Holidaymakers were seen walking through gridlocked traffic with their luggage as Southampton came to a standstill on Friday.
Long tailbacks on Mountbatten Way forced people to ditch their vehicles and walk between rows of stationary cars.
It comes after motorists all across the city were stuck in their cars for hours following the arrival of four cruise ships.
Canute Road, Platform Road, Town Quay and West Quay Road were among the worst affected areas.
READ MORE: Traffic at a standstill as four cruise ships arrive in city
Police warned motorists to avoid coming into the city "unless absolutely critical" as emergency service vehicles were hampered by severe congestion.
A Southampton City Council spokesperson said impromptu security checks on all cruise passengers were behind the delays - further exacerbated by train strikes.
Driving back to Ocean Village from Totton, Ben Pike was stuck in the dual carriageway for over two and a half hours.
Speaking to the Echo, the 19-year-old said: “I’ve been in the car for two and a half hours.
“The queues started a bit after the Redbridge flyover, and I drove past the cargo crates over the Mountbatten [Way] bridge.
“About five minutes ago, everyone was getting out of their cars to stretch their legs and talk about what was happening and what were they were going to do.”
Moments later, holidaymakers started to walk through the halted traffic.
He said: “I saw a couple of people walking in the middle of the road in between the stopped cars with their suitcases.”
A passenger on Queen Mary 2, who asked not to be named, described the scenes at Ocean cruise terminal as “absolutely terrible”.
He added: “We've come down from Bedfordshire and we'd never come here again. Just awful.
“It's not getting off the cruise ships that's the problem, it's getting on!"
Meanwhile, Alex Elliott-Welch, 31, was heading to the Quays Swimming and Diving Complex on the X4 Bluestar bus from Woolston to the city centre.
He said traffic became very slow after crossing the Itchen Bridge, which made him get off the bus and walk the rest of the journey.
He said: "Some people were waiting for the traffic to clear, but others got a little impatient and decided to walk the rest of the way.
"The main road near Oxford Street was very busy, the cars were driving very slow if at all.
"Some of the roads near the city centre were also getting quite busy, especially in the direction of the docks."
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