Seventeen cars belonging to cruise passengers were stolen in a single night at a parking lot serving Southampton Port, leaving holidaymakers shocked and stranded after their return from dream vacations. The thefts occurred overnight between September 9 and 10 at the Southampton Cruise Parking Services facility on First Avenue, a location marketed as secure, with 24-hour surveillance and gated entry.
Victims, expecting their cars to be waiting after their cruises with lines like Disney, Norwegian, Cunard, Royal Caribbean, and P&O, instead faced the gut-wrenching realization that their vehicles had vanished. One holidaymaker, Lee Francis, described the disbelief of being told his BMW was gone after trusting the parking lot’s promises of locked indoor storage and on-site security. As it turned out, his personal GPS tracker helped him recover the car days later, but most were not so lucky.
Police responded to reports of the break-in early Wednesday morning, launching a major investigation and combing through hours of CCTV footage. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary confirmed they are working closely with the parking company and local partners to trace the missing vehicles and pursue the criminals involved. At last count, six out of the 17 stolen vehicles had been found and returned to their owners.
Detectives acknowledged the scale of the crime and the stress it has caused for returning passengers, vowing to keep victims updated and urging anyone with information to come forward. The incident throws a sharp spotlight on the risks of leaving cars in long-term parking, especially in lots that are supposedly secure but ultimately vulnerable to ambitious thieves.
For now, hundreds of travelers—and anyone considering a cruise out of Southampton—are left wondering just how safe it is to leave their car behind when setting sail.