Cruise days start early and run to a timetable you don't control. The ship sails at five, but the cruise line gave you a boarding slot at noon, and the port is two hours away from Bermondsey on a good day. Miss the slot and you're in a queue. Most cruise port transfers London passengers book with us are to Southampton, with Dover and Tilbury making up the rest, and every one of them is planned backwards from that boarding time.
Three ports and how far each is
Southampton is the main one. It's roughly two hours from central London via the M3, longer from the east. The port has several cruise terminals spread along the docks, and the one you need depends on the ship, so the terminal name on your documents matters.
Dover is south-east, around two hours via the A2 and M2, with the cruise terminals at the Western Docks. It's popular for northern Europe and Baltic sailings.
Tilbury is the close one. The London International Cruise Terminal is on the Thames in Essex, usually under an hour from east and central London via the A13. Smaller ships use it, and the short run makes it an easy start to a holiday. The Dartford Crossing is close by too, so passengers from south-east London can reach it quickly, with the crossing charge shown on the quote.
Boarding slots and timing
Cruise lines now give most passengers an arrival window. Turn up early and you may wait outside. Turn up late and you can lose your place in the queue. We plan the pickup so you arrive near the start of your slot, with a buffer for traffic.
That buffer matters most on Southampton turnaround days. Several big ships can be changing passengers on the same morning, and the roads into the port get busy with coaches, taxis and passengers' own cars all heading for the same gates. Saturday and Sunday sailings in summer are the slowest. On the M3, a closed lane near Winchester can add half an hour without warning.
Cruise port transfers London passengers combine with a flight
Plenty of cruise passengers fly into London first. Heathrow to Southampton is the common route, about an hour and a half via the M25 and M3 on a normal day. Flying in on the morning of the sailing is risky, because a late flight or a slow passport queue eats the margin. Arriving the day before, staying in a hotel near the airport or in Southampton, and taking a transfer in the morning is the safer plan.
We can do that in one booking. Collection at Heathrow, drop at a hotel, and pickup the next morning for the port. Or straight through on the day, if the timings really work.
Gatwick passengers have a similar run. Gatwick to Southampton is usually around an hour and a half, via the M23, M25 and M3 or across on the A27 and M27, and Gatwick to Dover is a similar distance east along the M25 and M20. Both are easier the day before than the morning of sailing.
Many overseas passengers spend a few days in London before a cruise, and the transfer then starts from a hotel rather than an airport. Central hotels often have limited stopping space outside, so give us the hotel name and we'll check where the vehicle can pull in.
For groups, a single transfer from the hotel to the port is usually much easier than everyone finding their own way to Waterloo for a train to Southampton with three cases each.
Cruise luggage
Cruise luggage is in a different league from airport luggage. Nobody weighs it, so people pack formal wear, extra shoes and a case for shopping on the way home. Four people can easily have eight large cases.
So tell us the real number. A couple travelling alone usually fit an 8-seater with room to spare. A group of ten with cruise luggage may need a 16-seater with empty seats, or a mini coach with a hold. Mobility aids are common on cruises. Folding wheelchairs and travel mobility scooters need space and sometimes a ramp. Tell us the make or the folded size, and we'll check it fits with the cases.
At the terminal, porters normally take checked cases from the kerb, so the driver will help you unload and then you're free to head inside with your hand luggage.
Disembarkation day
Coming home is planned differently. Ships usually dock early in the morning, and passengers leave in groups over a couple of hours. Your disembarkation time depends on the group the cruise line gives you, so we plan the pickup around that rather than the docking time.
Ring or text the driver once you're through the terminal with your bags. If the ship is late into port, the driver adjusts. A ship's delay is rarely a surprise by the time you're off.
Customs and baggage take longer on some sailings than others, particularly ships coming back from outside Europe. If your cruise line has told you to expect a slow disembarkation, tell us and we'll build it in.
Booking a cruise transfer
We'll need the port and terminal, the ship's name, your boarding window, the number of passengers and the luggage count. For return transfers, the date and your expected disembarkation time. If you're flying in, add the flight number and the airport.
For cruise transfers from London, call 020 7183 0567.