Three names, one planning problem
Cruise documents may say Edinburgh while the ship actually uses South Queensferry on the Firth of Forth, Newhaven, or the wider Leith waterfront. None of these put you at the Castle esplanade. The difference is transfer time — and transfer time is what eats Castle tickets, museum hours, and your return margin.
South Queensferry / the Forth
Many larger ships call on the Forth side. Operations can involve tendering or landing away from the city, then coaches or other road transfers into Edinburgh. Views of the bridges are memorable; the clock for Old Town sightseeing starts later than the published arrival suggests.
Read the dedicated South Queensferry planning guide before you stack Castle entry with a full Royal Mile walk.
Newhaven and Leith
Newhaven and Leith sit on Edinburgh’s northern waterfront. On many itineraries the road hop toward the centre is shorter than from Queensferry — but it is still a transfer, still subject to traffic, and still not a walk into the Old Town closes. A short day may suit a selective centre visit or even a waterfront-focused plan rather than racing every icon.
See Edinburgh from Newhaven cruise port for that geography.
What “hours ashore” really means
Published arrival and departure describe the ship’s window, not your usable sightseeing. Subtract: getting ashore (including any tender), marshalling for coaches or taxis, inbound traffic, attraction queues, outbound traffic, and the buffer your ship requires before all-aboard. What remains is the real itinerary budget for Castle, Royal Mile, and museums.
Ship schedule
The Edinburgh cruise ship schedule lists published calls with the arrival point shown for each row. Use it with the cruise planner — then confirm times and landing details on your cruise documents.
What this site is — and is not
We publish editorial planning notes, a call schedule with arrival points, and take enquiries by email. We do not show live berth boards, invent missing calls, publish prices, or claim to operate every shore excursion marketed for Edinburgh.