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If you are driving to Southampton, then you will need to find somewhere to park your car while on your cruise. In this post i’ll run though all the parking options if you are going on a cruise from Southampton.
Bookmark this post for future reference and feel free to share with anyone you know sailing from Southampton!
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There are so many options for parking at Southampton it can be difficult to workout which one is best for you so keep reading as I take you through the pros and cons of all these different parking options and do a side by side comparison of prices (scroll to end of the results).
Put simply, the best parking option for you will usually depend on a number of factors such as, cost, location, security, and whether you require accessible parking or electric vehicle charging options. My first tip is to find out which terminal your cruise ship is departing from to decide where its best to park.
A great Facebook group to follow is: Car Parking Tips where you can ask questions and find reviews.
What are the different car parking options in Southampton?
Car parking for cruisers in Southampton fall into the following categories.
➡️ Official Port Parking
➡️ Public Carparks
➡️ Park & Cruise / ‘Meet & Greet’ services
➡️ Hotels with cruise parking included
➡️ Alternative Car Parks
Official Port Parking
Official port parking is the nearest and most convenient car parks to each cruise terminal and as a result they tend to be the most expensive.
But they also very secure and popular so they will book up early and there are rarely spaces available on the day. So, it’s best to always book in advance.
Your cruise fare may include complimentary parking and if so, you will be provided with a voucher code to book on the relevant provider’s site.
Technically there is only one official cruise car parking in the port of Southampton (ABP) but it only covers certain terminals (Horizon and City)
If you are parking with ABP, use my discount code TA2026 to receive 10% off your cruise parking.
CPS are technically a meet and greet service but are the port parking partner for Carnival Plc (P&O cruises, Princess Cruises, Cunard, etc) so could be considered as the ‘default’ port parking for terminals such as Ocean Cruise, Mayflower and QEII Cruise terminals.
Official port parking providers for different cruise lines in Southampton
| Cruise Line | Port Parking Provider |
| Azamara | ABP |
| Celebrity Cruises | ABP |
| Cunard | CPS |
| Disney Cruise Line | ABP |
| Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines | ABP |
| MSC Cruises | ABP |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | ABP |
| Oceania | ABP |
| P&O Cruises | CPS |
| Princess Cruises | CPS |
| Regent Seven Seas | ABP |
| Royal Caribbean | ABP |
| Silversea | ABP |
The process for parking with ABP and CPS is slightly different. With CPS you’ll be directed to a specific lane outside the cruise terminal and a member of staff will book in your vehicle and carry out an inspection. You’ll then hand your keys over and be issued with a bar code receipt which you need to keep safe as you’ll need this to collect your keys when you return.
The booking in process can sometimes slow down the parking process with CPS, so it’s always best to leave a bit more time to take account for this before you check in.
Once your vehicle is booked in, you take all your luggage from your vehicle (porters are on hand to help you with trolleys and your luggage) and proceed to the terminal to check in. Don’t forget your passport and any medication!
A fully insured driver then takes your vehicle to a secure compound within the port (usually right next to the terminal). On return you’ll be directed from the terminal to the key collection point and be shows where your car is parked.
With ABP you’ll be directed to the relevant car park, park your car yourself and keep your keys with you for the duration of the cruise. There is no ‘booking in’ process.
Public Carparks for Cruise Parking in Southampton
Centrally located in Southampton, there are a good selection of public carparks which are just a short taxi ride to the cruise terminals – some are even within walking distance.
These barrier-controlled carparks can sometimes be reserved in advance and will have a Park Mark and CCTV and are one of the cheaper options for parking.
Some of the main barrier-controlled Car Parking in Southampton Include: ➡️
➡️ Triangle Parking
➡️ West Quay Car Park
➡️ Eastgate Street Multi-Storey Car Park
➡️ NCP Southampton Portland Terrace
➡️ Grosvenor Square MSCP Car Park
➡️ Bedford Place Multi-Storey Car Park
You may or may not be comfortable leaving your car in a public car park for two weeks while on a cruise. I have never had any problems and have been using one of the car parks above since 2021. Many of the hotels in Southampton city centre recommend some of these car parks if you stay with them.
The car parks are centrally located so you can easily drop your bags off at the terminal first and then head to the car park, park your car and either walk back to your terminal or get a taxi (usually around £6-10).
This might be a little bit more of a hassle, but even with the taxi fare the cost savings compared to official port parking are quite significant (even with recent price increases – see below).
Once the cheapest place to park in Southampton is the West Quay Shopping Centre multistorey. It’s conveniently located and it’s about a 15-minute walk from the ocean cruise terminal and even less from the City and Horizon Terminals but for the 2026 cruise season prices per day have doubled to £15 per day to park.
Park & Cruise Services in Southampton
If you don’t want the hassle or finding a space to park or don’t want to leave it until the last day, then you might want to look at Park and Cruise as an option. This car parking option is slightly cheaper than the official port parking, but it’s not the cheapest option.
Some of the car parks where you drop your vehicle off are usually located slightly further away from the port and include two-way coach transfers to the cruise terminals. This is a great option if you don’t want to drive into Southampton Docks – which can get busy on embarkation/ disembarkation days – especially in the high season.
Park and Cruise services usually require you to hand your car keys over to the parking provider. So, if you’re uncomfortable with this, then it might be best to choose a different option.
For these providers you book online in advance, drive to their designated car park area to drop off your car (this might be at the port or on a separate site) and then you leave your keys with them.
Some of the more reputable providers are:
➡️ AirLynx
➡️ Penguin Parking
➡️ Cruise Azure Parking
➡️ Portside Meet & Greet
➡️ Parking4Cruises
You are then transported with your luggage to the cruise terminal in a minibus transfer and on your return you and your luggage are picked up from the port and returned to the car park where your car keys are handed back to you.
Costs vary throughout the season but tend to range between £160 for 1 week or £260 for 2 weeks.
Meet and Greet Services for Cruise Parking in Southampton
It’s very similar to the park and cruise options; You head to the short stay carpark at the cruise terminal you’re leaving from, meet with company’s representative, hand over your keys and then your car will be driven to and parked in a secure compound and then returned to the short stay car park the day you return from your cruise. Here your keys will be handed back to you.
Some of the providers above also offer a ’Meet and Greet’ service. This is a good option If you just want to drive to port and be able to drop your car off and pick your car up at port rather than must take a minibus transfer.
Prices for meet and greet service vary but are around £100 per week.
It’s worth noting that you may still need to call the company when you embark your ship and wait for the representative to meet you to hand over your keys. There have been some recent incidents where individual have been waiting for prolonged periods of time at port before being handed over their keys, so it is best to do your research.
Alternative Cruise Parking in Southampton
Another option is alternative parking. These can range from private driveways, gated parking or valet parking services.
The cost location and security features will vary wildly from provider to provider and you may or may not need to leave your keys. You may also need to factor in a taxi to get you to and from the port.
Two of the most popular sites to book alternative parking on is your parking space and just park.
I’ve used your parking space on many occasion to book the Holiday Inn at Herbert Walker Avenue and this cost me around 90 pounds for two weeks. As I said the security at these sites varies so cheque out what you’re comfortable with for the price. But on the whole they can be much cheaper than any other option. The cheapest I’ve seen is £12 65 for a week
Southampton Cruise Parking options compared
| Type of parking | Provider | Cost | Pros | Cons |
| Alternative parking | Your Parking Space | From £27.30 | Cheap | Need also pay for taxi back to and from terminal |
| Park & Cruise | Airlynx | £160.00 | Secure compound parking Park mark Transfer to and from terminal included | Have to hand over keys Have to wait for transfer to and from terminal |
| Park & Cruise | Penguin Parking | £159.00 | Secure compound parking Park mark Transfer to and from terminal included | Have to hand over keys Have to wait for transfer to and from terminal |
| Meet & Greet | Cruise Azure | £138.00 | Secure compound parking | Have to hand over keys Have to arrange in advance when to be picked up from ship. |
| Meet & Greet | Portside Meet & Greet | £116.91 | Secure compound parking | Have to hand over keys Have to arrange in advance when to be picked up from ship. |
| Meet & Greet | Parking4Cruises | £98.89 – £109.89 | Secure compound parking | Have to hand over keys |
| Public Carpark | Triangle Park | £98.00 | Nearest to ocean cruise terminal | Not barrier controlled Can’t book in advance Might not be places on the day. Need also pay for taxi back to and from terminal Check car insurance covers you for any damage |
| Public Carpark | West Quay | £42.00 | Cheap Barrier controlled carpark | Can’t book in advance Might not be places on the day. Need also pay for taxi back to and from terminal Check car insurance covers you for any damage |
| Public Carpark | NCP | £87.60 | Can book in advance Barrier controlled carpark | Need also pay for taxi back to and from terminal. Check car insurance covers you for any damage |
| Public Carpark | Eastgate multi-storey | £39.00 | Cheap Barrier controlled carpark | Can’t book in advance Might not be places on the day. Need also pay for taxi back to and from terminal Check car insurance covers you for any damage |
| Official Port Parking | CPS | £152.00 | Convenient to port. Preferred parking provider for Carnival UK brands Secure compound parking | Most expensive Have to hand over keys Places get booked up fast for peak times |
| Official Port Parking | ABP | £112.50* | Official Port Parking Convenient to port. Secure compound parking | Not the cheapest option Places can get booked up fast for peak times |
Stay & Cruise Hotel Parking Deals in Southampton
If you want a totally stress free option then you can go for a stay park and cruise approach. Many hotels in and around Southampton offer deals where your accommodation the night before the cruise is packaged up with breakfast transfers to and from the port and up to 15 days parking.
These are really convenient packages and can sometimes be comparable to or just a little bit more expensive than parking with ABP or CPS. So if you need parking and accommodation this could be a cost effective option to add into the mix and it’s worth doing a price comparison.
To save you the hassle of looking for which hotels offer this service here’s a list of the state park and cruise hotels and I’ve also split them out further in my blog post to those which are in the centre of Southampton and Those which are a little further out.
Regardless of how you’re travelling to Southampton my firm recommendation is to arrive in Port the day before you cruise. Only reduces the stress levels of the day of your cruise but it also ensures that you don’t fall foul of last minute hassles or delays which could in the worst case make you miss your ship.
There’s a cluster of hotels quite near to the city and Horizon Cruise Terminals just off the a 33 and also convenient for the West Quay Shopping Centre, coach and railway stations but here’s a rundown of all the closest hotels to the cruise terminals and where they all are located on the map below.
Southampton hotels with Stay & Cruise with Parking Deals
| Centrally located hotels in Southampton with parking deals | Hotels little further out from Southampton City Centre with Cruise Parking Deals |
| Holiday Inn Herbert Walker Avenue Mercure Dolphin Hotel ibis Southampton Ibis Budget Southampton Leonardo Royal Hotel Grand Harbour Novotel Southampton Southampton, the Harbour Hotel & Spa Elizabeth House Hotel | Best Western Chilworth Manor Hotel Holiday Inn Express Botley Park Hotel & Spa The Pilgrim Inn Hilton Ageas Bowl DoubleTree by Hilton Hunters Lodge Guest House |
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