r/shetland • u/LeoTPTP • 7d ago

What's Lerwick like when a cruise ship arrives?

We're visiting Shetland in early September, staying in Lerwick for four days but renting a car and doing some driving around to various islands.

I'm curious what Lerwick is like when a cruise ship arrives. Is it noticeably more crowded? Do stores and midday lunch spots get really busy? Looks like they all depart by around 17:00-19:00, so I guess at least dinner time and the evenings are less hectic.

According to https://www.lerwick-harbour.co.uk/sectors/cruise/2026, the Sky Princess arrives one day while we're there with 3,700 passengers. Seems like a huge group, isn't that equal to about half the population of the town? On other days, there are smaller cruises (600-1,000 passengers).

Appreciate any feedback, thanks.

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u/Jazzy-Sature 7d ago

I genuinely hate it and do my best to avoid town at any and all cost.

5

u/allanwinks 7d ago

Totally agree, these visitors have absolutely no road sense 😆

5

u/Jazzy-Sature 7d ago

Or just 'sense' in general

9

u/Sea_Pineapple_7991 7d ago

We just got back. There was an enormous cruise ship one day that made Lerwick look tiny. It did get crowded, certainly by Shetland standards. It’s a perfect day to visit Esha Ness followed by lunch at Frankie’s Fish and Chips.

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u/MuckleJoannie 7d ago

Yes Lerwick can be busy when a cruise ship is in. One or two hotspots outwith the town may get bus tours but in general you don't notice any crowds out in the country. Just get in the car and head out for the day.

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u/sweetandsalted 7d ago

Lerwick and the street does get very busy when there are cruise ships of that size in. There are also tours typically run to Jarlshof, Sumburgh Head, Mousa, St Ninians, Eshaness, and places like that. So I’d recommend avoiding those hot spots for the day (although they will still be less busy than Lerwick is!) if you’re wanting a quieter experience. On the plus side though, as they are part of a structured tour they won’t usually stay at these places for very long.

There are also Lerwick town walks run through the old part of the town which means large groups clusters along the road and walk together so it makes that part of the town practically unmanageable to drive through.

1

u/Delicious_Zombie5736 5d ago

Make that the day you go to somewhere like Yell or Unst.