Overview

Having visited the Royal Yacht Britannia on several occasions I have always found it to be among the most welcoming and accessible of Edinburgh's attractions. Sadly, the necessary but temporary moving of the visitor centre and the alternative means of getting to the vessel have reduced accessibility and made the visitor welcome less of an impact. The building works in the adjacent shopping centre and the upcoming development of a new visitor centre will change this but for the time being there is work to be done to improve the experience.

Transport & Parking

Arriving on the tram I headed for the most conspicuous signage highlighting the presence of the Royal Yacht. This was my first challenge as the new route involved heading into the main door of the shopping centre but I only found this out by wheeling to the old entrance and reading the sign that redirects visitors. Maybe a sign more prominently seen by the shopping centre main entrance would help.

Access

Sometimes the welcome you receive influences much of your visit and you tend to be more tolerant of small issues around access. If this is poor the scene has been set and expectations were not high on my part. Sadly, having met the ticket checker, been amidst a group being told about the audio guide and then passing a person in the kiosk type entrance area on the quayside, nobody spoke to me as a conspicuous wheelchair user to tell me about the changes, the route, the gradient, the alternative options, or the platform lift. A word from any of these people to tell me about what I would encounter in getting to the Yacht would have changed the experience. Instead, I struggled to reach the QR code for the mobile version of the tour guide as every copy of the explanantory poster was high up on the wall. Moving on to the quayside, I had to push up the uneven and quite steep ramp to enter the tunnel like passage to the steps up to the old lift area. Encountering a surprise platform lift I found no one was around to help and there were no instructions that made any sense. By this time any sense of welcome had disappeared and the environment became hostile until I got to the familiarity of the old lift area and knew what to do, where to go, and was supported by great signage. On board the access was superb considering it was an elderly vessel and not designed for wheelchair access. But this discovery of great accessibility was tarnished by the endurance test of getting there.

Toilets

Very impressed to find more than one accessible loo on board. Both spacious, clean and reasonably well appointed. Some consideration of the height of fixtures and fittings may be called for but overall very good.

Staff

The welcome experience and not being acknowledged was unexpected for a five star attraction. The lack of information or guidance was impactful to the degree that I wouldn't have stayed very long had I not been with a party of nine other people. Note: Disabled people often arrive in larger groups so there is an economic argument for offering a welcome too. My two stars is awarded for the two members of staff I meet on board the yacht who were very helpful in pointing out the way and and wanting to make sure I had a good visit just like everyone else.

Photos