Cruise passengers passing through the QEII Cruise Terminal in Southampton will start their holidays in style thanks to a multi-million pound project to upgrade its facilities, the company said in its press release.
The terminal was opened by Her Majesty The Queen in 1966 and now, 50 years later, has reopened following a joint significant investment of £5m from ABP Port of Southampton and Carnival UK, to refurbish the building and expand its capacity.
The layout and flow of the passenger drop-off area has been improved, with increased use of the undercover drop off facilities QEII Cruise Terminal offers. The new layout aids passenger flows through check-in and, with an enlarged security x-ray area moved upstairs, passengers can breeze through the terminal in comfort.
While the terminal improvements are now complete, the investment continues with the installation of a state-of-the-art ship-to-shore walkway to replace the previous walkway initially installed for Cunard's Queen Mary 2, in the upcoming winter season.
The project at the QEII Cruise Terminal was the latest in a series of investments made by ABP into improving the city's cruise facilities. Significant investment was made into upgrades at the City Cruise Terminal in conjunction with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL) in 2014/15. Investment of £1m at the Ocean Cruise Terminal followed and in April 2015 the Mayflower Cruise Terminal reopened after a multi-million pound revamp.