London to Southampton Cruise Terminal Transfers: Coach & Minibus Hire for Groups

Most cruises out of Southampton start the same way: a group of people standing on a London pavement with far too many suitcases, wondering how they're all going to get to the ship. Here's what we've learned from driving cruise groups down there about getting from London to the Southampton cruise terminals without the stress.

How far is Southampton cruise port from London?

It's roughly 80 miles from central London to the Southampton docks. On a good day that's about two hours on the road. Leave on a Friday afternoon or a bank holiday Saturday and it can be a lot longer, so we always plan in a bit of breathing room. From Heathrow it's closer to an hour and a half, which is why a lot of our cruise groups fly in the day before and stay near the airport.

Which terminal are you sailing from?

Southampton has five cruise terminals, and they're not all next to each other. Check your ticket before you book anything:

• Ocean Cruise Terminal – Eastern Docks

• QEII Cruise Terminal – Eastern Docks

• Horizon Cruise Terminal – Eastern Docks, the newest one

• City Cruise Terminal – Western Docks

• Mayflower Cruise Terminal – Western Docks

Give us the ship name and we'll work out the terminal for you. Our drivers know the drop-off lanes at each one, which saves a lot of circling around the port.

Why a private coach or minibus beats the train

You can get the train from Waterloo to Southampton Central, but then you still need a taxi to the terminal, and that's two lots of lifting cases on and off. For one or two people it works. For a family or a group, it gets messy fast.

With a private transfer, we collect you from your hotel, your home or the airport, load everything once, and drop you right outside the terminal. Nobody gets left behind on a platform and nobody's dragging a suitcase across a car park.

What size vehicle do you need?

For cruise transfers, it's the luggage that decides it, not the number of people. Most cruise passengers bring two big cases each, plus hand luggage. As a rough guide:

• 8-seater MPV – a couple or a small family

• 16-seater minibus – a small group, up to around 12 people with full cruise luggage

• Midi coach – groups of 20 to 35

• Full-size coach – bigger groups, wedding parties and tour operators, with a large luggage hold

If you're not sure, tell us how many people and how many cases and we'll suggest the right vehicle. We'd rather send something slightly bigger than have you sitting with a suitcase on your lap.

When should you get there?

Your cruise line will give you a check-in time. Aim to arrive at the start of that window, not the end. Terminals get busy, and turning up early means you're on board having lunch while others are still in the queue. We'll plan your pickup time around your check-in slot and the traffic on the day.

Make a day of it on the way

Because the vehicle is booked just for your group, you can add a stop. Windsor Castle, Winchester and Stonehenge are all popular options on the way down. It turns a long drive into the first day of the holiday.

Southampton back to London after your cruise

We do the return leg too. On disembarkation day your driver will be waiting at the terminal and will help with the bags. From there we can take you to Heathrow, Gatwick, a London hotel or straight home. If your ship is running late, we keep an eye on it, so you don't need to worry about calling us from the quayside.

Booking your London to Southampton cruise transfer

We're London Travel iN, a coach and minibus hire company based in London, and we run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To get a price, just send us:

• Your sailing date and ship

• Pickup address in London (or your flight details if you're landing at Heathrow or Gatwick)

• Number of passengers

• Number of suitcases

• Whether you need the return trip as well

Fill in our free quote form or give us a call on 07733 448902. We'll come back to you with a clear price, and no surprises on the day.