Princes Parade · Pier Head · Liverpool L3 1DL
Liverpool: you stay the night before
Two hundred and fifty miles to a check-in window that does not move is not a morning drive. Every group we take to a Liverpool sailing travels up the day before, and we would not arrange it any other way.
Is not a suggestion on this page, it is the arrangement. Five hours of motorway on the morning of a sailing, with a check-in that closes and a ship that leaves, is a risk nobody should take with a holiday they have paid for.
The arithmetic
Set out plainly, because it is the whole page.
From Kent
Four and a half to six hours each way including required rest breaks.
Which closes
Ships do not wait, and there is no later flight to rebook onto.
Are normal
One incident on the M6 and a same-day plan is finished.
Every time
Liverpool has plenty of hotels near the waterfront.
Kent to the Pier Head
Times include the rest breaks a journey of this length legally requires.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Each way |
|---|---|---|
| Bromley & Orpington | 248 miles | 4h 40m – 5h 35m |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 251 miles | 4h 45m – 5h 40m |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 254 miles | 4h 50m – 5h 45m |
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 259 miles | 4h 55m – 5h 50m |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 264 miles | 5h – 5h 55m |
| Rochester & Chatham | 269 miles | 5h 5m – 6h |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 293 miles | 5h 30m – 6h 30m |
How the trip works
Two vehicle movements at each end, priced as one arrangement.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Day before, morning or midday | We collect in Kent and drive up |
| Day before, late afternoon | Drop at your hotel near the waterfront |
| Sailing day, morning | A short run from the hotel to the Pier Head |
| On return | Collect from the terminal, and a hotel night if you prefer |
| Priced together | One arrangement, which costs less than separate journeys |
Sailing from Liverpool
We will not run a same-day Liverpool sailing
This is the one place on the site where we say that plainly. Five hours of motorway to a check-in window that closes, with a ship that leaves without you and a holiday you have already paid for, is not a risk worth taking to save a hotel night. Every Liverpool booking we take travels up the day before.
The terminal is superbly placed, at least
The Pier Head is in the middle of the Liverpool waterfront, surrounded by hotels, restaurants and the city itself. That makes the night before genuinely pleasant rather than an inconvenience, and it means the sailing-day run from hotel to terminal is a matter of minutes rather than a journey.
Price it as one arrangement
The drive up, the hotel drop, the short run to the terminal and the collection on your return work out considerably better booked together than as separate journeys. Tell us the sailing date and where you plan to stay, and we will quote the whole thing.
The return is the same in reverse
Ships dock early and disembarkation runs in waves, and then you have five hours ahead of you. A good many groups take a hotel night at that end too rather than driving straight home after a cruise. We will price both versions.
Liverpool cruise questions
Distance, and why the hotel matters.
Can we drive up on the morning of the sailing?
We would not arrange it. Five hours of motorway to a check-in that closes, with a ship that leaves without you, is not a risk worth taking on a paid-for holiday.
How far is Liverpool from Kent?
Around two hundred and fifty to two hundred and ninety miles, roughly four and three quarter to six and a half hours each way including required rest breaks.
Where should we stay?
Near the waterfront. The Pier Head is in the middle of Liverpool with hotels, restaurants and the city around it, so the night before is genuinely pleasant.
How does the booking work?
We collect in Kent the day before, drop at your hotel, run you to the terminal on sailing morning and collect on your return. Priced as one arrangement.
Is it cheaper booked together?
Yes, considerably, compared with arranging each leg separately.
What about the journey home?
Ships dock early and then you have five hours ahead of you. Many groups take a hotel night at that end too, and we will price both versions.
Which terminal is it?
Liverpool Cruise Terminal at Princes Parade, Pier Head, L3. Unlike Southampton there is no question about which building.
Is the fare fixed?
Yes, agreed at booking for the whole arrangement.
Ports and the north west
Liverpool and beyond.