Southampton cruise crowd calendar

Southampton, England

How many cruise ships and people are in Southampton today and on the days ahead, and which days are quietest to sail or visit.

Saturday 7 November 2026 · all times local (United Kingdom Time)

Today · Fri 23Sat 24Sun 25Mon 26Tue 27Wed 28Thu 29
Southampton port guide and schedule

In port on Sat 7 Nov

Peak

20,636

people in port · 15,370 guests + 5,266 crew

182% busier than a typical day in Southampton.

Ships
4
Turnarounds
3
Most ships at once
4
Ships alongside
07:00 – 20:30
See the crowd calendar

How busy Southampton is on Sat 7 Nov

Saturday 7 November 2026 · 4 ships · 20,636 people · all times local (United Kingdom Time)

Full ship schedule and terminals
  • MSC Virtuosa
    MSC Cruises
    07:00 – 18:00 · Turnaround
    6,514 people
  • AIDAperla
    AIDA Cruises
    08:30 – 20:30 · Port of call
    4,186 people
  • Iona
    P&O Cruises
    times not published · Turnaround
    6,962 people
  • times not published · Turnaround
    2,974 people

People are guests at standard occupancy (two per cabin) plus crew. Turnaround ships also move about as many boarding guests through the terminals as the ones leaving.

When the port is busiest on Sat 7 Nov

Most people in port 08:00 – 18:00: 20,636 people on 4 ships.

MSC Virtuosa
07:00 – 18:00 · Turnaround
AIDAperla
08:30 – 20:30 · Port of call
Iona
times not published · Turnaround
Queen Victoria
times not published · Turnaround
People in port
00:0003:0006:0009:0012:0015:0018:0021:0000:00

How busy is Southampton? Crowd calendar

People in port each day, guests plus crew, compared with a typical Southampton day. Select a day to see its ships.

Later months
  • No ships nothing scheduled
  • Quiet under half a typical day
  • Light 50–85% of typical
  • Typical 85–115%
  • Busy 115–150%
  • Peak over 150%

Numbers are thousands of people. Earlier days this month are faded and today is outlined.

Busiest and quietest days of the week

Fridays are the busiest and Thursdays the quietest over the next 90 days. Southampton is a turnaround port: most ships end and start their cruises here, so those days bring the biggest crowds at the terminals.

  • Monday
    5.6K
  • Tuesday
    2.6K
  • Wednesday
    2K
  • Thursday
    1.6K
  • Friday
    8.4K
  • Saturday
    6.9K
  • Sunday
    4K

Average people in port, next 90 days

Quietest and busiest days ahead

Quietest days with ships

Next 90 days · fewest people in port

  1. Thu 10 Dec
    1 ship · 1 turnaround
    1,860
    Quiet
  2. Tue 22 Dec
    1 ship · 1 turnaround
    1,860
    Quiet
  3. Wed 20 Jan
    1 ship · 1 turnaround
    1,860
    Quiet
  4. Sun 8 Nov
    1 ship · 1 turnaround
    2,024
    Quiet
  5. Mon 23 Nov
    1 ship · 1 turnaround
    2,024
    Quiet

Busiest days

Next 90 days · most people in port

  1. Sat 24 Oct
    4 ships · 4 turnarounds
    22,814
    Peak
  2. Sat 7 Nov
    4 ships · 3 turnarounds
    20,636
    Peak
  3. Sat 31 Oct
    3 ships · 3 turnarounds
    17,808
    Peak
  4. Fri 23 Oct
    3 ships · 3 turnarounds
    15,837
    Peak
  5. Fri 13 Nov
    3 ships · 3 turnarounds
    13,443
    Peak

Southampton port traffic, next 90 days

People in port per day · Fri 23 Oct – Wed 20 Jan

Ship calls
96
Daily average
4,478
people in port
Busiest day
22,814
Sat 24 Oct · 4 ships
Days with ships
55 of 90

Today is outlined. Hover a bar for the day.

Ships calling at Southampton

Next 30 days · by cruise line

Southampton crowd calendar questions

Each ship counts its guests at standard occupancy (two per cabin) plus its crew. A ship without a published capacity is listed in the schedule but not counted.

It compares the day with a typical Southampton day with ships. Quiet is under half of that, Light 50–85%, Typical 85–115%, Busy 115–150% and Peak more than one and a half times. Each port is compared with itself, so a Busy day in a small port has far fewer people than one in a big homeport.

Most ships in Southampton are on turnaround: one cruise ends and the next one boards on the same day. Terminals, roads and parking are busiest on those days.

The calendar covers this month and the next 11 months of published itineraries. Lines add and change calls, so dates further out can still move.

Yes. Arrival and departure times move with weather and port operations. Always confirm with your cruise line and the port before you travel.