Edinburgh: Castles, Chocolate & Tender Lines

We had a lovely overcast and breezy day in Edinburgh. Our tender to shore took a while, but by noon we were finally dropped off by coach in Charlotte Square with about five hours to explore.

Being part of the WhatsApp ship group proved to be incredibly helpful. Cruisers were sharing instant updates about everything from where the coach would drop us off, to why tendering was delayed, to which groups were being called for shore excursions. It was especially helpful when we were trying to figure out what was happening in real time. I’m seriously considering starting a group for our Japan cruise.

But back to Edinburgh.

We started our day with a snack and coffee stop at Coro Chocolate Cafe, and it was deliciously decadent. My cake, pistachio ice cream and flat white were the perfect combination. Justin went all in with Ferrero Rocher pancakes, ice cream and a hot chocolate. So much for easing into the day.

From there, we popped into a few shops along Princes Street and stopped for photos along the river as we made our way toward Waverley Station. We needed to exchange our vouchers for the HoHo bus, Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace.

The Sightseeing HoHo agent asked why we had purchased a 48-hour ticket when we were only in Edinburgh for the day. We hadn’t realized that was what we had purchased, so that’s something we’ll pay closer attention to when booking through Tripadvisor or Viator in the future. Booking directly through the HoHo company might make more sense.

Another lesson learned: check the HoHo route map online before your port day. Look closely at the stops and compare them with the locations where your cruise coach will drop you off and pick you up. The HoHo buses follow specific routes and stops, so knowing where you’ll actually connect with the bus ahead of time could save precious sightseeing time and money.

In the end, the 48-hour ticket was rather beside the point. With only about four hours of actual sightseeing time, there was barely enough time to visit one major attraction let alone tour the city by bus.

We had a 2:30 PM timed entry for Edinburgh Castle, so we spent nearly an hour trying to find the correct HoHo bus and then sitting in traffic aboard said bus (retracing our walking path down Prince’s St, seriously why did the agent direct us to such a far away stop) until we were close enough to the castle to walk. We were closer to the castle when bc we originally got off the VV transfer into town!

Additionally, Justin hurt his knee on the cobblestones while we were making our way to the HoHo bus, so the monstrous stairs leading up to the castle entrance were less than ideal. Neither were the steep, sloped corridors inside the castle.

Fortunately, Justin still enjoyed our visit and explored the many turrets, halls and rooms. We attempted to see the Crown Jewels, but the line was ridiculously long, so we skipped them rather than spend a big chunk of our limited time waiting.

By the time we finished exploring, we officially abandoned any hope of making it to Holyrood Palace. It was on the opposite side of town, and with a 4:30 PM closing time, there was no realistic way to get there and see much before it closed.

Instead, we walked back down the hill and retraced part of our bus route toward an Art & Design Fair near Usher Hall. We browsed for a bit before making our way back to Charlotte Square to catch the coach to Queensferry.

And then came the VV tender line.
The line at Queensferry was ridiculously long. Thankfully, it moved much faster than it looked like it would, thanks to help from Maid of Forth which could carry significantly more passengers than VVs tender boats.

Queensferry itself caught our attention, too. From what we saw, it looks like a quaint little town along the Forth, and we’d definitely like to spend more time exploring there on a future visit.

TL;DR: Edinburgh Lessons

• Check the HoHo map and compare stops with your cruise coach drop-off and pickup points. A bus might not even be needed

• Don’t overpack a short port day. Tendering, coach transfers, traffic and lines eat into your sightseeing time.

• Sightseeing guideline: 2 hours = 1 major activity.

• Leave room for the unexpected. Edinburgh reminded us that flexibility matters.Read more