Southampton is the UK's busiest cruise port. Five terminals operate across two dock zones — the Eastern Docks behind Dock Gate 4, and the Western Docks behind Dock Gate 10 — and arriving at the wrong gate on a peak Saturday costs real time. This guide gives each terminal, its berth, and the gate you enter by.
Corrected 16 September 2026. An earlier version of this page listed four terminals and placed Horizon in the Eastern Docks. Horizon is in the Western Docks at Berth 102, behind Dock Gate 10. The terminals and gates below have been re-checked against the port's published passenger directions.
The two dock gates
Dock Gate 4 — Eastern Docks
- Ocean Cruise Terminal (CT2)
- QEII Cruise Terminal (CT4)
Dock Gate 10 — Western Docks
- Mayflower Cruise Terminal (CT1)
- City Cruise Terminal (CT5)
- Horizon Cruise Terminal (CT6)
The two gates are on opposite sides of Southampton's Old Town. Driving between them means going back through the town centre — typically 10 to 15 minutes on a quiet day, 25 to 30 minutes on a busy Saturday when the dock approach roads are queuing.
The five terminals
CT1 — Mayflower Cruise Terminal Western Docks, Berth 106, Herbert Walker Avenue, entered via Dock Gate 10 off West Quay Road. One of Southampton's oldest and busiest terminals, and P&O's primary base here. Cunard and Fred. Olsen also use it. The building is large and well-equipped — check-in desks, bag drop, holding lounge — and drop-off is on the signed forecourt. The walk from Dock Gate 10 itself is about a mile, so this is not a terminal to be dropped at the gate.
CT2 — Ocean Cruise Terminal Eastern Docks, Berths 46/47, Cunard Way, entered via Dock Gate 4. About a four-minute walk from the gate. Used for seasonal and overflow traffic including Disney's UK season and Princess overflow weeks. Good kerbside flow at the drop-off.
CT4 — QEII Cruise Terminal Eastern Docks, Berths 38/39, entered via Dock Gate 4 — the same gate as Ocean, and adjacent to it. Named for the Queen Elizabeth II, whose retirement gave the building its identity. Royal Caribbean's primary Southampton terminal, and Cunard's for Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria sailings. Sail-day traffic peaks on Saturdays for Royal Caribbean turnarounds.
CT5 — City Cruise Terminal Western Docks, Berth 101, entered via Dock Gate 10. Closest of the Western terminals to the city centre waterfront. Princess Cruises, Holland America and seasonal Cunard departures. Modern drop-off forecourt.
CT6 — Horizon Cruise Terminal Western Docks, Berth 102, West Bay Road, entered via Dock Gate 10 — about a four-minute walk from the gate. Southampton's newest passenger terminal, a £55 million facility opened in 2021 and home to the UK's first cruise shore-power connection. MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line primarily, with occasional Royal Caribbean dual-use weeks.
Why the gate matters more than the name
Three things trip people up:
The terminal follows the berth, not the cruise line. Berths are allocated per sailing. The same line and the same ship can use different terminals on different dates, so last year's experience is not evidence about this year.
The names do not tell you where they are. "City Cruise Terminal" is not in the city centre. "Ocean" and "Horizon" sound like a pair and are behind different gates.
Ships get moved. Berth allocations change, sometimes close to the sailing date. What was printed three months ago may not be what is true this week.
How to confirm your terminal
- Your booking confirmation or e-tickets — the line's own record.
- The cruise line's app or manage-my-booking page, which reflects late changes a printed document does not.
- The port's arrivals listing for your sail date, which shows which ship is berthed where.
What not to rely on: the ship's name plus a search engine, which will happily return last season's berth.
Which line uses which terminal?
Approximate, and worth verifying against your own documents — lines move ships between berths and assignments vary by season.
- CT1 (Mayflower): P&O Cruises, Cunard (QM2 and QE, some sailings), Fred. Olsen, TUI.
- CT2 (Ocean): Disney (UK season), Princess overflow, occasional smaller operators.
- CT4 (QEII): Royal Caribbean (primary), Cunard (Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria).
- CT5 (City): Princess Cruises, Holland America, Cunard (seasonal), Celebrity, MSC on some sailings.
- CT6 (Horizon): MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean (occasional dual-use weeks).
How Fare 1 handles terminal routing
We ask for your booking reference rather than the ship's name, and confirm the terminal against your sail date. On the day the driver has the terminal address in navigation from the start, along with the right gate and approach road — we do not rely on the passenger to direct us once on the dock road network.
If the berth moves between booking and sailing, that is precisely the kind of thing a pre-booked car absorbs and a self-drive plan does not.
On turnaround Saturdays
When three or four ships board on the same day, both dock approaches queue. The Western Docks approach from the M271/A33 backs up from the roundabout junction; the Eastern Docks approach queues on the Albert Road South side.
Build 20 to 30 minutes of buffer into your arrival time on a summer Saturday. Full guidance figures are in cruise day traffic in Southampton, and there is a deeper look at the gate split in Dock Gate 4 or Dock Gate 10.
Terminal pages
- Ocean Cruise Terminal
- QEII Cruise Terminal
- Mayflower Cruise Terminal
- City Cruise Terminal
- Horizon Cruise Terminal
Book your terminal transfer
Enter your pickup address and your confirmed terminal at book.fare1.co.uk for a price agreed before you travel, to any of Southampton's five cruise terminals.