Shuttle Buses Keep Cruise Passengers Waiting for Hours
Lines are a part of any cruise vacation, and all passengers should have a bit of patience, especially at peak times, such as first arriving at ports of call when tours are departing.
But for guests aboard Regal Princess‘s most recent 12-night British Isles sailing, however, the waits for shuttle busses were truly extreme. Guests lost hours of their scheduled tours, missing out on iconic experiences and having a very disappointing day instead.
Some guests were so frustrated at the delays that they opted to remain on the ship instead of continuing to wait long past their tour departure times, abandoning the chance to enjoy exploring the Scottish Highlands.
The delays happened at the port of Invergordon in northern Scotland on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.
Because Invergordon is an active, multi-use port, however, local regulations require that cruise passengers use shuttle buses to move from their ship to outside the port area. This applies whether guests are booked on shore excursions or hoping to explore the port on independent tours.
Unfortunately, snafus with those shuttle busses meant some travelers were waiting – for up to four hours – for a shuttle to meet their tour bus. The highly anticipated tour experiences included cruises on the famous Loch Ness and visits to Urquhart Castle, gorgeous ruins adjacent to the lake.
Multiple tour operators expressed their frustration to the local news media, including the Press and Journal.
“This whole situation has been very disappointing. Because our guests were so late, they actually missed their slot on the Loch Ness cruise. So they missed out on that experience,” said Gordon Pearson of Wow Tours Inverness.
“For many people this is their dream trip and for them to miss out on experiences is so disappointing. Some people didn’t make it off today and missed their tours entirely. It was just chaos and is an absolute embarrassment.”
The shuttle busses from the cruise terminal to the tour pick-up point are arranged by the port authority, which has pledged to take steps to rectify the problem.
“There were a specific set of circumstances that led to some challenges that we haven’t experienced with other ships,” a spokesperson for the Port of Cromarty Firth said.
“In response, we held a very positive and constructive meeting with the cruise line. We are now both working through what we can change and improve for the next visit.”
Tour guides and guests alike have noted that the step-up busses provided for shuttle service are difficult for guests with mobility challenges to use, which can lead to further delays.
The 142,700-gross ton, Royal class Regal Princess is due to return to Invergordon on Sunday, June 22, and again on July 16 and July 28, as well as multiple dates in August and September.
Her last visit is planned for October 5, 2025, as part of a 31-night repositioning transatlantic cruise from Southampton to Galveston.
Why Aren’t Other Ships Having the Same Trouble?
Invergordon has a highly desirable deep water harbor, perfect for cruise ships, but the port community has a population of fewer than 4,000.
Regal Princess, with her passenger capacity of 4,250 guests, is the largest ship scheduled for the port in June. The next largest vessels have significantly fewer travelers.
Celebrity Eclipse, for example, has just 2,850, while P&O Cruises’ Britannia has 3,647. MSC Preziosa is another larger ship for the port, but has 3,959 – still less than Regal Princess.
Read Also: Sail More, Wait Less – How to Deal With Long Lines on a Cruise Ship
It is unclear whether additional “specific circumstances” – staffing, communication, port projects, road construction, parking availability, etc. – may have contributed to the difficulties with Regal Princess’s most recent visit.
Princess Cruises has not released a statement on the incident, and it is not known if guests impacted by the lengthy delays received any refunds or other compensation for their dramatically reduced tours.
Whether or not such compensation may be provided would largely depend on whether the tours were arranged through the cruise line or if they were independent operations, as well as the overall effect of the delays to the individual tour plans.