Too many ships for Southampton?

There is not one part of me that doubts the fact that cruising is becoming more popular by the second, with prices being slashed and no airport hassle it’s no wonder cruising is becoming a plausible option for couples and families alike who have not cruised before.

However, off the top of my head I can count more than 20 ships that sail regularly out of the UK’s main port – Southampton. I’m sure you will agree that is a LOT of beds to fill. As I said there is increasing demand for cruise holidays, with much of August and October half term full, if not VERY limited availability.

Let me give you an example, P&O Cruises currently have 6 ships sailing out of Southampton, with its 7^th ship based in the Mediterranean. So just this cruise line has a capacity of 11,596 people. That is just one cruise line! It makes me think, when Britannia – P&O’s new ship comes in next year, adding to the passenger numbers by nearly 4,000 what will happen to the smaller ships? The spotlight will certainly be on Britannia, so what about the older ships? Will the prices plummet to fill the cabins on them? (I hope so, I love some of the older ships) Or will they retain their prices? It’s a tough one to call, and we can only sit and wait to find out.

A busy day in Southampton with 6 ships in, from 4 different cruise lines.

Anthem of the Seas, under construction at Meyer Werft  for the UK Market.

It’s an exciting year for Southampton though, with new ships left, right and centre. Royal Caribbean International’s Independence of the Seas will be withdrawn from Southampton after a fantastic 7 years in the UK and will be replaced by the brand new Anthem of the Seas. Adventure of the Seas will also not return next year, but will however will be replaced by a ship of the same class, Voyager of the Seas.

Four P&O ships docked, easily 8,000 people sailing this day.

As mentioned the new P&O ship Britannia will receive a warm welcome, as will the return of the Royal Princess, much to the delight of the UK market, both built by Fincantieri, both truly great ships.

Royal Princess moves into position at Ocean Terminal to be christened last year.

Britannia taking shape for P&O Cruises.

So with all these ships, as well as the long standing resident ships, what will really happen to the UK Cruise market? Will passengers be stolen from cruise line to cruise line following their ‘promotion noses’ searching for the best deal out there, or will passengers stay loyal to their favourites? What ideas have you got for next year’s cruise? Let me know below…