Cruises from the UK: departure ports, lines and documents

Southampton is the main UK cruise port: its operator, ABP, calls it Europe's leading turnaround cruise port, with five terminals and about three million passengers a year. Dover and Portsmouth also run cruise terminals. This page maps the ports, the lines and the documents.

Each port publishes its own terminal details, and each cruise line publishes its own itineraries. We read both on 31 October 2026 and quote them with the date.

We sell no cruises, no tickets and no parking, and no cruise line pays to be here. For the ports in detail, follow the links to cruises from Southampton, Southampton cruise terminals and cruises from Dover.

The table sets the three ports side by side, using only what each port prints about itself.

ABP also lists regional ports it runs for cruise departures: Teignmouth, Plymouth, Newport, Cardiff, Swansea, Barrow, Ayr, Troon, Hull, Lowestoft and Ipswich. We cover Southampton, Dover and Portsmouth first.

ABP names the lines that use Southampton: Aida, Azamara, Cunard, Disney Cruise Line, Fred. Olsen Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Silversea, Regent Seven Seas and TUI. Which line uses which terminal changes with the ship and the date, so we list it on a page of its own, Southampton cruise terminals.

Port of Dover, cruise prints a schedule of ships, with their terminal and times, and the table shows the first two entries it listed.

A cruise line sets its own routes and seasons. As one example, Royal Caribbean's Southampton page says Freedom of the Seas sails from Southampton in summer 2027 on European itineraries with longer port calls and more sea days. We name no sailing dates ourselves, because they sit with the line.

The Mediterranean, the Norwegian fjords and the European rivers each get their own guide: Mediterranean cruises from the UK, Norwegian fjords cruises and river cruises in Europe.

GOV.UK says your passport must have a date of issue less than 10 years before the date you arrive in the Schengen area, and an expiry date at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave it. It also tells you to check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet the requirements.

Each country on your route sets its own entry rules, and a non-Schengen stop has its own. For a destination's rules, see entry requirements for British passport holders. For the passport itself, see UK passport renewal and replacement.

• By train
  The Eurostar and rail guide covers the continental side of a trip.
• By air
  Our UK airports guide covers how to reach Heathrow and Gatwick, the airports ABP names near Southampton.
• By car
  Our driving abroad guide covers licence and car papers if your cruise starts on the continent.
• By ferry
  A ferry is a crossing, not a cruise. See the ferries hub for routes and operators.

• Which is the main UK cruise port?

  ABP, which runs Southampton, calls it Europe’s leading turnaround cruise port and says it welcomes about three million passengers a year to its five cruise terminals.

• How many cruise terminals does Southampton have?

  Five. ABP lists QEII and Ocean in the Eastern Docks, and Mayflower, Horizon and City in the Western Docks.

• Which cruise lines sail from Southampton?

  ABP names Aida, Azamara, Cunard, Disney Cruise Line, Fred. Olsen Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Silversea, Regent Seven Seas and TUI.

• Can you get to the Dover cruise terminals by train?

  Dover Priory is the nearest station. The Port of Dover says the terminals are a 30 to 40 minute walk from it, and that a station shuttle runs on selected dates. High-speed trains reach London St Pancras International in 66 minutes.

• Which Dover terminals do cruise ships use?

  The Port of Dover has two dedicated cruise terminals, CT1 and CT2, in the Western Docks, and one additional port of call berth. Its cruise schedule shows where your ship berths.

• Do I need to register for the Entry/Exit System on a cruise from the UK?

  GOV.UK says sailings that start and finish at a UK port are usually exempt from EES checks for day trips into the Schengen area, though the port authorities can ask you to complete them. Leaving or joining a ship inside the Schengen area may need checks.

• What must my passport look like for a Schengen port of call?

  GOV.UK says it must have been issued less than 10 years before the date you arrive and must expire at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave the Schengen area.

• Does Portsmouth have a cruise terminal?

  Portsmouth International Port describes itself as a turnaround or calling cruise port and puts London 60 miles from the port.

• Do you sell cruises?

  No. This is a guide. We sell no cruises, no tickets and no parking, and we read the ports’ and the lines’ own pages.