fruitmachine

9am is unusually late for South Queensferry. What date are you here? I might be able to double check the booked arrival time with another source.

There are two distilleries in Edinburgh now: Holyrood Distillery (https://www.holyrooddistillery.co.uk/) is just south of the city centre (easily accessed with a city bus that comes free with an X99 ticket, or using a taxi). They have been distilling for a few years and have their own whisky for sale. Port of Leith Distillery (https://www.leithdistillery.com/) has only been distilling for a few weeks, so doesn't sell any of its own whisky, but is interesting because it's the world's first vertical whisky distillery and on a good day has fantastic views from the bar. It's next door to the Royal Yacht Britannia. Again, your X99 ticket will get free transport there, this time on the tram. If you're interested in buying something different from what you can get elsewhere, then check out Cadenhead's on the Royal Mile (https://www.cadenhead.scot/)

Sites like CruiseMapper and CruiseTimetables are just aggregators that scrape information from the rest of the Internet and are often neither accurate nor up to date. If Azamara are saying Chioggia, then it's highly likely that they will have booked the berth and that's where you'll be docking.

The fastest and most practical option is probably a taxi which will cost around £50. That will take just over 30 minutes on a Sunday; at the very worst 40. https://maps.app.goo.gl/kpnGrH8SBaX4gJRRA For the return trip an Uber (from either Britannia or in town) will be cheaper than an Edinburgh taxi. The alternative is a combination of taxi (or shuttle bus if Viking are running one) to Inverkeithing station, then train, then tram, reversing that for the return. With connections, that'll probably take 2-3 times as long. There is no car hire at Rosyth (though there is free parking at Britannia). Let me know if you're determined to try this way and I'll give a more detailed reply. If you want to visit Edinburgh city centre after Britannia, then it's an easy 20-25 minute journey on the tram from Britannia. Buy your ticket at the machine on the platform. https://edinburghtrams.com/ Some folk take the included tour in the morning, which gives you 60 minutes on your own near the castle, then leave that tour, making their own way back to the ship. You could leave it and visit Britannia, then head back to Rosyth. You have sufficient time to do this.

Yes for Uber, AFAIK no for Lyft

With the strong caveat that I don't have first hand experience of a Viking ship at Rosyth, and I won't see the the person I need to ask for a week or so, plus the fact that Viking have most of their Edinburgh calls to Newhaven, and may still be feeling their way for Rosyth... The 'standard' offering at Rosyth is a shuttle bus that runs to Dunfermline and North Queensferry (https://www.cruiseforth.com/content/getting-around-rosyth/). This may be supplemented by Viking with additional buses, but I don't believe they go into Edinburgh. I would make plans on the basis that you take a taxi (though check for a shuttle-bus on the day) the two miles to Inverkeithing station, and then catch a train into Edinburgh Waverley. Most trains take around 25 minutes, and you can check timetables here: https://www.scotrail.co.uk/ Buy your ticket on the day, either from the station or on the Scotrail app as an e-ticket. After 9:30, the current off-peak return fare is £7.10. Until the end of June, peak-time tickets are priced the same as off-peak (https://www.scotrail.co.uk/tickets/off-peak-tickets). There are no seat reservations, and you can catch any train to Edinburgh (either off-peak or anytime, depending on your ticket) and any train back.

It may be completely unworkable, but there might be the option of joining a car club and doing an hourly rental. For example, Enterprise have a Holyhead location, and you collect it unattended: https://www.enterprisecarclub.co.uk/gb/en/home.html

The HoHo ticket sellers have timed tickets. They have a separate allocation for the "add-on" to a HoHo tour from those that are included in a "Grand 24" or "Grand 48" ticket, so even if the former sell out, the latter are almost always available. https://edinburghtour.com/ However... Despite previous assurances, I've just been told that the X99/HoHo ticket sellers at Hawes Pier do not, in fact, have access to the "add on" tickets for the Castle or other attractions. Perhaps that will change, perhaps it won't, so don't bank on it! Attraction tickets can still be bought from HoHo sellers once in town, but the risk is higher that they have sold out by the time you get there. At the pier they can, however, still sell the Grand 24/48 ticket that includes entrance to all three of the Castle, Holyrood, and Britannia and access top all three HoHo routes. Some people, finding that all online, walk-up, and HoHo add-on tickets to the Castle are sold-out, splash out and buy a Grand 24 just to get Castle admission, throwing the rest away!!

Quieter, but there are several sets of school holidays across the UK in October, so not "quiet". AFAIK, it's just the admission ticket that's available from the X99 sellers. You can still pick up an audio guide at the Castle (for an extra fee) but I think you'll need to book the in-person guide and admission online. The 10.00 tour time is OK if you get on-shore by around 8:45, but I'd go for a later time. Take the HoHo first, as that will also get you nearer to the Castle without the effort of the uphill walk. My recommendation for scones and cream is Mimi's Bakehouse. They have a place on Market Street in the City Art Centre, and another on the Royal Mile. https://mimisbakehouse.com/locations/

All Castle tickets are timed entry, none are "general admission". There is no fast track entry.

Yes, Dalmeny Station is closest to Hawes Pier. It's 120 steps up a path (you need to get to the same height as the rail track on the Forth Bridge) that can get muddy & slippery when wet, and takes about 10 minutes. The fare is less than the X99, but the X99 includes all city buses and the tram all day. You can check timetables here: https://www.scotrail.co.uk/ Current weekday morning trains are at 0701, 0721, 0740, 0803, 0809, 0822, 0842, 0856, 0929, 0940, 1020, 1046, 1122, 1145, and 1220 and take about 20 minutes. Including the walk to the station, the bus and train take about the same time, but the train station is probably 3-5 minutes nearer the Royal Mile than the X99 stop. I'm really surprised at pink845's comments about passengers they saw queueing for the X99 not arriving until 45 minutes after them in town, and can only imagine they must have waited for friends to come ashore before they boarded the bus. Buses leave every 20 minutes, and more frequently for larger ships or if full, so that would be the maximum wait for the next bus. If you miss a train, you could have a 40 minute wait for the next one. If there are big queues for the ticket sellers, you can usually pay for the X99 on the bus. Contactless cards, Google/Apple Pay, and cash (no change given) are all accepted. If you're going to take a HoHo bus, then you can buy Castle tickets in conjunction with your HoHo ticket from the X99 ticket sellers. They get a daily allocation (over and above those you can buy online) but it does run out on busier days. Otherwise, unless you're here at a quiet time of year, you should buy your ticket online in advance as they frequently sell out a few days before. The Castle website lists how many are still available for each time slot, so you can keep an eye on general availability. I checked today, and you can now enter the Castle up to 15 minutes before your timeslot, and as much after as you like.

Other than a taxi from Charlotte Square, you can either walk all the way to the Castle (see below) or walk to Hannover Street and take the first city bus to come (they all follow the same route at this point) from Hannover Street, two stops to George IV Bridge. This takes out most of the uphill part. I like to send people this route, as it has good views of the 'back' of the Castle from Castle Terrace, and takes you through the Grassmarket. If you're wanting something slightly shorter,turn left at the end of Castle Terrace, and up Johnston Terrace. https://maps.app.goo.gl/mLRkHcGA9SPd5KnV8 The other significant alternative is the HoHo bus (https://edinburghtour.com/) The green Edinburgh Tour route has a stop where the Viking shuttle drops you off. This route has a live guide and is always the one I recommend first if you don't need a multilingual tour. Get on at Stop 3 and off at Stop 9 for the Castle and the start of the Royal Mile.

The Viking shuttle from Newhaven Harbour (where you tender to) runs to Charlotte Square in the New Town. "New" is a relative term, it's 200-250 years old! It takes 15-20 minutes and runs every half hour on the hour and half hour.

As long as it's booked together through a UK travel agent, all those costs and other similar ones will be covered by the UK's Packaged Travel Regulations and refunded by the TA. A perfect example of the advantages of having a TA responsible for all significant non-refundable costs. In this instance the cruise is more than a year away (though those US-format, number only dates are easily confusing to the rest of the world) but the same principle applies if it had been next month, next week, or tomorrow.

Edinburgh Gin have closed their current location, opening what looks like a spectacular new distillery & showroom, but not until autumn this year (https://www.edinburghgin.com/our-distillery). An aside for me is that I see that it's going to be in the arches that our family business occupied 50+ years ago! The two other gin distilleries that I'm aware of are Summerhall Distillery (https://summerhalldistillery.com/collections/pickerings-gin) and Lind & Lime (https://lindandlime.com/). I toured Summerhall a few years ago and it was interesting. Lind & Lime are the sister company of the Port of Leith Distillery I mentioned in my previous post and I'm going on a tour soon. Lind & Lime are probably easier to get to if you're visiting Britannia - a ~10 minute walk from Ocean Terminal. There are lots of public transport options to get back into town, all free with your X99 ticket. The number 10 or 16 bus, or the tram, all work to return to the x99 in George Street, the 35, the 7, or the 14 if you want to get nearer the Royal Mile. https://www.lothianbuses.com/ The public transport option on Google Maps works well. To add real-time bus information, download the Transport for Edinburgh App: https://tfeapp.com/ Enjoy your day!

You might have seen that I got mixed up with another thread and thought you were on the train wanting to get to the airport! From the X99 stop double back on George Street; cross St Andrew Square through the gardens and past the Melville Monument; and you're at the tram stop. Catch the tram to Newhaven (heading to your left as you exit the gardens) and get off at Ocean Terminal. The Royal Yacht Britannia is accessed via the shopping mall. While you're there, consider visiting the Port of Leith Distillery (https://www.leithdistillery.com/) the world's first vertical whisky distillery. The views from the top are fantastic on a clear day, and if you don't want a tour you can still visit and have a coffee or drink.

Oops! Got mixed up with another thread that was asking about getting to the airport to pick up a car after getting off the train. I'll go and lie down!

The trouble is that they can't guarantee that lots of 'early' diners won't linger for a longer meal. There's no guarantee that you'll get on an 8.00 booking at 7.15 and folk would start to get angry if their 7.15 table was still occupied at 7.30. The alternative is that they keep that table free from opening until 7.15, in effect reducing the total capacity of the restaurant as you'd only get one sitting on it in the whole evening. IMHO the system works well - if there's a table free early you can occupy it early.

And remember, the tram (and every city bus) is free if you've bought an X99 ticket!!

https://edinburghtrams.com/ You want to get on at St Andrew Square (about 2-3 minutes walk from Edinburgh Waverley). But if the stop before Waverley for your train is Haymarket, then get off there. The tram stops right outside this much smaller and more easily navigated station. https://maps.app.goo.gl/9x5B3sUKshbnu1vt7 The end of the tram line is Edinburgh Airport.

Ahhhhhgh!!! <<Tears hair out>> Please don't touch Bobby's nose! This crazy craze started just a few years ago. The bronze patina gets stripped off and all those sweaty hands corrode the metal. There's nothing 'lucky' about it and you'll be cursed by the good citizens of Edinburgh! https://natpacker.com/save-bobbys-nose/ If you want some (ironic) luck visit David Hume's toe, or spit on the Heart of Midlothian which is said to mark the site of the condemned man's cell in the Old Tolbooth.

It's less than an hour to the airport, and everyone has to be off by 09:00, so many transfers leave before then. You'll definitely be able to make the 12:15 flight on an Azamara transfer. They are very good value - you'd have to get at least four others to join you to make a private transfer in a minivan a similar price.

There are a couple of routes: Return up the Royal Mile (gentle but uphill all the way) as far as North Bridge, then downhill on North Bridge, level on Princes Street, and a small uphill on South St Andrews Street to the X99 in George Street. The only issue with this is that you've gone higher than you need to on that first leg. Follow Calton Road (just to the north of the Royal Mile) to Leith Street. This is level for most of the way, but finishes with a short steeper uphill section. Then uphill on Leith Street to join the north end of North Bridge as above. The biggest issue with this route is that it's a bit boring (!) as you're at the bottom of the valley between The Royal Mile and Calton Hill.

For ease, I'd maybe suggest that you take a taxi from the Hard Rock Café to the Castle Esplanade. They all take cards, and I'd guess that the fare will be around £5.00. The X99 and the city buses can all accommodate wheelchairs, as can taxis, but not normally Uber cars. But I was mistaken about the steps off Victoria Terrace (they only go down from there to Victoria Street below). It's actually a small cobbled road (Upper Bow), and you may feel OK with pushing the wheelchair on this. The pavement/sidewalk is quite narrow, but there should be no traffic as it's not a through-road:https://maps.app.goo.gl/woXfiRNoK5cN5A3z6 Upper Bow emerges onto the mini-roundabout to the left of this next photo, and the route to the castle is upwards to the right of the yellow signs: https://maps.app.goo.gl/SHH3ZgdJcC3kb5vt9 It's not very steep, but can get quite crowded at busy times. Most traffic is banned from Castlehill, and the pavements are smooth and quite wide on the left hand side. You could also have taken a route doubling back from the bus stop on George IV Bridge and via Lawnmarket (see my original map). But the view into Victoria Street (said to be JK Rowling's inspiration for Diagon Alley) from Victoria Terrace is very nice:

Catch the X99 from South Queensferry to George Street. This gives you a Network DAYticket that lets you on any city bus. From the Hard Rock Café, walk along George Street (flat) and round the corner (downhill) to the bus stop at the south end of Hannover Street. Take the first bus that comes (this could be the 9, the 23 or the 27) for two stops to the Victoria Street stop on George IV Bridge Cross George IV Bridge and take Victoria Terrace (flat). This is a covered walkway immediately to the right of Victoria Street. Victoria Street drops away on your left. At the moment, the start of Victoria Terrace is under scaffolding, so don't miss it. Take the short steps uphill to Castlehill and then uphill onto the Castle Esplanade. This will be the only uphill bit and, other than missing the castle end of the Royal Mile, there's no way to avoid it. If you're visiting the castle (remember to buy a ticket online in advance as they sell out) take advantage of the free accessibility ride from the castle gates to the top of the hill (See under "Visiting the site" here: https://www.edinburghcastle.scot/plan-your-visit/access-guide) As you're aware, it's downhill the one mile from the castle to Holyrood. In your circumstances, I'd catch a taxi from Holyrood to the Hard Rock Café to take the X99 back to South Queensferry. It should be well under £10 Enjoy your day in Edinburgh!! https://maps.app.goo.gl/QK6CU8Ee3tgAADpt6