Southampton cruise parking: who runs it, what it costs and how to book

Your cruise line decides who can park you inside the port. CPS, short for Cruise and Passenger Services, runs valet parking for P&O Cruises, Cunard and Princess. ABParking, run by the port's owner ABP, has car parks beside the terminals for most other lines. Everything else is outside the port, and you reach the terminal by shuttle, taxi or on foot.

ABP says long-stay parking at the terminals must be booked in advance, so do not plan on turning up. This site is independent. It is not ABP, a parking company or a cruise line.

Who runs cruise parking at Southampton?

CPS or ABParking, depending on your line. The split goes by line, not by terminal, and ABP says all five terminals have short-stay and long-stay car parks.

Your cruise line	Parking inside the port	How to book
P&O Cruises, Cunard, Princess	CPS valet parking	cruiseparking.co.uk, 0345 071 3939
Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Fred. Olsen, MSC, Norwegian, Disney, Silversea, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Saga	ABParking	abparking.co.uk, 023 8048 8870

ABParking's booking form also lists Holland America, Seabourn, Azamara, Hapag-Lloyd and TUI. If your line is on neither list, ask it who to book with.

Both companies are described as the official or only provider, which looks like a contradiction. P&O Cruises says the CPS valet is the only service inside the port estate, Cunard calls it the sole authorised provision, and ABP's cruise page calls ABParking the official provider. These fit together once you split by line. ABParking's booking site says it does not run parking for P&O Cruises, Cunard or Princess, and sends those passengers to CPS.

Southampton cruise parking prices

These are the published prices we could find, checked 1 November 2026. Prices change with dates and booking time, so get a live quote before you decide.

Option	7 days	14 days	What the figure is
CPS valet, inside the port	£66.50 to £140	£133 to £280	P&O's range of £9.50 to £20 a day, by cruise length. Totals are our arithmetic
ABParking, inside the port	Quote by sailing	Quote by sailing	No price list on the pages we could read
Southampton Cruise Parking Services	£120.96	£175	Published £17.28 and £12.50 a day, November 2026 to March 2027. Totals are our arithmetic
Same, 1 April to 1 October 2027	£144.20	£189	Published £20.60 and £13.50 a day
Southampton Park and Cruise	£99	£165	Published totals, VAT and shuttle included, same in both seasons
Penguin Parking	From £144	From £234	From prices on its November 2026 sailing list
Parking4Cruises	Quote by sailing	Quote by sailing	Prices appear once you enter your dates
Airlynx Cruise Parking, Woolston	Not listed	Not listed	£74.95 for 8 days, 1 to 8 January 2027, a guide price from Airparks
Portside Meet and Greet	Not listed	Not listed	£15.20 a day, 28 December 2026 to 4 January 2027, from Holiday Extras, valid 28 October 2026
Triangle Car Park, Town Quay	From £99.50	Not listed	APH's weekly price for Park and Walk, or from £128.50 with a taxi. Holiday Extras showed from £79 for 8 days
Council multi-storey car parks	£39 to £41	£74 to £76	First 24 hours £9 or £11, then £5 a day. The 14-day total is our arithmetic

Check how each company counts. Holiday Extras says its weekly price means 8 days, and a 7-night cruise can run across 8 calendar days.

P&O Cruises does not say which daily rate goes with which cruise length, so the CPS totals above are a range and not a quote. CPS gives an instant quote when you pick your line, ship and cruise on its site. ABParking's booking form also starts with your line and ship.

Which Southampton cruise parking should I choose?

Start with what your fare includes, then decide how much a short walk to the ship is worth to you.

• Your fare includes parking. Take it, and book it. P&O Cruises includes parking on Select Price holidays of 7 nights or more on selected round trips, and Cunard does on selected Cunard Fare round trips from Southampton of 7 nights or more. Fred. Olsen also offers complimentary parking on some sailings. All three still need you to book.
• You want the shortest walk. Stay inside the port with CPS or ABParking.
• You want the lowest price and do not mind a transfer. Compare your CPS or ABParking quote with Southampton Park and Cruise and Airlynx, which showed the lowest prices above with a transfer included. The council car parks are cheaper still, but add a taxi each way.
• You do not want anyone else driving your car. Triangle Car Park, Southampton Park and Cruise and the council car parks are the self-park options here.
• You want it under cover. Southampton Cruise Parking Services is the only option here that says it keeps cars indoors.
• You are away for weeks. Daily rates fall with length. Southampton Cruise Parking Services published £7.50 a day for 26 to 50 days from November 2026 to March 2027, and £11 from April to October 2027, checked 1 November 2026.
• You are one person with little luggage. Parking is charged per car, so compare it with the train and coach.

How does CPS valet parking work?

You drive to your terminal, hand the car over and walk in. A CPS driver takes the car away. This is the only valet service inside the port for P&O Cruises, Cunard and Princess.

1. Book with CPS at least 35 days before you sail. P&O Cruises, Cunard and Princess all give that deadline. P&O and Cunard say bookings open 72 hours after you book the cruise.
2. On the day, go straight to your terminal. You check the car in with CPS staff, and porters take your luggage.
3. A driver takes the car to secure storage. CPS says all vehicles stay inside the Port of Southampton.
4. After the cruise, collect your keys from the car park operator, who directs you to your car.

CPS's phone line is open 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, and its booking form takes Visa, Mastercard, Maestro and American Express. If your line gave you a complimentary or discount code, there is a field for it on the form.

CPS uses the word valeting for cleaning, which is a separate extra for cars left four days or more. It also offers a fuel top-up and SureStart, a maintenance check so the car is ready to drive, but it does not top up oils. Aftermarket alarms and immobilisers must be disabled before check-in, and the booking form makes you pay any recovery costs if staff cannot move the car because of one.

How does ABParking work?

You book online, and the car stays in a car park ABParking says is next to your terminal and in full view of your ship. It is on the port estate, and ABP runs it.

Pick your line and ship on the booking site. Fred. Olsen says staff direct you to the right car park on arrival and collect your luggage, so you can go straight to check-in, and that the terminal is a short walk from the car park. ABParking says it holds the Park Mark Safer Parking Award.

Fred. Olsen passengers can book with Fred. Olsen or directly with ABP. Book at least 48 hours before departure for the Fred. Olsen rate. Fred. Olsen warns that turning up unbooked may mean paying the full on-the-day rate, non-refundable. If your Fred. Olsen fare includes parking you still need to book a space, and your voucher comes 2 to 3 weeks before sailing.

Southampton cruise parking outside the port

CPS says it is not linked to any company operating outside the port, and these are the alternatives to compare. For three of them, a broker's page is the only source we could read, and we name the broker.

Southampton Park and Cruise

The company Radio Taxis Southampton runs this car park on Old Redbridge Road, Redbridge, SO15 0NE. You park yourself and ring the number in your confirmation email, and a transfer takes you to the terminal. Coming back, you collect your luggage, ring again and go back to your car. It has 24-hour CCTV and staff on site. It also lists 3 days at £50 and 30 days at £295, checked 1 November 2026, with EV charging and car washing as paid extras.

Penguin Parking

Penguin is a trading name of the same company, and its home and directions pages give the same postcode, SO15 0NE. Old Redbridge Road is one-way, and Penguin says you can only enter it from Redbridge Road, the A33. Its park and ride page names a different site, Speedwell House, West Quay Road, SO15 1GY, so follow your booking confirmation. You leave your key with staff, and drivers load your bags onto a minibus. Your package sets your latest arrival, 14.00, 15.00 or 16.00, and you must arrive at least 1.5 hours before sailing. Vehicles of 5 metres or more, trailers, campers and motorhomes cost £5 a day extra, checked 1 November 2026, and there is no height limit.

Southampton Cruise Parking Services

Your car goes in a locked indoor warehouse at Unit 7, First Avenue, Millbrook, SO15 0LJ, which the company describes as right at the port beside Dock 20. Staff check the mileage and photograph the car, then you hand over the keys, and it says the car never leaves the premises. A free shuttle takes about 5 minutes depending on your terminal. Text when you are 30 minutes away. Oversized vehicles and small vans cost £3 a day more if pre-booked, and trailers, campers and motorhomes £5, checked 1 November 2026. It does not take HGVs.

Parking4Cruises

This is a meet and greet from a compound in Northam, SO14 5QQ, which it says is under 3 miles from all the terminals. You reply to a text when you are about 30 minutes out, and the team meets you. After the cruise you collect the car from the short-stay car park. Keys go in electronically locked safes. Fred. Olsen lists it, and prices appear once you enter your dates on its site.

Portside Meet and Greet

Holiday Extras sells this and does not name the operator. You drop passengers and bags at the terminal, drive to the short-stay car park and look for a large red flag, and a driver takes the car to a compound about 8 miles away. The driver returns it to the same car park.

Airlynx Cruise Parking, Woolston

Airparks sells this car park on Wharf Road, Woolston, SO19 9TJ. You hand your keys in at reception and a driver parks the car. A free bus runs to all terminals from 11:00 to 15:30, taking about 5 minutes, and collects you from 06:00 to 12:00. Groups of more than five on one booking pay an extra £5 per person each way, checked 1 November 2026.

Watch the names. Brokers sell this as Cruise Parking, which sounds like CPS at cruiseparking.co.uk, and CPS says it is not linked to any company outside the port. Airparks lists a second Cruise Parking site at North Baddesley, SO52 9LY, about 20 minutes from the terminals by transfer bus.

Triangle Car Park, Town Quay

APH's listing says Red Funnel owns and runs this car park at Town Quay, SO14 3AX. Number plate cameras let you in, you park and you keep your keys. Park and Walk is about 5 minutes on foot from the terminal, which APH's page does not name. The transfer version includes a private taxi for up to four people, called through Radio Taxis on 023 8066 6666.

Sources differ, so check before you book. APH says the taxi is included to Ocean and suggests other terminals may cost extra. APH lists the car park as on-port, while Visit Southampton's June 2026 leaflet calls it off-site.

Council multi-storey car parks

Southampton City Council points cruise passengers to Bedford Place, Eastgate Street and Grosvenor Square. Its example 7-day charges are £41, £39 and £41, checked 1 November 2026. You pay on return with your ticket, and the £5 daily rate applies automatically. These are city centre car parks, so you need a taxi to the terminal. The council's parking page says works were due to start at Bedford Place on 13 April 2026, so check it is open.

What happens to your car while you cruise?

That depends on the option. Where the table says to ask, the pages we could read do not say.

Option	Who parks it	Where it stays	Your keys
CPS valet	CPS driver	Secure storage inside the port	Handed over, collected after the cruise
ABParking	Ask when you book	Car park next to your terminal	Ask when you book
Southampton Park and Cruise	You	Redbridge	Ask when you book
Penguin Parking	Ask when you book	Off-port car park, see above	Left with staff
Southampton Cruise Parking Services	Staff	Indoor warehouse, Millbrook	Left with staff
Parking4Cruises	Ask when you book	Compound, Northam	Locked safes
Portside Meet and Greet	Driver	Compound about 8 miles away	Handed to the driver
Airlynx Cruise Parking	Driver	Woolston	Left at reception
Triangle Car Park	You	Town Quay	You keep them
Council car parks	You	City centre	You keep them

Where can you drop off passengers at Southampton?

At your terminal, in the passenger drop-off area. ABP says each terminal has one, plus a short-stay car park, and private taxis can drop you directly outside. Fred. Olsen says there is a separate car park for people dropping passengers off. See our terminal guide for gates and postcodes.

What you do next depends on your parking:

• CPS. Drive straight to the terminal, because that is where you hand the car over.
• ABParking. Follow the staff to your car park, which is at the terminal.
• Portside Meet and Greet. Drop passengers and bags at the terminal first, then go to the short-stay car park.
• Park and ride. Go to the car park first, with everyone in the car, and your bags travel on the transfer.

Is there Blue Badge parking for Southampton cruises?

Yes, inside the port. ABParking has a dedicated Blue Badge car park, which you must book in advance. CPS's booking form has a disabled parking option and asks for your Blue Badge at check-in, and it also asks about adapted vehicle controls. Cunard says CPS does not offer complimentary parking for Blue Badge holders, so check that before you rely on an included space.

Does Southampton have a clean air charge or bridge toll?

There is no clean air charge in Southampton, and the Itchen Bridge is the one toll to know about.

GOV.UK's list of clean air zones, updated 12 February 2026, does not include Southampton. The council says the government approved its plan in place of a charging zone in February 2019. Portsmouth is on the list, but its zone does not charge private cars.

The Itchen Bridge toll is £1.20 for cars, small vans and small 4x4s, checked 1 November 2026. Southampton residents with a SmartCities card pay 40p. At the booth you can pay by contactless, or in coins from 10p to £2, with no change given. ABP's directions to the terminals do not mention the bridge. It matters mainly if you are heading for Woolston, on the far side of the River Itchen from the docks.

Once you know where you are parking, check which terminal your ship uses, or find your date on the calendar. If you plan to stay the night before, see hotels near the cruise port.