Edinburgh Cruise Link X99

[mskaufman]

Has anyone used this service? Is it effective? Are there lines to get on? Recent experience 

[fruitmachine]

• The bus gets you from right next to the tender pier to a very central location in Edinburgh.
• For the £12 return fare, you actually get a Network DAYticket that will get you all day for free on any bus or tram in the Edinburgh city zone, plus eastwards as far as Dunbar or westwards half way to Glasgow.  Use it to go a single or a couple of stops if you wish to avid a walk up a hill.
• There are normally multiple ticket sellers at the pier.  They take cash and cards.  They also sell HoHo tickets (and attraction tickets, including the Castle which normally sells out in advance) if you are purchasing a HoHo ticket.  There may be a short queue for the ticket sellers.
• The bus leaves if full, with a maximum wait of 20 minutes if not.
• The return bus leaves from the same stop as you are dropped off at (not the other side of the road).
• I've not actually been on it, but that's my experience as a volunteer standing at the end of the pier providing maps and information.

 

[harola]

Yes we took this bus in May. It is at the end of the pier

[mskaufman]

11 minutes ago, harola said:

Yes we took this bus in May. It is at the end of the pier

Do you agree this is a good choice?

[harola]

1 hour ago, mskaufman said:

Do you agree this is a good choice?

Yes everybody took this bus

[mskaufman]

5 minutes ago, harola said:

Yes everybody took this bus

Was there a wait to get on?

[Meander Ingwa]

Consider where exactly you want to go.  The new tram line runs from cruise ship dock through the heart of town and onward to the airport 

[edinburgher]

39 minutes ago, Meander Ingwa said:

The new tram line runs from cruise ship dock through the heart of town and onward to the airport 

It runs  between  the airport and Newhaven , so only of use if docking at Leith or tendering into Newhaven.

Lothian Buses X99 service runs to and from S.Queensferry.

 

Check where your ship will either dock or tender here:

 

https://www.cruiseforth.com/  And info on reaching the city will be also be found there.

Edited July 29, 2023 by edinburgher

[mskaufman]

My itinerary says S. Queensbury 

[fruitmachine]

5 minutes ago, mskaufman said:

My itinerary says S. Queensbury 

The X99 is the best option to get into the city from there.

[harola]

2 hours ago, mskaufman said:

Was there a wait to get on?

We did not have to wait. There were multiple buses quickly one after another 

[pink845]

We saw the bus as soon as we exited the cruise water shuttle. We walked to the train a good 10 min away. Bought tickets at machine. When we finished at the Princes Gardens in Edinburgh, we spyed the same passengers who were queued at Lothian in South Queensferry buying the bus tickets from the agent exiting bus in Edinburgh 45 min aftervwe had arrived by train. Our fare 5.00 return. We are all about efficiency as port time is so precious. What a glorious city. Already planning a land based trip. Cruising is all about snippets. Getting short peaks of intersesting places and then returning for land based vacations.

[grimpil]

Do you recall if the train you boarded was at the Dalmeny station... is that were you " walked a good 10 min away" If you went to Edinburgh Castle did you buy your tickets in advance?

 

[fruitmachine]

30 minutes ago, grimpil said:

Do you recall if the train you boarded was at the Dalmeny station... is that were you " walked a good 10 min away" If you went to Edinburgh Castle did you buy your tickets in advance?

 

Yes, Dalmeny Station is closest to Hawes Pier.  It's 120 steps up a path (you need to get to the same height as the rail track on the Forth Bridge) that can get muddy & slippery when wet, and takes about 10 minutes.  The fare is less than the X99, but the X99 includes all city buses and the tram all day.  You can check timetables here: https://www.scotrail.co.uk/  Current weekday morning trains are at 0701, 0721, 0740, 0803, 0809, 0822, 0842, 0856, 0929, 0940, 1020, 1046, 1122, 1145, and 1220 and take about 20 minutes.

 

Including the walk to the station, the bus and train take about the same time, but the train station is probably 3-5 minutes nearer the Royal Mile than the X99 stop. I'm really surprised at pink845's comments about passengers they saw queueing for the X99 not arriving until 45 minutes after them in town, and can only imagine they must have waited for friends to come ashore before they boarded the bus.  Buses leave every 20 minutes, and more frequently for larger ships or if full, so that would be the maximum wait for the next bus.  If you miss a train, you could have a 40 minute wait for the next one.

 

If there are big queues for the ticket sellers, you can usually pay for the X99 on the bus. Contactless cards, Google/Apple Pay, and cash (no change given) are all accepted.

 

 

If you're going to take a HoHo bus, then you can buy Castle tickets in conjunction with your HoHo ticket from the X99 ticket sellers.  They get a daily allocation (over and above those you can buy online) but it does run out on busier days.  Otherwise, unless you're here at a quiet time of year, you should buy your ticket online in advance as they frequently sell out a few days before.  The Castle website lists how many are still available for each time slot, so you can keep an eye on general availability.  I checked today, and you can now enter the Castle up to 15 minutes before your timeslot, and as much after as you like.

[grimpil]

We are there mid October... would you consider that quiet season? We are considering a guided tour of the castle from a third party in advance (we have always found it worth the extra cost to do guided tours). Do you know if the "guided" castle tours are available from the X99 ticket sellers. We would also like to do the hoho bus after a 10 am castle tour. If our ship docks at 0800 would you think a 1000 tour is reasonable (considering tender, walking, x99) My wife loves scones with clotted cream and jam... can you recommend a shop? Thank you so much for your help

[edinburgher]

9 hours ago, grimpil said:

We are considering a guided tour of the castle from a third party in advance (we have always found it worth the extra cost to do guided tours).

I am unsure what you will gain doing this, as it is possible to book the official castle guided tours at the same time as you pre-book and buy your entrance tickets and they are available at certain times throughout the day.

 

That failing, you can also tour using the self guided audio guides which can also be hired alongside admission tickets. Doing this means you can move at your own pace. This also means you do not need to stress about meeting a guide at a certain time, but do pre-book your entry tickets to avoid waiting in a long line.

[edinburgher]

16 hours ago, grimpil said:

Do you know if the "guided" castle tours are available from the X99 ticket sellers. We would also like to do the hoho bus after a 10 am castle tour.

Highly unlikely I would think as  I expect these online bookable tours will sell out well in advance alongside pre-booked entry tickets. I would also not expect the bus ticket staff to have audio guides for the castle.

 

Although October would be quieter than the peak visitor months, it is not actually "quiet" as the city is busy busy year round and pre-booking is recommended for any sights or attractions which you intend to visit. The Real Mary Kings Close being another example.

 

Buy your castle entry tickets as soon as you they come available, usually several months ahead of time to get the timing which would work best for you.  Today it is possible to book a date through September, so October may appear very soon. Without a timed entry you would need to wait in a long line. i think that the castle tickets fruitmachine refers to above, will only be general admission, not timed entry.

16 hours ago, grimpil said:

My wife loves scones with clotted cream and jam... can you recommend a shop?

  Widely available, buy wherever you like the look of or consider going for a full on Afternoon Tea somewhere as a treat.

 

As the HOHO buses cannot drive every street in the old Town and some sections of the Royal Mile are pedestrian only, the best way to explore the area is actually on foot. As it is only a mile from the castle to Holyrood Palace and the sights and attractions are close to each other anyway, I would recommend you consider doing  this.

 

you could take the X99 into the city than a taxi up to the castle, and when finished there, simply stroll the length of the Royal Mile with its attractions, museums, churches,  St Giles Cathedral and the many "closes", some of which you could explore.  Much info for all of the Royal Mile can be found by  searching the internet.

 

Past threads for Edinburgh, some of which you may want to browse

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=edinburgh&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=8

 

 

Edited April 29 by edinburgher

[fruitmachine]

1 hour ago, edinburgher said:

i think that the castle tickets fruitmachine refers to above, will only be general admission, not timed entry.

All Castle tickets are timed entry, none are "general admission".  There is no fast track entry.

[fruitmachine]

17 hours ago, grimpil said:

We are there mid October... would you consider that quiet season? We are considering a guided tour of the castle from a third party in advance (we have always found it worth the extra cost to do guided tours). Do you know if the "guided" castle tours are available from the X99 ticket sellers. We would also like to do the hoho bus after a 10 am castle tour. If our ship docks at 0800 would you think a 1000 tour is reasonable (considering tender, walking, x99) My wife loves scones with clotted cream and jam... can you recommend a shop? Thank you so much for your help

Quieter, but there are several sets of school holidays across the UK in October, so not "quiet".

 

AFAIK, it's just the admission ticket that's available from the X99 sellers.  You can still pick up an audio guide at the Castle (for an extra fee) but I think you'll need to book the in-person guide and admission online.

 

The 10.00 tour time is OK if you get on-shore by around 8:45, but I'd go for a later time.  Take the HoHo first, as that will also get you nearer to the Castle without the effort of the uphill walk.  

 

My recommendation for scones and cream is Mimi's Bakehouse.  They have a place on Market Street in the City Art Centre, and another on the Royal Mile.  https://mimisbakehouse.com/locations/

[edinburgher]

16 hours ago, fruitmachine said:

ll Castle tickets are timed entry, none are "general admission".  There is no fast track entry.

Learn something new each day! Tthank you for the info fruitmachine as changes have been made to castle entry which I was not aware of and I would not want to give incorrect info to anyone asking.. 

 

I have now looked at the official website and discovered that, unlike before where pre-booking was a personal choice, it now appears to be compulsory, as the website info states that  "once online tickets are sold out, no further tickets will be available at the castle"

 

I can only apologise to anyone I may have unintenionally misled, but just as well I usually advised pre-booking to avoid waiting in a line. Presumably this important change has been made to reduce the length of the lines and to cap daily visitor numbers.

 

Now knowing this, can you explain how the entry tickets sold at Hawes Pier work?  Are they for specific times that day?

 

 

[edinburgher]

On 4/28/2024 at 11:19 PM, grimpil said:

My wife loves scones with clotted cream and jam... can you recommend a shop? Thank you so much for your help

grimpil, this to let you know that there is now updated correct info added to this thread.

[fruitmachine]

3 hours ago, edinburgher said:

Learn something new each day! Tthank you for the info fruitmachine as changes have been made to castle entry which I was not aware of and I would not want to give incorrect info to anyone asking.. 

 

I have now looked at the official website and discovered that, unlike before where pre-booking was a personal choice, it now appears to be compulsory, as the website info states that  "once online tickets are sold out, no further tickets will be available at the castle"

 

I can only apologise to anyone I may have unintenionally misled, but just as well I usually advised pre-booking to avoid waiting in a line. Presumably this important change has been made to reduce the length of the lines and to cap daily visitor numbers.

 

Now knowing this, can you explain how the entry tickets sold at Hawes Pier work?  Are they for specific times that day?

 

 

The HoHo ticket sellers have timed tickets.  They have a separate allocation for the "add-on" to a HoHo tour from those that are included in a "Grand 24" or "Grand 48" ticket, so even if the former sell out, the latter are almost always available. https://edinburghtour.com/

 

However... Despite previous assurances, I've just been told that the X99/HoHo ticket sellers at Hawes Pier do not, in fact, have access to the "add on" tickets for the Castle or other attractions.  Perhaps that will change, perhaps it won't, so don't bank on it!  Attraction tickets can still be bought from HoHo sellers once in town, but the risk is higher that they have sold out by the time you get there.  At the pier they can, however, still sell the Grand 24/48 ticket that includes entrance to all three of the Castle, Holyrood, and Britannia and access top all three HoHo routes.  Some people, finding that all online, walk-up, and HoHo add-on tickets to the Castle are sold-out, splash out and buy a Grand 24 just to get Castle admission, throwing the rest away!!

Edited April 30 by fruitmachine

[edinburgher]

1 hour ago, fruitmachine said:

Some people, finding that all online, walk-up, and HoHo add-on tickets to the Castle are sold-out, splash out and buy a Grand 24 just to get Castle admission, throwing the rest away!!

 

As if the castle entry isn't expensive enough on its own ! Ithink that time pressures probably have some bearing on this action, especially as Britannia is so far out on a limb from the other sights. Most cruise pax on a one day visit will find that most of their day can be taken up simply on and in close proximity to the Royal Mile/High St if they include the Grassmarket and Victoria St, with maybe a short time at Princes St Gardens and Calton Hill (weather permitting). I always feel a little sad that there is really no time to visit some of the excellent galleries and museums we have here.

 

Thanks for taking the time to explain all of that as it will be useful for future visitors to know.

I have just now read your amended info and assume that castle entry tickets are not in fact currently being sold at Hawes in conjunction with the bus tickets unless being bought as part of the more expensive packages. And yes, that could change, or perhaps it won't, making it tricky for we locals trying to advise others. I think I will simply continue to advise them to pre-book castle entry well ahead of time on the official castle website.

 

I was surprised to see that tickets could currently be booked up to the end of September, as I think previously they were only up to three months ahead, not  five, but this probably reflects the new  online only sales policy which means no more "walk up" availability.

 

 

Edited April 30 by edinburgher

[sandancer]

On 4/28/2024 at 11:19 PM, grimpil said:

We are there mid October... would you consider that quiet season? We are considering a guided tour of the castle from a third party in advance (we have always found it worth the extra cost to do guided tours). Do you know if the "guided" castle tours are available from the X99 ticket sellers. We would also like to do the hoho bus after a 10 am castle tour. If our ship docks at 0800 would you think a 1000 tour is reasonable (considering tender, walking, x99) My wife loves scones with clotted cream and jam... can you recommend a shop? Thank you so much for your help

The Dome. Book in advance. It’s not a shop however but a bar/restaurant with a tea room. Old fashioned some would say. We love it. 

[fruitmachine]

On 5/7/2024 at 9:51 AM, sandancer said:

The Dome. Book in advance. It’s not a shop however but a bar/restaurant with a tea room. Old fashioned some would say. We love it. 

Good option.  The X99 now stops almost directly outside it.