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Southampton Cruise Parking: The Ultimate Guide 2024


Planning a cruise can be a daunting task, especially when it comes to figuring out where to park your car in Southampton. That’s why I’ve put together this guide – to make choosing the best Southampton cruise parking as simple and stress-free as possible!

I’ve cruised from Southampton countless times and tried various options for parking. Some have been much better than others! And it doesn’t help that there are so many different car parking websites that all want to tell you they’re the best.

As well as parking at lots of different car parks, I’ve spent a further 20 hours doing in-depth research and reading other people’s reviews to create this unbiased guide to Southampton cruise parking.

So, whether you want the most convenient car park that’s right by the ship, the cheapest parking spot or a great value Southampton hotel and parking deal, I’m here for you.

My picks for the best 4 places to park in Southampton

Car Park Type Transfer Price
Triangle Park By The Ship 4 minutes walk Check Price
Portside Meet & Greet Valet Parking 1 minute walk Check Price
Airlynx Park & Ride 3-5 minutes free shuttle Check Price
DoubleTree By Hilton Hotel & Parking 10 minutes taxi included Check Price

But if you want more information before you decide, read on and I’ll show you all of the options for parking your car in Southampton for your cruise.

I’ve also included a couple of alternative cruise parking options that you might not have heard of…

Your main options explained – there are plenty!

There are many different long-stay car parks in Southampton that are suitable for a cruise. As a rule, the further you park your car from the cruise terminal, the cheaper your parking will be. 

Horizon cruise terminal car park in Southampton
This is one of the most expensive car parks, but look how close my car is!

Many off-site cruise car parks include free shuttles, although some options which require you to take a taxi to the ship are also worth considering because what you’ll save in parking charges will pay for your taxi and more.

You can find parking for a fraction of the price if you’re willing to park further away. But if you want the most convenient option, you can drop off your car right by the ship and have a porter take care of your luggage for you so that you never need to touch it between your car boot and your stateroom

Easiest option – car parks at the terminal

The most convenient option for cruise parking in Southampton is to park your car within the cruise terminal itself. This is only an option if you cruise from Ocean, City or Horizon Cruise Terminal.

Horizon cruise terminal
Car parking behind Horizon Cruise Terminal

The following companies offer parking at Southampton cruise port…

Triangle Car Park

🏆 Most Convenient for Ocean Terminal

Address: Town Quay, Southampton, SO14 2HJ

Triangle Car Park is the most convenient option for Ocean Cruise Terminal. It offers self-parking, which means that you find a space, park your car and then walk to the Ocean Terminal to join your ship.

You can book parking in Triangle Car Park for other terminals besides Ocean, and these come with an included taxi from Ocean Cruise Terminal to the terminal that you depart from.

AB Parking

🏆 Most Convenient for Horizon/City Terminals

Address: Ocean Gate, Atlantic Way, Southampton, SO14 3QN

AB Parking is an official cruise parking provider that’s owned and operated by the Port of Southampton.

The car park is located next to the City Cruise Terminal and Horizon Cruise Terminal. It’s only available if you are cruising with certain cruise lines. These are Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Fred. Olsen, NCL, MSC, Disney and Saga.

You can also read my full AB Parking Review.

If your cruise ship departs from Southampton’s Mayflower Cruise Terminal or Queen Elizabeth II Cruise Terminal, you cannot park by the ship as there are no car parks here. You can, however, leave your car by the ship and have a valet driver park it safely for you.

So, read on for the best valet parking options for Southampton cruises…

Valet parking options

Valet parking is also known as ‘meet and greet’ parking. If you choose this option you will leave your car by the ship and hand your keys to a parking attendant who will move it to a secure car park for you.

Valet parking at Southampton cruise terminal

Some people dislike valet parking because they have no idea where their car will be parked and may worry that it is parked at the roadside or some other unsecured location. For this reason, I have only included trusted cruise parking providers with secure compounds.

The following companies offer valet parking at Southampton Cruise Port…

Portside Meet & Greet

🏆 Great Value

Portside Meet & Greet is a family-run business that prides itself on exceptional customer service when it comes to Southampton port parking.

You can drop off your car at any Southampton cruise terminal and it will be parked in a secure, fenced area with CCTV and returned to you when you disembark the ship. Electric cars can also be charged for you.

CPS Meet & Greet

Cruise and Passengers Services (CPS) offers valet parking at Southampton cruise port as well as other port handling services such as mooring, cargo loading and baggage handling for all types of ships.

CPS parking offers car parking only for passengers cruising with P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises or Cunard.

When you arrive at the port, you will be met by staff who will book in your vehicle and take it to the secure compound for you. You can then make your way to the cruise terminal to check in.

BE AWARE

  • P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises & Cunard only

Both on-site parking and cruise terminal meet and greet parking can be very expensive. Plus, it’s not available for every cruise.

If you’d like to save money on your parking, I recommend that you consider parking a little further away and getting a free shuttle bus or included taxi.

Cheap options – park and ride

There are many car parks in Southampton that offer a ‘park and ride’ service for cruise passengers.

These are located a few miles from the port and usually come with a free coach or minibus shuttle service that will take you from your car to the cruise terminals.

Airlynx Express
Photo: Eddie, (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Booking off-site cruise car parking can save you a considerable amount of money compared to on-site self-parking or on-site valet parking.

The following companies offer off-site parking for cruises from Southampton…

Airlynx Britannia Wharf

🏆 Fastest Transfer

Address:  Britannia Wharf, Belvidere Road, Southampton, SO14 5JF

Airlynx Cruise Parking offers the best value park-and-ride service for Southampton cruise passengers.

The company has two car parks. The first, located in Britannia Wharf, is the closest off-port cruise parking venue in Southampton. The shuttle journey takes as little as three minutes.

When you arrive at the car park, you hand your keys over to the staff and take the free shuttle bus to your ship.

Address: Wrens Farm, Castle Lane, North Baddesley, Southampton SO52 9LY

Airlynx’s second car park is located at Wrens Farm, North Baddesley. This is really convenient for anyone arriving via the M3 motorway.

The shuttle takes a little longer, but you if you’re coming from the north, this is often easier than driving into Southampton city centre yourself.

These specialist cruise parking providers are all great. But, there are cheaper options available if you know where to look…

Cheapest alternative options

There are lots of private car parks in Southampton that belong to hotels, shopping centres and businesses. You can even arrange to park on private driveways or inside lock-up garages.

It’s simple to find these if you use a specialist parking comparison websites. You can even filter your search to look for facilities like CCTV, disabled access or electric vehicle charging.

Man looking for Southampton cruise parking on laptop

You’ll need to make your own way to the port though, so be sure to factor in the cost of a taxi or Uber.

There are designated streets in Southampton where street parking is available but not usually for long-term stays. If you’re booking a cruise you should book a car park – they are safer and are designed for stays over multiple nights.

The following websites will show you the cheapest cruise parking in Southampton…

Just Park

Just Park is a website that lets you easily find parking spaces anywhere in the UK.

Perfect for cruise parking in Southampton, this service also does a great job of connecting drivers with people who have driveways that they are willing to rent out.

You can see a photo of the parking space to help you decide. Many driveways have a CCTV camera to give you added peace of mind.

Your Parking Space

Your Parking Space has hundreds of car parks in Southampton, including some hotels with cheap car parks that are within easy walking distance of the cruise terminals.

All you need to do is enter your dates to see available car parks close to where you need to be. Then, you can book your parking online and just turn up.

FEATURES

  • Show spaces with CCTV, covered parking or disabled access

With these parking comparison sites, the further in advance you can search for parking, the more options will be available to you.

Hotels with parking – perfect for travelling the night before

If you’ll be driving for more than a couple of hours to reach Southampton, then it’s a good idea to travel down the day before your cruise. This is much more relaxing than getting up early in the morning and worrying about traffic jams that could potentially make you miss the ship!

Many Southampton hotels have special offers for a pre-cruise stay and parking. This could actually work out cheaper than port parking!

Some hotels include a free shuttle bus as part of the deal, but with others, you would have to get a taxi at your own expense.

List of Southampton Hotels with Parking for Cruises:

Hotel Name Stars Transfer Time to Port Price
DoubleTree by Hilton ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Included 10 mins Check price
Grand Harbour Hotel ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Included 15 mins Check price
MacDonald Botley Park ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Included 20 mins Check price
Marriott Meon Valley ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Included 20 mins Check price
Elizabeth House Hotel ⭐⭐⭐ Taxi 10 mins Check price
Holiday Inn Express ⭐⭐⭐ Taxi 10 mins Check price
Hilton Ageas Bowl ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Taxi 20 mins Check price
Holiday Inn Eastleigh ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Taxi 22 mins Check price

Southampton B&Bs with cruise parking

It’s usually the big chain hotels that have large enough car parks to offer parking for cruise travellers. However, if you prefer to stay at a B&B or guest house in Southampton with cruise parking then I recommend that you take a look at Hunters Lodge and Twin Oaks Guest House. Both have stay-and-park deals for cruisers.

I also have a full guide to Southampton hotels with cruise parking if you’d like more info.

car parking at Southampton docks
Multi-storey parking at Southampton Cruise Port

Always check your terminal!

Southampton has five cruise terminals that are spread over a mile of docks, so it’s important to know which one you need to get to before you book your car parking.

If you book parking at the wrong terminal, you’ll face the stress of a last-minute taxi to the ship (or a long walk with your luggage).

To find out which terminal your cruise will depart from, check your tickets or cruise documents. Alternatively, you can check the Southampton Port website as that will list which ships depart from which terminals.

Southampton Cruise Terminals

  • Ocean Cruise Terminal: Berth 46, Cunard Road, Southampton, SO14 3QN
  • City Cruise Terminal: Berth 101, Western Docks, Southampton, SO15 1BS
  • Mayflower Terminal: Berth 106, Dock Gate 10, Southampton, SO15 1HJ
  • QEII Cruise Terminal: Berth 38/39, Dock Gate 4, Southampton, SO14 3GG
  • Horizon Cruise Terminal: Berth 102, West Bay Road, Southampton SO15 1AW

The following map shows the location of the five Southampton cruise terminals…

While cruise ships usually dock at the same terminal each time, this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, a ship can depart from one terminal and return to another.

So, even if you’ve cruised on the same cruise ship before, you should still check your documents carefully for details of which terminal your ship will sail from.

The nearest car park to Southampton port is the Triangle car park which is located within Southampton’s Ocean Cruise Terminal. If your ship departs from Southampton’s City Cruise Terminal then the nearest car park is the ABP Parking car park.

For cruises departing from Southampton’s Mayflower, Queen Elizabeth II and Horizon Cruise Terminals, there are no car parks within walking distance of the ship.

My recommendation – check ALL the options

The best place to park in Southampton for a cruise depends on what’s important to you.

When I’ve cruised from Southampton with a baby, a toddler, two pushchairs and more suitcases than we could pull, I opted to park at the Triangle Car Park at the cruise terminal. It was so convenient!

As soon as we parked, staff were there to take our cases from the boot and we didn’t see them again until they were delivered to our cabin! It was really easy, but not cheap.

Now that the kids can walk, I prefer to use Just Park and Your Parking Space to find the cheapest parking within a couple of miles of the port. I then request an Uber which usually arrives in under five minutes and costs only a few pounds. This saves us so much money!

If you’re considering staying over the night before, I haven’t tried it myself, but I know that a lot of cruisers have mentioned that Doubletree by Hilton does one of the best stay-and-park deals with a free shuttle.

Blue badge parking options

Most Southampton cruise parking services offer special assistance for people with disabilities. Blue badge holders are not entitled to free parking at Southampton cruise port, but you will get a space in a more convenient location and assistance with luggage.

To ensure that your needs are accommodated, I recommend that you telephone your chosen parking providers before booking.

Southampton Cruise Parking

More cruise parking guides:

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Cruise Mummy

Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

Read more about me





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