British Isles - Edinburgh Tattoo?

[phabric]

 I went in 2013 and 2015 on the British Isle cruises.  Edinburgh was a tender port so Glasgow was used to see the Edinburgh Tattoo.  Glasgow port the ship left late around 2am so people could travel to Edinburgh to see the Edinburgh Tattoo.  

 

I was looking at Aug/Sept 2024 and 2025 British Isles cruises, I do not see where at Glasgow and Edinburgh having late departure.

 

Is the Edinburgh Tattoo not being offered anymore?

[Rick&Jeannie]

LOL! I had NO IDEA what that was...had to Google it.  Looks very interesting as a port event!

 

(Visions of a seedy tattoo parlor in the bad part of Edinburgh immediately sprang to mind!) 😄

[JimmyVWine]

1 hour ago, phabric said:

 I went in 2013 and 2015 on the British Isle cruises.  Edinburgh was a tender port so Glasgow was used to see the Edinburgh Tattoo.  Glasgow port the ship left late around 2am so people could travel to Edinburgh to see the Edinburgh Tattoo.  

 

I was looking at Aug/Sept 2024 and 2025 British Isles cruises, I do not see where at Glasgow and Edinburgh having late departure.

 

Is the Edinburgh Tattoo not being offered anymore?

Check out Regal departing Southampton on August 7, 2024.  The itinerary show a stop on Glasgow that departs the port at 2:00 a.m.

 

Also, Regal Princess out of Southampton on August 13, 2025.  Same stop in Glasgow.

Edited October 30, 2023 by JimmyVWine

[DrivesLikeMario]

I'd be really surprised if they didn't allow it in August.  The show runs from August 2-24, 2024.  Maybe the date you're looking at is before or after the Tattoo performance dates?  They've had tickets on sale since August 7th of this year.  Make sure you buy tickets early whether you buy them independently or through Princess. 
We booked our own through the Tattoo website and did a whisky tasting dinner at The Whisky Experience which was a lot of fun and I definitely recommend that.  Took the train back to the ship at the end of the night - again, a lot of fun!

[ontheweb]

On our Princess British Isles cruise, our port for Edinburgh was Rosyth. We had an overnight which really worked out great since we missed our train back and had to take a taxi.

[Idratherbeatsea]

If you have the chance don’t miss the Royal Edinburg Military Tattoo it is amazing

[Twosailors1t]

On 10/30/2023 at 8:21 AM, JimmyVWine said:

Check out Regal departing Southampton on August 7, 2024.  The itinerary show a stop on Glasgow that departs the port at 2:00 a.m.

 

Also, Regal Princess out of Southampton on August 13, 2025.  Same stop in Glasgow.

I went through both Regal Princess itineraries and i see the two nights in Glasgow but there is no excursion in the whole trip to the Tatoo. I guess you have to book it yourself?

[JimmyVWine]

On 11/27/2023 at 10:43 PM, Twosailors1t said:

I went through both Regal Princess itineraries and i see the two nights in Glasgow but there is no excursion in the whole trip to the Tatoo. I guess you have to book it yourself?

Or excursions will be added later as the dates get closer and plans firm up.  It is still a long ways off.  

[Bobsgonecoastal]

We just booked the Regal, August 13, 2025.  No excursion for the tattoo so far.  I will probably purchase tickets directly.  Can anyone recommend the best transportation from Glasgow to Edinburgh?  I see some recommendations to used the train, is that for both to and from Edinburgh?  Looking at the tattoo website, the tattoo starts at 9:30pm, and lasts a couple of hours.  Was that cutting it close using the train?  Would hate to miss final boarding call.

[PapaGoose]

We sailed on the Royal Princess back in 2019 on a 12 night British Isles itinerary. It included a stop in Glasgow with a 2:00 am departure. We bought our own tickets nice and early online for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo (2 parents and a teenage son). The tickets were mailed to Canada quite quickly. Neither the DW or teenage son knew anything about the Tattoo and I kept deliberately quiet on the subject until we were actually there. 
 

We booked a day excursion with Clyde Coast Tourism which included picking us up at the port of Greenock, a lovely drive to Edinburgh which included a stop at Loch Lomond. We took the high road… and another stop at Stirling Castle. We had time in Edinburgh before the show to grab a dinner. You might be better making a reservation as it was crazy busy there. We watched the show which was awesome! DW and 15 year old skeptic still talk about that night! The tour group was very organized in letting us know where to meet after the show as it was again crazy busy in Edinburgh. We had a nice quiet drive back to Glasgow which included a nice shot of Scotch provided by our guide Catriona for anyone so inclined. 
 

We loved Edinburgh and a few days later when we tendered at Queensferry, Princess shuttled us all to the Edinburgh city centre where we partook in a Harry Potter walking tour. Once again the lad was happy!

 

I highly recommend the Military Tattoo as part of a BI cruise!

[phabric]

2 hours ago, Bobsgonecoastal said:

We just booked the Regal, August 13, 2025.  No excursion for the tattoo so far.  I will probably purchase tickets directly.  Can anyone recommend the best transportation from Glasgow to Edinburgh?  I see some recommendations to used the train, is that for both to and from Edinburgh?  Looking at the tattoo website, the tattoo starts at 9:30pm, and lasts a couple of hours.  Was that cutting it close using the train?  Would hate to miss final boarding call.

Tattoo tickets usually come out around November.

[PapaGoose]

A quick search on the internet reveals availability for all shows in August 2024. We got seats middle/middle so we wouldn’t miss anything. Make sure you bring your phone or a camera with video capability. It’ll be worth it!

[Bobsgonecoastal]

31 minutes ago, phabric said:

Tattoo tickets usually come out around November.

Thanks, I was looking for that information on the 2025 tickets.  I'll keep my eyes open later this year.   I did register for updates.

[Bobsgonecoastal]

1 hour ago, PapaGoose said:

We sailed on the Royal Princess back in 2019 on a 12 night British Isles itinerary. It included a stop in Glasgow with a 2:00 am departure. We bought our own tickets nice and early online for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo (2 parents and a teenage son). The tickets were mailed to Canada quite quickly. Neither the DW or teenage son knew anything about the Tattoo and I kept deliberately quiet on the subject until we were actually there. 
 

We booked a day excursion with Clyde Coast Tourism which included picking us up at the port of Greenock, a lovely drive to Edinburgh which included a stop at Loch Lomond. We took the high road… and another stop at Stirling Castle. We had time in Edinburgh before the show to grab a dinner. You might be better making a reservation as it was crazy busy there. We watched the show which was awesome! DW and 15 year old skeptic still talk about that night! The tour group was very organized in letting us know where to meet after the show as it was again crazy busy in Edinburgh. We had a nice quiet drive back to Glasgow which included a nice shot of Scotch provided by our guide Catriona for anyone so inclined. 
 

We loved Edinburgh and a few days later when we tendered at Queensferry, Princess shuttled us all to the Edinburgh city centre where we partook in a Harry Potter walking tour. Once again the lad was happy!

 

I highly recommend the Military Tattoo as part of a BI cruise!

That is great information!  incorporating the Clyde Coast Tour with the transportation sounds perfect.  I will look them up and book early.  The Edinburgh Tattoo is one I've wanted to see for years.  My maternal grandparents were both born and raised in Edinburgh, so it's been of interest to me for some time.  If you haven't seen the tattoo in Halifax,NS. It's the second largest tattoo and performed at the Scotia Center.  Prior to covid, on a North East/Canada cruise, we just happened to be in Halifax on Canada day and purchased tickets to the tattoo last minute.  What a surprise treat that was.

[fruitmachine]

1 hour ago, phabric said:

Tattoo tickets usually come out around November.

From last year, that seems to have moved quite a bit earlier.  From memory, September/October.

[fruitmachine]

3 hours ago, Bobsgonecoastal said:

We just booked the Regal, August 13, 2025.  No excursion for the tattoo so far.  I will probably purchase tickets directly.  Can anyone recommend the best transportation from Glasgow to Edinburgh?  I see some recommendations to used the train, is that for both to and from Edinburgh?  Looking at the tattoo website, the tattoo starts at 9:30pm, and lasts a couple of hours.  Was that cutting it close using the train?  Would hate to miss final boarding call.

If you're booking directly, it's probably best to get a pre-booked private hire back to the ship.  Finding a 6 or eight seater van to take you should be straightforward if you can organise with others on your roll-call to share the cost.  I'd be very surprised if you could get one as far as the ship at that time of night.

[Bobsgonecoastal]

30 minutes ago, fruitmachine said:

If you're booking directly, it's probably best to get a pre-booked private hire back to the ship.  Finding a 6 or eight seater van to take you should be straightforward if you can organise with others on your roll-call to share the cost.  I'd be very surprised if you could get one as far as the ship at that time of night.

Thanks fruitmachine,

I would love a round trip including some touring, but if that's not available, I will take your advice and hire a vehicle.  I see you are from Edinburg, any advice is appreciated.  

[reedprincess]

I did a tour with Slainte Scotland, picked up around 2 or so, went to Stirling Castle, one of the Lochs, had about 2 hours fee time in Edinburgh for dinner on our own (guide pointed out a few spots, etc) , then met the guide again and she showed us up to the Castle, where to meet after the Tattoo, and off we went. We bought our own Tix..

They had a guarantee back to ship or they'd get you to the next port on their $$$. 

We beat the Princess buses, even with one of our group being late.. 

[Bobsgonecoastal]

2 hours ago, reedprincess said:

I did a tour with Slainte Scotland, picked up around 2 or so, went to Stirling Castle, one of the Lochs, had about 2 hours fee time in Edinburgh for dinner on our own (guide pointed out a few spots, etc) , then met the guide again and she showed us up to the Castle, where to meet after the Tattoo, and off we went. We bought our own Tix..

They had a guarantee back to ship or they'd get you to the next port on their $$$. 

We beat the Princess buses, even with one of our group being late.. 

I've been scouring the inter-web and so far the two tour company recommendations have been a bust.  Either their websites no longer function, or they are still quoting 2018 prices and tours.  I'm assuming Covid did them in.  So still on the hunt for a roundtrip tour from Greenock to the tattoo.  Any additional suggestions would be appreciated.

[capriccio]

We were on the same 2013 cruise as @phabric and have wonderful memories of it and especially the Tattoo. 

 

Members of our very active roll call organized 2 vans with Timberbush Tours (https://www.timberbush-tours.co.uk/) to pick us up from Greenock as soon as disembarkation began and arrive in Edinburgh in the late afternoon following visits to Loch Lomond and Stirling Castle.  We had time to walk the Royal Mile and see some of the outdoor Fringe Festival Acts and then met for a dinner at a restaurant (name escapes me now) on the Royal Mile very close to the entrance to the Tattoo arranged by a member of the roll call.  We then walked the very short distance to the entrance of the Tattoo.  We had all bought our own tickets so we were spread out and just met up after the Tattoo at an area where the vans (with new drivers) were parked (about a 10 minute walk) and headed back to the ship.  It was an unforgettable night.

[fruitmachine]

8 hours ago, Bobsgonecoastal said:

Thanks fruitmachine,

I would love a round trip including some touring, but if that's not available, I will take your advice and hire a vehicle.  I see you are from Edinburg, any advice is appreciated.  

Just to be clear - I meant hire a car/van and driver.  In the UK, a taxi can be hailed on the street for a fare, and almost always runs on the meter; a private-hire has to be booked on the phone or online, would normally be cheaper, but for long-distances a fare can be fixed in advance.  They have different licences.

 

If there's only one or two of you, it would reduce the cost by taking the train during the day to Edinburgh and the private-hire back.

 

I suspect that returning a hire car overnight will be difficult or impossible.  Few hire desks seem to have out of hours drop-off.

 

 

[Gail & Dan]

I just checked the Aug 7th Regal Sailing and the Tatoo is listed on there excursions? Many Options 

Edinburgh Tattoo With Private Seating & Reception

7.5 hours | Glasgow (Greenock) | GR3-850G R 3 - 8 5 0

Moderate Activity

 

Edited January 27 by Gail & Dan