Celebrity Apex at the Port of Southampton
Celebrity Apex at Southampton in 2026
Celebrity Apex is an Edge-class ship with the cantilevered Magic Carpet on her side, sailing a premium European programme from Southampton. Across the Aug–Oct 2026 schedule that works out at 6 times alongside in Southampton, opening on Sat, 22 Aug 2026 and closing on Sun, 18 Oct 2026 — August being the heaviest month.
Which terminal does Celebrity Apex use?
There is no single Celebrity Apex terminal at Southampton this season — the schedule splits her across City Cruise Terminal (SO15 1HJ) on 3 calls, Horizon Cruise Terminal (SO15 1AW) on 3 calls. That matters more than it sounds: they are separate buildings with separate gates. Always go by the terminal printed on your e-ticket, and give it to us at booking so your driver heads to the right gate first time.
Who else is in port on your date
Southampton rarely handles one ship at a time, and that is what decides how busy your journey is. On 5 of her 6 calls another cruise ship is alongside the same day — the heaviest is Sat, 29 Aug 2026, when Celebrity Apex shares the port with Iona, MSC Virtuosa, Sky Princess and Ventura. Several thousand extra guests arriving and leaving through the same dock gates means slower approach roads and an emptier taxi rank, so on those dates we build extra time into the pickup rather than hoping for a clear run.
Timing your transfer around Celebrity Apex
Most Celebrity Apex calls in the list arrive and leave the same day, which is the classic Southampton pattern: guests off in the morning, guests on in the afternoon, ship away by early evening. Where the port has published times, Celebrity Apex has been listed arriving as early as 06:15. For embarkation we time the pickup to your check-in window rather than the ship's arrival, so you are not standing in a queue with your cases; for disembarkation we track the ship and adjust the pickup free of charge if she docks late.
Luggage, groups and the right vehicle
Celebrity Apex carries a small number of guests, so there is no terminal-scale taxi rank waiting outside — pre-booking is the sensible move rather than the cautious one. Your driver meets you by name, handles the cases, and knows which gate the small-ship berths sit behind.