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.

The main ships listed at berth 46 in ABP's provisional cruise schedule for October 2026 to January 2027:

• Queen Anne: Cunard's newest vessel, in service since 2024 and now a fixture at the OCT
• Queen Victoria: Cunard, at berth 46 on some calls and at the Mayflower (106) or QEII terminal (38/39) on others
• P&O Cruises: Iona, Britannia and Arvia, plus Ventura on two December calls
• AIDA Cruises: AIDAperla, AIDAprima and AIDAnova

Queen Mary 2 is the exception worth knowing. ABP lists her at berth 38/39, the Queen Elizabeth II (QEII) Cruise Terminal, on most 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, 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

ABP runs Berth 46 as the Ocean Cruise Terminal, a single building covering Berths 46 and 47 in Southampton's Eastern Docks. Dock Gate 4 is the way in, and ABP puts the walk from the gate to the terminal at about 0.2 miles, or 4 minutes.

The Eastern Docks location sets the OCT clearly apart from the Western Docks terminals on the far side of the port complex. That separation is more practical than geographical: road routing, taxi approaches, and pre-booked transfer pickups all diverge depending on which terminal you're heading to. Arriving at the wrong gate costs real time on embarkation day.

The detail many passengers miss: Berths 46 and 47 share the same building and the same entrance. If your boarding paperwork shows either number, you're going to the same place. No second-guessing required.

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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. Getting the right one matters more than it might seem; the port is large, and sorting a mix-up at the gate on embarkation day takes time that's genuinely difficult to recover.

Terminals are set ship by ship, not line by line. In ABP's schedule, Queen Victoria moves between berth 46, the Mayflower and the QEII terminal depending on the date, and P&O's Ventura is listed at berth 46 on two December calls but at the Mayflower on the rest. 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. From the gate, take the third exit at the first roundabout, drive about 100 yards and turn left; the terminal is then in full view ahead.

By car from the motorway

From the M27, take the M271 south towards Southampton city centre. For sat nav, use the terminal's postcode, SO14 3QN. Dock Gate 4 is a manned security gate, so have your booking documents to hand before you reach the queue. On peak summer Saturdays when several ships share the morning, approach traffic can build; leaving extra time over your estimated arrival is sensible.

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. ABP's list of the cruise lines that ABParking's website serves does not include Cunard, P&O Cruises or AIDA, so check your cruise line's own parking options first.

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. On foot it is about 1.5 miles, or 30 minutes. QuayConnect buses run every 35 minutes from the station to Town Quay, about an 8-minute walk from the terminal. Pre-booked transfers from licensed local firms offer a confirmed price for passengers travelling with considerable 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.

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.

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

The first step happens outside. Cunard and P&O Cruises ask you to print your luggage labels from your booking and attach one to each bag before you arrive. Porters take the bags at the drop outside the terminal and send them to your cabin. You won't see them again until you're walking the ship's corridors. That single handoff strips out the most cumbersome part of embarkation before you've even reached the doors.

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.

Taken in sequence, the process is more methodical than intimidating.

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, Britannia and Arvia are listed at berth 46, while Ventura, Aurora and Arcadia mostly use berth 106, the Mayflower Cruise Terminal in the Western Docks. 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 six of seven calls, berth 106 once
• Queen Anne: berth 46 on every call listed
• Queen Victoria: berth 46, 106 or 38/39, depending on the date

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

Assignments shift seasonally. A sailing listed at the OCT last July may not use it this year.

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.

Previous-season forum posts aren't a reliable guide. Terminal assignments can shift in the weeks before sailing, particularly when schedule changes redistribute berth capacity.

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 Europe eSIM plans 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 covers 185+ destinations and connects to 212+ networks worldwide, with 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, so you can run an eSIM for data while your physical SIM keeps your UK 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.