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Royal Yacht Britannia

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The Royal Yacht Britannia

  • April 26, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Drever from Ayr
The Royal Yacht Britannia

The Royal Yacht Britannia launched at John Brown's Shipyard in Clydebank in 1953, and served Queen and country for 44 years on 968 official voyages. She now bobs in serene retirement in the historic port of Leith, allowing visitors such as I to step on-board to enjoy the Britannia experience. Tours begin in the Visitor Centre on the second floor of the Ocean Terminal building where you receive an audio-guide.

On board, hundreds of original items are on display, including prints, paintings, the baby grand piano, furniture, silverware, and gifts given to The Queen from nations around the world.

At the Royal Apartments, we learn that the Queen and Prince Phillip had separate rooms on board though connected by an adjoining door. Philip’s is more masculine. The rooms themselves are small but airy. The Queen and Prince Phillip's offices are also different in style with his less fussy.

The Sun Lounge on the Shelter Deck was one of The Queen's favourite spaces. Fitted out in teak, it had a feel of warmth and airiness. It offered privacy and here, Her Majesty liked to take breakfast and afternoon tea while enjoying spectacular views through the large picture windows.

The Drawing Room, with its chintz-covered sofas, deep armchairs, and luxurious Persian rugs, witnessed both official functions and private entertaining. Princess Diana, Princess Margaret, and Princess Alexandra liked to play the baby grand piano, which sits in the corner.

The State Dining Room is the largest and grandest room on board and witnessed spectacular banquets while playing host to the rich, the famous, and the powerful. It took three hours to set the 56 places for a state banquet. Measurement using a ruler determined the position of every knife, fork, and spoon. We viewed it laid for dinner with cutlery and glassware sparkling. Now, corporations can hire the State Dining Room to entertain important clients and receive the same meticulous attention to detail.

Britannia's nerve centre was the 1950s Bridge. From here, the officers navigated, issued orders, kept the logbooks, and planned and plotted every mile of the ship's progress.

The gleaming Engine Room is a testament to 1950s British marine engineering. The two pairs of high- and low-pressure steam turbine engines carried Britannia over one million miles. The Sickbay and Operating Theatre, with their original 1950s fittings, have a stark and slightly ominous appearance; Britannia doubled as a hospital ship in wartime. The original crew’s NAAFI shop now serves as a sweetshop where visitors can buy fudge made in the ship's galley, and other traditional sweets.

Britannia carried a royal car for use in countries where official cars were hard to find. The royal barge lies to the side of the yacht.

At the end of your tour, you hand back your audio guide and pass through the Britannia Gift Shop. It took us 1.5 hours to complete the tour.

Visiting Britannia it is worth the entrance fee: Adults: £9, Senior: £7, Students: £5, Children: £5, Family ticket: £25

From journal Leith and district – sail, steam & flight

Royal Yacht Britannia

  • January 1, 2006
  • Rated 3 of 5 by Kate06 from Union, New Jersey
You can visit the Royal Yacht Britannia and take a self-guided audio tour. Before going aboard the Royal Yacht, you can read about the life of the royal family and view photographs, uniforms, and special collections of the family. The rooms aboard are just as if the Royal Family was still using the yacht. Each room is glassed or roped off but you can get close enough to feel as if you are walking where the Queen walked. The audio tour takes you through the residential rooms where Charles and Diana stayed there on their honeymoon. The tour continues down below to the large kitchen, hospital, laundry, crew’s quarters and finally, the impeccable engine room. The yacht has a very personal and comfortable feel, unlike the museum/library feel of the castles. The audio tour provides a depiction of life aboard the yacht. All rooms aboard are meticulously maintained even though the ship is no longer in use. During my visit, the staff was setting up for a dinner party in the formal dining room. The yacht is still used for corporate or elite functions.

From journal December in Scotland

Royal Yacht Britainnia

  • July 12, 2003
  • Rated 3 of 5 by panda1 from ., California
Visit the Royal Yacht Britannia and explore it through displays, exhibits, photographs, and a tour with the audio wand.

There are five decks of the ship available to walk around to view, including the royal apartments, sun lounge, royal bedrooms, drawing room, state dining room, chief petty officer's mess, sick bay and operating theatre, engine room, bridge, laundry facilities, and NAAFI, which is converted to a fudge sweet shop.

Winter: Admission times March through October are 10am to 3:30pm (closes at 5pm) daily.

Closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day. On Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, the last admission is 2:30pm (closes at 4pm).

Summer: Admission times April through September are 9:30am to 4:30pm (closes at 6pm) daily. Allow 1 1/2 to 2 hours for the tour.

Admission: adults £8
Lothian Bus 11, 22, 34, 35, 36
Information: +44 (0)131 555 5566 Mon-Fri

From journal EDI

Royal Yacht Britannia

  • July 12, 2002
  • Rated 2 of 5 by stevepage from dundee, United Kingdom
Entry costs £7.75, visitor centre for the yacht which conveyed the royal family on its trips around the globe, tours are self led and very busy in the high season so book ahead.

From journal Out and about in Edinburgh

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