Cruises from Southampton
The Port of Southampton is known as the cruise centre of the UK and the sheer number of cruises from Southampton means that if you are to sail from the UK on a cruise, the Southampton will be your cruise gateway . It is home to most of the cruise lines that operate from the UK.
So why should you cruise from Southampton? That one is a simple one to answer. Cruising from Southampton means that you avoid all the hassle, expense and inconvenience that you would have, if you were to use an airport to connect to your cruise. Cruises from Southampton ensures that there is no worry about delays caused by natural disasters such as volcanoes. Also there is no concern over foreign air controller strikes. Another benefit is that there are no restrictions on taking fluids like toiletries, toothpaste or medicines that you have when flying. It’s all much easier, less restrictive and trouble free, especially if you are doing a family cruise from Southampton.
Another great thing about cruising from the UK and avoiding airports is that you are able to take as much luggage as you require for your cruise. No need to exclude some your favourite items from your luggage just so that you can stay within a weight limit. If you want to have more formal wear then you can. You are going on holiday so why should you be forced to take only the essentials. Take what you want and have a great vacation sounds so much better.
Any downsides from taking one of the many cruises from Southampton? The only downside could be that it might take a day or two longer to get to your first port of call if you are cruising the Mediterranean. Of course this does not apply to Transatlantic or Northern European cruises. Even so, with Med cruises we think it’s worthwhile to avoid any flying. It’s also great to have a day or two at the start of your cruise without any ports of call so that you can find your way around the ship and discover the best places on board for you.
And here’s another good reason to look at cruises from Southampton, the expense of flying is avoided. The price of flights is forever increasing, especially now that fuel prices are going up and the airlines are now charging fuel supplements. This means that you could spend a little bit more on your cruise from Southampton and enjoy things such as balconies and room upgrades. Cruising from Southampton does not need to be expensive either, we have found cruises such as the fantastic Celebrity cruiseline offering the Celebrity Eclipse from only £379. This is a fantastic bargain, and it’s not the only one to be take advantage of, and just shows that there are some excellent deals to be had from cruising from your doorstep.
One other thing to consider, is that when you fly to a cruise port, you will find that you need to get there so as to allow extra time in case there are any problems with the flight or with your transfers. This means if your cruise is say at four o’clock in the afternoon often you will find that you may need to be there at least a day earlier so that you have inbuilt time in case there are any flight problems. This could mean that you will have to pay for an extra night at the hotel before the cruise, the same is also true for the returning flight home. Cruises often arrive back at the final port of call early in the morning and it can be that you need to book a hotel for this last day in case the cruise is delayed or there are any flight problems. Remember that you have to check in for flights hours before departure to clear security. We say think of cruises from Southampton and avoid flights, the expense and hassles.
Getting to Southampton is straightforward to. There are a number of cruise terminals at Southampton. You will need to know which one your particular cruise is going from. There is the Mayflower cruise terminal for which the terminal which has the postcode SO15 1HJ for the Mayflower terminal. The City terminal has the postcode SO15 1AJ. The Queen Elizabeth II cruise terminal is just as easy to get to for your sat nav you will need the postcode SO14 3GG. The drive is very straightforward, you need to take the M3/M 27 towards Southampton and you will plenty of road signs to help with your journey. Cruises from Southampton are really the sensible choice.
Many cruise companies often include free return coach transfers to and from Southampton. These pickup points all over the UK. These save you the hassle of driving to Southampton and the expense of car parking near the docks.
To use a train to Southampton to pick up a cruise you can get a train from London Waterloo station on a direct service to Southampton Central Station. To get to the cruise terminals you will need to take a short taxi journey. Some cruise lines operate a free transfer between Southampton Central train station and the Southampton cruise terminals. Do check with your cruise line to see if they offer this service.
Southampton cruise hotels for before and after your cruises from Southampton: If you would prefer to avoid any last-minute hiccups on your way to your Southampton cruise, perhaps you would like to consider staying a night at a hotel near the Southampton cruise terminals. The Hilton and the De Vere hotels both are very close to the cruise ports and, for an extra charge, are able to assist with a transfer service to the cruise terminals. These are ideal pre-cruise or maybe post cruise hotel accommodation hotels.
If you are driving there are two main long stay car parks in Southampton near the terminals that serve the cruises. You will find currently that Cunard, P&O and Princess use the C&PS car park. The C&PS car park is the Cruise and Passenger Service car park and this operates efficiently at the docks and it provides long-term car parking. You are able to book this car parking up to 3 weeks in advance. Your cruise line will provide information on parking and help ensure that you to transfer swiftly and easily between your car and the cruise terminal. NCL, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Fred Olsen use the Associated British Ports Car park and Service car park. Again, your cruise line will be able to provide you with more information on this car parking and getting between the car park and cruise terminal. Also, you will find that number of Hotel do offer free parking when you stay a night or more with them. Just tell them you are on one of the cruises from Southampton when you book and see if they can offer transfers or assist with parking whilst your are on your cruise holiday.
Cruise lines that operate from Southampton include Fred Olsen Cruise lines, P and O Cruises, Royal Caribbean International Cruises, Cunard Cruises, including the Queen Elizabeth the second and the new Queen Victoria ships, Celebrity Cruises, MSC Cruises, and Princess Cruises. The number of cruise lines now operating from Southampton for 2011 is impressive and cruises from Southampton look as if they are only going to get busier in years to come.
Some of the cruise ships operating from Southampton include the Balmoral, Grand Princess, Independence of the Seas, MSC Opera, Ventura, Queen Mary II, Queen Elizabeth, Celebrity Eclipse, the Oriana, the Black Watch and the Ventura. The number of ships sailing from Southampton has never been greater than what is running for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. There are a great many destinations and ports of call is that these cruise liners go to, and you will find that Southampton is an ideal place to start your cruise.
Simply, there is every reason to start your cruise at Southampton and you will find it a lot less trouble, less expensive and more fun to start your cruise within the UK than travelling abroad to commence your holiday.
Not only is Southampton a great place to start a cruise, there are also a great many excellent deals on these cruises. There are deals for all of the cruises lines and ships for 2011 and 2012 and there has never been a better time to book one of the great value cruises from Southampton.
