Edinburgh Tattoo Excursion ??s

[janmcn]

Assuming we will cruise next summer, if we want to get the HAL Excursion to the Tattoo, will we have an option to choose what "area" we want to get our tickets in? Last time we went I think we just were given them with no choice...but can't remember. Hoping for no rain the next time!

 

[geoherb]

There were different price point options available when we took our British Isles cruise.

[DFD1]

For what it is worth.....My experience has been that a seat higher up in the stands gives a much better view of the performances. The lower seats were looking between the horses' legs....but the sound may have been better, although I doubt it. IMO

Edited July 3, 2020 by DFD1

[Reagan0712]

I went in 2016 during the Northern Isles cruise on the Koningsdam.  Our tickets, however, were part of the package as we were on a AAA tour.  The seats we were given were on the right side facing the castle fairly high up, gave us a great view of the entire field, and we were able to hear everything fine.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Here is a link to my blog post when we attended the Tattoo in 2017. We didn't use the ship but arranged fir everything on our own.

 

 

https://www.theinsidecabin.com/day-9-edinburgh-scotland/

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

The link to the video is no longer working. But you can search on you tube and probably find others.

[oceanmom]

We did it last year and opted for the Premier seats. The seats were convenient to the entrance, you didn't climb hundreds of steps up, performers usually exited the area right underneath your seat, you had a great view of the other end of the castle ramparts (https://www.edintattoo.co.uk/the-venue), and it was well worth the additional cost.  Purchasing the HAL package was also worth it for the transportation convenience. Buses dropped us off near the main entrance and picked us up about three blocks away at the end. Only issue for us was a torrential downpour at the very end of the tattoo, everyone was drenched but they had hot cocoa, coffee and sandwiches waiting for us at the dock. A memorable experience.

Edited July 3, 2020 by oceanmom

[Storylady]

3 hours ago, janmcn said:

Assuming we will cruise next summer, if we want to get the HAL Excursion to the Tattoo, will we have an option to choose what "area" we want to get our tickets in? Last time we went I think we just were given them with no choice...but can't remember. Hoping for no rain the next time!

 

We been twice. We purchased the premium tickets both times. Your seating is facing the castle. I believe in the regular seating you are facing the bleachers on the side, thus sideways to the marching bands. Our seats both times were perfect despite not being able to pick them out. We were hug enough and very close to the center.

 

We knew someone who purchased their tickets, but they had to leave early to catch the train as it didn’t run after 12 AM. But that was on the Prinsendam which docked at Rosyth across the Firth of Forth. I really think getting the tour was better as it wasn’t easy navigate at night. HAL had people stationed at every corner directing the way to the buses.

[Hlitner]

We were supposed to go next month while on an Island Princess cruise.  The deal from HAL was overpriced and we did not like their excursion which was basically round trip transportation and the Tattoo.  So we simply purchases our own tickets directly from the Tattoo (we could choose the type seats we wanted for a lot less money then the excursion) and joined a private small group tour (about 10 people) which included some touring in Edinburgh (we have been there a few times).  Our tour ended around 6 which gave us plenty of time for dinner (we booked a reservation at one of the best restaurants in town located close to the Tattoo).  All that planning was for nothing since both the cruise and Tattoo were cancelled.  The Royal Tattoo refunded our ticket cost within 2 months.

 

Hank

[drowelf]

31 minutes ago, Storylady said:

We been twice. We purchased the premium tickets both times. Your seating is facing the castle. I believe in the regular seating you are facing the bleachers on the side, thus sideways to the marching bands. Our seats both times were perfect despite not being able to pick them out. We were hug enough and very close to the center.

 

 

When we attended in 2018, there were 3 tiers of tickets. The cheapest put you on the sides, next was on the curve, and the highest at the back facing the castle. We opted for the middle and were quite pleased. On the curve you got a good view of the bands for their entire performance. We were about 2/3rds the way up. It was a bit of a hike up the stairs, but well worth it. Maybe only the last few minutes as they were marching out was out of our view. While you can do the Tattoo much cheaper on your own, we opted for the HAL prices as we had oodles of OBC to burn. If you do it on your own, I would recommended that you do a hire car for the roundtrip, that way you get dropped off and picked up close by the entrance. I wouldn't want to chance taking the train back and end up missing the ship. 

[KirkNC]

We went in 2019 and sat in the premier seats facing the castle, the seats were great and the show was fantastic.  The challenge with a non-ship tour is getting back to the ship as every time we are there the ship leaves around 11:00 pm.

Edited July 3, 2020 by KirkNC

[janmcn]

Thank you all for the seat location information. We've sat on the sides before, so wondered about the ability to get others. We were too close to the bottom (4 rows back) so wanted to try another location, so that’s why I wondered if we had the ability to choose. We will only use the HAL bus for assorted reasons so other suggestions were appreciated but not for us. We’ve been to Edinburgh several times ( my gg-grandmother worked in the castle), so are looking forward to another trip we hope! Supposed to be in S. Queensferry which we love....but know that, the cruise, and the ship could change😩.

 

[Roger88]

36 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

We went in 2019 and sat in the premier seats facing the castle, the seats were great and the show was fantastic.  The challenge with a non-ship tour is getting back to the ship as every time we are there the ship leaves around 11:00 pm.

what kind of show was it? Also I heard thatits like of the most famous castles in Scotland. Isnt it the one portraited exclusively in premium style whiskeys? in any case I think you got best seats my friend. I mean, the perspective is so nice. You can see everything including the castle itself 

[KirkNC]

38 minutes ago, Roger88 said:

what kind of show was it? Also I heard thatits like of the most famous castles in Scotland. Isnt it the one portraited exclusively in premium style whiskeys? in any case I think you got best seats my friend. I mean, the perspective is so nice. You can see everything including the castle itself 

The castle in the background is Edinburgh Castle.  Its military bands from all over the world, they are excellent.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, KirkNC said:

We went in 2019 and sat in the premier seats facing the castle, the seats were great and the show was fantastic.  The challenge with a non-ship tour is getting back to the ship as every time we are there the ship leaves around 11:00 pm.

We had much less of a challenge when we did it on our own on a Princess cruise; the ship did not leave until the next day. But, we did miss the train back (kind of made buying round trip tickets instead of one way a waste.) We had to take a cab back.

 

 

[Reagan0712]

1 hour ago, janmcn said:

Supposed to be in S. Queensferry which we love.

 

I loved South Queensferry also. Had a tour of St. Andrews scheduled before the Tattoo so I left the ship super early to check out the town and grab lunch. Such a nice town in which to wander around.

[tamsno]

I was there the same night as Reagan0712 in 2016 with the same HAL package seating experience as Oceanmom.  We were lucky it did not rain as is quite common but was quite chilly as the evening went on.  HAL made it very easy with guides directing along the way back to buses and refreshments back onboard ship.  It was more expensive than DIY but well worth it for convenience.   The show is wonderful.  Hope you get to enjoy it soon.

[tjcox9]

Wow, so glad they now have HAL guides back to the buses. We did this ship tour from the Prinsendam some years ago and there was no choice of seating. We were all in one group and the seating was quite good. I believe they have changed the seating arrangements since we were there. Fortunately, we had nothing but a very light drizzle at the very end of the show and finding our way to the bus.

 

Yes, it was very crowded finding our way in the and it wasn't a problem for us, however, there was an older couple who were missing. We were about to leave without them after some time and somehow just as we were preparing to leave, they somehow found the bus. Hopefully, they asked someone for guidance, but it was a rather tense time for all.

 

Great show! See it if you can.

 

[ski ww]

We were so looking forward to this tour next year, but we are there on a week end, no show. This is one of my bucket list items.

[DFD1]

Our visit was part of a DIY train trip through Scotland beginning and ending in Edinburgh.  We were in Edinburgh for a week to enjoy the Fringe Festival, held along with the Tattoo. Scotland is the "other woman" in my life after Ireland. I love that country and its wonderful people.

 

It is fun to read about other CCers experiences with the Tattoo. It hard not to have a great time there.

 

 

[ontheweb]

36 minutes ago, DFD1 said:

Our visit was part of a DIY train trip through Scotland beginning and ending in Edinburgh.  We were in Edinburgh for a week to enjoy the Fringe Festival, held along with the Tattoo. Scotland is the "other woman" in my life after Ireland. I love that country and its wonderful people.

 

It is fun to read about other CCers experiences with the Tattoo. It hard not to have a great time there.

 

 

And it is also hard not to have fun with the Fringe Festival.