Southampton Wins Best Cruise Departure for Sixth Year in a Row

For the sixth year running, Southampton’s port has been voted the best cruise departure port in the country and has won Cruise Critic UK Editor’s Picks Awards for 2014.

Not only is Southampton’s port the UK’s leading cruise port, but it is also Europe’s number one turnaround cruise port.

Home to world famous vessels such as Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, the port regularly hosts major cruise industry events. These include the naming of the Royal Princess by the Duchess of Cambridge and the visit of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, last month.

P&Os new vessel, Britannia, will be named at Southampton port next year. It is the biggest vessel built specifically for the UK market and Southampton will be her home port.

Southampton saw over 400 vessel calls in 2013, including P&O’s Oriana and Oceana, and over 1.6m passengers passed through its four dedicated cruise terminals, bound for locations like New York, the Caribbean and Norway.

ABP Director of Southampton’s port, Nick Ridehalgh, said: “We are extremely proud that Southampton has again been named the UK’s best departure port by Cruise Critic.

“We strive to keep Southampton at the forefront of the cruise industry and this is proof that we are doing just that.”

He hopes they will defend their title next year due to plans to invest even more in cruise offerings from the port.

Cruise Critic UK Editor’s Picks Awards are chosen by Cruise Critic’s international team of editors, based on the lines, ships and destinations they feel represent excellence in each of the designated categories. These range from Best New Ship and Best Suites, to Best Shore Excursions and Southampton’s title, Best UK Departure Port.