Ireland

[cruiser02]

We will be visiting Cobh, Dublin and Bdlfast on the Rotterdam in September I would appreciate information on tours, places of interest etc Have never been to Ireland so I'm interested in everything

Thank you ALL

[cberge]

We will be visiting Cobh, Dublin and Bdlfast on the Rotterdam in September I would appreciate information on tours, places of interest etc Have never been to Ireland so I'm interested in everything

Thank you ALL

I fell on love with Cobh just for itself,and the history.We were there for the day and took a small tour of the area,but came back and spent the rest of the time in town.Dublin is a great city to explore,and I suggest the hop/on hop/off bus as you will see all the sights and many of them you can walk to as well.We were there for a week so we did a lot of sightseeing,but for a day the bus will serve you well.Of course you can do a tour through the ship or hire a private driver to take you around to other areas,and maybe someone will reply to that as we were on our own more or less.I can't help with Belfast as we did not go there.Enjoy Ireland as it really is a magical place.

[pvangordon]

I enjoyed Dublin a lot last year when I visited for the first time on business. Work-related (but social) activities included a tour and dinner at Guinness and seated dinner at Kilmainham. I had two days on my own. The first day I took a bus tour down to Wicklow and Glendalough monastery. The ride was a wonderful way to see part of the countryside in a short amount of time. The tour also included a lunchtime stop at the Avoca mill, where I bought some of the most beautiful textiles I've ever seen and watched the looms at work.

 

On the second day, I visited the natural history museum which was absolutely fascinating. It's a relatively small building just crammed with glass cases filled with taxidermied animals, insects, birds, etc. Took a hop-on/off bus tour and saw Christ Church, Dublinia (neat museum, kids will like it) and other parts of the town. There are several bus tours of this nature; you just get on, pay the fare, and you get a ticket that lets you get on/off at a number of marked places of interest. The bus will have a map that shows you the various stops, so you can plan your day.

 

I stayed at the Burlington Hotel, which was acceptable but nothing special. I later moved to the Westbury which I loved. Beautiful hotel, great service, excellent accommodations, and I could get high tea in my room. :)

 

I'm looking forward to visiting again next year, even though it will be a short trip. My mom will be with me this time and her family's from Ireland, so it'll be extra special. Hope you enjoy your trip!

[MVPinBoynton]

We stopped in Cobh and Belfast on our recent Jewel cruise. Both tours we took were outstanding. Details and pictures are in our review on our website www.thepreismans.com . You will have a wonderful time in Ireland.

[calikak]

Try this site:

 

http://www.ricksteves.com/pledge/ireland/completechapters.htm

[ellen tapa]

I did this last year, and I found that using a private company for the sightseeing in Cobh was better. We saw more in less time. You can easily do Blarney or Kinsale in addition to Cob. The company we used was www.lynotttours.com in Dublin and Cork.

[Joyfredsblondecruiser]

I know this is an older thread but since I will be stopping at these places in Ireland I thought it would be nice for others on my ship to find the information easier. Thank you for your postings and good information. Happy Sailing, Joy

[ex-Freeporter]

Joy - when are you on the cruise and on which ship?

 

I am currently assembling information for the poster further down who is visiting Dublin in 9 months or so.

 

As Ireland is not part of Britain these should technically be in 'British Isles and Western Europe' forum:)

 

Will report back when I have my info assembled. Happy to help anyone who is visiting our country, always keep an eye out for the cruise ships visiting here ...

 

- from the Island of Ireland -

[Joyfredsblondecruiser]

Dear exfreeporter: We will be on the Dream for a 19 night repositioning trip that ends up in London. We will have a stop in Cork, and Dublin. We will stay 2 nights in London and then take a 12 night cruise to the Baltics on the Dream. We will have one night in London and then go back on the Queen Mary2 to the USA. We will be doing this in April and May of 2007. I appreciate all of your help. Happy Sailing, Joy

[ex-Freeporter]

Joy - what a wonderful trip you are going on! As you can see 'Ireland' is now running on three different strands here and I have given some ideas for Dublin and Cork. I wonder did you kiss the Blarney stone last time:). I am up in the North East of the country - County Down - and none of the current posters are coming this direction. We had 28 cruise ships in Belfast last summer. Hope the weather is kind for your trip - it is very cold here at the moment, infact we call it 'Baltic' - a 'slang' word for cold, not where you are going cruising!:)

[aprildream]

Joy- I am doing those 2 cruises too and was wondering about Dublin and Cork. The excursions are on the NCL web site for the Baltics but not the transatlantic. Wonder when they will be up. Are you as excited as me? I'm already packing in my mind.:p

[Joyfredsblondecruiser]

Hi April I am very excited about all three of my consecutive cruises. I have never had 3 at one time before. I really hope they get all of the tours posted so we can decide what we want to do. Did you book the Hotel through Ncl? We have the Crown Plaza for 2 nights pre and we have the Holiday for one night post before going on the Queen Mary 2. I wanted to have the Hotel through the cruise line so I could have transportation to the Pier. We are going to stay one night in Houston at the Hilton which I booked through the cruise line too. Happy Sailing, Joy

[aprildream]

Yes I used NCL pre-package for the Baltics. At the time I booked it was actually cheaper than without those 2 days. Hilton Kensington Forum. I am staying there also for 3 days after the cruise. I am unfortunately not able to afford a cruise back to America too. I am breaking the bank with this one as it is.:rolleyes:

[Joyfredsblondecruiser]

Hi April: Our roll calls seem to be a little slow. I seem to be the only one chatting lately. I am just curious I like your cruise critic name. Are you born in April? I am April 30th so I will cellebrate my birthday on the ship. I was wondering if you were going to cellebrate yours too? Happy Sailing, Joy

[aprildream]

No, my brithday is in July. The whole trip started when I decided to take a "wow" trip for my BD next year since it will one of those "major" BD's. Then while browsing what was going out of Houston/Galveston I came across the transatlantic in April and I was hooked. I chose my name because the trip is in April and the ship is named the Dream and besides the whole trip is a dream come true.;)

[Joyfredsblondecruiser]

April what a great way to pick a name! Freds Birthday is in July too he is July 4th. He is my human firecracker lol. I am having one of those major Birthdays the big 60. I keep telling myself it is just a number. I think this is going to be a great way to cellebrate my birthday. I am so looking forward to all of the tours and enjoying the ships too. Happy Sailing, Joy

[aprildream]

The "major" BD for me in July is 60 also. Hard to believe. Oh well. I guess we are pretty much the same age. I am a widow though. 3 years ago after 37 years of marraige. He would have loved this trip. I will have a friend for the transatlantic but am soloing it for the Baltic. I have already signed up for the Baltic excursions although I guess I can change them if I want to later. My countdown clock on my computer says 4 months, 20 days, 2 hours, and 2 minutes. :D

[Joyfredsblondecruiser]

Hello ex-freeporter: I did not go to Blarney Castle last time so I did not kiss the Blarney Stone. We went to the Waterford Crystal factory instead. Thank you for your help. Happy Sailing, Joy