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Frequently asked questions

1   Which ships are in port on any particular day?

The Provisional Cruise Ship Schedule lists the ships which are expected in port each day, with the number of the berth where they will dock and the expected time of arrival and departure.

2   Can we go on board ships to look around?

For security reasons, and as there is a very rapid turn round between the last departing passengers and the first embarkation of new passengers, there are no public tours of the cruise ships.

3   Which terminal will my ship be leaving from?

The Provisional Cruise Ship Schedule shows the berth where each cruise ship will dock, together with information about the Cruise Terminal for that berth.

4   Can my friends come into the cruise terminal or somewhere else to see me off?

Only the Mayflower Cruise terminal , berth 106, has a viewing gallery for friends of departing passengers.

For the City Cruise terminal the best place to wave to passengers is at Mayflower Park, right next to the terminal, or at the end of Town Quay as the ship sails.

For friends of passengers leaving from the Queen Elizabeth ll terminal, the best place to see the ship sail is at the small town of Hythe, on the western shore of Southampton Water. You can reach Hythe in 25 minutes by car, or take the small ferry which leaves from Town Quay every 30 minutes, and sails close to the QEll terminal. The best viewing points are from the end of Hythe pier or from Hythe marina.

5   Which train station do I use, and how do I get from there to the cruise terminals?

Take the train to Southampton Central station, and if possible leave via the platform 4 exit. There are no scheduled buses to the cruise terminals, so take a taxi from either station exit.

Times and approximate costs for taxi rides are:

City Cruise Terminal, berth 101: 4 minutes, £7; Mayflower Terminal, berth 106: 5 minutes, £8; Queen Elizabeth ll Terminal, berth 38/39: 7 minutes, £9-10.

6   How do I get from the National Express coach station to the cruise terminals?

There are no buses from the National Express coach station to the cruise terminals, so you will need to take a taxi. The times and fares are about the same as from the train station in Question 5.

7   How do I get from Southampton airport to the cruise terminals?

Walk from the airport terminal 50 metres to Southampton Airport Parkway train station. Trains stop there up to 4 times an hour and the journey time to Southampton Central station is between 6 and 10 minutes. The cost of this journey is about £3.

You can also catch a Unilink U1C bus from the airport to Southampton Central train station. These run every 15 minutes for most of the day, and the journey to the city centre takes 40 minutes. The cost of a single trip is £1.50. From Southampton Central station take a taxi as described in Q5.

8   How do I get from Heathrow airport to the cruise terminals?

There are several taxi companies which take passengers between the airport and cruise terminals, and some charge 'waiting time' if they have to park and wait for passengers to collect luggage. Please contact the Tourist Information Centre for a list. From London Heathrow airport you should allow a journey time of 2 hours at a cost of between £75 and £110.

There are no direct trains from Heathrow airport to Southampton. However, there is a Rail-Air Coach service, which involves taking a coach from Heathrow airport to Woking train station, and catching a train from Woking to Southampton Central. The non-stop transfer time between Heathrow Terminal 4 and Woking station is 30 minutes, and at Woking you should allow 10 minutes to reach the correct platform once you have claimed your luggage from the bus. There are 3 trains an hour from Woking to Southampton and the direct trains take only 50 minutes, at a cost of about £30, then it will be a 5-10 minute taxi ride to all cruise terminals, costing about £8-10.

You could also take a National Express coach from Heathrow central bus station to Southampton coach station. The journey time is about 2.5 hours, and the cost will be in the region of £14. Again, it will cost about £8-10 to transfer by taxi to any of the terminals from the coach station.

9   How do I get from Gatwick airport to the cruise terminals?

There are direct trains every hour from Gatwick airport, and the current price for the journey, which takes about 2 hours, is between £18 and £25. There are also National Express coaches from Gatwick to Southampton. You will need to change at Heathrow airport, so the journey time is between 3 and 4 hours at a cost of £22.

10   Is there somewhere to leave luggage between arriving in Southampton and my boarding time?

There are no formal left luggage facilities in the city centre.

It is possible to store luggage at Southampton Airport from 5.30am to 10.30pm, at a charge of £5.00 per bag or suitcase. Please go to the airport information desk.  Please note luggage cannot be left overnight.

Lok-N-Store, a self-storage company 3 miles from the city centre, will accept luggage from cruise passengers, at a cost of £5 per bag/suitcase. Please see their website for opening hours and location.

The De Vere Grand Harbour Hotel offers 'Lazy Luggage' for cruise passengers.

Go to the concierge at the hotel, there is no need to pre-book. The hotel makes a charge of £5 per item stored, and the baggage will be numbered. Vouchers are given for the total paid and these vouchers can be redeemed against food or drink in the hotel, if desired. The vouchers can only be used in that hotel.

11   Where can I park my car while I am on my cruise?

Please see the Cruise and Airport Parking page of our website.

12   Can I pick up a taxi at the cruise terminal, or should I book in advance?

There are always taxis waiting as passengers disembark from cruise ships, however it will be cheaper to book a private hire vehicle in advance. Please contact the Tourist Information Centre for details.