Seaport transfers
Colchester to Southampton cruise port, at a price fixed before you leave
A cruise starts with a three-hour drive and ends with a queue of taxis that were not expecting you. Both legs are booked in advance here, at a published fare, in a vehicle chosen around your cases rather than your headcount.
Published fares
One price to the quayside, both ways
These are the client's published fares for Southampton Port, read straight from our price list. They are the whole fare — there is no card fee and no airport-style surcharge added at the end, and the £1.50 booking fee is inside the total you are quoted.
Saloon
Executive saloon
£27650
- Passengers
- up to 4
- Large cases
- up to 2
Estate / MPV
Estate car or people carrier
£30150
- Passengers
- up to 6
- Large cases
- up to 4
Minibus
8-seat minibus
£36650
- Passengers
- up to 8
- Large cases
- up to 8
Each leg is a separate booking at the fare shown. Luggage capacities are being confirmed against the current fleet — if you are close to a limit, call the office before you book rather than after.
Choosing a vehicle for cruise luggage
Choosing a vehicle
Cruise luggage is the reason to book a size up
A fortnight at sea means a large case each, and formal nights mean a second bag nobody mentioned when the booking was made. A saloon seats four people comfortably and takes two large cases — those two numbers are not the same constraint, and it is the second one that strands people on a driveway at five in the morning.
The estate and MPV category is £2500 more than the saloon for this route. For a party of four with a case each, that is the difference between a loaded car and a second vehicle.
Getting the time right
We work back from your boarding window, not from a guess
Cruise lines issue a boarding window rather than a departure time, and the gap between the two can be several hours. Southampton is around three hours from Colchester with a clear road, and the M25 and M3 are rarely clear at the times cruise passengers travel.
Give the office your terminal and the time on your documents and we will agree a collection time with you rather than applying a standard offset. That conversation is the difference between arriving inside your window and arriving to a closed check-in desk.
Southampton docks
Four terminals, several minutes apart
Southampton is not one building. The terminals have separate entrances and separate check-in halls, and arriving at the wrong one costs the time you built in as a buffer. The terminal name is on your cruise documents — bring it to the booking.
Ocean Terminal
Berth 46. The usual departure point for the larger ships sailing from Southampton.
Mayflower Terminal
Berth 106, on the western side of the docks — a different entrance from Ocean.
QEII Terminal
Berth 38/39, close to Ocean but a separate check-in hall.
City Cruise Terminal
Berth 101. Frequently confused with Mayflower; the documents will say which.
Before you book
Four details that decide everything else
The terminal name
Ocean, Mayflower, QEII or City — not just “Southampton”.
Your boarding window
The time printed on your cruise documents, so we can work back from it.
Cases, counted honestly
Large cases and cabin bags separately. This chooses the vehicle.
A mobile that will be on
For the driver on the morning, and for the return leg when the ship docks.
Questions
Asked most often about the Southampton run
How early will you collect us for a cruise?
Southampton is roughly a three-hour drive from Colchester before traffic, and cruise lines set a boarding window rather than a single departure time. Tell us your terminal and the time on your boarding documents when you book, and the office will work back from it and confirm a collection time with you.
Can you take four people and four large suitcases?
Not in a saloon. A saloon takes 4 passengers but only 2 large cases, and cruise luggage is bulkier than a week in a carry-on. For four travelling with a case each, book the estate or MPV at £301.50 — it is £25 more than the saloon and removes the question entirely.
Do you cover the return leg when the ship docks?
Yes, and it is booked as a second journey at the same published fare. Docking times move, so give us the scheduled arrival when you book and call the office once you are alongside — the number is answered around the clock.
Which Southampton terminal do you go to?
All of them — Ocean, Mayflower, QEII and City. They are separate sites several minutes apart, so the terminal name matters as much as the time. It is printed on your cruise documents; give it to us when you book.
Is the price affected by the amount of luggage?
No. The fare depends on the vehicle category you book, not on how full it is. What luggage changes is which category you need — see the capacities on the fleet page before you choose.
What happens if our sailing is cancelled?
Call the office as soon as you know. Cancellation terms are being confirmed and are not published yet, so we would rather you spoke to someone than relied on a page.
Also from Colchester
Other journeys we price in advance
Airport transfers
Fixed prices to Stansted, Southend, London City, Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton, agreed before you travel.
Executive and corporate travel
Accounts for firms in and around Colchester, billed monthly against a reference you choose.
Event and theatre trips
An evening in London without the last train home deciding when you leave.
Local journeys
Station runs, appointments and errands across Colchester, priced by the office.
Book the drive before you book the excursions
Southampton fares start at £276.50 for a saloon. Price your transfer online, or call the office and we will work back from your boarding time with you.