SouthamptonCruise Port
Cruising out of Southampton? Find which of the five terminals is yours, sort out your parking or a hotel a short walk away, and plan the trip in from Heathrow or London.
Bon voyage from Southampton
- Terminals
- 5
- Cruise lines
- 10
- Celebrity, Cunard, Disney, Fred. Olsen, MSC Cruises, Norwegian, Oceania, P&O Cruises, Regent Seven Seas and Royal Caribbean
- Nearest airport
- SOU
- Southampton Airport, 5.3 mi, about 14 min
- Port parking
- See live price
- 1 port-run lot; the port shows the rate when you reserve
Last checked
Terminals by cruise line
Southampton has five cruise terminals, two on the Eastern Docks and three on the Western Docks. Your line and ship decide which one is yours, and it can change at short notice. Check your boarding documents a day or two before you sail. Find your line below.
City Cruise Terminal
Cruise lines
Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity, Fred. Olsen, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Disney
Royal Caribbean's terminal. On the Western Docks, through Dock Gate 10, like Horizon.
Berth 101, Western Docks, Southampton SO15 1HJ (Dock Gate 10)
Horizon Cruise Terminal
Cruise lines
MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity, Fred. Olsen, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Disney
MSC's terminal. On the Western Docks, through Dock Gate 10.
Berth 102, West Bay Road, Western Docks, Southampton SO15 1AW (Dock Gate 10)
Ocean Cruise Terminal
Cruise lines
P&O Cruises, Cunard
P&O and Cunard sail from here, on the Eastern Docks through Dock Gate 4 beside QEII.
Berth 46/47, Cunard Road, Eastern Docks, Southampton SO14 3QN (Dock Gate 4)
Mayflower Cruise Terminal
Cruise lines
P&O Cruises, Cunard
P&O and Cunard use it too. Drive in via Dock Gate 10 or Dock Gate 20; on foot, use Dock Gate 10.
Berth 106, Herbert Walker Avenue, Western Docks, Southampton SO15 1HJ (Dock Gate 10 or 20)
QEII Cruise Terminal
Cruise lines
Cunard
Cunard's third terminal, on the Eastern Docks through Dock Gate 4, beside Ocean.
Berth 38/39, Test Road, Eastern Docks, Southampton SO14 3GG (Dock Gate 4)
| Terminal | Cruise lines | Address | Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| City Cruise TerminalRoyal Caribbean's terminal. On the Western Docks, through Dock Gate 10, like Horizon. | Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity, Fred. Olsen, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Disney | Berth 101, Western Docks, Southampton SO15 1HJ (Dock Gate 10) | Map of City Cruise Terminal |
| Horizon Cruise TerminalMSC's terminal. On the Western Docks, through Dock Gate 10. | MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity, Fred. Olsen, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Disney | Berth 102, West Bay Road, Western Docks, Southampton SO15 1AW (Dock Gate 10) | Map of Horizon Cruise Terminal |
| Ocean Cruise TerminalP&O and Cunard sail from here, on the Eastern Docks through Dock Gate 4 beside QEII. | P&O Cruises, Cunard | Berth 46/47, Cunard Road, Eastern Docks, Southampton SO14 3QN (Dock Gate 4) | Map of Ocean Cruise Terminal |
| Mayflower Cruise TerminalP&O and Cunard use it too. Drive in via Dock Gate 10 or Dock Gate 20; on foot, use Dock Gate 10. | P&O Cruises, Cunard | Berth 106, Herbert Walker Avenue, Western Docks, Southampton SO15 1HJ (Dock Gate 10 or 20) | Map of Mayflower Cruise Terminal |
| QEII Cruise TerminalCunard's third terminal, on the Eastern Docks through Dock Gate 4, beside Ocean. | Cunard | Berth 38/39, Test Road, Eastern Docks, Southampton SO14 3GG (Dock Gate 4) |
Hotels the night before
Staying the night before means no early start and no missed boat. Two hotels near the Western Docks are a short walk from the ships. "Check rates" opens that hotel on Booking.com. "Hotel website" opens the hotel's own page. To see more, compare hotels near the terminals below.
Hotel
Novotel Southampton
A short walk from Horizon, in the West Quay Road area. Lists on-site parking, but no cruise package.
- 0.18 mi walk to Horizon Cruise Terminal, about 4 min
Hotel
Moxy Southampton
On Harbour Parade, a walk from City. Lists on-site parking, but no cruise package or shuttle.
- 0.3 mi walk to City Cruise Terminal, about 7 min
Southampton cruise parking
The port runs one parking provider, ABParking, at the Horizon and City terminals. Its car parks sit inside the port, about a 2 to 3 minute walk from the terminal. The port says long-stay parking must be pre-booked at every terminal, and it shows the price when you pick your ship and date. P&O guests book parking through their line.
ABParking shows its price only after you choose a ship and sailing date, so no rate is listed here.
Walk to the terminal
ABParking (Horizon and City terminals)
WalkOpen-airPort
2 to 3 minute walk from car to terminal
Associated British Ports (ABP) Southampton lots
| Lot | To the terminal | Cover | Price | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
ABParking (Horizon and City terminals)Port-run lot with Blue Badge bays you must book ahead.For City Cruise Terminal, Horizon Cruise Terminal+ More− LessCheck the ship and date carefully: up to five ships can arrive on the same day, and a wrong booking can mean being turned away. A cancelled cruise gets a full refund. Phone 02380 488870 for back-to-back cruises. No price is published without choosing a ship and sailing date; none was recorded. Book ahead: the port says long-stay parking must be pre-booked. | WalkOpen-air2 to 3 minute walk from car to terminal | Open-air | See live price | Reserve at the port → for ABParking (Horizon and City terminals) |
Getting there
Southampton Airport is the closest, with a train from Parkway station straight to Southampton Central. Heathrow is 67 miles away, about 1 hour 20 minutes by road. Gatwick is further. From London, a direct train runs from Waterloo to Southampton Central, then it's a taxi or a walk to the ship.
Southampton Airport SOU
Southampton's own airport, the closest to the ships.
- Distance
- 5.3 mi
- Drive
- about 14 min
Ways to the port
- Taxi — No fare published; MSC puts a taxi at 20 to 30 minutes. The quickest route, per ABP's terminal pages. Operator site →
- Bus: Train from Southampton Airport Parkway — No fare published. Parkway station is a few minutes' walk from the airport; trains to Southampton Central run about every eight minutes. Operator site → for Train from Southampton Airport Parkway
London Heathrow Airport LHR
London's biggest airport, a longer trip by road or rail.
- Distance
- 67 mi
- Drive
- about 1 hr 20 min
Ways to the port
- Cruise-line transfer: Cunard airport guide — No fares given on the page. Cunard lays out rail, bus, car and pre-booked transfer routes from Heathrow to the terminals. Operator site → for Cunard airport guide
London Gatwick Airport LGW
London's second airport, the longest drive of the three.
- Distance
- 77 mi
- Drive
- about 1 hr 45 min
Ways to the port
- Cruise-line transfer: Cunard airport guide — No fares given on the page. Cunard lays out rail, bus, car and pre-booked transfer routes from Gatwick to the terminals. Operator site → for Cunard airport guide
Pre-book a private airport transfer
A driver booked ahead meets you at arrivals with room for bags. Check that your airport, the port and your date are covered first.
Ports you'll visit from Southampton
Here is where Cunard's and MSC's cruises from Southampton go, from Norwegian fjords to Iberia and New York. Other lines' routes weren't confirmed.
Read the guide →Sailing to
Lisbon
Which terminal you use, what's a walk from the ship, and timed excursions.
Read the guide →Sailing to
Hamburg
Which of the three terminals your ship uses, and what's walkable from HafenCity.
Read the guide →Sailing to
Copenhagen
Langelinie, Nordre Toldbod and Ocean Quay, and which lines use each.
Read the guide →Sailing to
Cadiz
A terminal five minutes from the old town, with a walking map.
Read the guide →Sailing to
Rotterdam
The Wilhelminapier terminal and a map of what's a short walk away.
- Guide coming
Sailing to
Oslo
- Guide coming
Sailing to
Stavanger
Quick answers
How we checked these answers
Every answer is built from facts we checked against the sources below and cross-checked with recent port guides. Where sources disagreed, the answer says so instead of guessing a number.
- Associated British Ports — cruise terminals
- Visit Southampton — Southampton cruise port
- P&O Cruises — cruises from Southampton
- Cunard — London airports to Southampton cruise terminals
- MSC Cruises — cruises from Southampton
- Royal Caribbean — Where is the Port of Southampton?
- ABParking — Southampton cruise parking
- Visit Southampton — cruise passenger FAQs
- Accor — Novotel Southampton
- Marriott — Moxy Southampton
- Associated British Ports — City Cruise Terminal
- Associated British Ports — QEII Cruise Terminal
- Associated British Ports — Mayflower Cruise Terminal
- Associated British Ports — Horizon Cruise Terminal
- Cunard — Norwegian Fjords, 12 nights (V709B)
- Cunard — Roundtrip Transatlantic Crossing, 14 nights (M627C)
Terminals & cruise lines
Which terminal does my cruise ship use in Southampton?
Your cruise line and ship decide your terminal in Southampton, and the port has five. P&O Cruises says its ships dock at Mayflower and Ocean, Cunard usually uses Mayflower, Ocean or QEII, MSC Cruises uses Horizon, and Royal Caribbean uses City. Norwegian, Celebrity, Fred. Olsen, Oceania, Regent and Disney guests park at Horizon or City, per ABParking. Confirm yours 24 to 48 hours before you sail. See the terminals.
What cruise lines sail from Southampton?
Lines our research places at a Southampton terminal are P&O Cruises, Cunard, MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity, Fred. Olsen, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas and Disney. Visit Southampton and Associated British Ports also name Princess, AIDA, Silversea, TUI and Azamara, but no official page we found ties them to a terminal. Check your boarding documents for yours. Find your terminal.
Can I be dropped off at the cruise terminal in Southampton, and where do my bags go?
Yes: each Southampton terminal has a drop-off and pick-up zone near the entrance, for short stays only. There's no official left-luggage facility in the terminals, so if you arrive early, ask a nearby hotel or a storage service in the city centre about holding bags. P&O Cruises guests leave labelled cases at bag drops outside the terminal. See the terminals.
Hotels
Which hotels near the Southampton cruise port have a shuttle or are walkable?
No hotel we checked in Southampton lists a cruise shuttle, but two are a short walk from the Western Docks terminals. Novotel Southampton is 0.18 miles (about 4 minutes) from Horizon and 0.47 miles from City. Moxy Southampton is 0.30 miles (about 7 minutes) from City and 0.56 miles from Horizon. Both list on-site parking, but we found no cruise parking package. Compare hotels.
Can I walk to the Southampton cruise terminal from Southampton Central station?
Yes for the Western Docks terminals: Associated British Ports puts City and Horizon about a mile from Southampton Central and Mayflower a 25 to 30 minute walk. Ocean and QEII are about 2 miles away, so take a taxi, or the free bus to Town Quay and then walk 15 to 20 minutes. Taxis wait on both sides of the station. Getting there.
Parking
How much does it cost to park at the Southampton cruise terminal?
ABParking, the port's own provider for the Horizon and City terminals, publishes no daily rate: the price appears only after you choose your ship and sailing date on its booking form. Long-stay parking at the port must be pre-booked, and ABParking says up to five ships can arrive on the same day, so book the right one. We didn't record a private lot's published price. See parking.
Where do you park for a cruise from Southampton?
At Horizon and City, park with ABParking: its car parks are inside the Port of Southampton, a 2 to 3 minute walk from the terminal, with no shuttle needed. P&O Cruises guests book parking through CruiseParking, on selected round-trip sailings of 7 nights or more. For Ocean, QEII and Mayflower, the port says long-stay parking must be pre-booked, so check your cruise line's instructions. See parking.
Is there free parking at the Southampton cruise terminal?
Not for the length of a cruise: the Port of Southampton says long-stay parking must be pre-booked, and it names ABParking as the provider at City and Horizon. Each terminal has a short-stay car park and a drop-off zone, but they're meant for dropping off or picking up, not leaving a car for a week. See parking.
Getting there
Which airport is closest to the Southampton cruise port, and where should I fly into?
Southampton Airport is the closest to the cruise port: 5.3 miles by road, about 14 minutes without traffic to Horizon, with trains from Southampton Airport Parkway to Southampton Central about every eight minutes. Heathrow is 67 miles away, about 1 hour 20 minutes by road, and Gatwick is 77 miles, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Getting there.
How do I get from Heathrow to the Southampton cruise terminal?
Heathrow is about 67 miles and 1 hour 20 minutes from Southampton's Horizon terminal by road. Cunard's airport guide lays out four ways from Heathrow or Gatwick: rail, bus, car, or a pre-booked transfer. We didn't record any fares, so check the operator's page for your date. Getting there.
How do I get from London to the Southampton cruise port?
Take the train: Southwestern Railway runs direct services from London Waterloo to Southampton Central, about 1 hour 20 minutes, per Royal Caribbean. Southampton is around 80 miles southwest of London, per Cunard. From Southampton Central, the Western Docks terminals are a 10-minute taxi or about a mile on foot for City and Horizon. Getting there.
Embarkation day
What time should I arrive at the Southampton cruise terminal?
Arrive at the time on your boarding pass: Southampton lines give staggered slots, and Visit Southampton says to arrive no more than 15 to 30 minutes before yours, since you may be asked to wait outside or come back. P&O Cruises gives each guest a personal boarding time at online check-in. Build in time to park or drop off and leave bags first. See the terminals.
What if my Southampton cruise terminal changes?
Southampton terminal allocations can change at short notice, so check your booking 24 to 48 hours before departure. Visit Southampton says the cruise line will tell you by email, text or app, and the Associated British Ports live cruise schedule shows terminal allocations. Horizon and City are on the Western Docks, Ocean and QEII on the Eastern Docks. See the terminals.
Where the ships go
Where do cruises from Southampton go?
Cruises from Southampton cover Northern Europe, Iberia and the Atlantic. Cunard's Queen Victoria sails a 12-night Norwegian Fjords round trip via Hamburg, Oslo, Alesund, Olden, Stavanger and Kristiansand, and Queen Mary 2 crosses to New York and back. MSC Cruises' Southampton page covers Oslo, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Cadiz and the Canary Islands. Other lines' itineraries aren't confirmed. See the ports.