port, so travelers should check that their chosen provider accepts it before checkout. The discount stacks with already reduced off-site rates, adding to the savings over terminal parking.

Choosing where to park for a Long Beach Carnival cruise comes down to a straightforward tradeoff between price and convenience. Terminal parking wins on simplicity despite its higher cost, while off-site lots and hotel packages reward travelers willing to book ahead and ride a shuttle. Checking rates and reservations close to the sailing date, especially on days when more than one large ship departs, remains the best way to avoid a parking scramble at the port.

References

Sources read in September 2026.

Eric Dawson

I'm Eric Dawson, and I write The Money Watch from north Columbus, Ohio. Most of what I cover comes from my own life: renting, a 2014 Honda Fit, parking, computers, food and the bills behind all of it. I spent four years in an apartment-property office and eleven on a distributor's operations desk, reading leases and invoices. Where you need real information, I research the maker's or agency's own page and independent sources and report what they publish. I don't give tax, investment, legal or medical advice.