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Dover Cruise Terminals
A Passengers Guide To Using Dover Cruise Terminals



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Dover Cruise terminal is about 75 miles from Central London. It is one of three ports used by cruise ships visiting the London area. The others are Southampton and Harwich, both a similar distance from London than Dover.
Dover is the main ferry port connecting the UK and France and it is this trade that dominates the port. The Cruise Terminal is at the western docks, the ferry port at the Eastern Docks. The town of Dover is in between.

There are two main cruise terminals at Dover, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. The largest ships tend to use Terminal 2.
Cruise Lines

Terminal 1
Crystal Cruises
Fred Olsen
Holland America Line
MSC Cruises
Oceania Cruises
Saga Shipping
Swan Hellenic
Transocean

Terminal 2
Carnival Cruise Line
Celebrity Cruises
Costa Cruises
MSC Cruises
Norwegian Cruise Line
Princess Cruises
Swan Hellenic 		Dover Cruise Terminal 2
Dover Cruise Terminal 2
Coach bays on left, taxi rank on right
Facilities
  • A currency exchange service operates in both terminals
  • Car Hire, Avis, Enterprise and Europcar are in the arrivals hall. Hertz, National and Alamo have a freephone facility.
  • Cafe style refreshments
  • There is no left luggage facility
  • A post box is situated in the departure lounges, stamps available at the cafes.
  • Mother and baby rooms in both terminals.
  • Pay telephones in both terminals
  • The whole port is a no smoking area
Dover
Dover Cruise
Terminal
Dover To/From
Central London
Dover To/From
Heathrow
Dover To/From
Gatwick
Private Taxi & Van Transfers
Dover Hotels
London Victoria Hotels
Arriving at the Cruise Terminal
You should have all your luggage tagged with identification supplied by your cruise line.
On arrival there are plenty of baggage handlers who will take the luggage for you. There is no need to carry your own baggage.
After the luggage has completed security checks the porter will take it onto the ship for you.
You will proceed to check-in with any hand luggage.
Once checked in you will wait in the departure lounge until the ship is ready for embarkation.

Departing from the Cruise Terminal
After disembarking and going through customs and security a porter will carry your luggage. Immediately on exiting the customs hall there will be a crowd of drivers meeting any passengers that have arranged private transfers.
If you have booked a bus transfer to London or airport with the cruise line your porter will escort you to the correct bus. These are all parked in a line on your right.
If you require a taxi to connect to train or bus public transport, the taxi rank is on your left opposite the buses. (see picture above)
Taxi from the Cruise Terminal
If you are catching a train or bus out of Dover you will need to use a taxi.
If you are catching a National Express coach then you need to go to the Eastern Docks, the train station is a few hundred metres from the town centre.

Taxi cabs are metered, in 2007 the approximate price for a taxi between Dover Cruise Terminal and Dover Station or Ferry Port for National Express buses was 7 pounds UK Stirling. There is normally a board outside the baggage hall with current prices posted.
The taxi cabs may take Euro and US dollars but don't count on a good exchange rate, its best to pay in sterling.

If you want a taxi to go further afield like London or the airports then make sure you get a firm quote before you depart.

The taxi cabs at Dover are quite varied. The standard ones are normal European style saloon cars, able to carry 4 passengers only with little room. If you are large you will be in discomfort trying to seat 4 people.
The boot may only take 2 large cases, smaller than North American cars.

There are larger cabs on the rank, but its a hit and miss affair and queues for the taxi cabs can be very long.
Taxi Fares Posted Outside Terminals

Typical Dover Taxi Cabs

Getting To Central London, Heathrow & Gatwick Independently
The coach transfers provided by the cruise companies can be quite expensive. Public transport to London is quite good from London and is widely used by many passengers.

Dover to/from London
Dover to/from Heathrow Airport
Dover to/from Gatwick Airport
Dover to/from Central London