Port parking

[jimbo1683]

Confused by port parking. We are onthe QV in November. This is our first ever cruise amd im looking to book parking (not included in our fare).

I am seeing 4 options: cruise parking drop and go. Portside meet and greet. Triangle Ocean Terminal. Triangle all terminals. They are all within £20 of each other so price unimportant. We are staying at the HI Express on the M27 the night before so getting there should be quick and easy.

 

How do we know what terminal we will sail from? Which is the easiest/most straightforward?

[majortom10]

You wont know until closer the date but looking on Southampton vts website will tell you what terminals the ship will be at but you will also be told by Cunard. Other options for parking are CPS and P4C who both you meet at the terminal where they take your car to a secure area and return to disembarking terminal at end of cruise. Only problem with Triangle is even though it is only a short walk from Ocean terminal if you embark or disembark at Mayflower terminal it is a long distance so you would need a taxi.

[phileas]

We used Portside meet and greet  at Southampton in January for a 12 nights cruise this year and found it excellent. Even better, by booking direct, they gave us an extra discount that lowered the cost to £92.50 which was good value.

 

We dropped off the luggage at the terminal (Ocean) then drove the car into the short term car park next to the luggage drop off and left the car with the Portside guys. They were easy to find as they had two 8' tall red and blue flags next to their vehicle. 150 metres walk back to the terminal. 

 

On our return, we emailed them two days before the arrival day , to let them know we would be disembarking an hour earlier than we had said when we left the car with them originally. Email reply confirmed this was fine, and sure enough, the car was ready and waiting at the correct time. When disembarking, either (as we did) you can simply take your luggage to the car, or the driver collects the car and loads the luggage at the pickup/ drop-off point at the terminal. 

 

It all went very smoothly and we have no hesitation in recommending them. 

 

We have used a variety of other car parking services in the past, and we found Portside to be one of the best. 

 

You can use an off port parking company (as we have done previously) but it will mean waiting for the transfer coach to take you to and from the car park to the terminal. Then there is the extra time for the transfer  and that you may have to wait in the rain, should the weather be inclement!

 

We didn't want to use a coach transfer type service as we were trying to keep contact with others to an absolute minimum prior toi the cruise due to the covid situation at that time. Given that a number of passengers were refused boarding having failed the terminal conducted Covid tests, for us at that time, it was a good decision to avoid mixing unnecessarily. Obviously it may be very different when you take your cruise!

[Victoria2]

CPS. Simple and hassle free.

Drive to the terminal, unload bags, car is checked in by a a checker and then driven off to the car park. Whichever terminal you arrive back at, your car will be waiting for you. The keys will be in the car park hut and given to you when you arrive to collect the car. 

[bbtablet]

Just to add for comprehensive description of CPS:

"... checked in by a checker who gives you a receipt for your car keys and you simply walk away from your car and into the terminal. CPS staff drive it off to their compound and park it.

On return, we always hire a porter (they will be lurking in the luggage-collection hall) who will take you and your luggage to the CPS hut, often bypassing the queues (worth a £5 tip for a stress free return rather than lugging your stuff around yourself and having to find your way).

You hand in your receipt at the CPS hut in exchange for the keys. They will tell you where your car is parked and you are free to go once you find it.