Cruises from Southampton 2026
£499-4,500 per person · 7-16 nights
Southampton is the UK's biggest cruise port — 2.5+ million passengers per year — and home to Cunard (Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria), P&O Cruises, Princess, and Royal Caribbean UK operations. Iconic for transatlantic Queen Mary 2 crossings to New York (7 nights), Norwegian Fjords in summer, British Isles round-trips, Mediterranean repositioning, and Christmas Markets river-adjacent short breaks. Southampton is 90 min by train from London Waterloo (£20-35 off-peak). London hotels are the standard pre-cruise base — do 1-2 days in London, then National Express coach or train to Southampton.
Compare cruise deals worldwide
Best-price guarantee on Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Norwegian, Celebrity, Princess + 20 more lines. No booking fees.
- Best-price guarantee — no booking fees
- Up to $1,500 onboard credit + free WiFi
- 25+ cruise lines · 1,000+ itineraries worldwide
Highlights
Queen Mary 2 7-night Southampton → New York — the only regular scheduled transatlantic ocean liner in the world.
May-Sep 7-14 night sailings to Geiranger, Flåm, Bergen, Stavanger. P&O + Princess specialise.
7-12 nights: Guernsey, Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Edinburgh, Orkney. Best UK-only cruise.
Spring + Autumn Southampton ↔ Barcelona / Palma / Canaries. 10-16 nights.
Best time to cruise
Fjords: Jun-Aug. British Isles: May-Sep. Transatlantic: Apr + Oct. Winter: Canary Islands + Caribbean fly-cruise.
Top itineraries
FAQs
London to Southampton — how do I get to the cruise port?+
Train London Waterloo → Southampton Central: 90 min, £20-35 off-peak, £35-55 peak. Then 10-min taxi from Southampton Central to the cruise terminal (£8-12). National Express coach London → Southampton Cruise Terminal direct: 2.5 hours, £15-25, drops at terminal (best for luggage). Cruise-line UK transfers (P&O, Princess): £45-60/person from London hotels. For families with lots of luggage: pre-booked private transfer £120-180.
Should I stay in London or Southampton pre-cruise?+
London for 90% of cruisers — Southampton itself has limited attractions (Titanic museum + old city walls). Do 2-3 nights London pre-cruise, then travel to Southampton on embarkation day. Book flight into LHR/LGW/STN 2 days before cruise. If flying in same-day: risky. For Southampton overnight (early cruise): Ibis Southampton Centre + Grand Harbour Hotel are the standard picks.
Which Southampton terminal do I use?+
Southampton has 5 cruise terminals (City / Mayflower / Ocean / Horizon / Queen Elizabeth II). P&O uses Ocean + Mayflower + Horizon. Cunard uses Ocean or Mayflower. Royal Caribbean uses Ocean. Princess uses Mayflower + Ocean. Confirm exact terminal at booking — they're spread across 2 km. The QEII terminal (opened 2024) is the newest + largest.
Fly-cruise from Southampton?+
P&O Cruises + Princess + Cunard offer fly-cruise packages where you fly London → Barbados/Cape Town/Dubai/Singapore, board the ship for a Caribbean/Africa/Middle East/Asia sailing, then fly home. Included: flight + transfers + first cruise night hotel if needed. Fly-cruise avoids the 14+ day sea days a Southampton departure would require to reach warm-water destinations in winter.
Fly to your cruises from southampton embarkation port
Compare flights · Powered by Trip.com
Find hotels in Cruises from Southampton
1.4M+ properties · Trip.com
More cruise guides
$399-1,800 per person · 4-14 nights
€499-2,400 per person · 7-14 nights
$799-3,500 per person · 7-14 nights
$299-799 per person · 3-5 nights
$299-2,800 per person · 3-16 nights
$399-2,500 per person · 3-7 nights