Getting from port to town - Belfast, Dublin, Inverness, Edinburgh

[ghstudio]

We'll be visiting each of these ports in late April/early May (Celebrity Constellation). I have three questions about each port.

 

1) What is the approximate cost today (2008) of a taxi from the port to downtown?

2) Will we be able to find a taxi easily at the port...or who should I contact to reserve a taxi/car?

3) Will any Taxi in town take me back to the port/ship?

[PennyAgain]

There are at least 2 places ships dock in Edinburgh. Also for Inverness the actual port is Invergordon.

 

I went from Invergordon to Inverness in about 15 minutes on a bus provided at no charge by the cruise line. The bus circulated and I was able to take it back to the ship when the time came. I didn't look around for a taxi.

 

Can you post more information about where you are docking in Edinburgh?

[rsquare]

I put together a port guide for my roll call (Century May 29 Scotland-Ireland) and have excerpted the relevant ports. As Pennyagain points out, you can dock at South Queensferry or Leith for Edinburgh; Century will use South Queensferry.

 

The following is compiled from almost a year's worth of postings on Cruise Critic; many thanks to all those whose posts I used as source material.

Edinburgh

Century will tender passengers to Hawes Pier at South Queensferry; the quay is just under the Forth railroad bridge. There are likely to be cabs at the dock; fare into downtown Edinburgh is around GBP19 in a standard cab and about GBP30 in an 8-seater van and there is a dispatcher to arrange cab shares. Prices seem to be fixed into town rather than metered and the ride is about 30-40 minutes. The dock is walkable to Dalmeny train station (20-30 minutes uphill on 150 steps up to the station):eek: where trains on Scotrail's Fife Circle take you to downtown Edinburgh for GPB3.10 in 15-30 minutes. Good description is at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=692580. The main station is Waverley, right in the middle of town, but the station is being renovated and some trains terminate at Haymarket, just west of the downtown area, maybe a 10 minutes walk. There is a free shuttle from Haymarket to Waverley, but you have to change platforms; there are staff to direct. Timetable http://www.firstgroup.com/scotrail/t...e%20circle.pdf Cab to town and train back to Dalmeny is probably best combination, as it is downhill from the station to the dock; don't expect cabs at the station.

 

Inverness

Ship will actually dock at Invergordon, which is a 30-40 minute bus ride (25X bus, GBP7.40) or train ride to Inverness. Loch Ness is another 30-40 minutes past Inverness. The port is actually a long pier, with a shop at the end; no info so far how close it is to transportation. We call at Invergordon on Sunday, when public transportation in this part of Scotland ranges from minimal to nonexistent.

Belfast

Ship will tie up at Stormont Wharf, northeast of downtown on the Victoria channel. 10-15 minute bus ride to downtown, and the city provides a free shuttle to the Visitor Center near the City Hall. Cab to the nearby City Airport for rental car agencies.

[PennyAgain]

I stand corrected on the bus ride from Invergordon to Inverness. Thank you. I was so interested in the scenery of Black Isle that it seemed like 15 minutes instead of 30 to 40.

 

The facilities at Inverness are much too small for modern ships.

 

The shopping at Inverness is interesting, but there are no bargains. We were after a wool jacket for my husband and found an excellent one that will last for generations.

 

When you are coming into dock at the quay under the Firth of Forth Railroad bridge, be sure to be where you can see as much as possible. That bridge is absolutely wonderful. It is rare to get the wonderful view that you will have.

 

A marvel in its time and still very beautiful!

[coxswain]

Hi Penny - around £5-10 from the port to the City centre.

 

 

Check this thread about Belfast http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=696690&page=2

 

And this website has some nice pics of Belfast http://www.riverlaganwildlife.co.uk

 

 

 

jj.....

[Lucyw]

I put together a port guide for my roll call (Century May 29 Scotland-Ireland) and have excerpted the relevant ports. As Pennyagain points out, you can dock at South Queensferry or Leith for Edinburgh; Century will use South Queensferry.

 

The following is compiled from almost a year's worth of postings on Cruise Critic; many thanks to all those whose posts I used as source material.

 

Edinburgh

Century will tender passengers to Hawes Pier at South Queensferry; the quay is just under the Forth railroad bridge. There are likely to be cabs at the dock; fare into downtown Edinburgh is around GBP19 in a standard cab and about GBP30 in an 8-seater van and there is a dispatcher to arrange cab shares. Prices seem to be fixed into town rather than metered and the ride is about 30-40 minutes. The dock is walkable to Dalmeny train station (20-30 minutes uphill on 150 steps up to the station):eek: where trains on Scotrail's Fife Circle take you to downtown Edinburgh for GPB3.10 in 15-30 minutes. Good description is at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=692580. The main station is Waverley, right in the middle of town, but the station is being renovated and some trains terminate at Haymarket, just west of the downtown area, maybe a 10 minutes walk. There is a free shuttle from Haymarket to Waverley, but you have to change platforms; there are staff to direct. Timetable http://www.firstgroup.com/scotrail/t...e%20circle.pdf Cab to town and train back to Dalmeny is probably best combination, as it is downhill from the station to the dock; don't expect cabs at the station.

 

Inverness

Ship will actually dock at Invergordon, which is a 30-40 minute bus ride (25X bus, GBP7.40) or train ride to Inverness. Loch Ness is another 30-40 minutes past Inverness. The port is actually a long pier, with a shop at the end; no info so far how close it is to transportation. We call at Invergordon on Sunday, when public transportation in this part of Scotland ranges from minimal to nonexistent.

 

Belfast

Ship will tie up at Stormont Wharf, northeast of downtown on the Victoria channel. 10-15 minute bus ride to downtown, and the city provides a free shuttle to the Visitor Center near the City Hall. Cab to the nearby City Airport for rental car agencies.

quote]

Thank you,

Lucy

[tartanexile81]

I put together a port guide for my roll call (Century May 29 Scotland-Ireland) and have excerpted the relevant ports. As Pennyagain points out, you can dock at South Queensferry or Leith for Edinburgh; Century will use South Queensferry.

 

The following is compiled from almost a year's worth of postings on Cruise Critic; many thanks to all those whose posts I used as source material.

 

Edinburgh

Century will tender passengers to Hawes Pier at South Queensferry; the quay is just under the Forth railroad bridge. There are likely to be cabs at the dock; fare into downtown Edinburgh is around GBP19 in a standard cab and about GBP30 in an 8-seater van and there is a dispatcher to arrange cab shares. Prices seem to be fixed into town rather than metered and the ride is about 30-40 minutes. The dock is walkable to Dalmeny train station (20-30 minutes uphill on 150 steps up to the station):eek: where trains on Scotrail's Fife Circle take you to downtown Edinburgh for GPB3.10 in 15-30 minutes. Good description is at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=692580. The main station is Waverley, right in the middle of town, but the station is being renovated and some trains terminate at Haymarket, just west of the downtown area, maybe a 10 minutes walk. There is a free shuttle from Haymarket to Waverley, but you have to change platforms; there are staff to direct. Timetable http://www.firstgroup.com/scotrail/t...e%20circle.pdf Cab to town and train back to Dalmeny is probably best combination, as it is downhill from the station to the dock; don't expect cabs at the station.

 

Inverness

Ship will actually dock at Invergordon, which is a 30-40 minute bus ride (25X bus, GBP7.40) or train ride to Inverness. Loch Ness is another 30-40 minutes past Inverness. The port is actually a long pier, with a shop at the end; no info so far how close it is to transportation. We call at Invergordon on Sunday, when public transportation in this part of Scotland ranges from minimal to nonexistent.

 

Belfast

Ship will tie up at Stormont Wharf, northeast of downtown on the Victoria channel. 10-15 minute bus ride to downtown, and the city provides a free shuttle to the Visitor Center near the City Hall. Cab to the nearby City Airport for rental car agencies.

quote]

Thank you,

Lucy

 

This thread was started in 2008 (6 years ago!!!) and so not sure why it is being answered now. However the answer about Edinburgh is wildly inaccurate and prices very out-of-date. It also fails to mention that Rosyth is the third port for Edinburgh and also Century is soon to leave the Celebrity fleet. I posted 2 threads a couple of months ago which gave up-to-date info with photos about getting to the station at South Queensferry

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2031574

 

and also how to use the private shuttle bus which runs every cruise day.

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2046842

Edited July 1, 2014 by tartanexile81