Southampton cruise port, explained

Southampton is the busiest cruise port in the UK: five terminals on two docks, over three million passengers a year, and every major line that sails from Britain. This guide covers what passengers actually search for before a cruise: which terminal, how to get there from Heathrow and London, where to park, where to sleep the night before, and what to do with a spare day in the city. It is written independently of the port and the cruise lines, and it is updated from ABP's own passenger directions and live schedule.

Start with your terminal

Your cruise line tells you the terminal a few weeks before sailing; the five terminals are compared below. The five terminals sit on two sides of the port: QEII and Ocean in the Eastern Docks through Dock Gate 4, and City, Horizon and Mayflower in the Western Docks through Dock Gates 8, 10 and 20. The difference matters: City is a 15-minute walk from Southampton Central, QEII is 2.5 miles.

Terminal	Berth	Docks	Walk from Southampton Central	Typical lines
QEII Cruise Terminal	Berth 38/39	Eastern Docks	2.5 miles, 45-50 minutes on foot	Cunard (Queen Mary 2 is a regular at berth 38/39)
Ocean Cruise Terminal	Berth 46/47	Eastern Docks	1.5 miles, about 30 minutes on foot	P&O (Britannia
City Cruise Terminal	101 Berth	Western Docks	0.6 miles via Dock Gate 10, about 15 minutes on foot	Fred. Olsen (Borealis)
Horizon Cruise Terminal	102 Berth	Western Docks	0.5 miles, about 12 minutes on foot	Royal Caribbean (Liberty of the Seas)
Mayflower Cruise Terminal	Berth 106	Western Docks	1.5 miles, about 30 minutes on foot	P&O (Ventura

Southampton in one paragraph

The port has handled ocean liners since the Queen Mary era; Titanic sailed from here in 1912 and the Mayflower in 1620. Today P&O and Cunard are based here year round, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, MSC, Princess, NCL and Fred. Olsen run seasons from the port, and ABP allocates berths up to two years ahead. The city behind the docks is compact: the walled Old Town, Westquay shopping centre and Ocean Village marina are all within a mile of the Western Docks.

Getting there, by starting point

From Heathrow the choice is a fixed-price car in 1 h 25 or the National Express coach to Harbour Parade. From Gatwick the train via Clapham Junction takes about two hours. From London Waterloo South Western Railway runs direct in 1 h 12 to 2 hours with advance fares from £10.10. Southampton Airport is twenty minutes from every terminal. If you are driving, the postcodes and dock gates for each terminal are listed with the M27 directions.

Each terminal, in detail

QEII at berth 38/39 is the Cunard terminal and the furthest from the station. Ocean at berth 46 handles the big P&O ships and sits next to the Red Funnel ferries. City at berth 101 is a 15-minute walk from Southampton Central. Horizon at berth 102 is the newest, used by Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and MSC. Mayflower at berth 106 is the far end of the Western Docks.

A day in the city or beyond

The Titanic story is told at SeaCity Museum and along a trail of memorials; the Old Town walk follows the medieval walls from the Bargate to the Mayflower Memorial in an hour. With a full day, the Isle of Wight is 28 minutes away by Red Jet, the New Forest 13 minutes by train, Winchester a quarter of an hour, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard 45 minutes, and Stonehenge under an hour by road. Sailing in December? See Christmas in Southampton for the winter programme. Bags to leave for the day: luggage storage. Curious who came from here: famous Sotonians, from Jane Austen to the man who designed the Spitfire. Everything else is in the FAQ.

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