No-fly cruises from the UK: which lines sail from Southampton

A no-fly cruise starts and ends at a UK port, so you reach the ship by car, train or coach and no flight is part of the holiday. Southampton is the main place to do that. ABP, which runs the port, reports over three million cruise passengers in 2025.

P&O Cruises and Fred. Olsen fares are not on this site. Their ships appear on the calendar, and you book them with the line or a UK travel agent. For the other lines, the schedule lists 718 sailings. Those fares are starting fares in US dollars from a booking partner that sells to North American buyers, read 2 November 2026. We are an independent site, not ABP, a cruise line or a travel agent.

What is a no-fly cruise?

It is a round trip from a UK port with no flight at either end. P&O calls its Caribbean cruises from Southampton 100% flight-free. Before you book, check that your sailing comes back to the port it left from, because some sailings are one-way.

These sailings still need a flight, or another ship, to get home:

• Cunard's westbound Queen Mary 2 crossings take 7 nights and end in New York, unless you book a round trip.
• Norwegian Prima's 2027 voyages run between Southampton and Reykjavik, which Norwegian calls open-jaw.
• Fred. Olsen's sail out, fly back cruises do what the name says.

Of the 718 sailings on the schedule, 513 start and end at the same port and 205 are one-way.

Why is Southampton the main UK departure port?

ABP reports over three million cruise passengers at Southampton in 2025, the second year running above that level, and said in January 2025 that the port supports 85% of the UK cruise market. These are the operator's own numbers.

ABP also lists five cruise terminals at the port and calls it the UK's leading cruise port. Southampton is not the only choice, though. Fred. Olsen also sails from Newcastle, Liverpool and Rosyth on some 2027 cruises, which may suit you better if you live further north.

Which cruise lines sail from Southampton?

Nine lines on this page run sailings from Southampton, and the mix changes through the year. Some are based here all year, while Celebrity and Disney come for the summer. This table shows what each mainly offers according to its own site, and the last column shows how many sailings we list today.

Line	What it mainly offers from Southampton, on its own pages	Sailings on this site
P&O Cruises	Arcadia, Arvia, Aurora, Britannia, Iona and Ventura to Norway, the Mediterranean, the Canaries, Spain and Portugal and Northern Europe, plus long Caribbean cruises and short breaks of 3 to 5 nights	Fares not on this site, ships on the calendar
Fred. Olsen	Bolette, Balmoral and Borealis, which all sail from here through the year, to Norway, the Mediterranean and Adriatic and the Canaries. Borealis is adults only	Fares not on this site, ships on the calendar
Cunard	Queen Mary 2 transatlantic crossings, 7 nights one way or 14 to 21 nights round trip, plus short European voyages such as 4 nights to Zeebrugge and Cherbourg	241
Princess	Sailings to the British Isles, the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and the Baltic, Norway and Iceland, plus transatlantic and Canada and New England. Its UK page names Sky Princess, Majestic Princess, Caribbean Princess and Regal Princess	124
MSC	MSC Preziosa on 7-night Northern Europe sailings in winter 2026 to 2027, MSC Virtuosa to Spain and France, MSC Euribia to the Canaries, and MSC Meraviglia to the Norwegian fjords in summer 2027	105
Royal Caribbean	Freedom of the Seas to Norway in summer 2027, and Mariner of the Seas on 2 to 8 night trips to France, Spain and Portugal	48
Celebrity	Celebrity Apex from May to October 2027, 7 to 14 nights to Norway, Scandinavia, the Mediterranean and the Canaries and Portugal	30
Norwegian	Norwegian Prima's 2027 voyages to Iceland and Norway, one-way between Southampton and Reykjavik	53
Disney	Disney Wish's first European season, 23 July to 10 September 2027, on 3 to 7 night trips to Northern Europe, Spain, the British Isles and the Norwegian fjords	10

ABP's schedule also has Queen Anne, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria here this winter. You can browse each line on our cruise lines page.

Where can you go on a no-fly cruise from Southampton?

The main choices are Norway, the Mediterranean, the Canaries and Portugal, Northern Europe and the British Isles, and the Atlantic for those with more time. The further south you go, the longer the cruise, because every Mediterranean or Caribbean sailing has to get there and back by sea.

Destination	Lines on this page that go there	Length on the lines' pages	Read more
Norway	P&O, Fred. Olsen, Princess, MSC, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Disney	7 nights on MSC, Royal Caribbean and Disney	Norway guide
Mediterranean	P&O, Fred. Olsen, Princess, Celebrity	14 nights on Celebrity, 15 on Princess's Mediterranean Adventurer	Mediterranean guide
Canaries and Portugal	P&O, Fred. Olsen, MSC, Celebrity	11 nights on Celebrity	All destinations
Northern Europe, Spain and France	P&O, Cunard, Princess, MSC, Royal Caribbean, Disney	2 to 8 nights on Royal Caribbean, 7 on MSC	All destinations
British Isles	P&O, Fred. Olsen, Princess, Disney	7 nights on Disney, 7 and 12 days on Princess	All destinations
Transatlantic	Cunard, Princess, MSC	7 nights one way on Cunard, 18 to 28 on MSC's Grand Voyages	Transatlantic guide
Caribbean	P&O, Fred. Olsen, MSC	33 nights on Fred. Olsen's Bolette from 4 December 2027	All destinations

Bolette's 33 nights is more than a month away from home, so a no-fly Caribbean cruise takes real time off work. Cunard's one-way crossings end in New York, so on any long Atlantic sailing check where yours finishes.

What should I compare on a no-fly cruise from Southampton?

Compare sea days, the time of year, onboard currency and tipping before you compare fares. A lower fare on a dollar line can end up costing more once daily gratuities are added, and a winter sailing south has the Bay of Biscay to cross.

Sea days. Count the days with no port on the itinerary. On one voyage plan in a March 2026 Marine Accident Investigation Branch report, the Bay of Biscay leg alone took just over 24 hours at 16 knots.

Weather by month. Our season guide sets out what sails when. If you are heading south in winter, read our answer on the Bay of Biscay first.

Onboard currency and tipping. This table shows how the two line up, checked 1 November 2026:

Line	Onboard currency	Daily gratuity per person
P&O Cruises	Sterling	Not expected, on its FAQ
Fred. Olsen	Sterling	Included in the fare
MSC	Sterling from Southampton	Included in the fare on its UK site
Cunard	US dollars	US$18 to US$19
Princess	US dollars	US$18 to US$20
Royal Caribbean	US dollars	US$18.50 to US$21
Celebrity	US dollars	US$19.50 to US$24.50
Norwegian	US dollars	US$20 to US$25
Disney	UK pages do not say	US$16 a night recommended

Luggage. You are not on a plane, so airline limits do not apply. P&O sets no limit on the number of bags from Southampton as long as each case is under 23kg and fits in your cabin, and Fred. Olsen allows 90kg from UK ports.

Passport. No flight does not mean no passport. Most lines want one on every sailing, and the cruise documents guide has the rule for each itinerary.

Getting to the port. Add the cost of parking or the train or coach, and a hotel if you live too far away to arrive on the day.

How do I see every ship sailing from Southampton?

Use the calendar, which shows every cruise ship ABP has scheduled, including P&O and Fred. Olsen, through 31 March 2027. It comes from ABP's published schedule, which gives the berth and looks about five months ahead, and ABP calls that schedule strictly provisional.

Use the schedule when you want dates and fares for the lines we can price. If you already know your line, start with the table above. If you are still working out where to go, try destinations or cruise length.