Scott Gibson grew up in South Queensferry and runs queensferry.net. The Forth and Edinburgh guides come from lived experience — tender days at Hawes Pier, cruise traffic, the shortcuts into the city. For the wider Scotland cruise ports, he draws on friends in some of the port towns alongside port, operator and transport sources — so the detail holds up on the ground, not just on paper. Clear directions, real timings, no brochure fluff.
This is the 2026 South Queensferry cruise schedule — all confirmed ship calls at Hawes Pier, Edinburgh’s tender port, updated as itineraries are released. Ships typically arrive between 7 and 8 am and tender passengers ashore shortly after. Most depart…
Cruise lines list “Edinburgh” as a port of call on Scotland cruise itineraries. But what many travellers don’t realise is that there are four Edinburgh cruise ports – each with unique logistics, and none near each other. On this page…
Three options connect the Hawes Pier to Edinburgh if you’e arriving at Queensferry on a cruise: the X99 CruiseLink bus (direct from the pier, no transfers), the train from Dalmeny Station (fastest on the train, but a 15–20 minute uphill…
Most travel guides make cruise tender ports seem charming. But the reality of docking in the Firth of Forth and travelling on the boat to South Queensferry tender port can be an “interesting” experience. The water can be choppy, but…
South Queensferry Cruise Port is the main cruise stop for ships visiting Edinburgh. Large ships anchor in the Firth of Forth, and passengers come ashore by tender at Hawes Pier beneath the Forth Bridge, around 10 miles from Edinburgh city…