Edinburgh - Rosyth port

[Lovetotraveltami]

Hi, We will be arriving on Princess Pacific to the Rosyth port on 08/23.  Is there anyway to get to downtown that is semi-easy?  I contacted Princess and they stated that there is no shuttle.  Will taxi's be available or is it best to connect with a train or bus?  It looks like it is about 15 miles.  Thank you in advance!

[FredZiffle]

What a lousy place to create a new port.  Can a cruise ship even fit under those two bridges or is it still a tender port?  At any rate, there are several buses that travel from Rosyth port into Edinburgh and have a stop near the castle.  The buses depart from the Ferrytoll, Park and Ride, which is about 2 miles from the port, and seem to run every 15 minutes.  There is also a bus stop only 3 blocks from the port which will take you to the Park and Ride, but it looks like that bus only runs every couple of hours, so I would think a taxi to the Park and Ride would be the only option worth considering.  This assumes that you're trying to avoid spending $50 each way to take a taxi into Edinburgh.  Buses are about $5 each way.

[Globaliser]

1 hour ago, FredZiffle said:

What a lousy place to create a new port.  Can a cruise ship even fit under those two bridges or is it still a tender port?

 

If a full-size aircraft carrier can be built at Rosyth and get under those three bridges to get out, I'm pretty confident that a relatively small cruise ship like Pacific Princess must be able to.

 

And if the ship was going to tender, why would it tender to Rosyth?

[FredZiffle]

11 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

 

And if the ship was going to tender, why would it tender to Rosyth?

 

It made no sense to me either.  It's been several years since we were in Edinburgh, so I don't remember how high the bridges were.  I just recalled that we had to tender, so I was guessing the reason was that the ship couldn't fit under the bridges.  At least your reply explains why they are porting in Rosyth, but it certainly does no favor to the passengers.

[Cotswold Eagle]

8 hours ago, FredZiffle said:

What a lousy place to create a new port.  

It’s an excellent place to create a new port - deep water berths, easy access to the motorway system, lots of space for development, and over 100 years of maritime tradition and experience from the dockyard. 

 

8 hours ago, FredZiffle said:

 so I would think a taxi to the Park and Ride would be the only option worth considering.  This assumes that you're trying to avoid spending $50 each way to take a taxi into Edinburgh.  

Or take a taxi to Inverkeithing railway station and catch a train into Edinburgh Waverley, as mentioned previously on this board. 

 

6 hours ago, FredZiffle said:

It made no sense to me either.  It's been several years since we were in Edinburgh, so I don't remember how high the bridges were.  I just recalled that we had to tender, so I was guessing the reason was that the ship couldn't fit under the bridges.  

I think the point was that it seems odd that you were tendering to Rosyth, rather than South Queensferry, if you were anchored downstream of the bridges. 

[FredZiffle]

8 minutes ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

It’s an excellent place to create a new port - deep water berths, easy access to the motorway system, lots of space for development, and over 100 years of maritime tradition and experience from the dockyard.  

 

It may have easy access to the motorway, but that doesn't help cruisers.  Any port where the only way out is to start by taking a taxi is not a good location for us.

[Globaliser]

8 hours ago, FredZiffle said:

It may have easy access to the motorway, but that doesn't help cruisers.  Any port where the only way out is to start by taking a taxi is not a good location for us.

 

If the options are to anchor and tender to the south side, or to dock just over the bridge on the north side, it is not hard to see some good reasons for choosing to dock.

 

Anyway, the basic fallacy is that it's a "new port". It isn't, even if it is relatively little used by cruise ships.

[tartanexile81]

21 hours ago, FredZiffle said:

What a lousy place to create a new port.  Can a cruise ship even fit under those two bridges or is it still a tender port?  At any rate, there are several buses that travel from Rosyth port into Edinburgh and have a stop near the castle.  The buses depart from the Ferrytoll, Park and Ride, which is about 2 miles from the port, and seem to run every 15 minutes.  There is also a bus stop only 3 blocks from the port which will take you to the Park and Ride, but it looks like that bus only runs every couple of hours, so I would think a taxi to the Park and Ride would be the only option worth considering.  This assumes that you're trying to avoid spending $50 each way to take a taxi into Edinburgh.  Buses are about $5 each way.

 

First of all thanks to CotswoldEagle and Globaliser to correct some of the inaccuracies in this post and to offer constructive suggestions. 

 

Have you ever been to Rosyth FredZiffle?  Much of what you say looks like it has come from Rome2Rio or something like that and is completely inaccurate:

 

1. It is NOT a new cruise port. It is currently used by 30 ships approx per year including 2 companies for turnarounds. It was in the past the Royal Naval Dockyard and is well accustomed to receiving ships of all shapes and sizes.  I quote:

 

"Rosyth has become a port of favour for many cruise vessel operators, given the ease of access to the port for vessels, the services and facilities offered on quayside, the dedicated cruise terminal, long stay car park and excellent transport links for passengers. Hosting over 30 cruise vessels calls each year, Rosyth handles vessel calls either as a stop-over location or a full turnaround facility."

 

2. Ferrytoll Park and Ride is not the answer for cruisers for local logistical reasons.

3. There is no working bus stop within 3 blocks of the port.  

4. We do not use dollars in Scotland but  GBP. 

5. There are three bridges sitting side by side  over the Forth between North and South Queensferry. used regularly by cruise ships and large vessels heading to and from the metro-chemical process at Grangemouth as well as Rosyth which is a grain hub. 

6. It may look on an a computer screen that buses "stop near the Castle" but actuallyall these buses are going to and fro the Bus Station and in Summer there can be diversions in place to facilitate pedestrian only streets. 

6. People don't just visit Rosyth to go to Edinburgh. It is close to beautiful Scottish scenery and is in the Kingdom of Fife with Dunfermline the ancient capital of Scotland a short hop away. There is a free shuttle bus to take cruisers there if they wish to visit and is particularly popular with Princess cruisers who usually overnight there and are looking for something different to do.

 

Lovetotraveltami, I hope you didn't make any reservations having read the above post. I am a volunteer at the port and would like to help you. 

 

Princess has always offered a shuttle to Inverkeithing Station which is about 3 miles away.  I'm pretty sure you just book this onboard. There'a  usually 5 trains an hour or more from there to Edinburgh and it take 20-25 minutes. You should stay on the train till you get to Edinburgh Waverley. The price of an Off peak Day return is £5;80, although you can't use these tickets during the morning or evening rush hours. For a  regular ticket the cost is £9.70 round trip. There are also lots of taxis available at Rosyth and the cost is £8 each way to Inverkeithing for up to 4 passengers. There are plenty of taxis at Inverkeithing on the way back.

 

Princess  also offers Edinburgh On Your Own which isn't  considered a shuttle but it should be on your schedule of tours.  It is basically an expensive shuttle from the ship to Waterloo Place in Edinburgh! 

 

I'd be happy to help if you have any other questions about your visit in August. Are you going to the Tattoo? Or something else in the evening. There is so much happening in Edinburgh during August that it is well worth it.

 

 

Edited June 14, 2019 by tartanexile81

[FredZiffle]

37 minutes ago, tartanexile81 said:

 

Have you ever been to Rosyth FredZiffle?  Much of what you say looks like it has come from Rome2Rio or something like that and is completely inaccurate:

I love Rome2Rio, so it's quite likely that I used it as a reference for some of my answer.

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1. It is NOT a new cruise port. It is currently used by 30 ships approx per year including 2 companies for turnarounds. It was in the past the Royal Naval Dockyard and is well accustomed to receiving ships of all shapes and sizes. 

Everything I read said that this was Edinburgh's newest cruise port.  It was certainly not being used as a cruise ship port the last time I traveled there, which was admittedly close to 10 years ago.

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2. Ferrytoll Park and Ride is not the answer for cruisers for local logistical reasons.

I'll take your word for it, although it seems like an option to me.  Closer and cheaper to get to than Inverkeithing, and cheaper to take the bus than a train.

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  4. We do not use dollars in Scotland but  GBP. 

The Op is from the States, so I quoted cost in US currency.  Sorry that bothered you.

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 6. It may look on an a computer screen that buses "stop near the Castle" but actuallyall these buses are going to and fro the Bus Station and in Summer there can be diversions in place to facilitate pedestrian only streets.

Useful information concerning diversions.  I know we didn't encounter any when we took a bus into town which stopped somewhere "near the castle".

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6. People don't just visit Rosyth to go to Edinburgh. It is close to beautiful Scottish scenery and is in the Kingdom of Fife with Dunfermline the ancient capital of Scotland a short hop away. There is a free shuttle bus to take cruisers there if they wish to visit and is particularly popular with Princess cruisers who usually overnight there and are looking for something different to do.

More useful information except for the fact that the Op was asking about getting into Edinburgh.

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Lovetotraveltami, I hope you didn't make any reservations having read the above post. I am a volunteer at the port and would like to help you.

I'm not trying to get into a pissing contest with you.  I only responded initially because the post had no replies after 24 hours, and I was able to provide some degree of information.  I readily acknowledge that as a local, your familiarity with the port is far greater than mine.  But, I do think your attack on me was unwarranted when you could have simply provided further information.

Edited June 14, 2019 by FredZiffle

[tartanexile81]

1 hour ago, FredZiffle said:

I

I'm not trying to get into a pissing contest with you.  I only responded initially because the post had no replies after 24 hours, and I was able to provide some degree of information.  I readily acknowledge that as a local, your familiarity with the port is far greater than mine.  But, I do think your attack on me was unwarranted when you could have simply provided further information.

 

I just don't think it's fair on visitors to this area, or indeed to any port,  to be given inaccurate, out of date information written as a statement of fact. This will do more harm than good. Rosyth has been operating as a cruise port for quite a few years now, land there is a lot of information out there from people who have actually visited.   I'm sure people are happy to wait a day or two to get the information they need. 

 

 

You ma

[Globaliser]

20 hours ago, tartanexile81 said:

I just don't think it's fair on visitors to this area, or indeed to any port,  to be given inaccurate, out of date information written as a statement of fact. This will do more harm than good.

 

It did make me laugh, though: Someone who hasn't been to Edinburgh for so long that they don't know that there are three bridges not two; who knows the area so little that they'd never heard of Rosyth and its history; and who had no idea what size ships the bridges can accommodate and why; comes here not only to re-post information they randomly dredged up from an inaccurate site somewhere on the internet, but to ridicule those who scheduled a docking at Rosyth.

 

Some wise person once suggested that it's better to remain silent ...

[tartanexile81]

7 hours ago, Globaliser said:

 

Some wise person once suggested that it's better to remain silent ... 

 

And maybe I should have and it's a pity he/ she didn't  but it did annoy me that such mis-leading information was posted as advice to a first time visitor. We all do our best to give accurate, current information to those who post but it seems some people are intent only in boosting their numbers 

Edited June 15, 2019 by tartanexile81

[Globaliser]

On 6/15/2019 at 8:42 PM, tartanexile81 said:

And maybe I should have ...

 

Oh no, accurate advice never goes out of fashion!

[Lovetotraveltami]

Hi, thanks for all your responses.  This will be the 1st visit to Scotland for the 4 of us.  We have an avid golfer in our group.  Not sure if we should take tour to St. Andrews or go into Edinburgh.  This stop will be at the end of our holiday.  My interests are the Royal Mile and the Royal Yacht.  I am also interested in the HOHO.  

 

tartanexile what  do you think for first timers?

Edited June 19, 2019 by Lovetotraveltami