Coach and Minibus Hire in the United Kingdom

Coaches for Southampton Cruise Groups

Southampton has five cruise terminals spread over two docks. Before anything else, the coach booking needs the exact terminal name, because each one is reached through its own dock gate.

Name the terminal, not just the port

Your cruise documents give the terminal. Send it with the booking. For Ocean or QEII, the driver heads for Dock Gate 4 on the eastern side. City and Horizon share Dock Gate 10 on the western side. Mayflower, also western, takes vehicles at Dock Gate 20.

A driver sent to the wrong gate loses time crossing between docks, and the group's arrival slot does not move to suit.

MAN Lion's Coach 49-seat touring coach, front three-quarter view
MAN Lion's Coach 49-seat touring coach, front three-quarter view

Arrival slot and luggage

Each terminal has dedicated bays for coaches, so a full-size coach sets the group down at the building itself. The port asks passengers to come at their allocated arrival time. Plan the pick-up backwards from that slot, not from the time the ship sails.

Cases for a two-week voyage take up room. A full-size coach carries them in underfloor lockers; a midi coach has less space for the same headcount. Tell us how many cases are travelling as well as how many people.

Getting from the ship to the coach

  • Southampton has five cruise terminals, with more than 500 cruise ship calls and about 3 million passengers a year.
  • Every terminal has dedicated coach bays: Ocean 26, QEII 18, City 25, Mayflower 28 and Horizon 27.
  • Vehicles for Ocean and QEII use Dock Gate 4; City and Horizon use Dock Gate 10; Mayflower uses Dock Gate 20.
  • Private taxis can drop off directly outside each cruise terminal, and each terminal has a taxi rank.
  • No public buses stop directly outside a cruise terminal, so onward travel is always needed from the nearest stop.
  • Southampton Central station is about 2 miles from the terminals; ABP asks passengers to arrive at their allocated arrival time.
  • Southampton Airport is about 4.6 miles (about 20 min) from Ocean Cruise Terminal; Heathrow and Gatwick are the nearest major airports.
  • Shore power is available at the Horizon and Mayflower terminals.

Nearest airports

Straight off a flight

Allow for about 68 miles from Heathrow, or 80 to 90 from Gatwick. Add baggage reclaim and the walk to the coach to the drive. At Heathrow a charter coach waits in the West Ramp Coach Park until it is called to a stand, and it may stay on the stand for 20 minutes at most.

A same-day flight into London ahead of a morning sailing leaves little slack. Many organisers bring the group in the night before and stay near Ocean Village or Town Quay, a short run from the terminals.

Local roads

No Clean Air Zone charge applies in Southampton, after a 2019 council decision. The Itchen Bridge is tolled, with the amount set by vehicle type and time of day, so the operator will say if the route uses it.

Questions

Can the coach set us down at the terminal door?

Yes. Coaches use the terminal's own bays. Keep to the arrival time the cruise line gave you so the bays and the check-in hall stay clear.

How do we get home on disembarkation day?

Book the coach for the terminal where the ship docks, with the ship's name and expected time alongside. Public buses do not call at the terminal door, and a group without its own transport ends up queuing for taxis.

Is Southampton Airport an option?

Yes, and by far the shortest run: roughly 20 minutes to Ocean Cruise Terminal, a distance of about 4.6 miles.

Cities

Vehicles