The 13 best places to view cruise ships in Southampton

This is a great country park for the great various activities and facilities the park offers. Although it had a good picnic area, I would recommend you definitely bring your own food, the cafe is absolutely extortionate and so overpriced. I ordered their fish fingers and chips for my son and was given 8 chips and 1 fish finger, which is ridiculous. Thankfully, we also bought a picnic from home, but as it was a cold day, my son wanted something hot, thus the cafe order. With that said, the park itself was brilliant. The little steam train was a joy to ride for all ages. The playground was enjoyed by the kids from the 2m5 Yr old to a 7 year old. The little 'beach' was fun, and we collected shells and pebbles. The grounds were clean, and we had wished we had bought bikes as it seems like a lovely country park to explore on foot and bike. I would return and recommend this park. However, I definitely would also recommend bringing your own food. The only 'food' that was worth its value was the Jude's ucecream on offer, and we were impressed by the range of vegan options.

Went to see The Lost World of Dinosaurs. They were good and some really great and huge dinosaurs to make kids happy. They were placed in woods so it was better. But they can do more by having more and better condition dinosaurs rather than worn out ones. Not much options to buy food other than burgers, chips and ice cream and drinks. Huge area for picnic and roaming.

Great park! The view of Soton Docks is not the best but the park and its amenities make it a great choice for a day out and get fresh air. Visited the dinosaur exposition there yesterday which is now closed, and it was great. The park should have more events like this!

Great park by the seashore with lots of history behind it. Nice restaurant within the park and a small railway around the park for the family to enjoy. Highly recommend visit if you’re in Southampton or near by.

Fab place, loads to see, great for relaxing. Lots of parking spread about. Miniature railway for £1.75 is a bargain.. Great grounds to play ball or have a picnic. Sea views where you can watch the world float by...

Lovely park over looking Southampton water, lots to do for family's, large areas to have picnics, a lovely woodland walk too, well worth visiting in the spring when there are bluebells on show. Lovely area where there's a tea room too

Beautiful place to visit! Plenty of parking (but don’t forget to pay), good toilet facilities and nice little cafe!

Well run, friendly & efficient. Especially good for visitors with mobility need...

SO14 3QN 46/7: Along with a designated time slot to embark on Ariva, there are plenty of staff to help, drop off your luggage and join the queue which is efficiently managed. Your adventure begins.

We have travelled from a lot of cruise terminals around the world and this experience has been the best. We have to give the staff and management a 5 star for their organisation and how smoothly they can organise everything. Especially with a smile on their faces. So a great embarkation and disembarkation again big shout out to all involved from getting on and off the ship and the collection of suitcases.

Very well organised p&o very slick operation.

This terminal is super easy to navigate. Myself and my partner used this to board a P&O ship for our first time in November and we were nervous of being in the wrong place and finding it hard to figure out where we needed to go etc, but this couldn't have been further from the reality! Everything is labelled well with numbers according to where to leave your luggage for what room number you're in on the ship, it is open air with enough room for thousands of people to stand without being overly cramped as you board. The inside is pleasant and clean, and all of the staff we interacted with were amazing to us!

Arrived on 11/10/25 at allocated time 14:15 to board Arvia... I have never seen such a horrendously long long queue to board! Certainly not a good experience, the disadvantage of travelling on big cruise ships (6000+ passengers!) waiting to board as it was Scottish half term holidays. Shall not be repeating the experience, just as bad disembarking! Come on P&O you surely can do better with organisation?

Decided to use the car parking today attached / linked to the Ocean cruise terminal, mistake, disorganised, very long delays, instructed to stay in the car with the engine off, in 24/25 degree heat. 40 minute delay, response ‘no drivers’ Sadly the terminal although normally very slick (check in was very good today I might add) there after the ladies between check in and security were all over the place, there was no communication between them, people were getting frustrated with the mixed messages, as a result they were being ignored, and I totally understand why. It was a shambles to be fair… once though security normality returned thankfully… a real surprise for what it normally a very slick system and team.

Southampton nice place to visit for a day weekend not really . You get I’d in every pub even when you’re clearly over 21 . Lot of homeless and beggars Titanic museum was a disappointment for 21.00 for 2 adults. I wouldn’t bother wasting your money Parking expense ,

Went to see port of TITANIC. It was very busy port with number of cruise ships including Independence of Seas. Although they have moved Titanic museum to some other part of city but still it was worth watching and visiting port.

Great place to view some of the largest cruise ships. We went there to see the rare occasion of all three Queens of Cunard, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, and Queen Victoria visit Southampton at the same time.

Bulk carriers discharge very fast . City is very near

Even terminals' capacity slightly over stretched by thevsize of new cruise ships still well organised embarkations & disembarkations.

you can watch cruise ships very close by and there is west Quay shopping centre near by and there are very huge ships like MSC/QUEEN MARRY2 best time to watch cruise lightning when starts getting dark

Working close to the docks this week on Take That tour. A vibrant place full of characters and stories Loved the docks, love seeing the cruise ships and hustle and bushel of a busy port.

Excellent service. Dropped off cases then popped car across the road to the shirt stay car park. Car photographed, milage taken, details of where the car would be taken (4 miles away to a secure unit). Collected the car on arrival very quickly. Impressed with service, communication and the price!

Cheap, efficient and polite, but I’ve a doubt My Dashcam was discontinued for the duration, certain of this. Where was my car? Only posting here as reviews left on P4C website are moderated by them, will they publish?

Excellent service. Drop your bags at bag drop, drive 50 yards to short term car park, where P4C are based. Car is checked and photographed, mileage logged. On return you walk the 50 yards and car is ready and waiting. Will definitely use again

Cannot recommend at all!!!! Used a few years ago and was fantastic. This time (July 2022) all seemed fine until I received a £100 fine from parking eye for the mayflower short stay car park that parking for cruises used. Picture is from 7:11am when we were on the boat. I’ve rang several times left a voice mail and got nothing, I’ve sent umpteen unanswered emails. Had 1 response 1 month ago that it would be sorted… I have since received a new letter from the parking fine company. Still pursuing the fine. So clearly not sorted. DO NOT use this company. If you do budget for £60 (if paid within 14 days) on top of your bill.

Trouble free from booking to collecting the car. All texts received in a timely manner and lady who booked us in was very polite and helpful. 2 minutes walk from QE 2 terminal so easy to get to. Would use again.

Abysmal communication. I needed to amend my booking, which is a facility on their website. I tried this via three different browsers and it wouldn't work. I emailed them, I phoned them on the landline number, and on the mobile contact number on the website. All no replies. I tried the contact number given for the day of parking and return from holiday. This came back as number unobtainable! I left messages on the voicemail and sent messagesthrough the website. Again nobody got back to me. I was now worried that they had actually gone out of business, so began looking at reviews and social media. Other customers having exactly the same problems, plus customers getting parking tickets whilst they were on holiday, and Parking4Cruises denying receiving cancellations and refusing to refund. I therefore cancelled and confirmed my cancellation through PayPal so that they could not deny receiving my cancellation. True to form and other reviews, they contacted me before my holiday denying receiving my cancellation. I pointed out that their FAQs do not require any minimum notice of cancellation. Therefore despite denying receiving my original email and confirmation via PayPal, they are now aware of my cancellation! They agreed to refund, but I am still waiting.

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! I parked here from 7th - 14th April 2023 and the instruction said to meet in the short stay carpark. I returned home to receive two fine from ParkingEye for £60 each and then rising to £100 each. I appealed it and it was rejected. I will now be taking Parking4Cruises to a small claims court to recover my money and I will not be paying the parking. I have emailed them countless times, left voicemail, call them 100 times, left messages on facebook and they responded once saying all operators would have had the same issue and they will get it cancelled. I have never heard back. The company is a scam. they take your money for parking but you are left with a huge fine! DO NOT USE THEM. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Do not know how they are allowed to operate. I will also file compaints with trading standards and post all over the internet regarding this company so they go out of business and no one else have to face these drama's! Not what you want to return to after a holiday!

We thoroughly enjoyed visiting this museum. It's a great example of using a heritage building - the former courthouse with police cells now doubling as toilerts! The Titanic story is presented in a very compelling way but here it's presented from the point of view of the people of Southampton who worked on and around the ship - not just the rich passengers. That makes it very thought-provoking. And presenting the parliamentary inquiry in the former courtroom is a stroke of genius. The exhibit strikes the right balance too. There's enough social history for adults with a few interactive exhibits for children. The information boards are well written and positioned so they're easy to read - no bending or staring at small print. The rest of the museum telling the history of Southampton is good too - and the historical artifacts from the shipping lines who sailed from Southampton are fascinating.

Beautiful laid out museum, so much information to read but not too much. It’s nice because they are short but with lots of information. A few videos to watch and lots of talking so you don’t have to read so much. The gift shop had so much in it. Plus a penny machine for collectors like myself and the bathrooms are old jail cells. How neat!

I like the Titanic story, gave me a more comprehensive understanding of the incident. I also like the Story about Southampton, very fruitful and informative. They have many old games stations which was a very interesting experience for me. The ticket valids for one year.

I really like the way the exhibits are displayed and how stories are told through objects and multimedia. This exhibition gives me a real sense of what the Titanic was like and provides a richer historical background than the famous film.

A lovely local museum about both the seafaring history of Southampton and immigration. Of special interest is the section on Titanic, which sailed from here and many of the crew were local. A map of the homes of local crew members gives an indication of how devastating the loss would have been for the community, as everyone would have know at least one of the crew members, if not many.

A really nice museum with local history as well as a very unique Titanic exhibit. We have been to several Titanic experiences but what made this one unique was the perspective they took in the presentation. The exhibit centered around the people from Southampton that worked on the ship; the roles they played on Titanic and the impact the sinking had on the Southampton community. We also very much enjoyed the courtroom/inquiry experience which provided some great insight into post-sinking investigation, inquiries and responses.

This is a great place to learn about Southampton’s history as a port and its connection to the Titanic. There are many artefacts and displays about the ship, including a sailor’s pocket watch - seeing it feels like stepping back to the very moment its hands stopped. A truly memorable experience！

The ticket attendant at Hythe needs to work on his customer service. Most miserable chap who was most put out at me asking him a question. The rest of the crew both on the boat and at Southampton terminal were completely different and welcoming. Once you get past the miserable so and so at Hythe, it's a great little experience.

Really liked this trip across to Southampton from Hythe. Involves a short train ride to the end of the pier, so grateful they keep this maintained for our pleasure. And rested my bum cheeks in the same seat as King George VI.

An excellent way to get into town! We’ve used this historic service for years and it never fails. It’s around £7.50 for a return, and that includes a train ride up the pier and the ferry ride. (Make sure you look out for the seat that King George sat in on the train) The ferry offers fantastic, up-close views of the cruise ships, especially when the Queens are in. When you get into Southampton, it is a 10 minute walk into West-Quay, or you can take a bus for £1.

Delightful trip on a small train to the end of a very long pier! An interesting and easy way to visit Southampton avoiding the traffic.

The one of most efficient ways to get Hythe and come back to Southampton. It’s quick and enjoyable. I would like also suggest you take a seat outside (there are 4 branches outside two cabins), and feel the wind and water on 100%.

Lovely, relaxing way to travel into Southampton. Cheaper if you buy 10-journey ticket (valid for a year). So much better customer service since Blue Funnel took over.

A Must do if visiting Hythe, train and ferry journey bringing you into old southampton walls and ,if you turn left, straight to dancing man brewery !! Perfect.

Mayflower Park is a lovely spot for a stroll with scenic views of the ships nearby. It’s a great place to get a close-up look at the cruise ships coming and going. The park could be a little cleaner with tidier landscaping, but overall it’s a very nice place to relax and enjoy the waterfront.

Ferries leave early but this means everything is calmer and parking is easier. Great starting point for day trip to Amalfi and Positrano via Sorrento.

Mayflower Park is a very nice park on the eastern bank of the River Test. It is located between the passenger and cargo terminals of the Port of Southampton, and is near the confluence of the rivers Test and Itchen (which together form Southampton Water, which the drains into the Solent in front of the Isle of Wight, and then into the English Channel). The river bank offers spectacular views of the dawn and dusk skies just as the sun sets over the cargo terminal. From time to time, you may even see huge container ships docking at the terminal, which is a spectacle in itself. Looking far enough towards the south, where Southampton Water drains into the Solent, you can see Fawley Refinery, the biggest oil refinery in the UK (I once caught one of the many chimney towers spewing out flames from various gases, and they looked lovely from the distance). There are even ducks that occasionally swim near the bank. Sometimes there may be events taking place on the Mayflower Park that may cause a little bit of noise. When I’m writing this review, the Continental Circus Berlin had a few shows over the course of about 2 or 3 weeks, and the noise was noticeable even near the river bank (even with the large circus tent positioned a few hundred feet away from the bank). And the actual river bank, complete with benches for you to sit on, is rather annoyingly occupied by a car park (but I think it makes sense, because the site of Mayflower Park used to be occupied by a large warehouse/building for commercial purposes - do let me know if you know additional details). Overall, though, Mayflower Park is a wonderful park with a huge grassy area if you want a nice little picnic, or if you just want to sit by the river and let your mind get carried away by the beautiful scenery or the ships. Happy visiting!

Relax have some ice cream and watch the ships as they go by. What a place man! I truly loved it, and will definitely visit again.

I've attended the Fake Festival for a few years now and it's always well run on a good site at Mayflower Park. Lots of space, good set up with the marquee for the bands and bar and well organised with good security in place and lots of portaloo's provided. Great food stalls full of various meals, sweets and treats.

Great place to view the cruise ships. Lovely place to go in the sun with the family in the summer. Lovely place to enjoy an ice cream. Really lovely to still have such a great, large open green-space in the middle of the city. This is also where the annual Southampton Boat Show & other large public events take place.

It is a nice calm and quiet place to go walking on a pier side with a marvelous view of some cruise and ferry ships. There are plenty of parking spaces which you can enjoy all the scenery of water and sky while seating. It's really a good place to relax. I often come here in the afternoon to enjoy the sea and the sunshine, in the afternoon. You won't feel tired. There are ice cream trucks, children's playgrounds, swings, basketball courts, large lawns and seats facing the sea, suitable for people of all kinds to come and play here. When night comes, you will find that the park has become another look. You will be shocked by such a nice beautiful scenery. If you have a car, you can drive directly to the park, there is a parking space , you can park facing the sea, and enjoy such a beautiful view in the car without being blown by the cold sea breeze. Remember to check the weather condition before coming to the park as it can be very windy and cold in bad weather. This is a perfect park for a date and relaxation in the evening.

Bargate in Southampton is a striking reminder of the city’s medieval past, right in the heart of the modern shopping district. Built around 1180 as part of the old city walls, this impressive stone gateway once served as the main entrance to Southampton. Today, it stands as a well-preserved historical landmark surrounded by busy streets, shops, and cafes. The structure itself is visually captivating, especially the twin towers and the upper chamber, which was once used as a guildhall and later a prison. Although you can’t currently go inside, it still makes for a great photo spot and a nice starting point for walking tours of the old town. The surrounding pavement markers show the original city wall layout, adding to the sense of history. It’s a fascinating contrast—this ancient monument nestled among modern buildings. While there’s not a lot of signage or interactivity at the moment, Bargate is still well worth a visit for anyone interested in local history or architecture. It’s easy to reach, free to see, and surrounded by other points of interest like the medieval vaults, old city walls, and Westquay shopping centre. A quick visit, but a meaningful one.

I love to feed the pigeons here! There’s nice information around the place, and it’s good for shade. It probably has history which is incredible, but I go here for a good, quiet place to sit outside the shops.

Quite a sweet little area. I have sat by the benches around Christmas time and watched the Christmas countdown and the fake snow they put into the air and thought it was pretty cool. It's free to sit there. There is quite often a market of some description taking place around here, selling different world foods and handbags/phone cases.

A very nice place and a landmark of the city. A piece of history at the most commercial street of Southampton.

We were visiting from Australia,It is a very historic area of Southampton, somewhere I would recommend people who like a bit of history to go and see this and follow the walk around the city to see the history of Southampton 👍

It's just a peace of historical wall and located in Southampton city centre.

I was at the iconic Southampton Bargate Monument, which was reportedly built about the year 1180, to keep out intruders. Southampton is really a city of monuments and have managed to maintain them as much as possible.

One of the easiest cruise terminals I've been to. Very close to the shopping center aswell

Very well organized getting to and from the airport or interstate to the cruise ships. Not as nice as Pt Canaveral but good and efficient. Parking garage was a bit of a hike, there were two for the Celebrity ships and we were at the farthest one which was the only option on the day we departed. You do drop your bags at the curb so we didn't have to walk with bags leaving but you do when you return or leave one person with the bags at the curb while the other person gets the car. We didn't see any instructions but you pay for your parking when you leave. There are machines at the garage elevators where you pay. They do not take Amex. You just show your paid ticket as you exit so that went pretty fast. Lot of traffic patrol to keep things moving well.

The cruise terminal was easy to navigate and large enough to handle the 3,500 Disney cruise passengers vying to get on the Disney Dream. The port staff were very friendly and helpful. The terminal is easily accessible with lots of budget hotels nearby for travellers.

A nice and big cruise ship terminal in Southampton. It is very close to town with lots to do and see.

Given there are a lot of folk boarding at the same time the staff deal with the numbers pretty efficiently. I have no problems on using this terminal in the future.

Slowly getting better, but still rather dull and basic for such a busy cruise terminal. Long term parking not cheap, very few facilities other than toilets, lifts, escalators and seating area, snack and drinks trailer outside on way in.

This is the port I caught my cruise ship from the MSc Magnifica recently the port itself is a little tired and it's but to be honest it's not really a problem because you're only using it to go on holiday and the excitement of going on a cruise boat far outweighs the condition of the poor it was perfect the staff were friendly the bags were collected efficiently and got straight through onto the ship what more can I say would recommend this poor or though I'm sure that there's not really much choice if you catching a cruise boat you go to the port terminal that you have been allocated because the boats not going to move for you would recommend also worth noting easy to get to and lots of parking nearby so lots of options not just expensive on site Port parking but there's other parking nearby that offer free shuttles

Such an efficiently run place, the courtesy bus into town is great, drop the bags and go for wander. And the return is easy too. Lots of staff guiding cars to pick up points.

Very easy and accessible cruise terminal in Southampton UK. We arrived at the beginning of the boarding window (with everyone else) and even with the large crowds, dropping off bags and boarding went smoothly and quickly. Princess always does a great job getting people on the ships. We were green Lane. From the time our car dropped us off, we were on the ship in less than 15 minutes.

Very easy 👌 to get on your ship very professional very clean and most of all it's safe

Oldest terminal at the Port, but it still provided quite a smooth embarkation process. Friendly staff and easily understood instructions within the terminal. We took the Queen Mary 2, heading to NYC with 6 people and a dog. We boarded the ship within an hour. Note: There was no place to take your dog to do its business once in the terminal, so walk them beforehand.

Under cover debark from taxi. Well organised queue. Speedy bag drop. A huge number of friendly staff. Fast and very efficient. Well done Southampton. You absolutely nailed it 👍🏻

All I know of the port is that Princess staff made it seamless for us to board the Sky Princess. Having a Princess transfer from the May Fair Hotel to Southampton was really awesome. It may have taken us 2 hours, but we were in the relative comfort of the coach. We will be debarking in a couple of days, and it will be amazing to experience England for a day!

Great cruise port, direct drop off at the ship, fast check in and easy directions. View to the ocean during lunch.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE LOGISTICS The Mayflower Cruise Terminal makes getting to and from your cruise a breeze. Designated meet-up points for taxis and Uber drivers are clearly marked, so you won't be left wondering where to find your ride. The staff is also incredibly helpful, actively directing passengers to the correct transportation areas, which really streamlines the post-cruise rush. AMENITIES AND BAGGAGE SERVICES Before or after your journey, you'll find bathrooms conveniently located near the entrance of the terminal. When it comes to your luggage, the baggage handling process is remarkably smooth and efficient, ensuring your bags are taken care of quickly and correctly. SUMMARY The Mayflower Cruise Terminal offers a well-organized and passenger-friendly experience. From clearly marked transportation pick-up points and helpful staff to easily accessible restrooms and efficient baggage handling, the terminal ensures a smooth and stress-free start or end to your cruise. Annie W. Master Reviewer Local Guide / Google Maps

Easily accessible off the motorway and main road into the ports, just a fifteen minute walk to Southampton Central Station. The drop off / pick up area are right by the baggage pods and is easy to pull in, well organized and secured by barrier once the ship has sailed.

Excellent staff and disembarkation process. Luggage search was a little bit of a nightmare. We were panicking as we had a coach waiting but we needn't have worried as once we were through customs hall (empty when we were there) it was straight onto the coach allocated by nice lady with clipboard.

All the staff were very helpful and very welcoming. They must see thousands of people, but always acted like you were the first person they'd seen. The whole experience from getting out of the taxi, giving our luggage to the handlers going through passport control was an experience that has made my wife and I want to give up going to an airport and just stick to cruising.

Gate dock 10, easy to find, plenty of space to drop car off, staff very good and helpful, check in was ok.

Embarkation review only. Drop off is easy, plenty of lanes. Bit congested with line out of the terminal which made it a bit hard to get luggage to drop off but lots of staff to assist. Staff is very friendly and helps move you along.

Efficient cruise terminal with multiple luggage drop off stations depending on where your cabin is located. Very organized setup that had us on the ship quickly.

Ideal spot for relaxing and watching the cruise ships and other vessels go by. Pebbly beach safe for swimming. One end of the beach has a fast food and ice cream van at the car park. Mini golf, toilets and a cafe at the other end. Netley Abbey ruins and Victoria Country Park within walking distance. Ideal for family picnics and also popular with dog walkers

Nice walk, shame about the tower blocks that ruin the view and the rubbish on the beach!

A nice place to enjoy the sun.

Can't give it 5 stars purely to the fact of the surrounding area. The shore itself is ideal for a quick treat as you can definitely guarantee at least one ice cream van located in the area, usually inside the carpark. Playground for kids is next to none existing due to not so friendlies ruining it.

Nice patch of pebble beach to walk and relax. There are several benches along the street. Nearby, a walk way for walking your dog is also available. A short bus ride away from the Southampton city centre. I especially recommend it for people looking for a not so busy seaside spot. Amazing sunset scenery!

A great place to visit on the edge of the city to relieve that stress after a hard day. Park up and sit in your car if the weather is not too good or get out and have a walk along the shore or just sit and chill, watch the sea traffic or watch the seabirds feeding and wading in the shoreline. Can get busy during the summer months but plenty of spaces to park and there’s usually an ice-cream van and a burger van later. A play area for the kids or just walk and enjoy.

Near Weston Shore location is Eddies Play Trail which is situated on green slopes near Westwood Woodland Park Nature Reserve. Please view attached photos regarding newly installed play equipment within the play trail. Also near here is a controlled fenced ball play area run by Southampton City Council. Free parking can be found along the shore road which is a mere five minute walk to Eddies Play Trail. Along the shore there normally Mitie bite burger van serving hot and cold drinks. The nearest toilets can be found approximately fifteen minutes walk at the Water Side Cafe' where outside seating is provided to take in the sea view, catering a small selected menu. SCC have recently installed new type of rubbish bins to encourage the public to keep the area clean. Some areas here are not wheelchair user friendly due to the terrain.

Could not fault this service from beginning to end of our cruise it runs like a well oiled machine pleasant very helpful staff there is a baggage service at the end of your cruise they take your bags and you pick up your luggage on departure of the terminal brilliant embarkation is swift

Used CPS as part of the P&O cruise couple years ago. Didn't realise we had to hand car keys over to car until last minute at the port. When we returned I watched the dashcam footage to see the driver flooring my car around, cat calling and swearing out of the window. Will take the coach next time.

Very hardworking and friendly staff. Communication was clear with prompt reminder. Car drop off and pick up was hassle free. The indoor car park was 10 minutes drive away from the dock. Free shuttle bus made it easy to commute.

Hard working team of polite, smart and informative people, attentive to the sensitive needs of customers entrusting their car care to them.

Always a consistent high level of service from CPS. Plenty of comments about less expensive options but for us it ticks every box. Secure parking, the car remains at the port and is driven a minimal distance once dropped off. Always pleasant staff on arrival and at collection. Talking of collection, could you get anything more straightforward, pleasant and efficient? I think not. We choose CPS everytime

Efficient service, although there's a fair wait when dropping off vehicles. Pick up was very quick.

Excellent service boarding p and o ships. Quick and easy, very friendly.