Brisbane cruise ship parking

So you're going on a cruise! You will be entertained, wined and dined and love relaxing by the pool with a cocktail in hand.

Your waistline will expand and your wallet will shrink, but what happens at sea stays at sea, right? All worldly problems will disappear as the Brisbane skyline vanishes over the horizon. Let the fun begin.

Before boarding, however, you will have the task of getting yourself and your friends or family to the terminal. In Brisbane, you will be boarding either from Portside Wharf Cruise Terminal in Hamilton, 10-15 min drive northeast of Brisbane CBD, or the Multi-User Terminal (F1 Grain) in Fisherman Island, a 30 min drive East of the CDB at the Port of Brisbane grain wharf.

Currently under construction is the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal (BICT) at Luggage Point, northeast of the CBD and next door to Brisbane Airport. This new terminal will be able to facilitate the mega cruise ships and is due for completion in 2020.

If you’re planning to drive to one of these terminals, you will need to decide on where to park - which can be an expensive proposition, especially within city zones. You will want to ensure the car is secure but not cost more than your holiday!

Parking options

If your boarding at Portside Wharf Cruise Terminal, there is a bus stop, city cat ferry stop and taxi rank all within 300 metres of the terminal.

If you do find a really good parking deal in Brisbane, there are transport facilities available to get to and from the terminal.

You really are spoilt for choice though with cruise parking close to Portside Wharf. Parking is available just 100 metres from the terminal, with shuttle service. At the time of publication, indoor parking fees here started at $50 a day and weekly parking is $110.

Gateway Airport & Cruise Parking, located just down the road from the terminal, have undercover parking for $24 a day or weekly at $95. They also offer a shuttle service and can even facilitate car cleaning, servicing and repairs.

Other options include Kingsford Smith Airport Parking in Eagle Farm, as well as Secure Parking and Wilson Parking, both of which have operations that are a short Uber ride from the terminal.

The mega cruise ships are too large to dock in Hamilton so, until the BICT is completed, you have to board and disembark at the Muti-User Terminal (F1 Grain) at Fisherman Island.

There is no parking available at this terminal, so the cruise ship companies arrange shuttles to and from Brisbane CBD. But this is the CBD, so while parking spots are available, get in early and book online.

There are some parking options in Wynnum, which is the closest suburb, around a $20 cab ride away. The options appear to be storage facilities and private business owners offering vehicle parking

Scoring a good parking deal means doing your homework. The best deals are to be found online and you should book ahead of time to secure your parking spot and price.

It’s worth mentioning the parking apps that are available. Both ParkMe and Parkopedia show numerous parking options within a search area, including the cost, and Parkhound is another useful-looking app where hosts rent spare parking spaces for a fee. You could score a space here from around the $55-a-week mark.

There are other sites that do offer discounted deals, including Parkingdealsaustralia.com.au. At the time of publication they were offering Brisbane cruise parking rates from $59 per week. $88 per week will get you an undercover spot in a secure location and $125 will do you for two weeks. A shuttle bus service will get you directly to the terminal.

A holiday should start from when you leave home. It’s worth getting online early and finding the best parking deal because once you have secured a sweet parking deal it will only be smooth sailing ahead and that cocktail will be in your hand before you know it.