Guide · Port of Southampton

Embarkation and disembarkation at Southampton: what happens at the terminal, step by step

From the moment you arrive at the terminal to the moment you drive home: check-in times, dropping your bags, security, busy days, getting off the ship and being collected.

The process is the same at all five Southampton cruise terminals. Some have an extra pick-up lane or a longer taxi rank, but staff direct you on the day. Here's what happens from the moment you arrive to the moment you drive home.

Before you go

  • Book your parking in advance. Turning up with nothing booked is one of the most common mistakes on the day. Compare parking by terminal.
  • Check your documents. Forgetting them is the other classic mistake. Your cruise documents give your check-in time, and your deck, which decides where you drop your bags.
  • Don't pack anything sharp in your cases. Knives and tools show up on the baggage scanner. You'll get a call from the ship and two choices: hand the item over, or pay for it to be sent home, which is expensive.
  • Check your cruise line's luggage and drinks rules before you pack. They differ between cruise lines.

Your check-in time

Your cruise line gives you a check-in time. It can be as early as 10am or as late as 1–2pm, depending on the line and the sailing. That's because the ship has to be turned around after the previous guests leave: cabins cleaned and beds changed.

The time slots spread arrivals through the day. Arriving a little early is fine, but there's no point turning up before check-in opens.

On a busy day

Some days have several big ships in at once, each carrying 3,000 or more passengers. Mayflower, City and Horizon terminals are close together in the Western Docks, so when all three have ships in, a lot of cars arrive in the same area at the same time. Queues build up, especially at terminals with shorter drop-off lanes, and some drivers end up queuing at the wrong terminal.

  • Allow 1–2 hours from arriving to boarding on a busy day.
  • Check which terminal your sailing uses before you set off, and follow the signs for that terminal. Find your ship's terminal.
  • For Ocean and QEII, turn left into Dock Gate 4 if you can. Both terminals share the gate, and it's controlled by traffic lights. The right-turn light is short, so on busy days only one or two cars turning right get in for every fifteen or so turning left. More about Dock Gate 4.

Upcoming busy days

Going by the port's schedule and published cruise schedules, there are 77 days in the next 12 months with 3 or more cruise ships in port. The next ones are:

Each ship's page marks the busy days among its sailings.

Embarkation: arriving at the terminal

  1. Tell the marshal what you've booked. At the entrance, say whether you have ABParking, CPS parking or meet & greet, or are just dropping off. They'll send you the right way:
    • Meet & greet: go to the short-stay car park and look for your company's flag. Each one has its own coloured flag with its name on it.
    • CPS or ABParking: you'll be directed to their car park.
    • Dropping off: follow the drop-off lanes. You'll be sent to lane 1 or lane 2.
  2. Drop your bags at the section for your deck. Bag drop only opens shortly before check-in, so arriving early just means waiting. The baggage area is split by deck, for example one section for decks 5–7 and another for decks 8–9. Your bags are scanned and delivered outside your cabin, usually by the evening, so keep anything you'll need that afternoon in your hand luggage.
  3. Go through security. Have your passport and boarding pass out. Your hand luggage is checked, much like at an airport, and you can't reach check-in until you're through.
  4. Check in with the cruise line. This is where you get your cruise card.
  5. Board the ship. Your card is scanned as you walk on. Most people head to their cabin first to drop things off, then go exploring.

Disembarkation: leaving the ship

Getting off is usually the quickest part of the day. Your bags are already waiting in the baggage hall, and the only check is Border Force.

  1. Your disembarkation time is given to you on board.
  2. Settle your onboard account first. If the card linked to your account fails, you'll be asked to pay before you can get off.
  3. Border Force may stop you. There are random checks at the exit. If you're over your allowance, for example with cigarettes, the extra can be taken. Check your allowances on GOV.UK.
  4. Collect your bags in the baggage hall. It's split by deck, so find your deck's area.
  5. Head home:
    • Taxi: join the queue at the taxi rank.
    • Being collected: wait in the pick-up lanes, and call your driver once you have your bags.
    • Meet & greet: go back to the short-stay car park, find your company's flag and collect your car.
    • CPS: you'll be directed to the CPS car park.
    • ABParking: walk back to the car park next to the terminal. They offer a shuttle if you need one.
    • Park & ride (e.g. Airlynx): wait at the normal pick-up point for the minibus. Your booking confirmation says how often it runs.

If you're collecting someone: don't arrive early. Wait until they call to say they have their bags. The pick-up lanes have to keep moving, so if you're still waiting after about 10 minutes, staff will ask you to drive round and join the queue again. And stay with your car: switch off and walk away, and you can block a pick-up space for an hour while everyone behind you waits.