Before you can begin your cruise on the Carnival Valor, you’ll need sort out parking for your car. There are several parking options available including stay-and-park hotels, parking at the port of New Orleans, and parking in an off-site parking garage. But the best option for Carnival Valor parking can be found at the Erato Street Cruise Terminal. This multi-function building not only contains the Carnival cruise terminal, but also provides long-term parking for the Carnival Valor.
Carnival Valor Parking
This article covers everything you need to know about parking at the Port of New Orleans. Topics covered include:
- Navigating to the Port of New Orleans
- Finding the Cruise Terminal
- Parking Rates
- Oversized Vehicles
- Luggage Attendants
- Reservations
- Discounts
- Embarkation onto the Carnival Valor
1. Navigating to the Port of New Orleans
The closest overnight parking for the Carnival Valor can be found at the Erato Street terminal at Port New Orleans. As the designated terminal for all Carnival ships departing from New Orleans, Erato Street offers convenient and secure parking during your cruise vacation. The easiest way to navigate to the port is by searching for Erato Street Terminal on your GPS. But you can also enter the full address of you prefer.
Carnival Valor Parking
Erato Street Cruise Terminal
1100 Port of New Orleans Pl, New Orleans, LA 70130.
2. Finding the Cruise Terminal
If you’ve never cruised out of Port New Orleans, you may feel apprehensive about finding your way. But there’s no need to worry; navigating to the cruise terminal is a breeze if you know what to look for. Once you enter the port, you’ll want to drive straight until you see a sign telling you which direction to go. Now this sign is going to be nearly impossible to miss; it’s literally installed on the side directly in front of your car.
When you reach this 3-way stop, take a moment to read the sign. It will tell you exactly which direction to go based on your cruise line. For the Carnival Valor, you’ll need to turn left. Continue down this road until you approach a parking attendant waiting in the road. This person is stationed here to verify that you’re sailing on Carnival and point you to the entrance to the parking garage.
3. Carnival Valor Parking Prices
Parking for the Carnival Valor begins on the 3rd level of the Erato Street terminal. You’ll take a circular ramp from the street into the parking garage, where another parking attendant will be stationed to collect your payment. Parking rates are $25 per day for cars or $40 per day for oversized vehicles and can be paid with cash, credit or debit card.
You’ll want to have your boarding pass handy as you enter the garage. In addition to collecting your payment, the parking attendant also needs to verify that you’re booked on the ship sailing out of the cruise terminal. They also use this information to calculate your parking costs.
4-day cruise – $100 / $160
5-day cruise – $125 / $200
6-day cruise – $150 / $240
7-day cruise – $175 / $280
Rates taken from the New Orleans Port Authority website and are accurate as of November 17, 2023.
4. Oversized Vehicles
Oversized vehicles are not allowed at the Erato Street Cruise Terminal. However, there is a special parking lot for RVs, buses and trailers on Poydras Street, which is near the other cruise terminal at Port Nola. You’ll want to call the Port Authority to reserve one of these spaces and arrange for transportation from the parking lot to the cruise terminal.
You’ll want to drop your luggage off at the cruise terminal before heading to the oversized vehicle lot. SkyCap luggage attendants are available outside the cruise terminal making it convenient to handover any checked baggage.
After dropping off your luggage, you’ll continue on to the oversized vehicle lot to park. Transportation from the parking lot back to the cruise terminal is provided by the Port Authority.
5. SeaCap Attendants
Once you arrive at the cruise terminal, a team of dedicated luggage attendants will be on hand to assist you with your bags. SeaCap luggage attendants are stationed outside the cruise terminal to assist passengers who are being dropped off. However, additional porters located inside the parking garage to assist cruisers who are parking at the cruise terminal.
After paying your parking fees, you’ll enter the garage on the 3rd level where the porters are waiting to collect your suitcases. assist passengers before they park You’ll want to be ready to hand-over your luggage as soon as you enter the garage. This means, your bags should be closed with a cruise line luggage tag attached to each handle. Luggage tags can be secured to your suitcase with tape, however an inexpensive luggage tag holder will be more secure.
Anything you plan to carry onboard should be removed from your bags, including your boarding passes and passports. When we parked at this garage there were several cruisers who had not done this preparation and were sorting through suitcases while cars squeezed past them. You’ll want to avoid this headache and have everything ready when you arrive at the port.
Remember to tip these attendants for their services. They play a crucial role in making your embarkation as smooth as possible. $2 – $3 per bag is considered acceptable.
6. Reservations
Reservations are not accepted for the Erato Street Parking Garage, meaning that parking there is first-come, first-served. Despite this, the port authority guarantees that you will be able to park at the port, thanks to overflow parking lots that can be used when necessary.
The Erato Street garage boasts 1,000 parking spaces, which usually mitigates the need for overflow parking. But parking here is not like parking at Disney World. There are passengers leaving the ship who are removing their cars as you’re entering to begin your cruise. So if the first level you drive through looks full, don’t panic. The open spots are spread out throughout the garage.
7. Discounts
Who doesn’t love a good discount? Most cruisers will want any discounts they can find on parking. Unfortunately, the only discount offered by the port authority is for disable veterans. These cruisers can receive free parking for up to 7 days. But there are a few caveats that you’ll want to keep in mind.
- You have to request free parking when you arrive at the garage. No refunds are provided once you’ve paid to park.
- You have to have at least a 50% service related disability to qualify.
- You have to prove your claim when you arrive at the parking garage. Acceptable documentation includes:
- A letter from the VA stating your status as a disabled vet and your disability percentage.
- A disabled veteran license plate on the car that you’ll be parking.
- Or, another form of verification that shows your disability percentage.
- The disabled veteran must be in the car when requesting the discount.
- The disabled veteran must be booked on the cruise. You’ll use your boarding pass to meet this requirement.
- Only one car per disabled veteran is eligible for free parking.
8. Embarkation onto the Carnival Valor
Once you’ve parked your car, you’ll want to gather up your carry-on luggage and boarding passes, and then head to the elevators to go down to the cruise terminal to begin your embarkation onto the Carnival Valor. It is possible to go up several levels without actually seeing the elevators, but rest assured there are elevators available on each level.
Although embarkation takes place on the 2nd floor of the terminal, you’ll need to go to the ground level to join the line of passengers boarding the ship. Once you reach the ground floor, cruise personnel will direct you to the right line. Be sure to have your boarding pass available when you exit the elevators to avoid causing any delays.
Navigating to the Port of New Orleans is a straightforward process when armed with the right information. By understanding the logistics of reaching the cruise terminal, paying for parking and finding a spot you’ll be ready for fun in the sun on your Carnival Valor cruise vacation.
