?? Dublin day trip with family

[Kmcspoon]

My family of five (2 adults, 3 children, 13,12,5) will be in Dublin off a cruise ship on Sept 4, 2013. Our port times are 10:30 am to 11:15pm.

 

My two older kids are history buffs, and would love to see the Book of Kells and the library at Trinity college. They also want to see the National Museum.

 

My questions are:

 

1. Is a taxi for five reasonable from where the ship docks? It would probably be cheaper than the ship's shuttle, but I don't know the shuttle prices, but it would be per person, even for the five year old.

 

2. Is there an advantage to buying tickets in advance for the Book of Kells? I know the lines are going to be long, but I assume they move everyone along. We would hate to miss it, though.

 

3. Should we just walk from Trinity college to the National Museum?

 

4. I know it is cheaper to buy HOHO tickets in advance, but am wondering if we go to Trinity college and the museum if we will have time to ride the HoHO because all three seem to close by 5pm or 6 pm.

 

5. We probably won't stay late in Dublin, and will head back by 7:00pm or so. Is it easy to find a taxi to the port? I am not used to using taxi's in a city, and wouldn't really know where to look for them.

 

Thank you in advance for anyone that could help. I'm ready to book anything in advance if need be, but need some advice on whether it is even worth it.

[Kmcspoon]

Just wanted to add to my post above...obviously we wouldn't do a pub with the kids, but they have tried to learn a lot about Ireland. They love Irish music and if there was a place we could stop in to hear something reasonably authentic while eating they would certainly enjoy it.

 

Thank you for anyone willing to give any advice.

[CruiserBruce]

We were just in Dublin July 29. Taxis are plentiful. Very plentiful. The only question would be if you can fit 5 in one. Otherwise taxis will be no problem. The taxi fare to Trinity College is less than 20 euros, I believe.

 

Our ship (Holland America's Eurodam) had a free shuttle to the Trinity College area. From there, everything is very walkable.

[Mairnealach]

Hi,

 

1. There will be plenty of taxis at the cruise terminal, but for five people a van taxi will be required. These are quite common in Dublin and they may be available at the port. A taxi to Trinity College should cost €15 maximum.

 

2. The Trinity College website states, ''Please note pre-paid tickets do not mean you can skip the queue.'' The website also says, ''We do not take bookings or reservations, everyone joins the queue. However, if there is a queue you will not be waiting for more than 10 minutes. Allow at least 40 minutes to an hour for your visit which is self-guiding.''

 

3. Yes. It is only a five minute walk from Trinity to the Museum.

 

4. Dublin city centre is compact and very walkable. The HoHo bus is only necessary for the Guinness Storehouse, Old Jameson Distillery, and Kilmainham Gaol. If you are not interested in visiting any of these, then you can see everything else on foot.

 

5. There is a taxi rank on College Green which is just across the street from the main entrance to Trinity College. You may be lucky and quickly find a van taxi.

 

There is usually a relaxed attitude towards taking children into pubs in Ireland, especially during the day time in areas frequented by tourists. Temple Bar, within five minutes walk of Trinity College, is the place to go for music pubs. Have a look at the short video on the website of the most well-known pub in Temple Bar which will give you an idea of what to expect. You can then decide whether this is ''reasonably authentic.''

 

http://www.gogartys.ie/music/

 

If you need any further information please let me know.

 

Dermot

[Kmcspoon]

There is usually a relaxed attitude towards taking children into pubs in Ireland, especially during the day time in areas frequented by tourists. Temple Bar, within five minutes walk of Trinity College, is the place to go for music pubs. Have a look at the short video on the website of the most well-known pub in Temple Bar which will give you an idea of what to expect. You can then decide whether this is ''reasonably authentic.''

 

http://www.gogartys.ie/music/

 

If you need any further information please let me know.

 

Dermot

 

Dermot, thank you for your excellent information. I'll forego the Hoho, and wait to buy the B of K tickets, assuming my chip and pin card is holding up well...

 

Thank you also for the link. I had to reread the thread to see who had asked for "reasonably authentic" music, then realized that was me! I guess I was typing in my sleep this morning. I know I can't really get any "reasonably authentic" Irish music here in North/East Texas, (unless you count "Celtic Thunder" coming in November :rolleyes:) but obviously my odds will be much better in Dublin! It seems like a dream that we will be there next month at this time!

 

I love the link, and will show my older two...they will enjoy it as I did, and the pub may be just the thing after the Trinity College visit.

 

Ireland, and Dublin in particular, is the stop that made everyone happiest with anticipation, and we all wish we were staying longer. If I could figure out a way to do Newgrange as well, that would make it over the top, but is obviously not for this trip.

 

Cobh and Dublin will just have to whet our appetites, and we will have to plan a longer trip to Ireland the next time.

 

Many thanks to all for the helpful replies.

 

K"mc"spoon

[BCA13]

My family of five (2 adults, 3 children, 13,12,5) will be in Dublin off a cruise ship on Sept 4, 2013. Our port times are 10:30 am to 11:15pm.

Hi,

 

There is a Walking Tour called Ingenious Dublin Walking Tour from Ingenious Ireland. I haven't done it yet. Planning to go there soon :p. Maybe it is something that your teens will like it. Their review on the Tripadvisor looks pretty good: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g186605-d2170995-Reviews-Ingenious_Ireland-Dublin_County_Dublin.html

 

Here is a little map.

A. Dublin Port

B. Trinity College

C. National Museum - this one is Archaeology and History

D. Science Gallery - starting point of Ingenious Dublin Walking Tour

 

 

Click on the image to see it more clearer on the google map.

 

 

 

Have fun

 

Elsa

[Kmcspoon]

Thank you so much, Elsa. This looks so interesting and enjoyable. I don't feel like we are going to do Dublin justice. We have been reading up on the history, and it is fascinating. A guided tour would be so informative.

[lanceholt]

We were on a 2 week on land vacation in Ireland in May and it was even more wonderful than we thought it would be. We took the HOHO which gives you a good feel for the city. Cabs are plentiful but small. Re Book of Kells, you should be there as early as humanly possible....we were there very early and didn't have to wait very long. The line moves along but we never felt rushed. Think about visiting Kilmahaim Jail and the Post Office.....once we did that, it gave us an understanding of the Irish people as nothing else had as their national personality was affected forever by the events which took place there. You will love Dublin!