Edinburgh-Princess shuttles

[Blondilu]

I'm sure this has been asked and answered, so apologies but I can't seem to find the answer.  Does Princess offer a shuttle from South Queensferry into Edinburgh?  Thanks in advance.

[Adventures ahead]

2 hours ago, Blondilu said:

I'm sure this has been asked and answered, so apologies but I can't seem to find the answer.  Does Princess offer a shuttle from South Queensferry into Edinburgh?  Thanks in advance.

There will be a shuttle bus "X99 Cruiselink" that takes you to St. Andrew Square in Edinburgh City Centre. You'll find more detailed information here:  https://www.lothianbuses.com/timetables/cruiselink-x99/

 

We plan to buy the return (senior) ticket that includes one HOHO bus tour. The green tour sounds the best to me because it has live commentary and stops near Edinburgh Castle.  Have fun!

[Blondilu]

Adventures ahead:  Thank you. We're seniors too, so sounds like a plan!

[tartanexile81]

First of all Princess does offer an Edinburgh On Your Own transfer but it is significantly more expensive than the shuttle bus by the local (huge) bus company. This service is regular and reliable. I set up a thread about it last year https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2661303-edinburgh-princess-shuttles/

 

I'll be at the port on Friday when Crown Princess visits on her first call of the season and I'll be taking photos  of the whole operation at SQ which I'll post here. The basic £9 fare allows unlimited free travel on all Lothian buses for the day so it's amazing value.  I'd definitely recommend the green Edinburgh tour too Adventures ahead. It''s the one I always take my visitors on.  

[EllieinNJ]

I am also on the Crown Princess in August/Sept.  Want to do this X99 bus and HOHO bus too.  Please tell us how crowded it is to get on.  This is a tender port so what time is best for leaving the ship (not elite) and what times do you recommend leaving Edinburgh to get back to the tender.

 

Also one other thing.  Can you or if you know anyone who is taking the Princess debark excursion to Stonehenge and then to LHR, can you or they tell us what is the actual time they got to the airport.   Princess says this excursion is good for all flights after 4pm.  My flight is exactly 4pm so am a little anxious about it.  Thanks.

[tartanexile81]

1 hour ago, EllieinNJ said:

I am also on the Crown Princess in August/Sept.  Want to do this X99 bus and HOHO bus too.  Please tell us how crowded it is to get on.  This is a tender port so what time is best for leaving the ship (not elite) and what times do you recommend leaving Edinburgh to get back to the tender.

 

 

As soon as one bus leaves full of passengers another one arrives and soon fills up too. They start running as soon as the tenders start to arrive. here is the timetable for when the last buses will leave Edinburgh

https://www.lothianbuses.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/X99-WEB.pdf

 

I'll confirm info once I've seen it all again tomorrow because for now  I can only tell you what happened last year and that was that the first tenders reached shore around 7:30, and by 9:00 things would be  getting busy. Most people were on their way by 11:00-ish

 

The other question would be best directed at your roll call or on the Princess boards

[TM]

Does anyone know the price of this Lothian Bus?

[tartanexile81]

See my post #3. It is £9 for a round trip from Queensferry to Edinburgh plus united usage of local buses all over the city. 

 

If you want to do a hop on hop off bus, it is £25 for the shuttle, unlimited use of buses AND the tour

[gnome12]

51 minutes ago, tartanexile81 said:

See my post #3. It is £9 for a round trip from Queensferry to Edinburgh plus united usage of local buses all over the city. 

 

I assume you mean "unlimited" not "united". 😉

[tartanexile81]

3 hours ago, gnome12 said:

I assume you mean "unlimited" not "united". 😉

Blooming' auto-correct.

 

So here are some photos from today 

1. The ship at anchor. I timed the tender and it took 12 minutes from ship to shore. 

2. The pier. You can see where the tender docks 

3. The buses at the top of the pier - to the left once you get through the gate.

4. Get a ticket from one of the sellers. Cards accepted 

5. Taxis and tour buses on the right once you get through the gates. 

6. You will sail under the Forth Bridge, World Heritage Site. It is also well worth a visit to the village of South Queensferry, a 10 minute easy stroll along the sea front from the pier. 

 

For those who asked, the tenders were busy from 7:30 and the first tour left at 8:00. The last tour left at 10:30. There was no problem at all with the buses. Passengers were waiting a minute or two to buy their tickets but there were always 2  buses there.  

 

 

 

 

 

[Blondilu]

Thank you for this, tartanexile81, much appreciated!

 

[Triptkr]

On 5/10/2019 at 4:22 PM, tartanexile81 said:

Blooming' auto-correct.

 

So here are some photos from today 

1. The ship at anchor. I timed the tender and it took 12 minutes from ship to shore. 

2. The pier. You can see where the tender docks 

3. The buses at the top of the pier - to the left once you get through the gate.

4. Get a ticket from one of the sellers. Cards accepted 

5. Taxis and tour buses on the right once you get through the gates. 

6. You will sail under the Forth Bridge, World Heritage Site. It is also well worth a visit to the village of South Queensferry, a 10 minute easy stroll along the sea front from the pier. 

 

For those who asked, the tenders were busy from 7:30 and the first tour left at 8:00. The last tour left at 10:30. There was no problem at all with the buses. Passengers were waiting a minute or two to buy their tickets but there were always 2  buses there.  

 

 

 

tartanexile81 ---question for you.  What is your opinion on this?  People that have tickets for Edinburgh Castle at 9:30am...is that too early?  We are not doing a cruise ship excursion and have already booked tickets through the castle.  It kinda sounds as though since we are on our own we may not get off the ship as early as we'd like and I'm not positive we'll get there in time.  Just wondered if you'd have any input on this.  TIA!

[tartanexile81]

8 minutes ago, Triptkr said:

 

tartanexile81 ---question for you.  What is your opinion on this?  People that have tickets for Edinburgh Castle at 9:30am...is that too early?  We are not doing a cruise ship excursion and have already booked tickets through the castle.  It kinda sounds as though since we are on our own we may not get off the ship as early as we'd like and I'm not positive we'll get there in time.  Just wondered if you'd have any input on this.  TIA!

 

I was on the pier on Friday so can give a good example why I now think 9:30 is too early unless you're Elite. 

 

The winds were pretty strong and the first tender didn't reach shore till just after 8. The people onboard that were all on Princess tours with just one or two Elite passengers who of course had priority for the tenders.  There was a short delay before the buses departed as they waited for more tenders / passengers  arrived and then the bus set off.  It was a very slow start to the day overall and it was well after 9:00 that things started to get going properly. That is certainly  unusual because the tenders usually start running pretty quickly after all the formalities are completed.  At that time of day (weekday rush hour) it would take 40 minutes probably to get into town then around a 20 minute walk to the Castle from the bus drop-off in St Andrews Square. 

 

I would probably now say don't book before 10:30 or even better leave it till the afternoon when the ship's tours have mainly been and gone and you can do other things first.  It is definitely best to book in peak season 

[Triptkr]

2 minutes ago, tartanexile81 said:

 

I was on the pier on Friday so can give a good example why I now think 9:30 is too early unless you're Elite. 

 

The winds were pretty strong and the first tender didn't reach shore till just after 8. The people onboard that were all on Princess tours with just one or two Elite passengers who of course had priority for the tenders.  There was a short delay before the buses departed as they waited for more tenders / passengers  arrived and then the bus set off.  It was a very slow start to the day overall and it was well after 9:00 that things started to get going properly. That is certainly  unusual because the tenders usually start running pretty quickly after all the formalities are completed.  At that time of day (weekday rush hour) it would take 40 minutes probably to get into town then around a 20 minute walk to the Castle from the bus drop-off in St Andrews Square. 

 

I would probably now say don't book before 10:30 or even better leave it till the afternoon when the ship's tours have mainly been and gone and you can do other things first.  It is definitely best to book in peak season 

tartanexile81 ,

Good info...so I just looked at our tickets to Edinburgh Castle and they say: entry from 09:30 to 11:00.

Wondering what to do...or if there IS anything I can do at this point since I already booked the tickets.  Probably not and will just have to wait and see.

[tartanexile81]

1 hour ago, Triptkr said:

tartanexile81 ,

Good info...so I just looked at our tickets to Edinburgh Castle and they say: entry from 09:30 to 11:00.

Wondering what to do...or if there IS anything I can do at this point since I already booked the tickets.  Probably not and will just have to wait and see.

 

I'd just say queue up early, get your tender ticket and if you're on the bus leaving by 9:30, you should make it by 11:00. The quickest route to the Castle from where you are dropped off is this:  

Walk down South St Andrews Street.

Turn right onto Princes Street then immediately left onto Waverley Bridge over the railway station.

Go straight over onto Cockburn Street at the mini-roundabout.

At the top of Cockburn Street, you are on the Royal Mile. Turn right and walk straight up to the Castle.

 

if you look at this thread https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2534675-new-shuttle-bus-service-to-edinburgh-from-queensferry-2018/page/2/ posts #27-30, you will see some photos of the first part of the route as far as Waverley Bridge. 

 

You can Google St Andrews Square Edinburgh as well and check out this route. As a local I know short-cuts up alleys and steps but it's impossible to describe and too easy to get lost 

[Triptkr]

23 minutes ago, tartanexile81 said:

 

I'd just say queue up early, get your tender ticket and if you're on the bus leaving by 9:30, you should make it by 11:00. The quickest route to the Castle from where you are dropped off is this:  

Walk down South St Andrews Street.

Turn right onto Princes Street then immediately left onto Waverley Bridge over the railway station.

Go straight over onto Cockburn Street at the mini-roundabout.

At the top of Cockburn Street, you are on the Royal Mile. Turn right and walk straight up to the Castle.

 

if you look at this thread https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2534675-new-shuttle-bus-service-to-edinburgh-from-queensferry-2018/page/2/ posts #27-30, you will see some photos of the first part of the route as far as Waverley Bridge. 

 

You can Google St Andrews Square Edinburgh as well and check out this route. As a local I know short-cuts up alleys and steps but it's impossible to describe and too easy to get lost 

Thank you so much!  You are a wealth of knowledge, we are lucky to have you on this site!  :)

[tartanexile81]

Thanks Triptkr,

 

I cruise a lot too and DIY when we're away. I love to research before I go and also enjoypromoting Edinburgh to cruisers heading this way.  Maybe see you at South Queensferry. I'm Rhona. I used to do talks on Princess ships between Invergordon and Edinburgh and have met people from CC onboard, as well as on the pier. 

Edited June 5, 2019 by tartanexile81

[cherylakers]

What do you think a taxi would cost for 6 of us to go to Edinburg castle in lieu of taking the bus?

 

We have a 10 a.m. time entrance to the castle and it sounds like we might not make it in time.  2 of us are elite so we can all probably get off on one of the first tenders.

 

Thanks

Cheryl

[tartanexile81]

Taxis usually take 5 passengers so that could be a problem.  However it would only cost £25. I could suggest companies you could pre-book that can hold 6 but as you don't know why time you will get off the tender, it's tricky. 

 

On Saturday, the ship docked an hour later than usual - 8:00 instead of 7:00. I don't know why that was but that set things back. The next one is also due in at 8

[ebs0303]

On 5/9/2019 at 10:56 AM, tartanexile81 said:

 

As soon as one bus leaves full of passengers another one arrives and soon fills up too. They start running as soon as the tenders start to arrive. here is the t      imetable for when the last buses will leave Edinburgh

https://www.lothianbuses.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/X99-WEB.pdf

 

I'll confirm info once I've seen it all again tomorrow because for now  I can only tell you what happened last year and that was that the first tenders reached shore around 7:30, and by 9:00 things would be  getting busy. Most people were on their way by 11:00-ish

 

The other question would be best directed at your roll call or on the Princess boards

 

Do/Can you book a ticket in advance to assure a seat on a particular bus? Do all the tenders dock at Hawes Pier? We are on the Crown Princess in 2 weeks (Queensferry stop July 9), and the itinerary indicates the ship docks at 7 am. Would we have time from tender to bus ride to meet a walking tour at 10 am? 

[tartanexile81]

8 hours ago, ebs0303 said:

 

Do/Can you book a ticket in advance to assure a seat on a particular bus? Do all the tenders dock at Hawes Pier? We are on the Crown Princess in 2 weeks (Queensferry stop July 9), and the itinerary indicates the ship docks at 7 am. Would we have time from tender to bus ride to meet a walking tour at 10 am? 

 

No you can't book in advance. There are 4 ticket sellers and you buy your tickets there either by credit card or GBP.

 

Yes all the tenders dock at Hawes Pier. 

 

I'd allow an hour from getting off the tender to getting to the meeting point for your tour so if you can get off early you should be find. The peak time for the shuttle bus seems to be around 9:00 - 10:00 so get away before then and you should be okay. But I am only giving an opinion, not a guarantee 

[teamwanderer]

Hi,  thank you for so much info.   I arrive via Crown Princess and tender to Hawes Pier on Wednesday 14 of August. In reading the Q&A's,  Am I correct to understand the buses to the left are  X99 Buses?  Tickets for the X99 buses can be bought at the pier from one of the sellers?    Can you use the X99 Buses as Hop on Hop off?   Regards

Edited July 19, 2019 by teamwanderer
misspelling

[tartanexile81]

Hi teamwanderer and welcome to Cruise Critic. 

 

Yes the buses to the left are the X99 and yes you buy tickets right by the bus from the ticket sellers. This year it's £9 per person per day. This includes you journey to and from Edinburgh and unlimited use of localises all day. You can also buy a ticket for £25 which includes everything as per the X99 plus a ticket for the hop on hope off bus. It starts about 5 minutes away from the shuttle drop off and there and somebody as you get off the bus to point you in the right direction.  I recommend the Edinburgh Tour for fluent English speakers as there's a live commentary

[teamwanderer]

I just purchased (2) tickets for the castle for enter between 9:30 to 11am.  It sounds like I should not do Hop on Hop Off instead take the X99 to St Andrews Square Edinburgh and follow your directions to the castle 6/5/2019 ("the quickest route to the Castle from where you are dropped off is this:  Walk down South St Andrews Street. Turn right onto Princes Street then immediately left onto Waverley Bridge over the railway station.Go straight over onto Cockburn Street at the mini-roundabout.At the top of Cockburn Street, you are on the Royal Mile. Turn right and walk straight up to the Castle.").  I'm thinking that there are plenty of places to see by walking after we see the castle.  I was looking for a walking tour map of this area.  Any thoughts?      Thank you again.

 

[tartanexile81]

Hopefully you'll get off the ship early enough. she's been arriving at 7:00 a.m, or 8:00 a.m. but it takes a time before the tender gets up and running. You're right - you won't need to do the HoHo bus. Follow the walking instructions to get to the Castle. The Royal Mile is like a museum with history all around you so plenty to see.  Lots of walking tours start on the Royal Mile close to the City Chambers - checkout out on Google. They usually start at 10:00/ 11:00. 

 

There'll be a couple of volunteers on your ship giving our info, maps etc and leo on the pier if you have other questions on the day 

Edited July 19, 2019 by tartanexile81