Travel guide for getting to Southampton for the NC17 cruise embarkation.
Cruise embarkation: Saturday 19 September 2026
Port location
Cunard usually uses Mayflower Terminal for their Southampton departures, but we will finalize and add the exact port location closer to the departure day.
Herbert Walker Ave, Southampton SO15 1HJ, United Kingdom
| From | Best route | Total time |
|---|---|---|
| London | Direct train Waterloo → Southampton Central | ~1h15 |
| Mainland Europe | Eurostar to London, or fly Heathrow/Gatwick + train | 5–9h |
| Asia / Middle East | Long-haul to Heathrow + train | 12–18h |
| America | Long-haul to Heathrow/Gatwick + train | 8–16h |
| Australia / NZ | Long-haul to Heathrow (via Singapore/Dubai) + train | 22–26h |
Universal advice: All international travelers fly into a London airport (mostly Heathrow), then take the train to Southampton Central. Southampton Airport (SOU) only handles UK domestic and short European routes — useful only if you're connecting from Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, or a few European cities (Faro, Palma, Alicante).
This is the simplest route and the one our pre-cruise itinerary is built around (3 nights in London Sept 15–18, then transfer to Southampton).