Southampton cruise season: what sails each month

Southampton has cruises every month of the year, but the routes change with the season, so choose where you want to go first and the month second.

Fares here are starting fares per person in US dollars with taxes and fees included, from a booking partner that sells to North American buyers, read 2 November 2026. British readers usually book with the line or a UK agent, who may quote something different. P&O Cruises and Fred. Olsen are not in these counts, though their ships appear on the calendar. The table at the end of this guide shows every month with 7-night fares, rebuilt each day.

What sails from Southampton each month?

This table covers November 2026 to October 2027 on the schedule. A long voyage sold at several lengths counts once for each length.

Month	Sailings	What leaves	Fares from
November 2026	19	MSC Preziosa's 7-night Northern Europe trips, Spain, Portugal and the Canaries, and MSC Virtuosa heading for the Mediterranean	US$376
December 2026	13	Northern Europe, Madeira and the Canaries, and Queen Mary 2 to New York	US$623
January 2027	18	Long voyages from 10 January, Northern Europe, and Spain and Portugal	US$299
February 2027	10	Northern Europe, the Canaries, and the first northern lights trip to Norway	US$573
March 2027	13	Northern Europe, northern lights trips to Norway, and the first Mediterranean sailings	US$633
April 2027	18	Northern Europe, the first 7-night Norway trips, and the first Baltic sailing	US$129
May 2027	51	Norway, the Mediterranean, the Baltic, and Spain and Portugal	US$379
June 2027	43	Norway above all, with Northern Europe, the British Isles and the Atlantic	US$519
July 2027	52	Norway, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, and Spain and Portugal	US$561
August 2027	52	Norway, Northern Europe, Spain and Portugal, and the Atlantic	US$539
September 2027	46	Spain, Portugal and the Canaries, the Atlantic, and the Mediterranean	US$621
October 2027	35	Spain, Portugal and the Canaries, Northern Europe, and northern lights trips to Norway	US$579

In the fare column, the lowest figure in a month is often a very short or one-way trip. For a fairer comparison between months, use the 7-night fares in the table at the end.

When do Norway cruises run from Southampton?

Norway cruises run mainly from May to August, and June and July are the fullest months on our schedule. Sailings thin out through September, and October brings the first northern lights trips of 12 to 14 nights.

The few Norway sailings in February and March are northern lights trips too, and the 7-night fjord trips start in April. No ship on our schedule goes to Norway in December or January. Our Norway guide covers what each length reaches.

When do Baltic cruises leave Southampton?

Baltic cruises leave from April to September, and most leave between May and July. Sky Princess, Queen Victoria, Celebrity Apex, Explora IV and Oceania Insignia are among the ships that sail them in 2027. None on our schedule leaves between October and March. Many last about 14 nights, and some are one-way, so check where yours ends. Our Baltic page lists them.

When are Mediterranean cruises from Southampton?

May and September have the most Mediterranean sailings on our schedule. July and August come next, and the first of the year leave in March. June has none on our schedule, although P&O's Arvia sails then. Our Mediterranean guide explains why most take 14 nights.

What cruises leave Southampton in winter?

Winter from Southampton means short Northern Europe trips, Madeira and the Canaries, Atlantic crossings, and the long voyages that leave in January.

• Northern Europe. MSC Preziosa sails 7-night trips on most Fridays this winter, to Hamburg, Rotterdam, Zeebrugge or Le Havre.
• Madeira and the Canaries. Cunard runs 12 to 16 nights, on Queen Anne and Queen Victoria in November and December and on Queen Elizabeth in January and February. Our first-time cruiser guide covers the Bay of Biscay in winter.
• Christmas. Queen Anne leaves for 14 nights on 20 December 2026 and 21 December 2027, and MSC Preziosa and Queen Victoria have shorter trips. Our holiday cruises page has the rest.
• New York. Queen Mary 2 crosses on 12 December 2026 and 14 December 2027. Our transatlantic guide covers the crossing.

Several long voyages leave in January. In 2027 P&O's Arcadia leaves on 6 January for 106 nights. Queen Victoria's 109-night world voyage and Queen Anne's 82-night South America Discovery both leave on 10 January, and Fred. Olsen's Borealis leaves on 21 January. In 2028 Queen Anne leaves on 11 January for 111 nights and Queen Elizabeth on 18 January for 113 nights.

Cunard also sells these voyages in shorter one-way legs, so a 44-night trip from Southampton to Sydney is possible, with a flight home. See our world cruises page.

How many ships sail from Southampton at each time of year?

Far more in summer than in winter. February is the quietest month, and the peaks on our schedule are July and September.

Month	Ships on ABP's schedule, all lines	Ships starting a sailing on our schedule
November 2026	15	7
December 2026	13	4
January 2027	12	5
February 2027	7	3
March 2027	11	5
May 2027	Not published yet	17
July 2027	Not published yet	19
September 2027	Not published yet	19
October 2027	Not published yet	11

These counts update with the schedule. ABP's figure includes every line, including P&O, Fred. Olsen and ships that only call here in the middle of a cruise. Our figure leaves those lines out, so the true summer number is higher. ABP publishes about five months ahead, and calls its schedule strictly provisional.

Which are the busiest days at Southampton cruise port?

Summer weekends are the busiest. Southampton City Council said in 2013 that cruise traffic peaks in the summer, with Saturday usually the busiest day, and a 2024 planning report for the council used Fridays and Saturdays as the busiest days of the week.

Among the lines on our schedule, Sunday has the most departures, followed by Friday and Saturday. That leaves out P&O and Fred. Olsen, so treat all three as busy. On our schedule the fullest weekends of 2027 are 23 to 25 July and 27 to 29 August, which leads into the bank holiday on 30 August.

Here is what the council has said about the roads:

• Boarding is the problem. The 2013 paper said people arrive to board mainly between 12:00 and 14:00, and that on Saturdays this can coincide with holiday traffic on the main roads and shopping peaks in the city centre. It said disembarkation does not tend to cause traffic problems.
• West Quay Road. The council's 2019 transport strategy says traffic and congestion increase there on days with events or cruise ships coming and going.
• Dock Gate 10. A planning report for 4 June 2024 says the junction would be extremely close to full capacity when all the cruise terminals are in use. It serves the Western Docks, and our terminals guide shows which terminals are there.

Check the calendar a few weeks before you sail to see how many ships are in on your day, through 31 March 2027 at the moment. If it is a full day, leave more time for the last few miles, and keep to the arrival slot your line gives you. Our first-time cruiser guide covers arrival times.

What is the weather like in Southampton through the cruise season?

Mild, and wetter in autumn and winter. Average highs at the Met Office's Mayflower Park station are 22.6°C in July and 8.8°C in January, and November has the most rainy days.

Month	Average high	Days with 1 mm of rain or more	Sunshine hours
January	8.8°C	12	63
February	9.1°C	10	83
March	11.5°C	10	125
April	14.7°C	9	182
May	18.0°C	8	215
June	20.6°C	8	212
July	22.6°C	8	224
August	22.5°C	8	206
September	20.1°C	9	152
October	15.9°C	12	113
November	12.0°C	13	76
December	9.3°C	13	55

These are the Met Office's 1991 to 2020 averages. They describe the day you leave, and your ship will soon be somewhere else.

When are cruises from Southampton cheapest?

When we checked on 1 November 2026, typical 7-night fares were lowest in January, February and November, and highest in July. The table at the end has today's figures for every month.

The two seasons do not sell the same trip, though. A winter 7-night sailing is usually MSC Preziosa to Hamburg and Rotterdam, while a July one is often a Norway cruise. If you want Norway at a lower fare, compare May or September against July, using our cheap cruises page or the monthly pages linked above.