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Airport CabConnect runs pre-booked taxis to all five Southampton cruise terminals: Ocean, QEII, City, Horizon and Mayflower. We collect from Heathrow, Gatwick, London and anywhere else in the UK, 24 hours a day. You get a fixed fare when you book. It includes drop off right outside your terminal, help with your cases and, on the way home, a driver who plans around your disembarkation time. A taxi from Heathrow to Southampton cruise port costs from about £150, and from central London about £135.
Southampton is the UK’s busiest cruise port. In 2025 it welcomed over three million cruise passengers, and on a record number of days all five terminals had a ship in at once. On those days the dock roads, the M271 and the terminal forecourts all get busy within the same few hours. A driver who knows which dock gate to use for your terminal makes a real difference.
Each terminal has its own dock gate, and the wrong gate can cost you 10 to 15 minutes on a busy morning. Your cruise documents name your terminal. Give us that name when you book, and your driver will go straight to the right gate.
| Terminal | Docks | Dock gate for vehicles | Sat nav postcode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Cruise Terminal (Berth 46/47) | Eastern Docks | Dock Gate 4 | SO14 3QN |
| QEII Cruise Terminal (Berth 38/39) | Eastern Docks | Dock Gate 4 | SO14 3GG |
| City Cruise Terminal (Berth 101) | Western Docks | Dock Gate 8 | SO15 1HJ |
| Horizon Cruise Terminal (Berth 102) | Western Docks | Dock Gate 10 | SO15 1AW |
| Mayflower Cruise Terminal (Berth 106) | Western Docks | Dock Gate 20 | SO15 0GN |
Terminal allocations can change at short notice. Check your cruise line’s email or app 24 to 48 hours before you sail. If your terminal changes, message us and your driver will update the route.
Your boarding pass or cruise confirmation names the terminal. Cruise lines do not always use the same terminal every time, so do not go by an old booking or a previous cruise. Associated British Ports, which runs the port, also publishes a live cruise schedule that lists each ship’s terminal.
These are guide prices for a standard saloon, one way. Estates, people carriers, executive cars and 8 seaters cost more. Enter your pickup address and terminal to see your exact fixed price before you pay anything.
| Route | Approx. distance | Usual drive time | Saloon fare from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton Central station to any cruise terminal | About 2 miles | 5 to 10 min | £15 |
| Southampton Airport to any cruise terminal | About 5 miles | 15 to 20 min | £20 |
| Winchester to Southampton Cruise Port | About 13 miles | 25 to 30 min | £35 |
| Portsmouth to Southampton Cruise Port | About 20 miles | 30 to 40 min | £50 |
| Bournemouth Airport to Southampton Cruise Port | About 30 miles | 40 to 45 min | £65 |
| Reading to Southampton Cruise Port | About 50 miles | 1 hr to 1 hr 15 min | £105 |
| Heathrow to Southampton Cruise Port | About 65 miles | 1 hr 15 min to 1 hr 30 min | £150 |
| Oxford to Southampton Cruise Port | About 65 miles | 1 hr 15 min to 1 hr 30 min | £130 |
| Central London to Southampton Cruise Port | About 77 miles | 1 hr 35 min to 2 hr | £135 |
| Bristol to Southampton Cruise Port | About 75 miles | 1 hr 30 min to 1 hr 50 min | £150 |
| Gatwick to Southampton Cruise Port | About 88 to 91 miles | 1 hr 45 min to 2 hr | £140 |
| Luton Airport to Southampton Cruise Port | About 105 miles | 2 hr to 2 hr 15 min | £200 |
| Stansted to Southampton Cruise Port | About 125 miles | 2 hr 15 min to 2 hr 45 min | £230 |
| Birmingham to Southampton Cruise Port | About 140 miles | 2 hr 30 min to 3 hr | £250 |
These are guide fares for a saloon, one way, in either direction. The price you book is the exact fixed fare for your address and terminal.
A taxi from Heathrow to Southampton cruise port costs from about £150 in a saloon. The 65 mile drive takes 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. Your driver takes the M25 to the M3, runs south past Winchester, then joins the M27 and M271 into the docks.
Your driver tracks your flight, meets you in arrivals with your name on a board, and helps with your cases. If your flight is late, the pickup moves with it at no extra cost. For more on the airport side, see our Heathrow airport taxis and our guide on how to get from Heathrow to Southampton.
The return trip costs the same fixed fare, from about £150. Most passengers are off the ship by mid morning. If you are flying home the same day, book a flight from the early afternoon onwards, so a slow disembarkation does not put your flight at risk.
If you are flying into Heathrow on the day you sail, leave plenty of time. A delayed flight, a long passport queue and the M25 can use up the margin before the ship’s check in closes. Many cruisers fly in the day before and stay in Southampton or near Heathrow. We can take you from the airport to your hotel, then on to the terminal on sailing day.
A taxi from Gatwick to Southampton cruise port costs from about £140 in a saloon and takes 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours for the 88 to 91 mile trip. Your driver takes the M23 and M25 to the M3, or the A27 and M27 along the south coast, whichever is quicker on the day.
Gatwick is further from Southampton than Heathrow, so allow more time if you are connecting on the same day. We also run Gatwick airport transfers for any other part of your trip.
A taxi from central London to Southampton cruise port costs from about £135 and takes 1 hour 35 minutes to 2 hours. Your driver collects you from your home or hotel, usually takes the A3 or M3 out of London, and drops you outside your terminal.
For a couple or family with full cruise luggage, a taxi from your London hotel avoids three steps with heavy cases: getting to Waterloo, catching the train and taking a taxi from Southampton Central to the docks. Our guide to getting from the airport to your hotel in London helps if you are staying in the city before you sail.
Southampton Airport is about 5 miles from the docks, around 15 to 20 minutes by road. A taxi costs from about £20. It is the closest airport to the cruise port, so it is popular with travellers flying in from the Channel Islands and other UK airports.
Southampton Central is about 2 miles from the terminals, roughly 6 minutes by taxi. You can walk to City and Horizon in about 15 minutes, but Ocean and Mayflower take around 30 minutes on foot, and QEII is much further. With cruise luggage, a short taxi from the station is the sensible choice. Use the southern exit of the station, which is the easiest side for the docks. Our station taxis can collect you from the platform side at a fixed price.
To be fair to the other options, each one suits someone. Here is how they compare for a couple sailing from Southampton.
| What matters | Pre-booked taxi | Train to Southampton Central | Driving and cruise parking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Door to door | Yes, terminal to your front door | No, you need a taxi from the station | Yes, but you drive yourself |
| Luggage | Driver helps with every case | You carry cases on and off the train | You load and unload yourself |
| Cost | One fixed fare for the car | Per person rail fares plus a taxi at each end | Parking charged per day, plus fuel |
| Best for | Families, groups, heavy luggage, fly cruise | One or two people with light bags near a mainline station | Drivers living within a couple of hours |
For a two week cruise, daily parking charges add up quickly. For a party of three or four from London or Heathrow, a fixed fare taxi often works out close to the cost of parking, without the drive home after the cruise.
Arrive at the time on your boarding pass, not hours before. Cruise lines give each cabin an arrival time slot. Southampton’s own advice is to arrive no more than 15 to 30 minutes before your slot, because if you arrive too early you may be asked to wait outside. We plan your pickup to reach the terminal in that window, with a buffer for the motorway.
If your group has been given different arrival times, travel together at the later time, not the earlier one. Some cruise lines, including P&O Cruises, advise this so nobody is turned away for arriving too soon.
Your driver waits at the terminal pick up area and adjusts to your real time off the ship. If the baggage hall or customs runs slow, the wait is covered by your free hour.
On the last morning, ships usually berth very early. Passengers then leave in groups over a few hours, and most are off by mid morning. Your cruise line gives you a group number or time slot, often on a luggage tag. Tell us that time when you book your return, or message us from the ship the night before.
Our 8 seater minibus carries eight passengers, eight large cases and four smaller bags in one vehicle. It is a popular choice for families sailing together, groups of friends, wedding parties and celebration cruises. One minibus usually costs less than two cars, and everyone arrives at the terminal together. For groups bigger than eight, two or more vehicles arrive at the same time under one booking.
Cruise luggage is bigger than airline luggage. Many cruise lines allow far more than an aircraft does, and formal nights mean suit carriers and extra shoes. As a guide:
Families can read our tips on booking a family airport transfer, and you can compare every vehicle in our fleet.
When several ships turn around on the same day, usually at weekends in summer, the M271, the dock gates and the terminal forecourts all fill up at the same time. On those days we add extra time to your pickup, so you still arrive in your boarding slot.
The Southampton International Boat Show runs every September at Mayflower Park, right beside the Western Docks. During the show, roads near City and Mayflower terminals are much busier. If you are sailing during Boat Show week, tell us when you book, and we will plan the route and timing around it.
Your driver’s name and number arrive before your trip. Save them in your phone before you board. On the last morning, a quick message once you are off the ship lets your driver know you are on your way out.
Our Premium Fleet
Every Southampton cruise transfer comes with ship and flight tracking, help with your luggage and a fixed price confirmed at booking.
Our everyday standard: quiet, air-conditioned and ideal for solo travellers and business runs.
Same ride as a saloon with a deeper boot, the safe choice when the cases are full.
Top-tier saloon with a professional chauffeur, leather interior and full privacy on board.
Five seats with real legroom and a boot that swallows the family holiday load. Child seats on request.
One vehicle for the whole party: eight seats, eight cases and no second booking to manage.
Sailing from another port? Our cruise port taxi service covers Dover, Tilbury, Portsmouth and every other UK cruise terminal. Crossing by ferry instead? See our seaport transfers. Flying in from further away? We also run Stansted airport transfers and Luton Airport taxis.
Enter your pickup address and terminal for an instant fixed price. You can also call 020 8150 6922 or message us on WhatsApp, any time of day or night.
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