Ringaskiddy DWB instead of Cobh

We are booked on Boudicca to go around Ireland form Liverpool departing 30th May.

One of our ports should be Cobh. We have been there before and it is a lovely place. However on looking at the Port of Cork's website, it would appear that Boudicca is booked into Ringaskiddy DWB. I have looked at Google Earth and am not feeling impressed. Does anyone know the dock in Ringaskiddy DWB?

Caribbean Princess is in Cobh the same day.

Ringaskiddy is across the harbour from Cobh and is where the Cork to Roscoff ferry docks. You are correct, there is little to impress in Ringaskiddy.

Fred are likely to run shuttles.

Bus 223 runs hourly into Cork and takes about 50 mins to get into South Mall in Cork City Centre

http://www.buseireann.ie/timetables/1440078656-223.pdf

Cork is well worth a day's sightseeing:

1. Crawford Art Gallery
   
2. Cork Gaol
   
3. St Finbarre's Cathedral
   
4. The English Market
   
5. Butter Museum
   
6. Shandon Cathedral
   
7. University College Cork
   

There is even a HOHO bus to get around to the sites

http://www.corkcitytours.com/cork-city-tours/

IF you can get in from Ringaskiddy before 1000am i.e. on the 0850 bus you could take the tour to Jameson Distillery offered by the same company.

Getting to Blarney would involve a second bus trip so unless you have a long day in port, it would be very rushed.

Enjoy!

Thank you very much for that very comprehensive answer, which I have printed out so I can take it with us, and will do the same with the links.

As you say, if there is very little round about Fred will have to run shuttles, so they may not charge people booked on Freedom Fare (which we are - as well as gold members). They run a "Cork on your own" excursion from Cobh, but then Cobh is a reasonable place to spend a day. We will find out in due course.

We are quite looking forward to Cork now, although initially we were disappointed as the other calls are cities and we remembered Cobh as a lovely, quiet place to spend a relaxed day. According to the Port of Cork website, we are due in from 7am to 6pm, so there should be no rush travelling in and out of Cork, no matter how we do it.

Fred's itinerary still says Cobh, but I have found the local port websites reliable in the past, so I am reasonably sure it will change - wonder when they will tell us though! For our last cruise Fred axed one of the ports, but did not tell us until less than two weeks before the cruise, yet the Captain let it out at the welcome party that the port was cancelled two months before the cruise!

Thanks again for the information,

Barbara

Just been looking at the HOHO bus details.

Can I ask what makes a senior in Ireland? We are 65 so get senior rate in most countries with proof of age, but in some countries it is a bit older, or the senior rate is not available for foreign nationals.

Barbara

Cork is also very good for shopping and has large department stores. Last time we were in Cobh overnight and we walked up the hill to a pub where the Guinness was incredibly good. An old Irish guy with a beautiful voice was singing and the atmosphere was electric. The doors were locked at 11pm and we stayed until 2am but if you went out you were not allowed back in. Friends of ours made that mistake around 12.30 am and failed to get in anywhere else.

Just been looking at the HOHO bus details.

 

Can I ask what makes a senior in Ireland? We are 65 so get senior rate in most countries with proof of age, but in some countries it is a bit older, or the senior rate is not available for foreign nationals.

 

Barbara

Hi Barbara

Seniors for free / discount travel in Ireland is 66 however Ireland being Ireland if you look senior, you are senior. Just turn up and ask for a senior ticket, don't bat an eyelid - after all, no Irish man will ask a lady to prove her age.

If you buy on line before you go and show your ticket - then no one will ask!

Cork is also very good for shopping and has large department stores. Last time we were in Cobh overnight and we walked up the hill to a pub where the Guinness was incredibly good. An old Irish guy with a beautiful voice was singing and the atmosphere was electric. The doors were locked at 11pm and we stayed until 2am but if you went out you were not allowed back in. Friends of ours made that mistake around 12.30 am and failed to get in anywhere else.

Late night drinking in an Irish pub in Cork! I cannot believe you!

We just have a day at Ringaskiddy, but we will have an overnight in Dublin and looks like an 11pm departure in Killybegs - so it is now looking very good! We always planned a night out in Dublin anyway.

Actually we both have a birthday before we leave at the end of May, so will not need to pretend on age. We do try to remember a copy of our passports, which tends to do the job.

Thanks,

Barbara

I'd recommend this tour to Slieve League from Kilybegs!

http://www.killybegs.ie/tours-of-donegal-hidden-gems/

I note that Fred has given a formal comment on a number of other recent threads on this section, but has declined to comment on this one.

The itinerary for the Boudicca cruise starting the 3Oth May still says she will be calling into Cobh on 3rd June, yet the Port of Cork site says she is booked to dock on Ringaskiddy, (Caribbean Princess in in Cobh on that day).

Balmoral is to visit the Cork area twice before Boudicca is due on 3rd June and the relevant itineraries for Balmoral both say the same as the port site (one call being into Cobh and one into Ringaskiddy).

Fred, if you are still looking at this site, Would you like to comment on this?

The Port of Cork site is:-

http://www.portofcork.ie/index.cfm/page/cruiseschedule2010

We also did the tour to Sieve League in Killibegs last year. It is run by the local tourist office. They picked us up from where the ship docked and took us to a makeshift office to pay and get on the coach.

Our driver/guide was Brian who was very knowledgeable with a very Irish sense of humour.

The town itself is quite small, so we just had a wander around and stopped for a pint of the black stuff in a local pub. We enjoyed this port of call for its lovely scenery and friendly local people.

I'd recommend this tour to Slieve League from Kilybegs!

 

http://www.killybegs.ie/tours-of-donegal-hidden-gems/

Interesting. I have just seen some impressive pictures posted on Google Earth of the coastline there. Is there a lot of driving and are there any comfort stops during the tour?

Thanks to you and London Towner for mentioning this.

We are packing to go off to Cuba in a couple of days, so may look into this more closely when we return in mid March.

Can I thank you in advance for any further information, as I have a lot to do before we go.

If I remember correctly the tour in Killibegs was a half day. I think it was about three hours max. We stopped a couple of places where there were toilet facilities available. The scenery is stunning. My family are Irish and I hadn't been to Ireland for a while. I had forgotten what a beautiful country it is and such friendly people.

If I remember correctly the tour in Killibegs was a half day. I think it was about three hours max. We stopped a couple of places where there were toilet facilities available. The scenery is stunning. My family are Irish and I hadn't been to Ireland for a while. I had forgotten what a beautiful country it is and such friendly people.

Thanks, it could be worth thinking about.

My only visit to Ireland has been Dublin on three or four cruise visits, but we have always fancied doing a driving holiday over there. As we live on The Wirral we could pick up ferry to Belfast from about 6 miles away from home. Having our own transport would be good for that sort of terrain................ but we could do the trip as well.

We have just decided to upgrade our cabin to an outside, from which we should be able to see that area as we are coming into port, which will be very good.

Cheers and thanks again.