kflietst

5 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

@kflietst Do you mind sharing the name/website/contact info for this guide?  We may be interested in doing the reverse at the end of a transatlantic cruise arriving in Southampton. 

 

Thank you!

We booked it through International Friends.  I believe they have 2 options...one is for a small group and one is private. I believe there was also a tour listed with Get Your Guide.

Thank you for all the wisdom. We will be staying near the Eye and I believe within walking distance of most things on our list? Also near river cruises?

We will be visiting London in September.  Do you think we will need to pre-book tickets to the places on our list?

Like the idea of hopping off the HOHO at the Tower of London doing that and then continuing on the circuit.

Yes, we are going from London to Windsor with an experienced tour guide.who will get us to Southhamton in time to board our ship. (Hopefully that eliminates a little stress for that day!)

I have been enjoying all this info as we are also trying to see London pre-cruise with very limited time.  We hope to arrive early AM the first day and take private transport to drop off luggage at our hotel.

Our thought was to take a HOHO from there and ride the circuit to get acclimated to the city that first morning and then possibly squeeze in the Tower of London later that first jet- lagged day.

The next day would be Changing of the Guards, Westminster Abbey and Churchill War Room.

Third day is private pickup and Windsor Castle enroute to ship. 

Are we crazy or is this all a possibility?

Also which HOHO bus line is the best?

38 minutes ago, llbiopoet said:

So, I've been researching Scotch tasting tours from Edinburgh.  Our cruise ship gets in at 9AM, most start early or 9:30....and I also have to get to Edinburgh City Center from the pier.  (Yes, I've researched the X99, but that doesn't drop very close to the ones I've found, so I can't imagine with tendering and everything that we'd be able to get anywhere by 10AM for a departure.

 

Any creative thoughts?

You may be able to look for a tour that will pick you up at the port?That would eliminate all the guess work getting in and out of Edinburgh?

12 minutes ago, fruitmachine said:

A private-hire car will cost in the region of £350-£375 for the day.

That seems very reasonable for 4 of us. Do you have a recommendation?

22 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

As another has said-- yes you can physically do it. Personally I would not waste the time with public transport though as your time will be limited as it is and the flexibility of going privately would save you time as well as enhance the experience.

 

I would hire a car and driver for the day to pick you up at the port in Leith and take you direct to St Andrews. Linger there, maybe have an early lunch, and then have them drive you back down to Edinburgh. Unless you don't really care about cost you could part ways with them here so you aren't running the meter and sightsee the rest of the afternoon and just catch a cab back to the ship (which is only about 20 minutes from the Royal Mile). 

 

You could also rent a car for the day but as an American I find driving myself in the UK more stressful than helpful (not to mention you lose time picking it up and dropping it off). But if they are bucket list items do you invest a little in a driver or car rental and maximize your time at each place. 

 

Mainly because it's impossible to usher busloads of people to both places in a short period of time. 

Any car companies you would recommend? It sounds like our best itinerary would be to hire a driver to St Andrews who would also drop us at Edinburgh Castle so we could walk DOWN the Royal Mile on our own. Then possibly take public transportation back to the ship???

2 minutes ago, fruitmachine said:

Assuming you're tendering to Newhaven or docking in Leith ... my only thing to add to @gumshoe958's reply is that it's usually simpler to catch the train at Haymarket station (https://maps.app.goo.gl/vqZRBpMsexnzqgjPA).  It's a much smaller station, with only two through-platforms in each direction, so much easier to navigate.  Every train heading west or north stops there.  The tram (a 500m walk at the Newhaven end) stops outside the door.

 

If docking in Leith, then the tram is just a 2 minute walk from the cruise terminal.

 

Or you can take a taxi to Haymarket.

 

If you're tendering to South Queensferry, or docking in Rosyth, please come back as the instructions are different.

 

 

 

 

Yes, we are scheduled to tender in South Queensferry and would love advice from there.

12 minutes ago, gumshoe958 said:

It’s possible, yes. St Andrews involves a train ride from Edinburgh Waverley to Leuchars (journey time about an hour) then a 10-15 minute bus ride. So allow 3 hours’ travel time for the round trip plus however long you stay in St Andrews.

 

So allowing for a 2 hour visit to St Andrews and travel time between the ship & central Edinburgh by bus, you should still have 4 hours to explore the city. Which isn’t a lot but enough to get a flavour of it.

 

Would taxis be available to expedite the trip from Queensferry cruise port? Hoping to avoid going into Edinburgh to have to catch a train?

Is it possible to get to St. Andrews Golf Course as well as The Royal Mile while in port for 12 hours? Both are bucket list items for us and the tours I have seen seem to do one or the other.We realize we will be not lingering in either place for very long, but is it doable and how? Any suggestions are appreciated!

Thank you so much!

3 minutes ago, fruitmachine said:

It's the x99 Cruiselink (https://www.lothianbuses.com/cruiselink-x99/)

 

I hear that the stop in town is going to be moved slightly because of building works - to George Street, just above the "X" in "99 on the map at the bottom of the page.

 

Last year the ticket price was £12 for a round-trip.  This ticket also got you on every city bus and the Edinburgh Tram (useful if you're going to The Royal Yacht Britannia).  This year's price hasn't been announced yet, but it should be soon.

7 minutes ago, Cruisetrekker said:

I know this has been posted many times but I googled it many times and can't find it. Could someone post the bus number and where to find it please ?

Following!  Would love this info as well!

4 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

 

What day-of-the-week ? 

(preferably actual date in case it's a UK holiday weekend)

 

I've known folk to make flights as early as 11.30, but even 12.10 is tight, depending on traffic.

 

Is there a suitable flight later same-day?

 

JB 🙂

 

Not really any good option other than the 12:10.   We will be flying out on a Tuesday, September 24. So far, our flights have been changed twice, so...if they move it any earlier. we will abort. Hopefully the next change will be LATER!  Thanks for all the help, everyone!

We will be disembarking as early as possible and walking off with our own luggage. We also will be hiring a private transport to bring us to LHR. Is it possible to make a 12:10 flight back to the USA? 

We will be stopping In St Thomas while on HA Nieuw Amsterdam later this month and searching for excursion options. The excursion reviews for the one we are considering have not been updated since 2018.  Does anyone have more recent input on ULTIMATE ISLAND EXPERIENCE option? We would like to see the high points of the area as well as visit the beach.