Overview
Southampton is Britain's primary cruise port. For most people, Southampton is not the destination. Rather, it is a
place that travelers come to in order to meet a ship or because they have just finished their cruise. This often involves arriving a day before the cruise and staying in Southampton overnight so as to be able to board early the next day or staying overnight after disembarkation before traveling onward. Increasingly, however, Southampton has become a port of call on cruises originating elsewhere. Centrally located in the south of England, there are numerous places of interest that can be seen on a day trip from Southampton, some of which are indisputably world class. Southampton has a population of approximately 234,600 people. Not surprisingly for a city with two universities, the largest segment of the population is young people. The City lies at the confluence of the River Test and the River Itchen, which come together to form Southampton Water. This body of water flows into the Solent, which separates mainland Britain from the Isle of Wight. Thus, a ship coming to Southampton would leave the English Channel near Portsmouth, sail up the Solent and turn right at Southampton Water. It would then sail up to Southampton past Calshot and the big oil refinery at Fawley to the docks in Southampton. As a result of the configuration of these bodies of water, Southampton has two high tide periods each day. This makes for a deep water estuary and that is very attractive to deep draft ocean-going ships. Consequently, Southampton is a busy seaport town. It is the UK’s second largest container ship port in the UK. In addition, roll-on/roll-off ships move some 660,000 vehicles through the port each year. There are also facilities for other types of cargo. Because of its importance as a seaport, Southampton was bombed heavily during World War II. As a result, many historic buildings were destroyed and today much of the city is from the post-war period. Also, Southampton has become a shopping mecca for the region and there are large modern shopping malls, particularly in the Western Docks area. Still, Southampton avoids being visually unappealing by devoting substantial areas to large parks that are well-kept. In addition, there are a number of public areas where people can view the water and activity in the harbour. Southampton has many ship enthusiasts and quite a few regularly assemble to watch the cruise ships sail in the afternoon. One should keep in mind that tourism, while important, is not the primary focus of Southampton . People go about their daily lives here working, going to school, shopping etc. |
Above: Southampton from the harbor.
Below: Although much of the city was destroyed during World War II, large sections of the medieval city walls survive. Southampton is one of Britain's most important ports.
Above: Large container ships and other types of cargo vessels are a common sight in the port. Below: There is a military supply facility opposite the city across Southampton water. As a result, navy ships are sometimes seen in the harbor, in this case HMS Ocean. |
Above left: The marina in the upscale Ocean Village district.
Above right: There is a substantial amount of green space in the city. Left: Southampton is home to Southampton Solent University and the University of Southampton. Below left: Southampton is a regional shopping center with many modern shops including the West Quay shopping mall. Below right: It is also a business center. The headquarters of Carnival UK is in Southampton. |
Above: Queen Mary 2 in Southampton harbor.
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Cruise destination - England - Southampton - Brief History