Cruises out of Mobile, AL: the terminal, parking and Carnival's 2026–2027 ships

The Mobile cruise port

Mobile has one cruise terminal, the Alabama Cruise Terminal, owned by the City of Mobile. It sits on Water Street on the edge of downtown, by the Mobile River, with a parking garage built into the same complex. Carnival is the only line that starts cruises here.

In recent years Mobile has been a seasonal port: a Carnival ship for the cooler half of the year, then nothing. That changes in May 2027, when Carnival Valor moves in for year-round sailings.

Terminal

Alabama Cruise Terminal, 201 S Water St, Mobile, AL 36602

Parking

Covered garage at the terminal, $23 a day for a standard vehicle (checked September 2026)

Lines

Carnival

Ships

Carnival Spirit (late October 2026 to late March 2027), Carnival Valor (year round from May 15, 2027)

Trip lengths

Mostly 6 to 8 days, plus a few 9- to 14-day trips

Mobile cruise terminal parking

• Terminal garage: a multi-story garage with about 500 covered spaces is part of the terminal complex; the entry line is on Eslava Street. You drop your bags at the curb, park and walk over. The garage is locked except on embarkation and debarkation days, and gates open at 10 a.m. for boarding. The terminal lists $23 a day for a standard vehicle, $46 for RVs and campers and $69 for buses (checked September 2026). You can prepay online, pay by text or in the Premium Parking app, or use the kiosk (exact cash, no bills over $50). Disabled veterans park free.
• Size limits: standard spaces fit vehicles up to 8 feet 6 inches tall and 16 feet long. Anything bigger goes in the oversize spaces inside the terminal.
• Hotel park-and-cruise: a few downtown hotels are within walking distance and sell parking for the length of the cruise.
• Drop-off: taxis and rideshares can drop you at the terminal’s covered drop-off area.

Getting there

• By car: the terminal is downtown, a couple of blocks from I-10 exit 26A (Canal Street). That puts it within an easy drive of Pensacola, Biloxi, Gulfport and much of southern Alabama and Mississippi.
• By air: Mobile’s airline service is moving. Delta, United and American are switching from Mobile Regional Airport (MOB), on the city’s far west side, to the new Mobile International Airport (BFM) at the Brookley Aeroplex, much closer to downtown. The airport authority planned the new terminal for fall 2026, with first flights by November, so check which airport your ticket uses. Flights are limited either way; if you’re flying, compare fares into New Orleans or Pensacola too.

Staying the night before

If you’re driving from within about three hours, you can arrive on the day. From farther away, stay downtown: several hotels are close enough to walk to the terminal, and downtown Mobile has plenty of places to eat the night before.

Which cruise lines sail out of Mobile, AL?

Only Carnival. In 2026–2027 that means two ships, one after the other:

• Carnival Spirit, late October 2026 to late March 2027. Spirit arrives at the end of a 16-night Panama Canal cruise from Seattle that leaves on October 8, 2026. Most of its Mobile season is 6- and 8-night Bahamas trips calling at Celebration Key, Princess Cays and, on the longer ones, Key West and Nassau. It also runs a 14-night southern Caribbean trip in January 2027 and a 9-night western Caribbean trip in March, then leaves Mobile on a 16-night Panama Canal cruise.
• Carnival Valor, from May 15, 2027. A Conquest-class ship moving over from New Orleans, the first of its class to sail from Mobile. It will run 6- to 8-day sailings year round, including Bahamas trips with calls at Carnival’s destinations Celebration Key and RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay, plus western Caribbean weeks and two 14-day Journeys cruises.

Royal Caribbean doesn’t sail from Mobile. For Royal Caribbean, Norwegian or more Carnival choice, drive to New Orleans.

• Carnival Cruise LineCarnival Spirit sails a winter season from late October 2026 to late March 2027, then Carnival Valor sails year round from May 2027. Mostly 6- to 8-day Bahamas and western Caribbean trips.
  From $336 per personChecked October 2026

Sample sailings from Mobile, 2026–2027. From-prices per person, checked October 2026.

Departs	Line and ship	Nights	Itinerary	From	Link
Mar 20, 2027	Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Spirit	9	9 Day Carnival Journeys Western Caribbea (from Mobile, Alabama)	$829	Check price
Sep 12, 2027	Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Valor	6	6 Day Bahamas (from Mobile, Alabama)	$336	Check price
Sep 26, 2027	Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Valor	14	Journeys - 14 Day Caribbean & Panama (from Mobile, Alabama)	$1,079	Check price
Nov 13, 2027	Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Valor	7	7 Day Bahamas (from Mobile, Alabama)	$417	Check price
Nov 20, 2027	Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Valor	7	7 Day Western Caribbean (from Mobile, Alabama)	$649	Check price
Dec 19, 2027	Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Valor	8	8 Day Western Caribbean (from Mobile, Alabama)	$749	Check price
Jan 8, 2028	Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Valor	8	8 Day Bahamas (from Mobile, Alabama)	$422	Check price
Jan 16, 2028	Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Valor	14	Carnival Journeys - Southern Caribbean (from Mobile, Alabama)	$1,117	Check price
Jan 30, 2028	Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Valor	6	6 Day Western Caribbean (from Mobile, Alabama)	$379	Check price

Want more choice? The nearest bigger port

New Orleans is about 145 miles west on I-10, two and a half to three hours by car. It has several Carnival ships, plus Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, and it runs short 4- and 5-night trips. Galveston and Tampa are further away; we don’t cover Texas or Florida ports.

Best cruises from Mobile by season

• Late October 2026 to March 2027: Carnival Spirit. 6- and 8-night Bahamas trips. The 6-night sailings stick to Celebration Key and Princess Cays; the 8-night ones add Key West and Nassau. A Bahamas trip from the Gulf means more sea days than a western Caribbean one, since you sail around the tip of Florida.
• From May 2027: Carnival Valor, year round. 6- to 8-day sailings to the Bahamas, including Celebration Key and RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay, and to the western Caribbean.
• Special sailings. Valor’s schedule includes a 7-day Thanksgiving cruise on November 20, 2027 (Key West, Nassau and Celebration Key) and two 14-day Journeys trips: Caribbean and Panama in September 2027 and the southern Caribbean in January 2028.

Three insider picks

1. Spring 2027 is a gap. Carnival Spirit leaves Mobile at the end of March 2027, and Carnival Valor doesn’t start until May 15, 2027. If you want a cruise in April or early May 2027, look at New Orleans.

2. Valor is the better bet if you can wait. From May 2027, sailings run every week of the year, so you’ll have more dates to pick from, and western Caribbean trips return. Carnival Valor and Carnival Spirit are both older, mid-size ships, so don’t expect the newest Carnival features on either. Our Carnival guide covers how they compare with the newer ships.

3. Late deals work here. Mobile is a drive-to port, so if you can go at short notice, a cheap late sailing is easy to take. See our last-minute cruise deals guide.

Mobile cruise FAQ

What cruise lines sail out of Mobile, AL?

Only Carnival. Carnival Spirit sails from late October 2026 to late March 2027, and Carnival Valor sails year round from May 15, 2027.

Are there Royal Caribbean cruises out of Mobile, AL?

No. The nearest Royal Caribbean home port we cover is New Orleans. See our Royal Caribbean guide.

How much is parking at the Mobile cruise terminal?

The terminal’s covered garage costs $23 a day for a standard vehicle, $46 for RVs and campers and $69 for buses (checked September 2026). You can prepay online or by text, and disabled veterans park free.

Are there 3-day cruises from Mobile, AL?

Not on the 2026–2027 schedule. Mobile trips are about 6 to 8 days, with a few longer ones. For shorter trips, see our short cruises guide.

Do I need a passport for a cruise from Mobile?

On a round trip that starts and ends in Mobile, U.S. citizens can usually sail with an original birth certificate and a government-issued photo ID. A passport is the safer choice in case you need to fly home from a foreign port, and check the rules for any one-way trip, such as Spirit’s Panama Canal cruises, which don’t start and end in the same U.S. port. More in our no-passport cruises guide.