It’s one of the best-kept secrets in cruising. It can help save you hundreds on your next trip, and make it much easier come cruise day. That said, so few people take advantage of this tip that it’s seemingly criminal.
If you are driving to the Charleston for the cruise and plan to park your car for the trip, expect to shell out plenty of cash. Parking at the port costs $21 per day. In other words, if you are sailing on a week-long trip, you’re going to pay roughly $150 for parking before you even set foot on the ship.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Charleston is a tourist mecca, with an industry that caters to out-of-towners. That includes hotels.
And since the competition for your business is fierce, many hotels will go out of their way to offer perks to entice you to stay. The best one in our opinion? Free or discounted parking at the hotel during your cruise.
Below, we’ve rounded up a list of hotels in the Charleston area that we’ve found to offer park and cruise packages. This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list, but a good starting point. If you want to stay at a different hotel, simply give them a call to see if they will allow you to park.
Keep in mind that if you aren’t planning to stay at a hotel, then it’s not worth simply staying at one just to save on parking. But if you plan to stay anyway, definitely look into a hotel with a parking package to save some serious money.
Rates below are from a recent search for a Saturday night stay. Expect them to vary based on your specific dates. Click each hotel’s name to read reviews and get pricing on TripAdvisor.com. For parking packages you may have to book through the hotel’s website or call them.
Note: This article contains affiliate links to Kayak. We earn a commission for clicks made on their website, at no charge to you. Review ratings come from Google and are rounded to the nearest half point.
Charleston Hotels with Cruise Parking
Best Western Charleston Inn
Looking for somewhere that gets good reviews, is affordable, and lets you park for cheap? The Best Western Charleston Inn fits the bill. Just a few miles from the port, they offer cruise parking for $50 during your cruise if you stay the night before. There is also a shuttle to the cruise port for $30 per person, round trip. (You can also grab an Uber/Lyft). Considering that parking at the port is more $20 per day, that means you’ll save if your cruise is longer than two days.
- Price: $$
- Distance to Port: 5.5 miles
- Review Rating: 4 out of 5
Hotel Indigo Mount Pleasant
One of the newest hotels in Mount Pleasant (just a few miles from the port), Hotel Indigo offers a parking package that includes breakfast for two with transportation to and from the port. As well, guests can leave their car at the hotel during the entire cruise. The package is for two people. More than two will need to pay $20 extra for transportation. We suggest calling the hotel at 843-884-6000 to reserve.
- Price: $$-$$$
- Distance to Port: 4.5 miles
- Review Rating: 4 out of 5
Hampton Inn & Suites Charleston/Mt. Pleasant/Isle of Palms
Hampton Inn doesn’t show a parking package on their site. However, a quick phone call told us that parking is free during your cruise if you stay at the hotel the night before. You’ll want to find an Uber/Lyft to and from the port, but you don’t have to worry about those pesky parking fees.
Note: This hotel has informed us they no longer offer cruise parking.
- Price: $$-$$$
- Distance to Port: 10 miles
- Review Rating: 4.5 out of 5
DoubleTree by Hilton Charleston Mount Pleasant
Want free parking during your cruise? DoubleTree in Mount Pleasant offers exactly that. A phone call to the hotel said they don’t offer a package, but you can let the front desk know you want to park and leave your car for free while you cruise. You will need to arrange your own transportation to the port, which is about a 15-minute ride away. Still, you can save a lot while also staying at one of the highest-reviewed hotels in the area.
- Price: $$-$$$
- Distance to Port: 8 miles
- Review Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Courtyard North Charleston Airport/Coliseum
Another spot that offers free parking, this Courtyard gets great reviews and lets you leave your car while you cruise. Parking is free for up to five days (just let the front desk know at check-in) and then only $15 per day after that. It’s near the airport and about 10 miles from the cruise port, so you will need to arrange a ride with Uber/Lyft to get to and from the hotel. Still, you’ll save tons on parking at the port.
- Price: $$
- Distance to Port: 10.5 miles
- Review Rating: 4 out of 5
Hampton Inn & Suites Charleston/West Ashley
If you want to book the Hampton Inn’s parking package, you’ll need to call the hotel directly (843-573-1200). The package includes overnight accommodations, parking, breakfast, and round trip transfer to and from the port for two adults. During our search, rates for the package were about $50 higher than the regular rates, meaning if your cruise is three days or longer, you’ll save parking here instead of the cruise port.
- Price: $$
- Distance to Port: 7.5 miles
- Review Rating: 4 out of 5
Holiday Inn Express Charleston US Hwy 17 & I-526
With the “Don’t Miss the Boat” package, you’ll get parking at the hotel for your cruise and transportation for guests to and from the cruise terminal. Best of all, the average nightly rate is only about $40 higher than the typical room rate. Meanwhile, the hotel gets nearly 4.5 out of 5 on Google and is only about 10-15 minutes from the port.
- Price: $$
- Distance to Port: 6.5 miles
- Review Rating: 4.5 out of 5
TownePlace Suites Charleston Mt. Pleasant
A newer hotel that’s getting strong reviews, TownePlace Suites didn’t show a parking package on their website when we searched. However, a call to the hotel told us that you can park your car there while you cruise, free of charge. No transportation is provided, however. If you want to stay here, we do suggest calling to confirm that parking is allowed.
- Price: $$
- Distance to Port: 8 miles
- Review Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Cambria Mt. Pleasant
Trendy and stylish, the Cambria Hotel in Mt. Pleasant offers passengers a “Snooze Park Cruise” package. With that, you’ll get your night’s stay, parking during your cruise and a $25 Uber gift card for your transportation back and forth from the cruise port. Meanwhile, the hotel gets rave reviews, coming in at 4.5 out of 5 on Google.
- Price: $$
- Distance to Port: 8 miles
- Review Rating: 4.5 out of 5
La Quinta Inn & Suites Charleston Riverview
The location of the cruise port is in a relatively dense area, which means many hotels near the port don’t offer parking. Instead, if you get out of town just slightly, you’ll find many more options, like this La Quinta. This spot is relatively close and offers parking for $10 per day — less than half what’s charged at the cruise port.
- Price: $-$$
- Distance to Port: 3 miles
- Review Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Cambria Charleston Riverview
Sitting just across the river from downtown Charleston, this spot is literally minutes from the port. Even given the close location, a phone call to the hotel told us they offer free parking while you cruise if you stay the night before. You can simply let them know at check-in that you want to leave the car and they will take down your information. From there, you’ll need to take an Uber or taxi over the cruise port to catch the ship.
- Price: $$-$$$
- Distance to Port: 3 miles
- Review Rating: 4 out of 5
More on Cruising From Charleston
Getting to the Port of Charleston — Transportation options from airports and the Charleston area to the cruise port. Everything you need to know to get to the port and start your vacation.
Charleston Cruise Parking — Parking at the port? We’ve got you covered with all your parking options, including costs and discounts.
Dropping Off at the Port — Dropping off passengers? Not sure where to go once you get to the port? We have turn-by-turn directions to find your cruise terminal.
Charleston Cruise Hotels Near the Port — Getting in late? Leaving early? Simply need a place to rest your head? We’ve rounded up the options for places to stay near the port.
Guys I’m VERY PICKY AND cautious . When it comes to staying at Hotels! My sister and I went on a cruise this past September we stayed at a beautiful Holiday Inn One night then we stayed at the sleep Inn in Mount Pleasant the sleep Inn in Mount Pleasant was as nice as the holiday inn resort the sleep Inn is not extravagant but it is clean nice employees treat you with dignity . Free continental breakfast . You get Park and go ,leave your vehicle there for $96 can’t beat that! I said you’re my next cruise out of Charleston I would stay there and I am !
OK When you stayed at Sleep Inn did you have to get your own transportation to cruise port
I just got off the phone with them – their response when asked was, “We’re not honoring that anymore”. In addition, the Andrew Pickney Inn is also listed incorrectly as providing this service – the woman I spoke with sounded confused when I asked about it, and it sounded as if she wasn’t aware that they had ever done that. It’s looking like this isn’t a possibility in Charleston anymore.
Thanks for the comment. As mentioned, we double checked with the HI Express Mt. Pleasant and they said parking was offered. The Andrew Pinckney Inn offers this cruise parking package on their website: https://www.andrewpinckneyinn.com/offers/city-sea
The Holiday Inn Express Mt. Pleasant does NOT offer cruise parking as stated above.
We double checked by calling the hotel. They confirmed that they offer parking in their lot at no charge.
The link above for the Holiday Inn Express Charleston US-17 & I 526 takes you to the Holiday Inn Express Mt Pleasant (different hotel). Mt Pleasant does not provide park and cruise. However, you can individually search for the US-17 & I 526 which does provide the package.
Thanks for letting us know! We’ve updated the page.