Cruise transfers, door to gangway

Which ports do you serve?

Southampton, the busiest cruise port in the country, with several cruise terminals along its docks. Dover, on the Kent coast. Portsmouth International Port. Harwich International in Essex. And the London International Cruise Terminal at Tilbury, on the Thames. Each port has a guide on this site with drive times from every London airport and practical notes on the terminals.

Timing the journey

Your cruise line gives you an embarkation window or a check-in time. We plan the pickup so you arrive at the start of it, with a margin for traffic. Southampton on a busy Saturday in summer can see several large ships turning around on the same day, and the roads into the docks slow down. We allow for that. Arriving too early is also unhelpful, because terminals often do not open their doors until the ship is ready.

Which terminal?

Southampton has several cruise terminals, and they are not next to each other. Tell us the ship and the cruise line; the terminal is usually named in your cruise documents. The chauffeur will go directly to the right one, where porters take the luggage at the kerb.

Luggage on a cruise

Cruise luggage is unlike airline luggage. There is no strict weight limit on most cruise lines, so passengers pack more: formal outfits, extra shoes, several days of clothes. Two people sailing for two weeks often carry four large cases. That fills a saloon. We usually suggest the V-Class for a couple with three or more cases, as well as for two couples or a family.

At the terminal, porters label and take your cases, and they are delivered to your cabin. Keep a small bag with medication, documents and a change of clothes with you.

Flying in and sailing the same day

Many passengers fly into Heathrow or Gatwick and go straight to the ship. That is a single booking with us: the chauffeur meets you in the arrivals hall and drives directly to the port. Allow a generous gap between landing and the end of embarkation, because a long queue at the UK border or a late flight can use up hours. Most cruise lines advise against same-day connections from long-haul flights for exactly this reason; an overnight stay near the port is the safer plan.

Disembarkation day

On the last morning of the cruise, passengers leave the ship in groups over several hours. Give us your expected disembarkation time, or your group number if you know it, and the chauffeur will be at the terminal. If you are flying home the same day, tell us the flight time; we will plan the route from the port to the airport with enough margin.

From an airport to the ship

Heathrow to Southampton is about 67 miles, mostly on the M3. Gatwick to Dover is around 80 miles via the M25 and M20. Stansted to Harwich is shorter, at about 54 miles. The drive-time table on this page lists every airport to every port.

Operation Brock and Dover traffic

Traffic management on the M20 in Kent, known as Operation Brock, is sometimes in place when cross-Channel traffic is heavy. It can slow the drive to Dover. We check for it before the journey and adjust the pickup time if needed.

Pre-cruise hotels

If you stay the night before the cruise in a hotel near the port, we can take you from London to the hotel one day and from the hotel to the terminal the next, or you can use a local taxi for the short final leg. Tell us your plan, and we will quote whichever works.

Tilbury and Harwich from London

Tilbury is the closest cruise terminal to London, on the north bank of the Thames in Essex, and for most London addresses the drive is around an hour. Harwich, on the Essex coast, is further, reached by the A12 and A120. Both are served by cruise lines sailing to Scandinavia, the Baltic and northern Europe. For passengers flying into Stansted, Harwich is the closest port.

Mobility and assistance at the port

Cruise terminals offer assistance for passengers with reduced mobility, usually booked through the cruise line. Tell us if you have arranged it, and the chauffeur will drop you at the assistance point and help with your luggage until the port staff take over. A folding wheelchair or a mobility scooter needs space in the vehicle; tell us its size.