New to cruising Fly-cruises

To fly or not to fly?

Tempted by our voyages that start or end overseas? Discover what it means to fly-cruise on our Queens and the benefits of flying to your ship versus sailing from Southampton.

3 min 07 May 2025

With the chance to visit multiple destinations in just a few nights, a cruise is the perfect way to see more of the world for less. It’s also a refreshingly effortless holiday, with travel, accommodation, and so much more included.

While we offer a wide choice of cruises departing from Southampton, we also sail from ports such as Barcelona, Seattle, New York, Civitavecchia, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale. All of these cruises are available to book from the UK, making it possible to explore destinations further from home, while retaining all the benefits of a cruise on our Queens.

Of course, there are differences between boarding your ship overseas and starting your cruise in your home country. We’ve explored the two types of cruise holiday below to help you decide if a fly-cruise or a cruise from Southampton is more suited to your style of exploring.

Pros of fly-cruising

Explore further from home in the same amount of time, with more port calls and fewer sea days.

Fly direct to your destination

While ocean travel has come a long way since the days of steam-power, it’s still faster to fly anywhere in the world than it is to sail by cruise ship. Leisurely sea days are lovely if you’re unburdened by annual leave, but if holiday days are limited, flying to New York may be more appealing than a 7-night sail across the Atlantic.

Meeting your ship overseas means you’ll arrive at your destination sooner than you would do by sailing. A journey that could take you a week by ship could be flown in just a few hours, maximising the time you have to explore in each destination. Cutting out the sail from (and back to) Southampton also means fewer days of your cruise are spent at sea, freeing you up to visit more ports than would be possible on a roundtrip cruise of the same duration.

Open up more of the world

Alaska’s icy glaciers and goldrush towns. The Caribbean’s cotton white sands. New York’s iconic skyscrapers and New England’s national parks. Adding a flight to your cruise unlocks a world of new destinations. You could embark on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure or spend every day of your holiday soaking up tropical sunshine for as long as your annual leave allows.

Many of our fly-cruise ports are unreachable on a 7- or 14-night cruise from Southampton. Others, like Alaska, can’t be visited on a cruise from Southampton at all (not even our World Voyages call here). Adding a flight to your cruise gives you the option to enjoy a Cunard holiday in a brand-new part of the world, even if you can only get away for a fortnight or less.

Experience a different Cunard Queen

A fly-cruise is also a perfect way to experience a holiday on board a Cunard Queen you’ve never experienced before. While some of our fleet are frequent visitors to Southampton, others, like Queen Elizabeth, rarely make an appearance.

Despite all bearing the iconic red funnel and distinctive livery our ships are known for, each of our Queens is imbued with special flourishes and details that set her apart from her sister ships. On Queen Anne, for example, you’ll find our cabaret bar, Bright Lights Society, as well as alternative dining experiences; Sir Samuel’s Steakhouse & Grill, Aji Wa, Tramonto, and Aranya.

Our flagship, Queen Mary 2, isn’t just the only ocean liner in our fleet, she’s the only ocean liner in the world, so sailing on her really is an experience like no other. She was built to cut through the Atlantic Ocean and is iconic (among other things) for offering a regular Transatlantic Crossing between New York and Southampton. She’s the only ship in our fleet to house kennels for cats and dogs, and she also has an on board nightclub, G32.

Even Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, the two smallest and most similarly sized ships in our fleet, boast unique differences that distinguish them, such as the Winter Garden on Queen Victoria and a games deck on Queen Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth was also refitted in early 2025, freshening her up with a bright new look ahead of her first Caribbean cruise season.

Pros of cruising from Southampton

Holiday overseas with no luggage restrictions, more time to relax, and no flying.

There's no need to fly

Whether you dislike flying or just prefer a no-fly cruise, a cruise from Southampton is an undeniably easy way to holiday. The cruise terminals, located in the city centre, are easy to reach by road or rail, with vehicle drop-off points and on-site cruise parking. Southampton Central Train Station is just a short taxi ride away, and the city offers 4- and 5-star hotels close to the terminals, if you prefer to stay locally the night before your cruise departs.

The White Star Service we’re known for begins the moment you arrive at Southampton cruise terminal, where you’ll find porters ready to assist you with your luggage and crew to guide you through check-in and security. Plus, with staggered embarkation, including priority boarding for our Grills Suite guests, cruising from Southampton means your holiday with us gets off to the smoothest – and fastest – start possible.

You can bring unlimited luggage

Although luggage allowances on our fly-cruise partner airlines are generous, nothing beats being able to bring as much luggage as you like. That’s the reality of sailing on one of our no-fly cruises from Southampton. All we ask is that each individual piece of luggage weighs no more than 23kg. Outside of this, you’re free to bring as many bags and suitcases as you can comfortably transport to the cruise terminal.

When deciding how many bags or cases to bring, it’s important to remember that you will be required to store all of your luggage inside of your stateroom for the duration of your voyage. You will also need to factor in how you plan to travel to and from the cruise terminal, and any luggage restrictions this may incur.

One solution would be to take advantage of our White Star Luggage Service. This door-to-door service, provided exclusively for Cunard guests, collects your cases in advance of your voyage and deposits them to your ship in Southampton on your behalf. You can also use the same service to send your cases home from Southampton at the end of your holiday.

You'll enjoy more days at sea

For anyone new to cruising, a sea day is a day that your ship continuously sails without calling ashore in any ports. They mostly take place at the beginning and end of a cruise from Southampton, although if you’re sailing on Queen Mary 2’s Transatlantic Crossing your entire 7-night cruise will comprise of non-stop sea days until you arrive in New York.

Sea days are a quintessential part of the cruise holiday experience. They’re the days in which you can truly relax and immerse yourself in the rhythms of life on the ocean. Like every day on a Cunard cruise, how much or how little you choose to do on a sea day is up to you. While you’ll find tonnes to keep you entertained and occupied, you can equally prioritise some well-deserved rest – perhaps even treating yourself to a little ocean-inspired rejuvenation at the spa. Equally, it’s your chance to try out some of the complimentary activities that are included in your cruise fare, such as our Cunard Insights talks with eminent guest speakers.

Sunny sea days bring the possibility of strolling leisurely laps of your ship’s deck or taking a dip or two in the open-air pool, perhaps even puzzling over a crossword with a glass of champagne. Alternatively, you could attend a watercolour art class or a fencing lesson, admire paintings by modern and classic masters in the art gallery, or indulge in some light retail therapy at your ship’s boutiques.

Find your dream Cunard cruise

From short cruise breaks calling at Rotterdam, Le Havre, or Hamburg, to World Voyages that whisk you away for over 100 nights of global exploration, a cruise on our Queens is an iconic experience.

Dip your toe into ocean travel on one of our cruises from Southampton. Enjoy the timeless romance of a Transatlantic Crossing to New York on Queen Mary 2. Embark on an epic expedition through Alaska’s Inside Passage. Or melt away among the iridescent islands of the Caribbean.

With menus devised by Michelin starred chefs, White Star Service that leaves you wanting for nothing, and critically acclaimed stage shows from the Broadway and West End stages, why cruise, when you can Cunard?

View all of our upcoming cruises from Southampton here or use our cruise holiday filters to search for a cruise by year, ship, or destination.