Cunard flagship liner Queen Mary 2 is listed to depart Southampton
It’s officially the summer holidays which means some of us will be lucky enough to be jetting off on some incredible holidays. While some may be taking to the sky, others will be heading to Southampton for a trip of a lifetime.
The Port of Southampton is one of the most iconic destinations for a summer holiday, some of the world’s most popular cruises set off from the Solent city. With destinations across Europe, thousands of passengers arrive in the city ready for a couple of days in the sunshine onboard a luxury cruise ship.
A number of companies operate from the site including P&O Cruises, Cunard and Royal Caribbean. Iconic ships, including Queen Elizabeth, Britannia and Spirit of Adventure can all be spotted in the dock.
This week six luxury cruise ships will be in the waters of the Solent to take passengers on an incredible. We’ve taken a look at the shipping movements and listed the incredible ships below.
Island Princess
In the port on Friday (July 29) will be Island Princess, who is ready to take thousands on holiday. It is not known when she will arrive or depart.
Described by Princess Cruises as “your own private retreat on the sea”, Island Princess launched for the first time back in July 2003. Refurbished in 2017, this impressive vessel comes equipped with 987 guest cabins spread across 16 decks.
Guests can enjoy live entertainment, gourmet cuisine, casino gaming and more during their stay onboard. Furthermore, for a special treat, they can dine at the Bayou Café and Steakhouse, which features New Orleans-inspired Cajun and Creole cuisine.
Queen Mary 2
Cunard flagship liner Queen Mary 2 is listed to depart Southampton this week. She will depart and arrive alongside Island Princess on Friday.
She measures in at 1,132ft in length, and can hold 2,691 guests, plus 1,250 crew members. Onboard is a luxurious spa, enthralling entertainment venues and a vast library.
Iona
P&O Cruises’ Iona has 17 passenger decks, creating a capacity for 5,200 holidaymakers. The vessel is the first British liner fuelled by liquefied natural gas, which the operator described as “one of the cleanest fuels in the world”.
Iona can often be found in the shores of the Solent and is a regular visitor to Southampton. She will be in the port on Saturday (July 30), but specific timings have not been released.
Sky Princess
Joining Iona in Southampton is Sky Princess, which will be taking holidaymakers abroad sometime on Saturday. Her departure time has not been released at the time of writing this article.
Built in 2019, Sky Princess was officially named by two pioneering women of the U.S. Space Progra – Captain Kay Hire, and engineer Poppy Northcutt. There are a total of 1,830 guest cabins for the 3,660 visitors who may be onboard Sky Princess.
Ventura
Ventura, part of the P&O Cruises fleet, began her service in April 2008 and was built by Fincantieri at their shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. She has a capacity of 3,078 guests and 1,205 crew, and measures at 291.40m, 116,017 tons and has a whopping 14 guest decks.
She will also be in Southampton on Saturday, and like the other ships her departure time has not been released yet.