Ocean Cruise Terminal Berth 46 Southampton: Complete Guide for 2026

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Ocean Cruise Terminal Berth 46 at a glance

Berth 46 is the Ocean Cruise Terminal (OCT) in Southampton's Eastern Docks, run by Associated British Ports (ABP). One building covers both Berths 46 and 47, and ABP's embarkation-day directions give the address as Cunard Road, Southampton, SO14 3QN, with entry to the port through Dock Gate 4.

ABP's provisional cruise schedule, read on 11 November 2026, lists these main ships at berth 46 between 14 November 2026 and 28 February 2027:

• Queen Anne: Cunard, sailing since 2024, at berth 46 on all six of her calls
• Queen Victoria: Cunard, at berth 46 on two calls and at the Mayflower (106) or QEII terminal (38/39) on the other four
• P&O Cruises: Iona on all eight of her calls and Ventura on three of her ten, one in November and two in December
• AIDA Cruises: AIDAnova on all eight of her calls and AIDAprima on her one call

Queen Mary 2 is the exception worth knowing. ABP lists her at berth 38/39, the Queen Elizabeth II (QEII) Cruise Terminal, on all five of her calls in the same window. The QEII terminal is also in the Eastern Docks and also uses Dock Gate 4, but it is a different building, about a mile along Test Road from the first roundabout inside the gate, so check your paperwork even on a Cunard sailing.

ABP says its five Southampton cruise terminals welcome more than 500 cruise ship calls and 3 million passengers a year.

Berths 46 and 47 are one terminal in the Eastern Docks

If your boarding paperwork shows Berth 46 or Berth 47, you are going to the same building. The walk to it from Dock Gate 4 is about 0.2 miles, or 4 minutes, according to ABP's embarkation-day directions.

Sort your mobile data before the gangway goes up, because on sea days there is no land network to fall back on. If the idea is new, our guide to what an eSIM is explains how a built-in digital SIM works and when it makes practical sense for international travel.

Southampton's five cruise terminals and their dock gates

Southampton has five cruise terminals, all run by ABP. ABP's cruise page puts the Queen Elizabeth II and Ocean terminals in the Eastern Docks, and the Mayflower, Horizon and City terminals in the Western Docks. ABParking warns that all five can have ships on the same day, so follow the signs for your own terminal and ship.

Terminals are set ship by ship, not line by line. The ship and date on your booking decide your terminal, not the cruise line's name.

Southampton Central station is far closer to the City Cruise Terminal than to the Ocean. ABP puts the walk from the station at about 0.6 miles (15 minutes) to the City terminal and about 1.5 miles (30 minutes) to the Ocean Cruise Terminal. With luggage, a taxi is the easier choice for the Ocean. By road, both docks come off the A33: Platform Road for Dock Gate 4, West Quay Road for Dock Gate 10.

The Mayflower Cruise Terminal, at berth 106 in the Western Docks, is the one to plan separately. ABP sends drivers through Dock Gate 10 from the A33 West Quay Road, or through Dock Gate 20 from the M271 and Redbridge Road, which is then a 2-mile drive through the docks. Follow Eastern Docks signage and you'll end up on the wrong side of the port.

ABP publishes a cruise ship schedule by berth on its Southampton VTS site. It is useful for a first look, but ABP calls it strictly provisional and says you must check your terminal and boarding time with your cruise line or tour operator.

How to reach the Ocean Cruise Terminal, Berth 46

By car, you enter the port through Dock Gate 4, which ABP's Ocean Cruise Terminal page says is reached from the A33, Platform Road. ABP's embarkation-day directions then say to take the third exit at the first roundabout, drive about 100 yards and turn left; the terminal is then in full view ahead. For a map, ABParking's directions page links each of the five cruise terminals to its own pin on Google Maps.

By car from the motorway

From the M27, ABParking's directions say to leave at junction 3 for the M271 towards Southampton and the docks, then follow the A33 into the city. For sat nav, use the terminal's postcode, SO14 3QN. Dock Gate 4 is a manned security gate, and ABP's security team may check passengers before they enter, so keep your booking documents to hand.

Parking at the terminal

ABP says the terminal has a passenger drop-off area and a short stay car park, and long stay parking must be booked in advance. ABParking, ABP's own parking business, does not offer cruise parking for P&O Cruises or Cunard. It names Cruise & Passenger Services (CPS) as their parking provider, on 0345 071 3939. CPS says it runs valet parking at the terminal for cruises of 3 nights or more: its staff meet you there and take your car to a secure compound nearby. Cruises of 2 nights are self-park. For AIDA and other lines it does not serve, ABParking says to ask your booking agent or cruise line.

By rail and taxi

Southampton Central is the closest station, and ABP suggests leaving by the southern exit. There are taxi ranks outside both the northern and southern sides, and taxis can drop you directly outside the terminal. If you plan to walk, ABP's terminal page puts the station around two miles from the terminal, further than the figure in its directions. QuayConnect buses run every 35 minutes from the station to Town Quay. From there, ABP's directions give the walk as about 8 minutes and its terminal page as 15 to 20 minutes, so allow the longer time with luggage.

By National Express coach

National Express coaches stop at Southampton Coach Station on Harbour Parade, not at the terminals; ABP says no public buses stop directly outside a cruise terminal. A pre-booked taxi from the coach station takes about 5 minutes, or the walk is about 1.1 miles (25 minutes). Cross-check your coach arrival time against your allocated embarkation window before booking.

By air

Southampton Airport is the closest airport, about 20 minutes' drive (4.6 miles) from the terminal, according to ABP. Trains also run from Southampton Airport Parkway to Southampton Central. From Heathrow, ABP puts the drive at about 1 hour 25 minutes. Gatwick is about 1 hour 45 minutes away by road, so allow extra time for traffic.

Drop-off and taxis

ABP has a set area for passenger drop-off at the terminal, and private taxis can drop you directly outside. There is also a taxi rank outside each cruise terminal. ABParking says waiting is not allowed in the drop-off lanes, so your driver must move on once you and your bags are out. A driver who needs longer can use the short stay car park, which a private operator runs under licence from ABP and which charges from the moment you drive in.

What to expect at check-in and embarkation at Berth 46

ABP describes the same order at all five of its Southampton cruise terminals: you drop your bags outside, then go inside to check in and pass through security before you board.

Kerbside baggage drop

At the bag drop, whether porters help depends on your cruise line, so follow its luggage instructions. ABParking asks passengers to keep their passports, cruise tickets and hand luggage with them.

Your embarkation window matters.

Your cruise line allocates you an arrival time, and ABP asks passengers to arrive at that time.

Accessibility

If you need mobility assistance, arrange it with your cruise line before you travel.

P&O Cruises and Cunard each use more than one terminal

P&O Cruises uses more than one Southampton terminal, and Berth 46 is one of them. In ABP's schedule, Iona is listed at berth 46, while Arcadia uses berth 106, the Mayflower Cruise Terminal in the Western Docks, and so does Aurora on all but one call. Ventura uses berth 106 on six of her ten calls, berth 46 on three and berth 102 on one. Sending yourself to the wrong terminal on embarkation morning costs time you don't have.

Berth 46 is not Cunard's alone

Cunard's ships split across three terminals in the same schedule:

• Queen Mary 2: berth 38/39 (QEII terminal) on all five calls
• Queen Anne: berth 46 on every call listed
• Queen Victoria: berth 46, 106 or 38/39, depending on the date
• Queen Elizabeth: berth 106 (Mayflower) on all five calls, from January 2027

The gate follows the terminal, not the cruise line. Berth 46 and the QEII terminal use Dock Gate 4 in the Eastern Docks; the Mayflower uses Dock Gate 10, or Dock Gate 20 if you drive in from the M271.

Terminal quick reference

Berths can change from one call to the next, so check each sailing on its own.

Confirm before you travel

Your booking confirmation names the terminal; check the latest version against your departure date rather than relying on the one from when you booked. If it and ABP's schedule disagree, go with your cruise line.

Forum posts from past seasons are no guide to your berth. ABP warns that weather, tides, technical problems and itinerary changes can all affect when ships arrive and leave.

Cruise line documents first. ABP's schedule second.

Staying connected on a cruise from Southampton

Ship Wi-Fi is sold by the cruise line, and prices change, so check your line's current rates before you sail. An eSIM (a digital SIM profile built into your handset, installed by scanning a QR code instead of swapping a physical card) gives you data on local networks at each port of call. A travel eSIM is bought for countries, so plan it around the ports rather than the sea days.

One trip, several countries

A cruise from Southampton often calls in several countries in one trip, and each port means a different local network. That is where a single-country SIM becomes fiddly to manage. If you're heading north, our Norwegian fjords cruise guide covers that route in more detail.

Your UK plan may already work at some cruise ports, though some plans charge extra for it. As of October 2026, Three's destination list puts Norway in Go Roam in Europe, and Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Lucia in Go Roam Around the World Extra, which Three does not offer on Pay As You Go or on Pay Monthly plans that started before 1 October 2021. Pay Monthly customers can use up to 12GB of their data allowance in any Go Roam destination, but Three plans without roaming built in need a Go Roam pass or a daily roaming charge first. Three lists maritime networks on ships, ferries and cruise liners under Rest of the World, outside Go Roam, so keep data roaming off on your UK SIM at sea. Check your own network's roaming page before you sail. A multi-country plan, such as our worldwide eSIM plan, covers several countries under one purchase.

Install before you reach Berth 46

Install the eSIM at home, on Wi-Fi, before you set off for Dock Gate 4. Scanning a QR code in the terminal queue or on a busy ship is harder work. Plan start rules differ by provider, so check when your validity begins before you install.

HelloRoam has 24/7 support if an activation question comes up during the voyage.

Keep your UK number live

Apple supports Dual SIM with a physical SIM and an eSIM on the iPhone XS, XS Max, XR and later. iPhone 13 models and later can also use two eSIMs. That lets you run a travel eSIM for data while your UK line keeps your number active. Our eSIM guide for iPhone travellers walks through the setup. On Android, eSIM support varies by model, so check yours before you buy. Bank verification texts arrive as normal. Family can still reach you on your usual number.

Before buying any plan, check whether your handset is carrier-locked. Ofcom says UK providers cannot sell locked phones, so this mainly affects older handsets; one still locked to EE, Vodafone or O2 won't accept another provider's eSIM until the network unlocks it.