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One of the main benefits of a cruise vacation is that it offers an overseas vacation without the boredom and stress of airports. Southampton also won'Best British Port' no Cruise International Awards 2018. For our price comparison, we're looking for a two-week cruise in 2023 for two people. We looked at the price of a room with a window (ie an outside cabin).
Southampton is arguably the best place for UK cruise lines to look for a flightless cruise, with over a dozen cruise lines calling at port. If you're driving, it's around 2 hours 30 minutes from Birmingham to Southampton or around 4 hours 30 minutes from Manchester. By train, you can reach Southampton in around 90 minutes from London or around 2 hours and 30 minutes from Birmingham.
We've selected the top five cruise lines operating in Southampton, analyzing customer reviews, prices, industry awards and destinations.
1.Princess Cruises- Reasonable prices, family, couples
Princess Cruises is a mid-range family cruise line that is a good choice for first-time cruisers. Their most notable accolade was when they were awarded Highly Commended at the 2019 British Cruise Awards in the Best Cruise Line category (highly commended being second place to Viking Cruises, which does not sail from Southampton). Princess Cruises was also shortlisted in the Best Value category at the 2019 Awards. When we checked, Princess Cruises had over 80 cruises departing from Southampton, ranging from a 4-day voyage to the Channel Islands and Belgium to a 54-day voyage around the world. His main destinations from Southampton were Scandinavia (including Iceland and Norway), the Mediterranean (including Spain, Italy and Portugal) and Russia. |
Princess Cruises is a multi-award winning company departing from Southampton |
Princess Cruises operates over 20 ships and receives decent customer reviews with an overall average of around 4/5 at the time of writing (3.5/5).CruiseCritic, 5/6 moreNADEL,3,8/5 emCruiseline.com) Although Princess Cruises caters to families, they have a wide range of ages onboard, including many couples. activities on boardvary depending on which Princess cruise ship you choose in Southampton, but typical options include stargazing, open-air cinema, dance classes, cooking demonstrations and swimming pools. What's notable about Princess Cruises is that in the price comparisons I've done, I've found that upgrading to a balcony is generally very inexpensive compared to some cruise lines. Typical price:£4918
2.Saga Cruises- average price, best for 50+
Saga lacks the razzmatazz and ice skating of some cruise lines, but it does receive strong reviews (4/5on average) and was replaced by which one? in 2018 and 2019. She was also named Best for Dinner in the Small Ship category at the 2017 Cruise Critic Awards, Best Specialty Cruise Line at the 2017 British Travel Awards, and 2019 British Cruise Awards awarded "Best for Solo Travelers". |
Saga Cruises has been for over 50 years and has won multiple awards. |
There were 25 flightless cruises to choose from in SouthamptonWhen we checked, mainly in the Canaries, Mediterranean and Scandinavia. Cruises with staying power can spend more than a month aboard a Caribbean or United States cruise.
Saga is a mid-price option and was named Best Value Cruise Line at the 2017 and 2018 Wave Awards.
Typical price: 2023Pricing not available at time of writing. However, it was £6628for a 15-day out-of-cabin Mediterranean cruise for two in October 2022 (voyage from Southampton visiting Lisbon, Valencia, Barcelona and other locations).
3.marella cruises- Mid-priced adults only from Southampton
Marella Cruises is in our top 5 after being named Best Value Cruise Linebritish cruise awardsin 2018 and 2019. There are also solid customer reviews(3,5/5 emCruiseCritic, 5/6 moreNADEL,4.2/5 emCruiseline.com, 3.5 da Berlitz)it is aChoice of cruises from Southampton. The adults-only ship features more than 900 staterooms, a Champneys Spa, nine bars, nine restaurants, a golf simulator, a show lounge and a swimming pool.
The company is operated by TUI and was formerly called Thomson Cruises. It is a mid-range cruise line popular with couples and families alike. However, when I checked that all Marella Cruises from Southampton were on board their adults only cruise chip calledMarella-Explorer 2. They also operate a number ofNewcastle holidays.Therefore, it is perfect if you are looking for a quiet holiday without children, but not good if you are looking for a family holiday.
When I checked, Marella Cruises was offering flightless cruises from Southampton to the Caribbean, Baltics (including Russia and Estonia) and Scandinavia (Finland, Denmark, Norway).
Typical price:there is no data for Southampton at the time of writing.
4.P&O Cruises- medium price, ideal for families and couples
P&O is at the top of our list for cruises from Southampton because the choice of ships and destinations from the port is the widest we have encountered. there are almost250 round trips from Southamptonon offer and the company regularly wins customer awards including "Favorite Ocean Cruise Company" at the 2018 Globe Travel Awards.4/5. |
P&O owns several cruise ships that depart from Southampton |
families have aChoose from nearly 150 flightless cruises from Southampton aboard a handful of major cruise lines with activities for kids in four age groups. There is also a wide range of fun and games for adults, including several restaurants and bars, spa facilities, swimming pools, cinema, theatre, libraries and health and fitness classes to burn off the holiday dishes.
P&O No Fly cruises from Southampton range from a 2-night mini-cruise to Guernsey to a month-long cruise to the Caribbean. Stick to a shorter option if you're browsing for the first time.
Other destinations from Southampton are Canada, Central America, Scandinavia, Mediterranean, USA and Western Europe.
P&O prices are somewhere in the middle, although of course you can adjust things significantly depending on the type of accommodation you choose. For first-time visitors, cruise lines offer windowless "inside staterooms" at a bargain price, with options to upgrade to ocean view staterooms or balcony suites if you can stretch the budget.
Typical price:£3538for a 14-night cruise for two in an external cabin in October 2023 (Spain, Italy and France, departing from Southampton).
5.Royal Caribbean International, best for families
Royal Caribbean Internationalis without a doubt the first place you look for an action-packed family cruise from Southampton. |
Royal Caribbean is a popular choice for families |
When we looked, there werethree Royal Caribbean cruise ships departing from Southampton and a choice of 33 cruises.The shortest was a two-night trip to France, while the longest was a fifteen-day trip across the Mediterranean. Other destinations were Scandinavia and Ireland.
Typical price:£ 3.598for an 11-night cruise for two with sea views in September 2023 (Canary Islands cruise from Southampton with visits to Tenerife, Lanzarote and Lisbon).
The Ultimate Cruise Guide Don't Blame Us Disclaimer:FFacilities, onboard activities and prices were spot on in our review, but things are always changing so check with the cruise lines directly instead of blaming us. Keep in mind that some cruise lines are more "inclusive" than others and therefore will add additional fees later. We were just looking for the base price.