Majestic Princess Tender Ports: What to Expect on Your British Isles Cruise
If you're sailing around the British Isles on Majestic Princess, a few of your ports of call will involve tendering ashore rather than simply walking off the ship.
Princess calls the boats Water Shuttles, and they'll take you from Majestic Princess to shore.
It sounds more complicated than it actually is.
We've seen a lot of questions about tendering from future Majestic Princess passengers, especially from those booking independent shore excursions or simply wanting to maximise their time ashore.
So, we've taken the official information Princess has been giving passengers, added feedback from people who've actually done it, and mixed in what we've learned from meeting cruise guests shoreside.
Hopefully, it'll make your tender mornings a little easier.
What You Really Need to Know
Majestic Princess uses Water Shuttles at Cornwall (Falmouth), Dublin (Dún Laoghaire) and Edinburgh (South Queensferry) on its British Isles itineraries. Shetland Isles (Lerwick) also features as a tender call on one 2027 sailing.
If you're taking a Princess excursion, you'll follow their meeting instructions and won't normally need to collect a separate Water Shuttle ticket.
Going independently? You may need a numbered ticket during the busy morning period.
Water Shuttle tickets for independent guests are collected from the Princess Insider Desk on Deck 7 in the Piazza.
Our biggest tip is simple: get organised earlier than you think you need to. Have one person from your group head down early for the Water Shuttle tickets while everyone else gets ready and grabs a light breakfast.
The lower your ticket number, the better your chances of getting ashore early.
And always read the information Princess delivers to your stateroom the night before. Timings and procedures can change.
How to Get Ashore Early if You're Exploring Independently
If you've booked an independent excursion, have a private guide waiting for you, or simply want to maximise your time ashore, this is the advice we've been giving our own Majestic Princess passengers.
For 8:00am arrival and dropping anchor, have one person from your group get up early and head down to start queuing for Water Shuttle tickets from around 7:15–7:30am.
Water Shuttle tickets are handed out at the Princess Insider Desk on Deck 7 in the Piazza, so that's where the person in your group needs to head to join the queue.
Meanwhile, everyone else can get ready, grab a light breakfast and aim to be ready to leave the ship from around 8:00am.
As soon as tender operations are authorised by the captain and the crew begin handing out tickets, the person in the queue can collect tickets for the whole group.
Princess asks that your party is ready to go ashore when tickets are collected, so make sure everyone knows the plan.
Passengers who wait until the advertised distribution time can find that a pretty long line has already formed. Getting one person down earlier gives you a much better chance of receiving a low-numbered Water Shuttle group without making everyone in your party stand around waiting.
Once you've got your tickets, find somewhere comfortable and listen for your group being called over the ship's announcements.
Then it's off to explore.
This is especially useful in Dublin (Dún Laoghaire) and Edinburgh (South Queensferry), two of the most popular stops on the Majestic Princess British Isles itinerary. Whether you've got an independent excursion waiting or you're exploring on your own, getting ashore earlier can give you considerably more time to enjoy the day.
From what we've seen shoreside and heard directly from Majestic Princess passengers, the difference between an early tender and a frustrating morning can sometimes be as simple as having a plan before everyone else starts thinking about going ashore.
But Don't Princess Shore Excursions Get Priority?
Yes, they do.
But this doesn't mean every passenger booked on a Princess excursion has to be ashore before independent passengers can start leaving the ship.
Water Shuttles need to be filled.
If you've got a low-numbered ticket, you're ready to go and there's space available, independent passengers can still be heading ashore early in the operation.
So don't feel that you have to book a Princess excursion simply because it's a tender port.
At the same time, don't book anything independently that relies on you being ashore at an exact time. Weather, sea conditions and the tender operation itself can all have an impact.
Give yourself some breathing room.
Majestic Princess Tender Information by Port
Cornwall (Falmouth) – Tender Information
For Cornwall (Falmouth), the Water Shuttle brings you ashore at Prince of Wales Pier in Falmouth.
The crossing takes approximately 20 minutes.
Princess passenger information advises a 7:00am arrival, with Water Shuttle tickets starting to be distributed from 7:30am during peak hours. The last Water Shuttle from shore is scheduled for 5:00pm.
Once you're ashore, Falmouth town centre is only around a 5–10 minute walk away.
Dublin (Dún Laoghaire) – Tender Information
For Dublin (Dún Laoghaire), the Water Shuttle brings you ashore at Dún Laoghaire Harbour, just south of central Dublin.
The crossing takes approximately 25 minutes.
Princess passenger information advises a 7:00am arrival, with Water Shuttle ticket distribution starting from 7:30am. The last Water Shuttle from shore is scheduled for 6:00pm.
Here's a random bit of history for you: Dún Laoghaire was officially called Kingstown from 1821 until 1920, before returning to its Irish name.
From the harbour, you can make your way into Dublin or spend some time exploring Dún Laoghaire itself.
Edinburgh (South Queensferry) – Tender Information
For Edinburgh (South Queensferry), Majestic Princess anchors in the Firth of Forth and the Water Shuttle brings you ashore at Hawes Pier, right underneath the Forth Bridge.
This is the tender port we know particularly well.
The crossing takes approximately 20 minutes.
Princess passenger information advises an 8:00am arrival, with Water Shuttle tickets starting to be distributed from 8:30am. The last Water Shuttle from Hawes Pier is scheduled for 7:00pm, although Princess recommends planning to be back by 6:30pm.
If you're still trying to work out exactly where your ship arrives for Edinburgh, take a look at our Edinburgh Cruise Arrival Guide: What's in Port and Where Your Ship Might Dock.
And if Edinburgh Castle is on your list, we've also written a guide to the best way to visit Edinburgh Castle from your cruise ship in South Queensferry.
Can I Book an Independent Excursion in Edinburgh (South Queensferry)?
Yes – and plenty of people do.
The important thing is choosing an excursion that's actually planned around the tender operation.
For the 2027 Majestic Princess season, every Shore Excursion Scotland excursion from Edinburgh (South Queensferry) will leave at 10:00am.
We've chosen that time for a reason.
Our South Queensferry rule is to plan around the tender rather than the ship's scheduled arrival time. Starting at 10:00am gives you time to get organised, collect your Water Shuttle ticket and make your way ashore without starting your day in Scotland watching the clock every five minutes.
We'll also have you back at Hawes Pier comfortably ahead of the final Water Shuttle to Majestic Princess.
Shetland Isles (Lerwick) – Tender Information
There's one Shetland Isles (Lerwick) call on the Majestic Princess British Isles schedule in 2027, with the ship scheduled to arrive at 7:00am and depart at 6:00pm.
Majestic Princess will anchor offshore and passengers will tender into Lerwick, close to the town centre.
The crossing takes approximately 15 minutes.
Princess has kept its British Isles tender system pretty consistent over the years, so we'd expect the same numbered Water Shuttle process here.
One thing worth remembering is that 7:00am is the ship's arrival time, not the time you'll be standing ashore in Lerwick.
The ship needs to arrive, be cleared and get the Water Shuttle operation underway. Realistically, we'd expect the first passengers to reach shore at around 7:45am.
With Majestic Princess sailing again at 6:00pm, we'd expect the last Water Shuttle from shore at around 5:00pm.
These are expected rather than confirmed timings, so check the information Princess gives you onboard the night before.
Please Read the Information That Arrives in Your Stateroom
This might actually be the most important tip in the whole article.
Princess delivers information about the following day's port to your stateroom.
Read it – especially before a tender port.
The information we've given you here should help you understand how everything works and, combined with our real-world observations, give you every chance of maximising your day ashore.
But ticket times, last Water Shuttles and other arrangements can change.
The information Princess gives you onboard is specific to your visit, so that should always be your final reference.
What Happens if the Weather Stops the Tenders?
This is the part of tendering nobody can control.
If the weather or sea conditions aren't safe, the captain may decide the ship can't make the port call.
And if you're booking an independent shore excursion, this is something you really should check before handing over your money.
Under the Shore Excursion Scotland Guarantee, if your ship can't make its scheduled port call, we'll refund 75% of your excursion cost.
We also plan our shore excursions to have you back at the cruise port at least one hour before your ship's all-aboard time.
We've explained why the Shore Excursion Scotland Guarantee is one of the fairest on the market in a separate article, or you can read our full Shore Excursion Guarantee before booking.
A Few Final Tips
Tendering really isn't something to worry about.
Have one person get up a little earlier and queue for the tickets while everyone else gets ready. Grab a light breakfast, aim for a low-numbered Water Shuttle group and listen for your number being called.
Don't assume you need to book a Princess excursion simply to get ashore early, but don't make independent plans that depend on an exact arrival time either.
On the way back, don't aim for the final Water Shuttle. Give yourself plenty of time.
And the night before?
Read that Princess information sheet.
Do those few things and you'll give yourself every chance of spending less time thinking about Water Shuttles – and more time enjoying your day ashore.
