In short
- Dover is under an hour from most of Kent. Tilbury is across the crossing. Southampton is a two to three hour run.
- Check-in windows are allocated and fixed. Arriving outside yours means waiting or worse.
- Cruise luggage is the heaviest load we carry. One large case per person plus hand luggage, minimum.
- Ships dock late more often than they sail late. Build the return around the actual arrival, not the schedule.
- Book the return when you book the outbound. Arranging it from a terminal after a fortnight away is worse.
The three ports, compared
| Port | From north Kent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dover Cruise Terminal | 45–70 min | The closest by a wide margin. Two terminals, so check which. |
| London Cruise Terminal, Tilbury | 40–60 min | Across the Dartford Crossing. Short in distance, and the crossing is the variable. |
| Southampton | 2h – 3h | Four terminals across the port. You must know which one before travelling. |
| Portsmouth | 2h – 2h 45m | Ferries and some cruise sailings. |
| Harwich | 2h – 2h 45m | North Essex. Longer than it looks from Kent. |
Southampton in particular has several terminals a considerable distance apart within the port. Your booking confirmation names it. Take that name with you.
Check-in windows
Cruise lines allocate check-in windows to spread arrivals across the day. Arriving inside yours means a straightforward process. Arriving early frequently means waiting in a car park; arriving late can mean a rushed boarding or, in the worst case, a problem.
Plan the departure from home around your allocated window with a sensible margin. From Kent to Dover that margin is easy; to Southampton it needs more thought, because a two-and-a-half hour journey has more that can go wrong in it.
Luggage, which is the real constraint
Cruise passengers travel with more luggage than any other group we carry. A fortnight away, formal nights, and no weight limit of the sort airlines impose means the typical passenger brings a large case plus hand luggage, and often more.
| Passengers | Cases | Vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 large + hand luggage | Estate |
| 4 | 4 large + hand luggage | MPV or 8-seater |
| 6 | 6 large + hand luggage | 8-seater, seats configured |
| 8 | 8 large + hand luggage | Minibus |
| 12+ | 12+ large | Minibus or midi coach |
The rule of thumb: for a cruise, book one size up from what the head count alone suggests. Nobody wants a suitcase on their lap on the way to a fortnight's holiday.
The return, and why ships dock late
Cruises sail on time far more reliably than they arrive. Weather, tides, port congestion and the disembarkation process itself all push the actual time you walk out of a terminal later than the scheduled arrival.
Plan the return collection around when you will actually be through, not when the ship is due alongside. Disembarkation is usually staggered by deck or by luggage colour, and it takes considerably longer than people expect.
If you are booking a vehicle, check that a delayed arrival is accommodated rather than charged for. A ship two hours late is not an unusual event and it should not become an expensive one.
Practical notes
Book the return with the outbound
Arranging transport from a terminal after a fortnight away, with luggage, in whatever the weather is doing, is a considerably worse experience than making one phone call before you go.
Early sailings
Dover and Tilbury check-ins can start early in the morning, which from parts of Kent means a departure before dawn. It is a short journey but an early one.
Group cruises
Family groups sailing together do far better in one vehicle than three cars, particularly given the luggage. It also means everyone arrives inside the same check-in window rather than spread across an hour.
Accessibility
Terminals are large and the walk from a drop-off point to check-in can be substantial. If anyone in your party has mobility needs, raise it when booking so the closest reachable point is used.