Southampton has four main cruise terminals and Portsmouth serves both cruise ships and ferries. Knowing which one you need, and how long to allow, is most of the battle.
A cruise should begin the moment you close your front door, not with a fraught drive and a search for a car park. Two ports serve the Worthing area, and both are straightforward runs — as long as you know which terminal you are heading for.
Southampton: the UK's busiest cruise port
Southampton handles millions of passengers a year, with four main terminals spread across the Western and Eastern Docks. The journey from Worthing usually takes around 50 to 70 minutes via the A27 and the M27.
The terminals you are most likely to be directed to:
- Ocean Terminal — the Eastern Docks
- Queen Elizabeth II Terminal — the Eastern Docks
- City Cruise Terminal — the Western Docks, closest to the city centre
- Mayflower Cruise Terminal — the Western Docks
Portsmouth: cruise ships and ferries
Portsmouth International Port is about 25 miles east of Worthing and typically 35 to 50 minutes along the A27. It serves both cruise departures and ferry routes, which means it handles quite different kinds of traveller.
Terminals and operators you may need:
- The Continental Ferry Port for long-haul ferry routes, including services to France and Spain
- Wightlink and Hovertravel terminals for Isle of Wight crossings
- Gunwharf Quays and the cruise berths
- Ferry operators including Brittany Ferries, P&O Ferries and Condor Ferries
How early should you arrive?
For ferries from Portsmouth, we recommend arriving at the port at least 90 minutes before departure. That is the port's own guidance rather than ours, and it accounts for check-in, vehicle or baggage handling and boarding.
For cruises, follow the boarding window your cruise line gives you. Those windows are staggered deliberately to manage the volume of passengers, and arriving outside yours can mean waiting. We plan the pickup so you land inside your allocated slot with time to spare.
Why pre-book the return as well
Disembarkation day is the busiest hour of the port's week. Thousands of people leave their ships within a short window, and taxi ranks fill immediately. Booking the return at the same time as the outward journey means a car is committed to you against your name and sailing, so you walk off the ship and straight into your transfer home.
Luggage is the thing people underestimate
A two-week cruise generates a lot of luggage, and it is bulkier than flight luggage because there are no weight limits to discourage it. A saloon will not take four large cases plus hand luggage comfortably. Tell us how many cases you have when you book and we will assign an estate or a people carrier with the boot space to match.
Travelling as a group of couples? A six or eight person people carrier lets everyone travel together and splits one fare rather than three.
Arrange your transfer
Western Cars Worthing Ltd runs airport and seaport transfers from Worthing and across West Sussex, with fixed prices, flight monitoring and meet and greet available. Call 01903 500600 at any hour, or book online.