Shuttles in Scotland ports

[mare s.]

For those who have been on Scotland intensive cruises, did Azamara provide shuttles to city centers?   If so, in which ports?

TIA

 

mare

[wjfan417]

15 hours ago, mare s. said:

For those who have been on Scotland intensive cruises, did Azamara provide shuttles to city centers?   If so, in which ports?

TIA

 

mare

They provide a shuttle in Edinburgh, but I can’t remember offhand which other ports (if any) had them last July. I used to take home every day’s Insider, but I’m trying to clean out all my junk so have been throwing them out.

[Silver Claire]

They do in Aberdeen. 
I live here and always happy to answer any questions on the city and surrounds.

[AllisonJames]

None in Invergordon or Greenoch. Inverness and Glasgow are quite a distance…you can take the train if you don’t want to to do tours.  In Lerwick (Shetland Islands) and Kirkwall (Orkney Islands) we had shuttles In Oban and Stornaway (Isle of Lewis) we tendered directly to the town. I hope you make it into Edinburgh — we didn’t on Journey in August due to rough seas and difficulty getting through the locks. Ended up docking in Rosyth about 45 minutes away.

[manc]

We were told they might provide a shuttle to Greenock station in the future as it was a fairly  long walk and the maps provided were not helpful. 

 

If you do Dock in Rosyth like us the port staff were great in contacting taxis as there was no public transport nearby. Dunfermline is worth a visit if you don't want to go to Edinburgh.

[cruisemom42]

On 10/4/2023 at 9:53 PM, AllisonJames said:

None in Invergordon or Greenoch. Inverness and Glasgow are quite a distance…you can take the train if you don’t want to to do tours.  In Lerwick (Shetland Islands) and Kirkwall (Orkney Islands) we had shuttles In Oban and Stornaway (Isle of Lewis) we tendered directly to the town. I hope you make it into Edinburgh — we didn’t on Journey in August due to rough seas and difficulty getting through the locks. Ended up docking in Rosyth about 45 minutes away.

 

Do you happen to recall where the tender in Oban drops you off? Is it near the North Pier Ferry terminal by chance?

[AllisonJames]

The tender dropped us right downtown at the main area of the Harbor.  The area wasn’t that large and we were able to walk everywhere…I think it is pretty close to the ferry terminal.

[alfredo1]

If you want to visit Glasgow from Greenock the new cruise terminal is only a very short walk to the train station (Greenock Central), three trains an hour to Glasgow Central terminus in the middle of the city. Around £10 return.  Easy Peasy.

[govanguy]

An alternative to Glasgow is a visit to Largs just along the coast.

You can pick up a bus (McGills number 901) a short walk from outside the port that will take you on a very scenic drive as the road hugs the coast all the way to Largs. 

It's a regular 15 minute service. Recommended as a less frenetic alternative to Glasgow

 

Largs is a popular coastal resort with fabulous views over the Clyde to Argyll and beyond.

Lunch at Nardini`s restaurant is a must. 

There's a Viking museum and the Pencil monument commemorating the Battle of Largs.

Those who are energetic can continue to walk to the marina and , again, have a lovely lunch at Scotts.

There's also a ferry service to Cumbrae  , one of the inner Hebrides, from Largs.

It's a short hop across the water with a frequent service. https://www.calmac.co.uk

 

 

Check out https://www.travelinescotland.com for a great travel planner.

 

[uktog]

For anyone wanting something easy to do in Greenock instead of (or before or after travelling further afield there is a fascinating new museum as part of the new cruise terminal

 

https://www.wyllieum.com/

 

I hope to visit there soon as my grandfather bought two sketches from George Wyllie which my family sold when the house was broken up.  We were amazed at the interest at the auction in them and they sold for much more than expected.  Maybe they are in that museum!

[Allwashedup]

When in Dundee we plan to visit RSS Discovery and the V&A which are close by to each other.
 

Does anyone know what part of town the ships shuttle  bus will drop us off please as it seems a bit of a trek to walk from the dock.

[alfredo1]

I'll second the Govan Guy about the trip to Largs.

[Sail Girl]

On 10/4/2023 at 5:17 PM, Silver Claire said:

They do in Aberdeen. 
I live here and always happy to answer any questions on the city and surrounds.

Will be in Aberdeen on the Quest on July 12 th of this year. Would love to know the best way to see the highlights. 
Thank you. 

[cari cruiser]

My husband and I will be in Scotland in August this summer and we are happy to get advise from those experienced with the ports. I hope Edinburgh has good seas because we have tickets to the Military Tattoo at the castle and to a fringe festival event the following day. We were really excited to have this trip scheduled in August. We are staying at a hotel near the castle overnight to avoid transportation back and forth to the cruise ship. Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

[manc]

14 hours ago, Sail Girl said:

Will be in Aberdeen on the Quest on July 12 th of this year. Would love to know the best way to see the highlights. 
Thank you. 

We took shuttle to city centre from the ship and then local bus into the old town. That is a fascinating area to walk around. We then got a local bus around to the sea shore.

 

[cari cruiser]

3 hours ago, cari cruiser said:

My husband and I will be in Scotland in August this summer and we are happy to get advise from those experienced with the ports. I hope Edinburgh has good seas because we have tickets to the Military Tattoo at the castle and to a fringe festival event the following day. We were really excited to have this trip scheduled in August. We are staying at a hotel near the castle overnight to avoid transportation back and forth to the cruise ship. Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

Our cruise on Quest starts in Oslo, Norway and travels to Leith, Aberdeen, Invergordon, Kirkwall, Stornaway, Oban all in Scotland, and then Douglas Isle of Man, Liverpool GB and Dublin Ire. Any info on these ports would be helpful.

[fruitmachine]

3 hours ago, cari cruiser said:

My husband and I will be in Scotland in August this summer and we are happy to get advise from those experienced with the ports. I hope Edinburgh has good seas because we have tickets to the Military Tattoo at the castle and to a fringe festival event the following day. We were really excited to have this trip scheduled in August. We are staying at a hotel near the castle overnight to avoid transportation back and forth to the cruise ship. Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

It's a bit of a local standing joke that the Tattoo always gets rained on!  So prepare with layers, and make sure you have something waterproof if there is even a hint that it might rain.

 

Last year the greatest number of cancelled calls was probably August.  Almost all were for ships tendering (Azamara normally dock) but one mult-day Azamara call stayed an extra half-day or day in Dundee because of the wind.  A year or two earlier the ship was lightly damaged when coming out of the dock-gate lock here, and I think the captain didn't want a repeat experience!

 

Transport to and from the Tattoo is incredibly simple for ships in Leith.  Unlike those tendering to South Queensferry or docking in Rosyth, I wouldn't ever consider suggesting a hotel stay.

Edited Friday at 01:51 PM by fruitmachine

[cari cruiser]

3 minutes ago, fruitmachine said:

It's a bit of a local standing joke that the Tattoo always gets rained on!  So prepare with layers, and make sure you have something waterproof if there is even a hint that it might rain.

 

Last year the greatest number of cancelled calls was probably August.  Almost all were for ships tendering (Azamara normally dock) but one mult-day Azamara call stayed an extra half-day or day in Dundee because of the wind.  A year or two earlier the ship was lightly damaged when coming out of the dock-gate lock here, and I think the captain didn't want a repeat experience!

 

Transport to and from the Tattoo is incredibly simple for ships in Leith.  Unlike those tendering to South Queensferry or docking in Rosyth, I wouldn't ever consider suggesting a hotel stay.

Is it easy to get transportation back to the ship near mid-night when everyone is leaving the event? This was my concern. I will be ready for the rain and maybe cool weather. What form of transportation would you advise?

[Silver Claire]

17 hours ago, Sail Girl said:

Will be in Aberdeen on the Quest on July 12 th of this year. Would love to know the best way to see the highlights. 
Thank you. 

Hello! 
Really depends on what you want to see and how you want to do it. Shuttle bus takes you into town centre from there you could catch a bus or train to Stonehaven and then a taxi to Dunnottar Castle and also explore Stonehaven which is a gorgeous coastal town. 
Staying in Aberdeen itself get a but to Seaton/Old Aberdeen and/or a bus to Footdee and the beach. Depending on your interests within the city centre is The Maritime Museum, The Art Gallery and Provost Skenes House - all with free entry.
For organised tours I would recommend https://www.bothiesandbannocks.co.uk and 

grampianescapesandtours.co.uk there are also options on Viator/Get Your Guide/Tours by Locals etc. If you see any on there and want to run them by me happy to give you my thoughts.

Any other specific questions just ask! 

[Silver Claire]

27 minutes ago, cari cruiser said:

Is it easy to get transportation back to the ship near mid-night when everyone is leaving the event? This was my concern. I will be ready for the rain and maybe cool weather. What form of transportation would you advise?

 Tram or Uber back to Leith. Super easy. Hotel will be VERY expensive. 

[fruitmachine]

1 hour ago, cari cruiser said:

Is it easy to get transportation back to the ship near mid-night when everyone is leaving the event? This was my concern. I will be ready for the rain and maybe cool weather. What form of transportation would you advise?

On the 'standard' timetable, the last tram towards Newhaven is 21:13 at the Princes Street stop.  You should be able to make that without an issue - it's downhill from the castle to Princes Street and will take about 5-8 minutes.  Only if you are very slow getting out of the Tattoo stands would you miss that.  If you did, then there are several buses from Princes Street to Leith docks running until after midnight.  Google Maps is your friend.  It has good public transport integration for Edinburgh.

 

Last year the tram ran all through the night during the Festival, but only at weekends.  It'll be a while before they announce this year's plans, but it's possible that there may be a weekday late (if not all night) service.

 

Taxis and Uber are also good options.

 

I understand that Quest will likely not be docked at the usual cruise berth in August, so if you're planning your exact route in advance of your cruise, assume that you will need to get to the main dock gate here (https://maps.app.goo.gl/FDs6PbMaMJsjkHccA) where a shuttle bus will take you the very short distance to the ship.  The berth is still TBC, so confirm on the ground when you're here.

[cari cruiser]

Thank you for the detailed response. I have until just before the trip to cancel the hotel, so I may do more research before cancelling. It is expensive! I am saving lots of money by booking my own event tickets (not using the ships excursion), but the savings require that things go as planned.

[manc]

Last year we couldn't dock in Leith due to high winds. In the late afternoon we landed at Rosyth. Many people missed  their visits to the Tattoo or Britania etc. Rosyth is a long way out of Edinburgh. We doent the 2nd day in Dunfermline as we know Edinburgh well. Weather can be a problem 

[cari cruiser]

It appears to be a 40 minute drive from the Rosyth dockyards to the Edinburgh Castle. I hope there will be some type of transportation option if we end up there. I have wanted to see the Military Tattoo since a visit to Edinburgh 30 years ago.

 

[fruitmachine]

2 hours ago, cari cruiser said:

It appears to be a 40 minute drive from the Rosyth dockyards to the Edinburgh Castle. I hope there will be some type of transportation option if we end up there. I have wanted to see the Military Tattoo since a visit to Edinburgh 30 years ago.

 

In late-night traffic it's a 30 minute drive. 

 

If you're on an Azamara excursion, then the transport will almost certainly divert to Rosyth.  But it's highly unlikely the shuttle bus will run into Edinburgh, instead taking you to Dunfermline, via the local railway station where you can catch a train to Edinburgh.  That won't be an option for getting back independently after the Tattoo; the choice is really a taxi or Uber (or stay in Edinburgh as @cari cruiser was contemplating).