Southampton Cruise Port Guide

Because I am Southampton born and bred, I am hoping that this port guide will be one of the best I put together. Knowing a fair bit about the city should help me with this.  If you have any questions that I have not covered in this guide, please feel free to comment below and I will do my best to answer as quickly as possible.

A Little Bit Of History

The Port of Southampton is a major passenger and cargo port located in the central part of the south coast of England. It has been an important port since the Roman occupation of Britain nearly two thousand years ago, and has a multifaceted history. From the Middle Ages to the end of the 20th century, it was a centre for naval shipbuilding and a departure point for soldiers going to war. The port also played a role in the development of hovercraft, flying boat services, seaplanes and the Spitfire fighter plane. Before the advent of jet travel, Southampton was Britain’s gateway to the world. The port also played a minor role in the history of Britain’s canals.

There are four active cruise terminals in the port of Southampton. Two are modern, whilst the two older terminals have received refurbishments:

• Queen Elizabeth II Terminal, berth 38/39 opened 1966, modernised 2003.
• Mayflower Terminal, berth 106 opened 1960, modernised 2003.
• City Terminal, berth 101 opened 2003, upgraded 2007.
• Ocean Terminal, berth 46 opened 2009.
• Berth 104 (Fruit Shed), generally used for fruit transport but has been used for passenger ships during busy times. [Information taken from Wikipedia]

Which Cruiselines Sail From Southampton

(Current list as of March 2017)

• Celebrity Cruises
• Cunard
• Fred Olsen Cruises
• MSC Cruises
• Oceania Cruises
• P&O Cruises
• Princess Cruises
• Royal Caribbean International
• Azamara Club Cruises
• Saga Cruises
• Norwegian Cruises

Getting To Southampton

One of the best things about getting to Southampton is how convenient it is. The transport links around the city are impressive.

By Car
From the North, London and the Home Counties, the M3, M27 and A34 provide fast, direct road links into the city centre. The A36 is the major route from the West Country, Bristol and Wales. From the East, follow the A27/M27 and depart at Junction 8.
Parking at the terminal is possible with ABParking.

By Coach
National Express and Megabus stop at the main coach station at Western Esplanade. Coaches travel to and from various destinations all over the country. The coach station is 5-10 minutes away from the cruise terminals. There are coaches running between Gatwick and Heathrow constantly daily.

There is a taxi company based at the coach station where it will cost you around £5 – £8 for a taxi depending on which terminal you are sailing from. We highly recommend using the Uber app for a guaranteed price.

By Train
Southampton Central rail station is served by direct trains from and to many cities across the country, including London, Birmingham, Oxford, Bristol, Leeds, Brighton and Manchester.
London Waterloo and Gatwick/Heathrow are around a 1 hour 20 minutes journey to Southampton Central with trains running every 30 minutes to London.

Train lines running to and from Southampton:
South West Trains to London Waterloo, Winchester, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Salisbury and Weymouth.
Southern Trains to Chichester, Brighton, Gatwick Airport and London Victoria.
First Great Western to Reading, Oxford, Birmingham, Manchester and the north east.
Cross Country Trains to Portsmouth, Bath, Bristol and Cardiff.

Visit The Trainline for cheap train ticket deals.
There is a taxi rank at the train station, a taxi will cost you around £8 – £15 depending on which terminal you are sailing from. We highly recommend using the Uber app for a guaranteed price.

By Plane
Southampton airport is an international airport situated 6.5 km north of Southampton city centre. A variety of airlines, including Flybe, Eastern Airways, KLM, and VLM Airlines, link Southampton with several UK and international destinations. For cheap flights to and from Southampton check Skyscanner.
There is a taxi rank at the airport, a taxi will cost you around £20 – £30 depending on which terminal you are sailing from. We highly recommend using the Uber app for a guaranteed price.

By Sea
There are two Red Funnel ferry services to and from the Isle of Wight departing from Town Quay. A high speed service for foot passengers and a ferry for vehicles, cyclists and foot passengers.

Cross channel ferry services, Brittany Ferries and LD Lines, operate from the nearby port of Portsmouth, offering fast and regular crossings from France and the Channel Islands.

Where To Stay In Southampton

Because myself and hubby now live in Scotland we still require accommodation in Southampton. Sometimes we are lucky enough to be able to stay with family. But i’m not sure our parents would be too happy with us sending our readers their way I will recommend the best places to stay in the area for cruisers.

Travelodge Southampton
144 Lodge Road, Southampton, Hampshire SO14 6QR, United Kingdom 
Getting to the terminal: This hotel is located approx 1 mile away. Approx a 10 minute taxi journey £8 – £14. We highly recommend using the Uber app for a guaranteed price.
Parking at the hotel: There is a first come first serve car park and it is charged at £4 for 24 hours.

Travelodge Southampton Central
Castle Way, Southampton, Hampshire SO14 2BW, United Kingdom
Getting to the terminal: This is almost within walking distance but we would suggest a very short taxi journey
£5 – £8. We highly recommend using the Uber app for a guaranteed price.
Parking at the hotel: There is a first come first serve car park and it is charged at £5 for 24 hours.

Premier Inn Southampton West Quay
96 Harbour Parade, Southampton,  SO15 1BA, United Kingdom
Getting to the terminal: This is a 10-15 minute walk to Mayflower and Ocean terminal. But we would suggest a short taxi journey £4 – £7. We highly recommend using the Uber app for a guaranteed price.
Parking at the hotel: There is a first come first serve car park and it is charged at £5 for 23 hours.

Ibis Southampton
9 West Quay Road, Southampton, SO15 1RA, United Kingdom
Getting to the terminal: This is within walking distance to the ports but there are some busy main roads to cross. So we would suggest a short taxi journey £4 – £6. We highly recommend using the Uber app for a guaranteed price.
Parking at the hotel: There is private charged parking.

Novotel Southampton
1 West Quay Road, Southampton, S015 1RA, United Kingdom
Getting to the terminal: This is within walking distance to the ports but there are some busy main roads to cross. So we would suggest a short taxi journey £4 – £6. We highly recommend using the Uber app for a guaranteed price.
Parking at the hotel: There is a private charged parking.

Jurys Inn Southampton
Charlotte Place, Southampton, SO14 0TB, United Kingdom
Getting to the terminal: This hotel is located approx 1 mile away. Approx a 10 minute taxi journey £8 – £13. We highly recommend using the Uber app for a guaranteed price.
Parking at the hotel: This hotel does not have its own car park but they do recommend the following car parks close by. Grosvenor square car park and Bedford place car park.
There is a loading bay outside of the hotel for luggage drop off.

Holiday Inn Southampton
Herbert Walker Avenue, Southampton, SO15 1AG, United Kingdom
Getting to the terminal: This hotel offers a Stay and cruise package which offers transfers.
Parking at the hotel: There is ample free parking for residents.
The hotel also offers a stay and cruise parking package.

Grand Harbour Hotel Southampton
West Quay Road, Southampton SO15 1AG, United Kingdom
Getting to the terminal: The hotel offers cruise packages which offer a free transfer. If not a short taxi ride would only cost you £5 – £9. We highly recommend using the Uber app for a guaranteed price.
Parking at the hotel: The parking is charged at £10 per 24 hours and is restricted in September.

These are of course not the only hotels and accommodation in Southampton. I have just chosen the closest and best of the bunch close to the cruise terminals. Check out Laterooms for a full list of Southampton hotels.

Getting around Southampton

Public transport in Southampton offers a wide range of services to many destinations within the city and neighbouring towns.

Check out the My Journey Southampton website where you can plan any journey in advance.

By Bus
Getting around Southampton is probably the easiest by bus. With daily bus passes starting at £5 per day.
Services that run in the city are:
First, BlueStar, Wilts and Dorset, Unilink, CityLink, Night Bus, Velvet Buses

By Taxi
There are many reliable taxi companies in Southampton, but we always highly recommend using the Uber app for a guaranteed price.
Companies in Southampton include West Quay Cars,