Cruise Ship Captain – View from the Top Mast

The QE2 manoeuvring in Southampton Docks

IntroductionÂ

Southampton became famous in the twentieth century as England’s most important port of departure for the major cruise lines. In terms of number of passengers, the busiest route used to be the cross-atlantic voyage to the USA. But in 1939 the first ever Pan Am passenger flight across the Atlantic Ocean signalled the end of this golden era of sea travel. In the following years Southampton reinvented itself as a major embarkation port for cruises.

Southampton port is divided between the Eastern and Western Docks. The Mayflower and City Cruise Terminals are to be found at the Western Docks, whilst the QEII and Ocean Cruise Terminals are located at the Eastern Docks.

The Eastern Docks saw perhaps Southampton’s most famous event. In 1912 the Titanic left from White Star Dock (close to today’s Ocean dock) on its first voyage. When the ship went down, of the 1500 lives lost, 500 were Southampton based crew members and the impact on the city was long-lived.

Mayflower Cruise Terminal, Southampton

Southampton’s Cruise Ship Terminals in Detail

Eastern Docks
Queen Elizabeth II Terminal, Berth 38/9
The QE2 terminal was opened by HM Queen Elizabeth II in 1966. The dock is the home of Cunard’s cruiseliners, Queen Mary II, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria. Facilities include a bar, a short stay car park, a taxi rank, and a cafe. The viewing area is not open to visitors.

Ocean Cruise Terminal Berth 46
The original Ocean Cruise Terminal was a designer Art-Deco building. Sadly this was demolished in 1983 The replacement terminal, completed in 2009, is a complete change from the earlier building, being a huge modern design with curved features. Facilites available are a taxi rank, a short stay car park, and a restaurant and bar.

Western Docks
City Cruise Terminal Berth 101
The City Cruise Terminal has recently undergone a major rennovation to increase its size. It can now manage the largest ‘Freedom Class’ cruise ships of RCI. Facilities available are a short stay car park, a taxi rank, a bar and cafe. Closeby Mayflower Park is a great point to watch ship departures.
Mayflower Cruise Terminal Berth 106
The Mayflower Cruise Terminal, opened in 1960, has long been associated with the P&O fleet of ships. Facilities are a taxi rank, a bar and cafe, and viewing gallery.

The train station at Southampton airport - connecting flights from Belfast, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Jersey, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, and Aberdeen are all available

Travelling to Southampton’s Cruise Terminals

By Road
The M27 motorway, which joins towns along the south coast of England, runs just to the north of Southampton. The M3 motorway joins the city to London and also, by linking to the A34 road at Winchester with the Midlands and North. The M271 motorway, off the M27, joins it with the Docks and city centre.
On the Train
Direct train services link Southampton with London, and many parts of England. There is an every 30 minute service between London Waterloo station and Southampton Central station. Rail routes run eastwards to Portsmouth, north towards the Midlands and beyond, and west to destinations like Salisbury, Bath, and Bristol.
From outside the train station you can either use a cab, or there is a free CityLink bus service between the rail station and Town Quay every fifteen minutes.
By Air
From London Heathrow Airport There is a National Express coach running to and from Heathrow Terminal every hour.
From London Gatwick Take the train to Southampton Central station.
From Southampton Airport Catch a taxi to the port.

Southampton Old Town Wall

Top 5 Things to Do in Southampton

The City of Southampton is normally thought of as a port of departure, and not many cruise passengers linger to investigate the city itself. Though if you’ve spare time either before or after your cruise, there’s plenty to do and see.

1 – Old Town
In medieval times, the city was surrounded by a high wall with imposing gateways. Bargate at the northern entrance to the old town, is Southampton’s most famous landmark. The building is a great location to start the walk of the city’s walls. Visit the guard towers, the ruins of the castle, the West Gate, the ruins of the and God’s House Tower which is home to} the Archaeological Museum (free entrance). Other noteworthy places are the restored Medieval Merchant’s House, the Maritime Museum in the Wool House (free), with itsabsorbing Titanic exhibition, and the remarkable Tudor House, a (free entrance) museum with gorgeous garden.

2 – Art Gallery
Southampton City Art Gallery is renowned for its galleries of Renaissance art.

3 – The Titanic Trail
Stroll around the city finding out about places with connections to the Titanic. The trail starts at the Musician’s Memorial and stops at the Maritime Museum, situated in the Wool House, which tells the history of the tragic voyage.

4 – The Jane Austen Walking Trail
(For Jane Austen enthusiasts only!) Jane Austen first visited Southampton when she was 7 years old and she often holidayed here. Later on she had a home in the city. The Trail visits buildings associated with the author.

5 – Aviation Museum
The Solent Sky Aviation Museum commemorates the pioneering work of the Spitfire’s designer, RJ Mitchell.

Cruise ship docked at Tenerife in the Canary Islands, a top port of call for Southampton cruises

There’a a Great Selection of  Cruises Available from Southampton

Cruises from Southampton include the Mediterranean, St Petersburg and the Baltic Sea, the Canaries and the Norwegian Fjords. Transatlantic and longer cruises are also available. If you’re UK based cruises from Southampton are easily accessible, due to its good road and rail links. For a complete listing of cruises leaving from Southampton see Cruises From Southampton.

Typical itineraries would include
2 Night Short Break (Ventura – P&O) (Southampton, Zeebrugge, Southampton)
Canaries Spring Cruise (Black Watch – Fred Olsen) (Southampton, Funchal, St Cruz De La Palma, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Agadir, Arrecife, Southampton)
West Mediterranean (Oceana – P&O) (Southampton, Gibraltar, Cartagena, Civitavecchia, Livorno, Monaco, Barcelona, Cadiz, Southampton)
Norwegian Fjords (Ventura – P&O) (Southampton, Bergen, Flam, Olden, Stavanger, Southampton)
Baltic (Arcadia – P&O) (Southampton, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, St Petersburg, Tallinn, Oslo, Kristiansund, Southampton)
France and Spain (Ventura – P&O) (Southampton, La Coruna, Bilbao, La Rochelle, Brest, Guernsey, Southampton)