Southampton is the UK's main cruise port and the one we run to most often. It has several separate cruise terminals — Ocean, Mayflower, QEII and Horizon — spread across the docks rather than gathered in one building. Which one you need depends on your ship, and it is printed on your cruise documents.
Getting the terminal right
This matters more at Southampton than at most places. The terminals are a drive apart inside a working dock estate, not a short walk, and on a busy embarkation day the traffic between them is slow. Check your terminal on your cruise line's paperwork and give it to us when you book. If your documents have not arrived yet, book the journey anyway and call us with the terminal when you have it.
Timing your journey
Cruise lines allocate boarding times, and arriving well before yours usually means queueing rather than boarding early. We plan the run so you arrive close to your slot, with time in hand for the M3 rather than time spent standing in a terminal.
- London to Southampton — typically around two hours, longer at peak times and on summer weekends
- Heathrow to Southampton — a straightforward run down the M3, frequently booked by passengers flying in the day before
- Gatwick to Southampton — usually longer, across the south rather than straight down the motorway
Saturday is the busiest embarkation day at Southampton, with several ships turning round at once. If you are travelling on one, allow extra time for the dock roads.
Luggage
Cruise passengers carry more luggage than any other group we move, and the mistake we see most often is booking a car sized for the number of people rather than the number of cases. Two passengers on a fortnight's cruise routinely have two large suitcases each plus hand luggage. Tell us the case count when you book and we will send something that takes it.
For groups travelling together, a minibus keeps the party and the luggage in one vehicle rather than splitting across two cars that then arrive separately at the terminal.
Coming home
Disembarkation is staggered by colour-coded luggage groups, so the time you are actually off the ship can be an hour or more after the ship docks. Give us your disembarkation time rather than the docking time, and if it moves on the day, call us. Return journeys from Southampton are pre-booked in exactly the same way as the outbound leg, and most people book both at once.
Flying in before a cruise
A good number of our Southampton bookings start at Heathrow or Gatwick, either straight from the airport to the ship or to a hotel the night before. If you are flying in on the morning of embarkation, give us your flight number so we can monitor the arrival; a delayed inbound flight on a sailing day is worth us knowing about early.
Booking your Southampton Cruise Port transfer
Every journey is arranged and accepted in advance. We are a licensed private hire operator, not a street-hail taxi service, so cars cannot be flagged down or picked up from a rank.
When you request a journey, please give us:
- The passenger name and a contact telephone number
- Correct pickup and destination addresses
- The date and required pickup time
- The number of passengers, and the amount and size of luggage
- Flight or sailing details where they apply
- Any accessibility requirements that affect the vehicle we send
The price shown when you book is an estimate based on what you tell us. Our office confirms the final price before you travel, and it does not change afterwards because of traffic or a longer route.