Scotland Vacation October 2023 - Royal Yacht Britannia

We had a lovely breakfast at Clark Cottage Guest Hotel in Kelty before planning our last day of adventure in Scotland. The owners were very nice and helpful. My husband tried to purchase tickets online for the Royal Yacht Britannia, but was having connectivity issues. The hotel owners helped us out.

It was kind of a gray, cold, and windy day. We were happy to be doing something mostly inside where it would be warm. 

Description from the Royal Yacht Britannia website: Britannia was launched from the John Brown & Company shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland, on 16 April, 1953. For over 44 years the Royal Yacht served the Royal Family, travelling more than a million nautical miles to become one of the most famous ships in the world. To Queen Elizabeth II, Britannia provided the perfect Royal residence for glittering state visits, official receptions, Royal honeymoons and relaxing family holidays. For Great Britain, she was a majestic symbol of the Commonwealth and a proud ambassador generating billions of pounds in trade deals. For the Royal Family and 220 dedicated crew of Royal Yachtsmen, she was home.

We enjoyed our tour of the yacht. It was fascinating to see how much was contained in the ship. It was all beautifully preserved. We truly enjoyed our self-guided audio tour. The audio tour was a great option because it gave history and insight as you moved through the various areas of the ship. We were lucky to view the ship on a day that was not very busy. The tour included all parts of the ship - Royal Family bedrooms, sitting rooms, lounges, state dining room, laundry room, engine room, crew quarters, decks, medical facilities, and more. It took 300 service people to run the ship when the Royal Family was aboard.

To begin the tour, you walked through rooms with displays of artifacts and a photo timeline of the yacht's service.

Photo of the yacht's last time pulling into port in 1997.

I was surprised that Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip had twin size beds in their separate staterooms. The audio tour said that the only full size bed was put in by request of Charles for him and Diana to share. The Queen's study was small and cozy.

Crew areas on the ship.

Bridge, decks, car (lifted onto deck and taken on tour) 

 

The State Dining room hosted dinners for world leaders, political figures and many famous faces. There were 968 state visits held on the Royal Yacht Britanna. If I remember correctly, the audio guide said it took three hours to set up service to Royal standards for 96 dinners. You can rent out the area for private events.

By the time we completed the tour, we were ready for lunch. We decided to have lunch at the Royal Deck Tea Room. We were lucky to get a table with only a couple of minutes waiting. 

We each ordered the Britannia Special - soup, sandwich, and potato wedges for 19.50.

The food was very good. It was the first time I have tried cream of courgette (zucchini) soup and it was delicious.

After we left the Royal Yacht Britannia, we returned our rental car and checked in at the Moxy Hotel. We were happy to have a quiet night and get to bed early.

Books on the ceiling and in the lobby.

We had an absolutely amazing time in Scotland. The scenery is gorgeous. I can't wait to go back and visit again. Next time, I want to tour the west coast and islands.