Thailand is one of Southeast Asia’s most popular cruise destinations, offering a mix of huge cities, tropical islands and relaxed coastal towns. If you’re cruising here, it really helps to understand exactly where ships dock, whether you’ll need a tender (which means that the ship docks off the coast of the place and you take a smaller boat to a smaller pier), and how easy it is to explore independently on a port day.
- Check out my guide to the Far East Discovery cruise with Holland America which stops at Laem Chabang and Koh Samui.
These are the main ports used by large cruise ships in Thailand, along with what each one serves and what you can realistically see when you step ashore.
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Laem Chabang
Laem Chabang is Thailand’s main deep-water cruise port and one of the few places in the country where the largest cruise ships can dock directly alongside the pier. This is an actual port, not a tender stop. It is important to keep in mind that cruise ships might use one of two locations to dock the ship for Laem Chabang:
- Laem Chabang Cruise Center (cruise terminal)
- Balihai Pier Pattaya (which is a tender pier)
Typically, ships come to the Laem Chabang Cruise Center when visiting but there are situaitons where the smaller pier in Pattaya may be used, for example, due to space restrictions during our overnight at Laem Chabang on the Holland America Westerdam, the ship had to move from the cruise terminal at 2am and dock off the shore of Pattaya and switch to a tender service to Balihai Pier. Make sure you know which one your ship intends to use for your visit so you can make the most of your time there.
Although it’s often advertised as the port for Bangkok, Laem Chabang is around 130 km from the city. Getting to central Bangkok usually takes between two and two and a half hours each way depending on traffic, which makes this a very long port day if you’re heading into the capital. Both times when I have had a stop at Laem Chabang, it has been an overnight stay which does give cruisers more flexibility to visit Bangkok because there is far more time to do so.
Laem Chabang also serves several closer destinations that are often easier and less rushed to explore. These include Pattaya, which is around 30-40 minutes away and offers beaches, shopping malls and family attractions, Sri Racha, a quieter seaside town with parks and local restaurants, and Chonburi, which feels far more local and is great for markets and street food. I have visited all of these areas and honestly I love all of them… I would simply pick which one to visit based on my children and how they are feeling on the day I arrive.
The port itself is very industrial with nothing within walking distance, so you’ll need transport to go anywhere. As soon as you exit the ship into the terminal building you will be met by people selling bus tickets to Pattaya (I am not sure if there is also buses to Bangkok and I just did not notice them) and taxis that you can arrange via a booth. We opted to use Bolt, an app you can use to book a local driver where you can see the cost and time upfront before you agree to use the driver. Most people either book a ship excursion, arrange a private driver, or plan a shorter independent day closer to the port rather than attempting Bangkok.
Guides for the above mentioned cities and towns near Laem Chabang:
- Bangkok with autistic children
- Pattaya with autistic children
- Sri Racha with autistic children – coming soon
- Chon Buri with autistic children – coming soon
Some ideas for cruise ship stop tours and attractions from Laem Chabang:
Pattaya:
- The Sanctuary of Truth
- Nong Nooch Tropical Garden
- Underwater World
- Columbia Pictures Aquaverse
- Zipline and ATV adventure
Koh Samui
Koh Samui is one of the most popular cruise stops in Thailand thanks to its beaches and laid-back island atmosphere. Cruise ships do not dock here; instead they anchor offshore and passengers are brought ashore by tender boat.
Tenders arrive at Nathon Pier, which is located right next to Nathon Town. This is one of the easiest and most convenient tender ports in Thailand, as you step straight into a town with cafés, shops, massage parlours and transport options.
From Nathon Pier it’s easy to travel independently to popular areas such as Chaweng Beach, the island’s busiest resort area with shopping and a long sandy beach, Lamai Beach, which is slightly quieter but still well developed, or Fisherman’s Village Bophut, known for its restaurants and evening markets. As soon as you step off the tender boat, you will be surrounded by drivers offering their taxi and driving services for trips or tours around Koh Samui – you will not find it hard to find a driver, believe me. It can be overwhelming to meet this huge crowd of people, especially if you or someone you travel with has autism. We typically walk straight past, say no thank you (repeatedly but firmly) and either just walk around Nathon, book a driver in the Bolt app or one time we talked to a driver who was at the very back of this crowd and was a genuine and kind person who offered good prices. I will leave her info below so you guys can contact her if you ever visit Koh Samui.
| Koh Samui taxi driver | Contact number |
| Rose | coming soon |
Taxis and songthaews are easy to find throughout the island, and Koh Samui is very manageable for independent exploring. Just keep in mind that tender operations can be slower if the sea is rough, so allow extra time getting back to the ship. Koh Samui has a ring round around the island, and they were doing work on it during our visit in 2025 which really help up traffic.
Guides for the above mentioned places for your cruise stop at Koh Samui:
- Koh Samui with autistic children
- Chaweng with autistic children – coming soon
- Nathon with autistic children – coming soon
Some ideas for cruise ship stop tours and attractions for Koh Samui:
Koh Samui:
Patong Beach, Phuket
When large cruise ships visit Phuket, they do not dock at a traditional port. Instead, ships anchor offshore and tender passengers directly to Patong Beach to a small jetty literally right on the beach.
This means you arrive right in the heart of Patong, with beaches, shops, cafés and massage parlours immediately accessible as soon as you step ashore. It’s one of the most convenient tender stops in Thailand in terms of location. When we visited Patong by cruise we decided to have a beach day, straying only a few metres from the jetty onto the beautiful sandy beach right beside Chokaree Pier.
From the Patong tender pier you can easily travel to Phuket Old Town, which is known for its colourful streets, cafés and Sunday walking street market, or to Kata Beach, a calmer beach that’s popular with families. Taxis and tuk-tuks are plentiful, but traffic around Phuket can be heavy, so it’s best not to plan anything too far away if you’re on a tight schedule.
Guides for the above mentioned places for your cruise stop at Phuket:
- Phuket with autistic children
- Patong with autistic children – coming soon
- Phuket Town with autistic children – coming soon
Some ideas for Phuket cruise stop tours:
Phuket Island:
I highly recommend using GetYourGuide for tours and attraction tickets, and you can use my code AUTISMFAMILYTRAVELGUIDE5 to get a discount.
What to Know Before Cruising Thailand
Thailand’s cruise ports vary a lot in how easy they are. Laem Chabang is a long-distance port where planning really matters, especially if you’re aiming for Bangkok. Koh Samui and Patong are tender ports, but both drop you very close to areas that are easy and enjoyable to explore independently.
Tender ports can take longer at busy times, and weather conditions can affect operations, so always leave yourself plenty of buffer time. Typically, cruise ships hand out tender tickets for most of the cruisers, and you simply get a number based on how quickly you went to collect a tender ticket (usually the day before). This means, you need to be on the ball if you want to get off as early as possible. Heat and humidity can also be intense, so water, shade and air-conditioned transport make a big difference. This is especially true if your tender boat is a lifeboat – I don’t think I have ever been as hot, sweaty and uncomfortable as I was on a lifeboat from the Holland America Westerdam to the island of Koh Samui. Bring a drink, fan and avoid makeup as it will melt off.
I would also recommend looking into the Thailand Digital Arrival Card before you arrive to Thailand. A little time to plan and fill this in before you arrive with save you so much stress at the port.
For families and sensory-sensitive travellers, Koh Samui and Patong tend to be the most relaxed and manageable stops, while Bangkok from Laem Chabang can be overwhelming unless you plan carefully. We have stopped at Laem Chabang twice and opted for visits to Pattaya and Sri Racha instead of Bangkok, which made these days far more manageable and relaxed.
I have written out a page dedicated to travelling in Thailand with autistic children – my Thailand travel hub. Here you will find links to destination guides, attraction and tour ideas and so much more advice for travelling to Thailand with a disability.
Planning a trip to South East Asia? Head to one of my country travel hubs to get access to all of my guides for each place.