Edinburgh Military Tattoo

I posted this question on the Ports of Call site but no replys, so thought I'd try here.Anyone??

Has anyone done this Event on a Princess Tour or shore excursion? What section were you seated in and how far(long) of a walk to and from the bus?

We would live to do this but really need more info.

Thanks bunches,

Bev

Hi Bev!

I'm surprised you didn't get answers to your post... this was THE highlight of our British Isle cruise in 2006!!

We booked the excursion through Princess as soon as it became available online and it was sold out rapidly.

The seats were really good - frankly I don't think you can have a bad seat. The only thing is that they are very small - so it's cosy with your neighbor!! - and somewhat uncomfortable. They 'sell' cushion for 1GBP and it'll be the best 1 gbp ever spent!!

We were situated on the south side right in the center. We had a great view!

The bus leaves you fairly close to the castle - it's a 10 minute walk at the most. We were there about 1.5 hour before the show, so we walk around and saw all the street artists of the Fringe Festival, went for a quick beer (bathroom stop) and bought a few cashmere scarves... Then we walked up to the castle.

There are bathroom on site, but the lines can get long. Regardless, we were able to use them with plenty of time to get to our seats.

Those with walking difficulties had a special bus that brought them directly inside the castle at the foot of the bleechers!! So is this is your case, make sure to tell Princess once onboard and they'll get you and your family/friends on that bus.

The show was SPECTACULAR and so moving... we just loved it. Absolutely worth the money!!

MAke sure to bring a sweater or scarf - even if we're all closed to one another it can get chilly as the night rolls in!!

Have fun!!

MC

That's exactly what I was hoping to hear. I do have another question, do you recall what section you were seated in? I've loooked at the seating chart and am curious about the seat Princess has.

Thank you so much for the reply!!!

Aloha,

Bev

I posted this question on the Ports of Call site but no replys, so thought I'd try here.Anyone??

 

Has anyone done this Event on a Princess Tour or shore excursion? What section were you seated in and how far(long) of a walk to and from the bus?

We would live to do this but really need more info.

Thanks bunches,

Bev

Spongerob did this excursion as well. :)

That's exactly what I was hoping to hear. I do have another question, do you recall what section you were seated in? I've loooked at the seating chart and am curious about the seat Princess has.

Thank you so much for the reply!!!

 

Aloha,

Bev

I do not recall seeing any sections that would be terrible. My recollection (?) is that the arena is about three times the size of a hockey rink. (Not sure about that though). The bands are spread out and march up and down the entire arena so everybody sees everything.

Great inof , thank you!

HI There,

As A Scot and one that did The Tattoo with Princess, you will have a night to remember for the rest of your life, plan for bad weather, its all out door no shelter, and can get a bit chilly if the wind is blowing, but that matters not, you are jammed in the smallest seats you will ever sit on so you are kept warm by those around you. The year I was there we had great weather Princess got a name check at the start, I think there were 17 coach loads, tendering at night to the ship was great fun, you are out in the river Forth very close by the railway bridge, your tender goes right under and into a small peir how far a walk you have on the peir depends if the tide is in or out, but watch it can be slippy if wet, but loads and loads of Princess folk where there to help you in and out of the tenders.

To visit Scotland and not take this tour is some thing you would always regret, take a look at you tube etc for high lights.

yours Shogun

PS There is a good web page as well for the Tatoo.

As a fellow Scot, lucky enough to live only an hours drive from Edinburgh.

I would advise you to book this trip ASAP. Tickets for this wonderfull event sell out within a couple of days of going on sale (jan 1st every year) and then command horrific prices on ebay.

There really are no BAD seat, but as previous poster states they are very cosy:o Spend the £1 for the cushion and if possible take a rain poncho and maybe a warm wrap. It is all outside with no overhead cover and the Castle is situated on top of an extinct volcano so it can be a glorious summer evening or it can be a bit on the cold side. Just prepare for it and you will have the most wonderful, fun, foot stomping, emotional night.

EG....Auld lang syne...the lone piper, the fireworks display (on sat nights).

If you dont have mobility problems also take the chance to have a stroll on the 'Royal Mile' which leads up to the castle. Visit the whisky experience, pop into St Giles Cathedral or just sit on a sidewalk cafe with a glass of something and watch the world go by.

I am sure you will LOVE it and if I can be of any help answering your questions, feel free to ask.

Ta ta the noo.

Happycruzer

This was the highlight of our trip as well. Won't ever forget it. Where your bus will park depends on when you get there. The walk wasn't bad however if I remember correctly the streets are brick. The line to get in was long but moved pretty quick once it opened. There were port-a-johns to use. The seats are very small but everyone is in the same situation. Just be prepared to snuggle up with those beside you and in front of you and behind you. People were kind of laughing about it after a while.

I would suggest buying a program. We didn't on the way in and luckily someone was on the street selling some when we left but I only saw one person. It might get cool in the eveing so even if it is warm when you get there make sure you have something extra to wear. We sat in section F I believe and we were in row 26 maybe, I'm pretty sure it was 20 something. Our seats were excellent. Sitting higher up was a benefit where we were sitting because we could easily see everything. Being at that end we were the last of the people to leave because you will enter (at least we did) from the East stand. You are not suppose to take flash photography (I think). ANY seat is a good seat. The only bad seat is the one on the cruise ship if you don't get your tickets! :eek:

It was excellent and worth every penny. I agree with Shoegun. You would regret it if you missed it. Other people we talked to on the cruise that had done it before said the same thing. Don't wait to book it either as it will sell out before you get to the cruise and once it's sold out it's sold out cuz Princess only gets so many tickets and the event itself will be sold out. Actually if you haven't booked it yet get on right this minute and do it!

I really liked Edinburough and would go there again if we ever go back to Scotland and if we do it will be in August and I will be looking to attend the Tatoo again!

Samantha Brown on the travel channel had the tatoo in her Scotland/Edinburough episode.

So the important questions is...DID YOU GET YOUR TICKETS YET?

It may sound silly to some but I am acually sitting here with tears in my eyes thinking of how blessed I am to have been there. It truly is a moving experience.

Make sure you come back and let us know if you did and come back after you go to tell us what a GREAT time you had! :D

We saw the Tattoo independently on a pre cruise vist to Scotland.

For those interested......Youtube has many videos posted of the Tattoo......

If you are fortunate you will see these guys........

We saw the Tattoo independently on a pre cruise vist to Scotland.

 

For those interested......Youtube has many videos posted of the Tattoo......

 

If you are fortunate you will see these guys........

 

Just watched the video and it was excellent. It really helps give a perspective as to how close you really are no matter where your seat is.

Thanks!

I have had the Tattoo's website bookmarked for awhile--it's great!

Also we will not be doing this tour this yr. (Acutally looking at 2010, but like to plan well in advance)

I'd actually book the cruise with the tattoo in mind!

Aloha,

Bev

That's exactly what I was hoping to hear. I do have another question, do you recall what section you were seated in? I've loooked at the seating chart and am curious about the seat Princess has.

Thank you so much for the reply!!!

 

Aloha,

Bev

I went several years ago and booked a year in advance.

When I went the seats were facing the event and the castle looking straight forward.

In my section it seemed to be composed of USA and Canadians...They were the best seats.:) The reason why I knew were everyone came from was because they asked the audience which country they were from.

It was a memerable evening not to be forgotten with the castle lit up in the background......You will love it...........Heather.:D

Obviously it is best to plan and book very early, but is it better to purchase the tickets directly or is it okay to book through Princess? I guess the local tour operator buys blocks of tickets and makes them available to the Princess tours.

Obviously it is best to plan and book very early, but is it better to purchase the tickets directly or is it okay to book through Princess? I guess the local tour operator buys blocks of tickets and makes them available to the Princess tours.

Go with Princess. The problem is the night they go to the Tattoo is when you are in Glasgow (Greenock). They stay until 2 am to allow busing to and from Edinburgh. They do not do the Tattoo when in Edinburgh because they tender at South Queensferry and do not want to tender all those folks at midnight.

Thus your opportunity (when you are in port long enough) is only from Glasgow and it is about a two hour bus ride. Another option is do a pre-cruise in Scotland like we did and do it on your own.

Go with Princess. The problem is the night they go to the Tattoo is when you are in Glasgow (Greenock). They stay until 2 am to allow busing to and from Edinburgh. They do not do the Tattoo when in Edinburgh because they tender at South Queensferry and do not want to tender all those folks at midnight.

 

Thus your opportunity (when you are in port long enough) is only from Glasgow and it is about a two hour bus ride. Another option is do a pre-cruise in Scotland like we did and do it on your own.

Thanks. Very good information to know. I would never have known...

We have taken two Princess excursions to the Edinburgh Tattoo, once from the port of Greenock and once from Edinburgh. No matter where you dock it's going to be a bit of a hassle getting to and from the event, but it is definitely worth the effort. Actually, the time we went from Greenock there was some bad communication between the tour company and Princess, and some cancelled when told they'd have to go 8 or 9 hours without a chance of a restroom break. That turned out to be wrong; there are porta-johns at the show site but the lines are long if you need to use them.

Be prepared for a walk once you arrive in Edinburgh. Buses have to park about 1/2 mile from the gates, unless it has been designated for handicap use. And remember where you've parked! You will be guided to the gates and the escorts do a fantastic job of that, but after the show there will be 7,000 people flooding the streets and it's every man for himself. Fortunately Edinburgh is easy to get around it's a downhill walk after the show.

When you arrive there will likely be quite a line formed up. We inquired about getting our tickets early, and joining our group in the city when we were at Edinburgh, but were told that they tour people really didn't want to do this. They wouldn't be able to keep an accurate count. So, we went into town for the day, came back to the ship, had a snack, then tendered back to shore for the show. Due to the late arrival back to the ship both times we went, Horizon Court had a special late-night meal service when we returned.

The show will go on regardless of weather. Be prepared for rain and cool or even cold weather. The Scots have a different definition of "warm" than most of us do.

I think that 2008 is the last year that the Tattoo will be performed at the current site. A new venue is supposed to be built nearby that will have more (and hopefully better) seating.

Remember the tattoo is compulsory. Ladies may opt to have it on their shoulder, but gentlemen must have it on the cheek. To turn it down is considered a grave insult, for which technically the penalty is still to be thrown from the castle battlements. Don't worry though, this hasn't actually been carried out since 2003. Small Scottish flags are the norm for the tattoo. It wears off in 10 - 14 days, and blood poisoning is relatively rare.

Some wild haggis roam the venue (they are a protected species now). They don't bite. Don't feed them, as they are only fed corn meal, as it makes them taste better when slaughtered during the annual haggis cull.

One of the bands actually still uses original bagpipes, made from live cats.

Please don't speak to any actual Scottish people. They are all actors. All the real Scottish people moved to Canada after the war.

Have fun.

xx

As spongerob says, the walk is about a 1/2 mile (perhaps a little more) following by getting in line with 5,000 of your closest friends. The walk is not flat and we had some uphill and downhill sections before making it to the main street to line up.

As spongerob says, it is too bad there isn't a way to simply meet as we too had to head back to the ship, grabbed a quick bite then were on our way back to the tattoo. Expect a long and tiring evening however. We were fortunate and the weather was nice but we had to wait for some of our group after the show and the bus ride and tender to the ship meant we were not on board until well after mid-night.

If you plan on using the Princess excursion, book it NOW. On the Grand last summer I believe it was fully booked within a few days of being made available. I think getting tickets outside of the excursion is possible but I wouldn't want to chance it, nor would I want to be left on my own to get back to the ship after the show.

The tattoo was on our list of things we need to do before we die (the Bucket List). Having grown up in Halifax Nova Scotia and attending their tattoo almost every year, we knew the Edinburgh Tattoo was a must do... and we were not disappointed. We purchased the DVD of the show a couple months after as soon as it became available and watch it every now and then to relive the experience.

Remember the tattoo is compulsory. Ladies may opt to have it on their shoulder, but gentlemen must have it on the cheek.

But it sounds like fun.

I think that 2008 is the last year that the Tattoo will be performed at the current site. A new venue is supposed to be built nearby that will have more (and hopefully better) seating.

Hi Spongerob....Is there a website that has this information on it? Or somewhere where the changes can be followed? I checked the Tatoo website but did not see this info on it.

Thanks!

I have a couple of questions about the Tattoo also. We have booked the Princess excursion. Are seats assigned with rows and numbers on the tickets or is it open seating? Also several have mentioned tendering. We are going from Greenock. The itinerary doesn't list that as a tender port. I'm assuming those who had to tender went from South Queensferry. Is that right?

It is assigned seating.

Hi South Queensferry is a tender.

yours Shogun

Hi Spongerob....Is there a website that has this information on it? Or somewhere where the changes can be followed? I checked the Tatoo website but did not see this info on it.

 

Thanks!

I recall that it was mentioned at the Tattoo site when we were there last year. I'm not sure where you could find any info, maybe try Googling "new Tattoo site" and see if you can find anything out.