How to Get From Southampton Central Station to the Cruise Terminals
Arriving at Southampton Central by train for a cruise? The good news is that Southampton’s cruise port is close to the station.
There is one important thing to check before you arrive, though: which cruise terminal your ship is using.
Southampton has five cruise terminals spread across the Western and Eastern Docks. City, Horizon and Mayflower are in the Western Docks, while Ocean and Queen Elizabeth II are in the Eastern Docks.
For most passengers arriving at Southampton Central with cruise luggage, a taxi is the easiest way to get to the terminal. The journey is short, although the exact time depends on your terminal and traffic around the docks.
Here’s how it works.
First, check which Southampton cruise terminal you need
Southampton currently has five cruise terminals:
- City Cruise Terminal – Berth 101
- Horizon Cruise Terminal – Berth 102
- Mayflower Cruise Terminal – Berth 106
- Ocean Cruise Terminal – Berths 46/47
- Queen Elizabeth II Cruise Terminal – Berths 38/39
Don’t assume that a particular cruise line always uses the same terminal. Ships can depart from different terminals depending on the sailing.
Your cruise booking confirmation, boarding information or cruise line app should tell you where you’re checking in.
Check it before you leave home and keep the terminal name handy when you arrive in Southampton.
Asking a taxi driver for “the cruise port” isn’t quite specific enough when there are five terminals.
Getting a taxi from Southampton Central to the cruise terminals
For most people, this is the option we’d choose.
There is a taxi rank at Southampton Central, so you can get off your train and take a taxi directly to your cruise terminal.
The port is only a short journey from the station. Around five minutes is possible for some terminals, but don’t plan your day around an exact journey time. Traffic around Southampton’s docks can become busy when large ships are embarking or disembarking passengers.
If you’re travelling as a couple or family with several suitcases, the convenience is difficult to argue with.
You’ve probably got enough walking ahead of you on the ship.
Southampton Central to City Cruise Terminal
City Cruise Terminal is at Berth 101 in Southampton’s Western Docks.
It’s one of the cruise terminals closest to Southampton Central.
Walking is possible if you’re travelling light and comfortable navigating the roads around the port, but there isn’t a huge advantage if you’ve got cruise luggage with you.
With suitcases, we’d take a taxi from the station and get dropped close to the terminal.
Our choice: Taxi.
Southampton Central to Horizon Cruise Terminal
Horizon Cruise Terminal is at Berth 102 in the Western Docks, close to City Cruise Terminal.
Like City, Horizon is relatively close to Southampton Central.
You could consider walking if you have very little luggage, but for most cruise passengers a taxi is the more convenient option.
Our choice: Taxi, particularly with cases.
Southampton Central to Mayflower Cruise Terminal
Mayflower Cruise Terminal is at Berth 106 in the Western Docks.
It’s further into the docks than City and Horizon, making walking from Southampton Central considerably less appealing when you’re carrying luggage.
This is an easy decision for us.
Our choice: Taxi.
Southampton Central to Ocean Cruise Terminal
Ocean Cruise Terminal is at Berths 46/47 in Southampton’s Eastern Docks.
It’s on the opposite side of the city centre from the Western Docks terminals.
While Southampton city centre itself is compact, that doesn’t necessarily make walking to Ocean Terminal a good idea when you’ve just stepped off a train with everything you’re taking on a cruise.
A taxi can take you directly from Southampton Central towards the terminal.
Our choice: Taxi.
Southampton Central to Queen Elizabeth II Cruise Terminal
Queen Elizabeth II Cruise Terminal is at Berths 38/39 in the Eastern Docks.
Of Southampton’s five cruise terminals, QEII is one of the least appealing to walk to from Southampton Central with luggage.
Don’t make the first leg of your holiday an endurance event involving suitcases.
Our choice: Definitely a taxi.
Can you walk from Southampton Central to the cruise terminals?
Yes, depending on your terminal.
But the better question is whether you’ll actually want to.
Distances that look perfectly reasonable on a map feel rather different when you’re pulling two suitcases behind you.
The Western Docks terminals, particularly City and Horizon, are the more realistic candidates if you’re determined to walk. Mayflower is further into the docks, while the Eastern Docks terminals require a longer journey from the station.
You also need to consider the environment you’re walking through. Southampton is a working port, and the roads around it can be busy.
If you’re travelling light, have plenty of time and know exactly where you’re going, walking may be perfectly reasonable.
Two large suitcases, hand luggage and a child who has already asked “are we there yet?” four times?
Get the taxi.
Can you get a bus from Southampton Central to the cruise port?
Southampton Central has bus connections to different parts of the city, but for most cruise passengers we wouldn’t complicate the final part of the journey.
You need to find a service that gets you somewhere useful for your particular terminal and then potentially walk the remaining distance with your luggage.
When a taxi can take you directly from the station to the terminal, the bus doesn’t offer much of an advantage for most passengers.
If you’re travelling without much luggage and already know Southampton’s public transport network, that’s different.
For everyone else, we’d keep things simple.
Where is the taxi rank at Southampton Central?
Southampton Central has taxi facilities outside the station.
If you’re not sure which exit to use when you get off the train, ask a member of station staff to point you towards the taxi rank rather than hauling your luggage around the station unnecessarily.
Before getting in the taxi, have the full name of your cruise terminal ready.
City Cruise Terminal, for example, is much more useful to your driver than simply saying “the cruise terminal”.
Arriving at Southampton Central with lots of luggage
Luggage is the main reason we’d avoid overthinking this journey.
Someone arriving in Southampton for a weekend with one small bag might happily walk around the city.
Cruise passengers are a different matter.
If you’ve got a large suitcase, cabin bag and other bits and pieces with you, getting directly into a taxi at Southampton Central is considerably easier than trying to save a short journey and arriving at the terminal hot and annoyed.
It’s the start of your holiday. Make life easy for yourself.
How early should you get to Southampton cruise port?
Follow the arrival or check-in time provided by your cruise line.
Cruise lines stagger passenger arrivals to manage check-in and boarding, so turning up several hours earlier isn’t necessarily useful.
What you should allow extra time for is your journey into Southampton.
Trains get delayed. Traffic happens. Connections get missed.
Build some breathing room into your journey, particularly if you’re travelling a long distance on the morning your ship departs.
Should you travel to Southampton the day before your cruise?
If you’re coming from a long way away, we’d seriously consider it.
Missing an ordinary hotel check-in because your train was cancelled is annoying.
Missing a cruise departure is a rather bigger problem.
Travelling to Southampton the previous afternoon or evening removes a lot of that risk. You can check in, have something to eat, get a proper night’s sleep and make the short journey to the cruise terminal the following morning.
It also makes the first day of your holiday feel considerably less frantic.
Instead of checking the train app every five minutes and wondering whether you’ll make embarkation, you’re already in Southampton.
Staying in Southampton the night before your cruise
If you decide to arrive the day before, Settle Southampton gives you a comfortable base for the night before your cruise.
We’re on Howard Road and have a choice of rooms, studios and a two-bedroom apartment, giving you options whether you’re travelling as a couple, with family or simply want a little more room before a longer trip.
Self check-in is particularly useful if you’re arriving in Southampton on an evening train. There’s no need to spend the journey worrying about reaching a reception desk before it closes.
Then, on the morning of your cruise, you can get ready without rushing and make the short onward journey to the correct terminal.
Just remember to check which one it is first.
How close is Settle Southampton to the cruise terminals?
Settle Southampton is at 22 Howard Road, putting you within a short drive of all five Southampton cruise terminals.
The City, Horizon and Mayflower terminals are in the Western Docks and are the closest group of terminals to our side of the city. Ocean and Queen Elizabeth II are in the Eastern Docks, a little further across Southampton.
Whichever terminal your ship is leaving from, we’d recommend taking a taxi on the morning of your cruise. You can be dropped directly at the correct terminal without having to carry your luggage through the city or docks.
Make sure you check which terminal your ship is using before you leave. Southampton’s five terminals are spread across the Eastern and Western Docks, so telling your driver the terminal name rather than simply asking for “Southampton cruise port” will make things easier.
Settle Southampton
22 Howard Road
Southampton
SO15 5BN
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