Overview

Britannia was the British royal family's yacht from 1953 until its decommissioning in 1997. It is now moored at Ocean Terminal, Leith Docks in Edinburgh. It's easy to get to by public transport and getting round the ship is very easy to get round and accessible. It makes a fascinating day out. I loved it.

Transport & Parking

I took the tram from St Andrew's Square in Edinburgh city centre going towards Newhaven. In about 20 minutes I arrived at Ocean Terminal. It is the last but one stop. The tramline and trams are modern and step free, with wheelchair user spaces. Remember to purchase your ticket before boarding. There are also some buses that go to Ocean Terminal. The tram stops directly in front of the Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre and it is inside the building that you find the visitors' centre/ entrance to Britannia.

Access

It is amazingly accessible and all step free. GOING THROUGH THE SHOPPING CENTRE TO THE ENTRANCE The entrance to the ship is on the second floor of the shopping centre. The escalators are very obvious as you walk into the shopping centre and have second floor to Royal Yacht Britannia written on the side. I did not notice any signposting for the lift and had to ask. The lifts are at both ends of the building. On arriving at the second floor follow the signposts to the visitors' entrance. At the entrance you are directed either directly into the exhibition if you already have a ticket or to the ticket office. There are 2 desks both at standing height. VISITORS' CENTRE Before boarding the ship, there is a small visitors' exhibition which provides historical, background and daily life on board information about the ship. This is very interesting. Then there is a corridor with bench seating all along one side. Then you come to the desk to collect collect your headset which is also at standing height. Then there is a corridor to the entrance of the ship. BOARDING AND GETTING ROUND THE SHIP There are five decks to explore. Getting between decks is undertaken by exiting the ship and taking the adjacent staircase or lift to the next floor, see photos. The staircase has handrails on both sides. You walk down half a floor, then there is a wide landing and then more stairs. The edges of the stairs have a yellow marker. There are two lift, both are spacious with double doors and audio announcements. The gangway onto each deck is a solid permanent fixture with handrails on both sides. Each deck has level access and there is seating outside on the decks. TEA ROOM ACCESS There is an external staircase to the tearoom deck. The tearoom deck is also accessible by the original internal lift inside the ship. The lift up to the tearoom is by the Royal Bedrooms. This lift doors have to be pulled open and it is a small lift. The tearoom has free standing tables and chairs. You can not reserve a table, so there is a small seating area for people waiting for a table. AUDIO GUIDE At the start of your tour you can pick up a free audio guide handset. It is hand held with a strap. I think they offer a few different languages. The audio guide is fascinating. However, be aware that if you do all the stops and additional information option for some of the stops it is quite lengthy (for me this was brilliant) but if you have limited time to visit you might want to pace yourself to ensure you see everything you want over the five decks.

Toilets

There is an accessible toilet in the tearoom. It is spacious with grabrails and emergency cord. It has a concertina opening manual door. It was clean and tidy. It also housed the evac chair. I am sure there were other toilets in the main visitors' centre but I did not use them.

Staff

Staff were very helpful and friendly. My main contact was in the tearoom. Someone is on the door and ensures that visitors don't push in and try to overtake those queuing for a space. Service in the tearooms was friendly and efficient. However, I did not feel rushed to get out. There are staff around on the decks if you need help or you are looking for someone to snap a photo of you.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

The ship is so accessible and if you can do this for a ship, other places really have no excuse! It's a fabulous place to visit. There's lots to see from the royal bedrooms, dining and living areas to the different standards is living quarters for the staff, depending on their rank. It's furnished in mid-century furniture so it's wonderful if you are into history or design, as it is a bit of a time capsule. The tearooms are charming. It feels very special sitting on board enjoying lunch or afternoon tea. Food was excellent quality and nice choice of menu. The ship is very stable. I went on a very wet summer's afternoon and I did not feel any movement on board ship. When you disembark there is a well stocked gift shop which is easy to get around. It's fascinating and accessible and if you are temped just go! Highly recommend.

Photos