Bababooey Land Posted July 19, 2017 #1 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Hi all – We got back several days ago from a British Islescruise. This review will focus mostly onthe ship rather than the ports. Clearly,after reading a bunch of reviews post refurb, we were very hesitant sailing onthis ship…I was expecting another “Slummit” i.e. Celebrity Summit from a fewyears ago. I am happy to say we werepleasantly surprised and the ship is in very good condition. Inaddition, the service on the ship was excellent. Allthe crew members we came across were very pleasant. About us - I am 45,my wife is 40, and son is 11. We havebeen on 7 Celebrity Cruises, mostly to Europe and Bermuda…last year we sailedon Princess Regal…this cruise would be our 2nd Princess cruise. Ship Condition: MUCHHHHHH better than I expected. In fact, much cleaner and nicer than many older Celebrity Ships we havebeen on. All the public carpeting isnew. In fact, the only carpeting that didn’t seem new on the ship were in thestaterooms. Everything on ship wasclean. Public Bathrooms clean and inworking order. All the tables and chairsin buffet area, planks and steamers all new. Kids Club all new and renovated. New outdoor movie screen very sharp looking. Pool area nice…Chairs by pool all seemedin working order. I read plenty ofnegative comments on the boards before we sailed about the ship but we just didn’tsee them. Stateroom - We hadan extra-large Balcony Cabin, room C518. one thing we found odd, they gave us ONE cookie every day in the afternoon. We were three in the stateroom and when we got back from the port, there was ONE cookie left on a plate. Nice idea to leave us a snack, but maybe one cookie per person would have made more sense. Positives: our Stateroom Attendant, DIJO…wasexcellent. The new bedding and linenswere spectacular. Even better than most mattressesin hotels. Most ships we have been on, the bedding was a step above a cot. This is a REAL comfortable mattress. The balcony size was very nice, im glad Ipaid a few extra bucks for it. Negatives - Thestateroom carpet was not new nor was the furniture. It wasn’t horrible, but Princess could haveat least changed the carpeting in the rooms during dry dock. Furniture will need a refresh during next drydock. The bathroom and shower wereTINYYYY. Smallest bathroom iv had on anyship. The Shower was the worst part,even though the water pressure was excellent. I could tell we had one of the new connecting stateroom doors in theroom…here is the skinny with the door. Thereis very little sound proofing by the door. The door is located thankfully by the frontdoor and small hallway. When I walked bythe door, I could hear the other cabin talking…when I was a few feet into theroom away from the door, I heard nothing. Just something to consider whenbooking a room. Food: Dining room – compared to Celebrity, the main dining roomfood is far superior. Overall, id giveit 3 out of 5 stars. Some days wereclearly better than others. Considering itis included in the cruise fare, I think it’s very good. Anytime dining was just OKAY. Regal was much better. We had to wait anywhere from 20-40 mins onmost nights. The dining room thatstarted to accept Anytime diners at 7:30pm, didn’t start to seat us until about7:45pm. And there was a massive wait toseat people. The next to last nightwhich was Baked Alaska night, I checked in at about 6pm (I figured id be early). ONE HOUR wait. That’s unacceptable imo, and we wound up atthe buffet instead. Buffet – again,compared to Celebrity, much better overall except for breakfast. Breakfast was OKAY…pancakes and waffles weren’tgood. Scrambled eggs were powdered kind(at least tasted that way). Lunch and Dinner though much better. Yes, buffet is small but very clean. Every night they had different dishes tochoose from, I rarely saw the same dish. Peanut and Jelly bar: this hasbeen overblown on the board…it’s a SMALL SMALL section of the buffet (I have apicture if anyone cares). Every nightthey had 2 sandwiches pre-made and a few jellys to choose from. Does it make any sense? No…does it belongthere? No. but it doesn’t distract fromthe buffet at all. Princess should just scrap the idea, IMO. The service in the buffet area was EXCELLENT…farbetter than I expected and better than the Regal. Tables always cleared and cleaned fast. napkins and silverware replaced fast. And drinks served quickly. I didn’t look at Planks or Steamers atDinner, but I have a feeling they didn’t do much business. We didsit there for breakfast sometimes and even the next to last day for dinner asthey were closed. Crown Grill – We atehere twice. Tip - First night and last night dress code wasrelaxed..Shorts are ALLOWED. I am sureevery ship and itinerary have different rules regarding dress code. Food was very good both nights. Service was solid too. We had a very bad experience on the Regal lastyear where food and service was poor. Salty Dog – We atehere a few times. Food was typicallyvery good. Tip: try to get the burger cooked Fresh, ratherthan heated up. They will cook 20burgers at a time and put them in a Bin…then you order, they take one out ofthe bin and reheat it on the grill. Asyou expect, burger is overcooked and just so so. But when cooked fresh with the raw meat, itsmuch better. We tried the chickensandwich, chicken tacos and Hot Dog. Allvery good. Ice Cream from Coffee and Cones – very poor. Quality of Ice cream was not good. We tried a couple ice cream sandwiches for $3, again…just so so. Slice – Pizza quality for a cruise ship, very good. International Cafe - Selection of food here very good and good quality. The Coffee and Hot Chocolate were excellent. The service here was excellent as well...also fast and smiles on their faces. Thanks to Charles! Ultimate Ship Tour – We were fortunate enough to take thistour. Overall extremely interesting butwe were a touch disappointed. We weresupposed to be on the bridge with the Captain for about 45 mins..it turned outto be 5 mins with the Captain and a touch over 30 mins on the bridge. The first officer did a fantastic jobexplaining everything to use, but for the price, I was expecting thecaptain. We also were promised a signedpicture of us and the captain but instead got an unsigned group photo. The bathrobes they gave us were nice but thepicture frame was just a generic frame youd find in any store for $5. I may take some heat from this part of my review,but in our opinion, it didn’t live up to the hype. Ports: excellent allaround. I highly recommend this itinerary. Most ports we used independent travelcompanies for tours and we used UBER a lot. Most of these tours were cheaper and betterthan what Princess offers. We only usedprincess once for an excursion and that was in Edinburgh. We took the Edinburgh on your own, whichworked out great, because we were the first Tender off the ship. Without a princess excursion, your tenderwait could be 1-2 hours. If anyone has any questions about our itinerary on aspecific port, I’d be glad to tell you what we did. We spent countless hours putting together ouritin to maximize what we did in each port. Overall - we loved the cruise and extremely happy with Princess. Service was excellent, ship in great condition and food was very good. We highly recommend this itinerary and Princess. Id be happy to answer any questions if I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meatloafsfan Posted July 19, 2017 #2 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Thanks for your review. If you could post the picture of the PB&J bar, I'd appreciate it. Personally, I think it would make a nice evening snack with a cup of coffee but that may just be me. Admittedly, I have been getting concerned over the recent reviews of the Caribbean Princess. I'm glad to hear a lot of positive stuff about the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JF - retired RRT Posted July 19, 2017 #3 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Stateroom - We had an extra-large Balcony Cabin, room C518. one thing we found odd, they gave us ONE cookie every day in the afternoon. We were three in the stateroom and when we got back from the port, there was ONE cookie left on a plate. Nice idea to leave us a snack, but maybe one cookie per person would have made more sense. That cookie was likely one of the little things your steward does. Never gotten a cookie in the cabin (22 cruises). If you'd asked for 3, you most likely would have gotten them. We mentioned to our steward on one of our cruises that we take the evening pillow chocolates home for the grandkids and he left a big pile of chocolates for us.:* I'd like to see your picture of the Peanut Butter Bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacketwatch Posted July 19, 2017 #4 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Thank you for your balanced review. It reads nicely and is concise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted July 19, 2017 #5 Share Posted July 19, 2017 The cookie was probably for your child! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bababooey Land Posted July 19, 2017 Author #6 Share Posted July 19, 2017 good to know about the cookie :) next time ill ask. here is the picture: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted July 19, 2017 #7 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Thanks for your review. 1 cookie? Seriously? :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bababooey Land Posted July 19, 2017 Author #8 Share Posted July 19, 2017 the cookie is the most controversial part of trip. lol i see the picture didnt attach well. How do I attach the picture to the body of this? thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cynt Posted July 19, 2017 #9 Share Posted July 19, 2017 So who got to eat the cookie?!?! LOL🤣 Thx 4 ur review. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle_and_hawk Posted July 19, 2017 #10 Share Posted July 19, 2017 What kind of cookie was it? :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare geoherb Posted July 19, 2017 #11 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Thanks for posting your review. I'd be interested in what you did in the ports since we're leaving in 25 days for London for the Aug. 17 cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted July 19, 2017 #12 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Good feedback, thanks.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bababooey Land Posted July 19, 2017 Author #13 Share Posted July 19, 2017 figured it out! this was entire spread each night. sandwiches looked soggy from sitting there ( i didnt dare to try one :) ...just 2 choices. I think one was with sunbutter (for allergies) and the other one was a banana and chocolate. im not even sure where you would spread the peanut butter or jelly, since there was no plain bread. just very very strange. but again, such a small area, it didnt really take away from anything. The location was opposite the main desert area...and to the right of the sandwiches that you cant see in the picture were a couple deserts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro Flyer Posted July 19, 2017 #14 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Bababooey Land...thanks for reviewing your cruise experiences & I appreciated your comparisons to Celebrity which we've considered cruising. Glad that like others on CC who are concerned about bad reviews, you discovered they were mostly overblown negative reviews by a few unhappy passengers. It's been my experience that most of those negative reviews don't truly reflect the opinions of most passengers who like you overall have a great cruise even when a few things are disappointing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyboy Posted July 19, 2017 #15 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Nice to know about the positives on the CB after dry dock. Very eager to see it on our next cruise. Will appreciate more info on the independent tours you did in port, particularly where you found Uber useful. Will do the same cruise on the CB in Sept. Thanks for your input. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare foodsvcmgr Posted July 19, 2017 #16 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Thanks for your excellent and balanced review. We are booked for Panama Canal next February and had been getting very concerned by all the negativity. Looking forward to it now with much more enthusiasm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peety3 Posted July 19, 2017 #17 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Negatives - Thestateroom carpet was not new nor was the furniture. It wasn’t horrible, but Princess could haveat least changed the carpeting in the rooms during dry dock. Furniture will need a refresh during next drydock. When it comes to this sort of comment about the next drydock, please STOP it. Princess (and all the other cruise lines) can and will replace carpet while underway. There's always a small percentage of cabins that are taken offline for a given cruise so that the crew can do major work as needed while underway, and the furniture absolutely, positively could be loaded onto the ship during the turnaround day, distributed to the cabins as needed during the cruise, and old furniture unloaded during the next turnaround day. There was a TV show giving a peek into the behind-the-scenes activity during turnaround day for a cruise ship, and they replaced 150 mattresses that day: loaded new ones on, delivered them to the cabins, swapped them out, delivered the old ones to the unloading area, and left them on dry land. Drydock exists so they can work on stuff that's otherwise always wet or in use: propellers, propulsion motors, rudder, thrusters, bottom paint, etc. They do also try to tackle (re-)construction projects that aren't feasible to be done in a few hours, the more disruptive stuff like renovating a restaurant or changing the use of a space. But the onesy-twosy stuff like light bulbs, furniture, ceiling tiles, mattresses, carpet, etc. absolutely gets done while underway or while in port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SadieN Posted July 19, 2017 #18 Share Posted July 19, 2017 When it comes to this sort of comment about the next drydock, please STOP it. Princess (and all the other cruise lines) can and will replace carpet while underway. There's always a small percentage of cabins that are taken offline for a given cruise so that the crew can do major work as needed while underway, and the furniture absolutely, positively could be loaded onto the ship during the turnaround day, distributed to the cabins as needed during the cruise, and old furniture unloaded during the next turnaround day. There was a TV show giving a peek into the behind-the-scenes activity during turnaround day for a cruise ship, and they replaced 150 mattresses that day: loaded new ones on, delivered them to the cabins, swapped them out, delivered the old ones to the unloading area, and left them on dry land. Drydock exists so they can work on stuff that's otherwise always wet or in use: propellers, propulsion motors, rudder, thrusters, bottom paint, etc. They do also try to tackle (re-)construction projects that aren't feasible to be done in a few hours, the more disruptive stuff like renovating a restaurant or changing the use of a space. But the onesy-twosy stuff like light bulbs, furniture, ceiling tiles, mattresses, carpet, etc. absolutely gets done while underway or while in port. Carpeting changes can happen when the cabin is occupied. Pax are notified that their luggage needs to off the floor. Closet or bathroom works well for storage. All the movable furniture is removed into the hallway. Carpeting is laid down and furniture is returned. It's cut to size down along the I95. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richsea Posted July 19, 2017 #19 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Thanks for your balanced review Bababooey. Like you, we have sailed Celebrity more than Princess, but liked our Royal cruise so much are looking to Princess for this winter, & were thinking of the CP real 14 night January sailing (if balconies become available!). Glad to read a favorable review. Funny, but when I read your comment about the pizza, the first thing I dd was check your location. You passed, lol! Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zooguy Posted July 19, 2017 #20 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Thanks much for the CB review. You qualmed my fears about our upcoming CB Panama Canal cruise. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bababooey Land Posted July 19, 2017 Author #21 Share Posted July 19, 2017 GLASGOW (GREENOCK), SCOTLAND £ UK 7AM-6PM ***ONE HOUR DRIVE FROM PORT TO GLASGOW*** TAKE TAXI TO BAGPIPE LESSON Greenock Ocean Terminal – is where berth I think. About 30-40 pounds for taxi to Glasgow. 9:00 am for 9:30am LESSON The College of Piping, 16-24 Otago Street, Glasgow G128JH Scotland Tel. +44 (0) 141 334 3587 Fax +44 (0) 141 342 5256 Email: college@collegeofpiping.org No problem, I’ve booked you all in for the 9:30 AM 6th July for the introductory lesson. The fee is £20 for the hour and payment can be made when you arrive. See you soon, Gary Thank you for your E mail enquiry about an introductory lesson at the College of Piping , we could arrange for the 3 of you to have an hours lesson starting at 9.30 AM . We would be able to supply the practice chanters and music books for this lesson so if you are interested let me know and I will add your names into the lesson diary. Best Regards Gary carruthers 10 min walk from College of Piping Hunterian Art Gallery Univ of Glasgow University Avenue, Glasgow, #14 hop on/off Tuesday - Saturday 10.00am – 5.00pm Admission to the Art Gallery is free, entry charge for special exhibitions Admission charge for The Mackintosh House (£5.00/£3.00) - last admission 4.15pm 6 min walk to Nardinis Nardini’s 215 Byres Rd, Glasgow, #15 hop on/off Summer Hours Monday - Saturday 9am - 10pm 13 min walk to Kelvingrove Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, #16 hop on/off (if time) Mon - Thu 10:00 am - 5:00 pm 15 min tax ride to willow tea -The Willow Tea Rooms – tea, scones and finger sandwiches 97 Buchanan St, Glasgow #7 hopon/off - Glasgow our least favorite city on trip. BUTTTTTTT…..the Piping class was AWESOME. I highly recommend it. We went to the college of piping ( a little out of the way). We had a one hour class with a bagpipe teacher for 20 pounds. Use of a bagpipe and lesson book included. Lots of taxis at port. 40 pounds for drive to city ( I was told on the way back to ship it would be closer to 60 pounds). Not cheap. I used an Uber on the way back Uber was only 30 pounds. In fact, uber was cheaper than any non uber taxi in all the ports. INVERGORDON, SCOTLAND £ UK 7AM-6PM LEAVE SHIP AT 7:30am for an 8am departure. http://www.invergordontours.com/store/p42/Caribbean_Princess_Loch_Ness_Cruise_Excursion_July_8th.html Gavin: LOCH NESS I will be welcoming guests off the ship just outside the gates to the port and across the road on the sidewalk from 7:30am for our Loch Ness excursion with your guide - looking to get away as close to 8am as possible. Look out for a 6ft 7" bald man with a big smile and a bright blue, green and orange kilt. **Bring confirmation e-mail that shows we paid** Cruising on Loch Ness to Urquhart Castle, Inverness, Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns and Cawdor Castle Another excellent tour. Highly recommend. EDINBURGH (SOUTH QUEENSFERRY), SCOTLAND £ UK TENDER IS REQUIRED 8AM-7PM TENDERS- LAST TENDER PROB 6:15pm NOT CONFIRMED: Ships anchor in the River Forth and tenders take passengers to Hawes Pier in the town of South Queensferry. CONFIRMED RESERVATIONS View Cancellation Policy Excursions FAQ Share Reservations Edinburgh (South Queensferry), Scotland- July 09, 2017 Edinburgh On Your Own SQ1185A | Edinburgh (South Queensferry), Scotland Status: Confirmed Depart: 08:30AM Return: 04:00PM Date: July 09, 2017 $150 total 6 hours free time Not confirmed: drop off point is Charlotte Square NEED TAXI TO EDINBURGH CASTLE 11am EDINBURGH CASTLE CASTLEHILL, 9:30AM – 6PM DAILY ACTOR-LED HISTORIC TOURS TICKETS HAVE BEEN PRE-PURCHASED. Tickets are in folder. Go Directly to the PORTCULLIS GATE. Edinburgh Castle was built between 1000-1100 (11th century) and was sacked, burned and rebuilt over the years. William Wallace (aka Braveheart) and Robert the Bruce who defeated the British in 1314 with the last great Scottish victory flank the entrance. Also look above entrance for words in Latin- NEMO: ME: IMPUNE: LA CESSIT, meaning “what you do to us, we will do to you.’ 5 MIN WALK TO TARTAN TARTAN WEAVING MILL & EXPERIENCE STORE 555 CASTLEHILL, DAILY 9AM-5:30PM Massive Souvenir shop. In Scotland only items made in Scotland say MADE IN SCOTLAND, if not it is made somewhere else. 3 MIN WALK TO SCOTCH WHISKY SCOTCH WHISKY EXPERIENCE 354 CASTLEHILL DAILY 10AM-6PM Whisky to try- Dram of peaty island Laphroaig & smooth Highland Dalwhinnie Want single malt scotch whisky This was one of our favorite ports. Transportation: we used Princess so we were first tender off ship. We stayed past 3pm (the pickup time)…so we took an Uber back to the tender. Castle was spectacular. Tartan Store was massive. Scotch Whisky experience was good..but not as good as Teeling. Lots to do right by the castle, everything in walking distance. PARIS/NORMANDY (LE HARVE), FRANCE € Euro 7AM-8PM 8AM off ship SIXT: 20 min walk Address: 87 Quai de Southampton 76600 Le Havre CAR RENTAL Pickup Le Havre Centre/Cruise Term. 07/11/2017 at 08:30 am Return Le Havre Centre/Cruise Term. 07/11/2017 at 06:30 pm Your total price: (€ 136.00) 1) Drive from port to Honfleur – about 40 mins. There is a toll. ABOUT HONFLEUR: Honfleur, located at the mouth of the Seine River, is known as the jewel of Normandy. Its tiny, picturesque port gave inspiration to numerous painters such as Claude Monet and Eugene Boudin. The town houses a museum dedicated to the latter, called Musee Eugene Boudin. The museum has many objects & paintings, including over 2,500 sculptures & paintings, approx. 1,000 furniture & costume items, a selection of early 20th century toys and over 100 Normandy posters dated from the 1880s to the 1950s. Another of the scenes in Normandy that inspired the impressionists is this endearing old port in the Calvados department, just across the Seine from Le Havre. The view of the harbour from the Quai Saint-Etienne is heart-achingly pretty, looking across to the tall, narrow slate-clad houses behind the masts of moored sailboats. This is just the starting point, as you have to see Saint-Catherine’s Church, a timber construction built by shipbuilders in the 15th century and resembling the hull of a boat. The bell-tower, also made of wood, was built some way from the church in case of fire. FOOD AROUND THE BASIN DOES NOT GET GOOD REVIEWS. Saint Catherine’s Church and Bell Tower Carousel from 1900 Quai Saint-Etienne- View of the harbor from Quai Saint-Etienne Monument Les Moulieres d’ honfleur- Take pics in this square near monument- beautiful backdrop Drive to Etretat – 50 min drive, Walk along top ridge and take in the stunning white alabaster cliffs, including the ‘pointed needle’ and 3 natural arches ABOUT ETRETAT: Étretat, in the Seine-Maritime department, is a small coastal commune in the middle of a pretty big seascape. On both sides of the town and its pebble beach are gigantic white limestone cliffs with three natural arches and a 55-metre needle. On the beach you can look east to La Porte d’Amont, the smallest of the arches, or west to the colossal L’Arche et l’Aiguille, an image immortalised by Monet and Gustave Courbet. Past these landmarks is Étretat’s widest arch, La Manneporte, which you can get to with a brief but very scenic stroll along the top of the cliffs on the GR21 trail. Cote d’Albatre (beach) The beach at Etretat is freely accessible to all. As in the times of the Impressionists, boating and other water activities are still popular with equipment on rent at the beach. Monument Nungesser et Coli (for views of arches) Renting a car was very easy, and easy to drive around. I got a navigation with the car rental, everything was in English. Turned out to be a relaxing day. We were able to hike up the hill to see the arches in Etretat. Etretat was extremely nice and scenic. For me. Honfleur was just OK. Parking was very easy in both towns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSLibrarian Posted July 19, 2017 #22 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Very informative review. Thank you for sharing. We'll be on her in 2 weeks so your review is timely and helpful for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srpilo Posted July 19, 2017 #23 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Thanks for the PB&J bar photo, when I got back from the CB in May none of my friends believed me when I told them about the chicken and waffles every night for dinner and the PB &J bar which IMO is still a mystery "Why ?" Good solid review Srpilo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bababooey Land Posted July 19, 2017 Author #24 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Thanks to everyone for the positive comments.. except for peety...very salty. Maybe you need a vacation? CORK, IRELAND (COBH) £ UK 7:30AM-6PM DISEMBARK AT 7:30am E-Coach GROUP TOUR Pick up Details Date: Sun, 2nd July 2017 Time: 08:00 Ship: Caribbean Princess - Full Day - 49 Euro Port: Cobh Tour Highlights See Castles, Forts, Towers, Cathedrals and amazing scenery Learn about Cobh's connection to Titanic & Lusitania Kiss the legendary "Blarney Stone" and explore the magnificent gardens (admission included) Shop at The Blarney Woollen Mills (The worlds largest Irish Store) Driving Tour through Cork City (The "Real Capital" of Ireland) Take in stunning scenery and fascinating history at Charlesfort Enjoy Lunch & free time in Kinsale "The Gourmet Capital" Great "Craic" and running commentary from local guides Modern Air Conditioned Coaches ** Meals/refreshments are not included in our price ** Gratuities are customary and are not included in price E-COACH was awesome - note it IS a full size bus. I highly recommend this tour. No Ubers needed this port as we had the full day tour. DUBLIN, IRELAND £ UK OVERNIGHT 7AM Tentative Itinerary: UBER APP FOR TAXI’s. Leave ship by 9:30am , need taxi to A I B Bank. Newgrange Tours by Mary Gibbons 10:25am pick up—return 4:30pm St. Stephen’s Green – will have to take taxi to first pub 4:30pm start pub crawl We will stop for lunch, though this is not included in the price. All entrance fees are included: €40.00ADULT €35.00 Student (valid university student card only) Please note: It is highly advisable that you wear good walking shoes, as it is an uneven surface on the Hill of Tara. Mary Gibbons +353 86 355 1355 NEWGRANGE Newgrange is a Neolithic monument located in the region of Bru na Boinne, County Meath, Ireland. The name is fairly modern and comes from the 'newer' grange (farm) of the monks of Mellifont Abbey near Drogheda 8 miles north. Although the abbey was closed in 1539 CE, the association of the land with the 'new farm' of the monks continued. Newgrange was constructed c. 3200 BCE, pre-dating the Pyramids of Giza and Stonehenge, and is part of one of the most famous and significant megalithic complexes in Europe. There are 37 tombs located in the valley of Bru na Boinne (Mansion of the Boyne), which lies at a bend in the River Boyne and includes two other enormous structures similar to Newgrange: Knowth and Dowth. The Newgrange monument is 249 feet across and 39 feet high, covering an acre of ground. The entrance leads to a 62 foot passage, which opens to a central chamber with three recesses (sometimes also called 'chambers') in the walls at intervals corresponding to north, west, and south. Excavations have found human cremated remains in the west recess. Hill of Tara PM Pub Crawl On Own: Temple Bar 47-48 Temple Bar (come for drinks and craic (pron crack, which is entertainment) Address: Dublin 2, Ireland Oliver St. John Gogarty's Pub - Live Traditional Music 2:30pm-2am daily Address: 58 / 59 Fleet Street | Temple Bar, Dublin 2, Ireland The Quays Temple Bar - (more Americanized with music) 11/12 Temple Bar | Dublin 2, Dublin, Ireland The Brazen Head (oldest bar in Dublin) 20 Bridge Street, Dublin, Ireland VERY GOOD Tour overall. Newgrange extremely interesting. We were in Dublin for 2 days..so this was good for one day. That evening we took an Uber to some pubs and back to ship. DAY 2 DUBLIN, IRELAND £ UK DEPART 7PM USE UBER FOR TAXI’s. 8:30/45- Near GPO James Joyce Statue ‘prick with a stick’ (1 min walk to GPO) 9:00-9:30am- General Post Office- O’Connell Street Lower, was the center of the 1916 Rising. Neoclassicism, built by British in 1814-18, Here on Easter Monday 1916, Republican forces stormed the building (about 2,000 people) and issued the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. Original on display in GPO. Also can see bullet holes and shelling on building. Tour GPO Witness History exhibition (6 min walk to bridge) 9:40am- Ha’ Penny Bridge (Liffey Bridge)- Bridge got its name for the half penny toll that was levied on it until 1919. Statue of 2 Women near Northside of bridge ‘hags with bags’ (5 min walk across bridge & to Keogh’s) 9:55am- Keogh’s Café – 1 Trinity Street, Grab scones, tea/coffee. (2 min walk to MM statue) 10:05am- Molly Malone Statue – ‘tart with a cart’ in front of St. Andrew’s Church tourist office (1 min walk to Carroll’s) 10:10-10:45am- Carroll’s Irish Gifts 22 Suffolk Street Mon - Wed: 9:30am - 7:30pm, also one at #17 Suffolk that opens at 10am (Across the street from Carroll’s Irish Gifts is Avoca. If we need scone/coffee/tea). (4 min walk to Lynott statue) 10:50am- Phil Lynott Statue – ‘ace with a bass’ Front man of Irish rock band, Thin Lizzy Gino’s Gelato Grafton Street – supposedly Italian style and best in Ireland Butler’s Chocolates Grafton Street- good to bring home Westbury Hotel is nearby for tea (5 min walk to Little Mus) 11:30am- Little Museum of Dublin- 12pm tour Tickets are purchased Tours start on the hour, every hour. Hours: 9:30 am - 5:00 pm, 15 St. Stephen's Green Tour is about 30 mins. Where is the museum? 15 St Stephen's Green, on the north side of the square, near the corner of Dawson Street. We are a two minute walk from the top of Grafton Street. (4 min walk to Nat’l Mus Archaeology) 1pm- National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology (Free Museum) Bog bodies & gold. Closed on Mondays Tue-Sat 10am-5pm (6 min walk to Toner’s) TONER’S PUB 139 Baggot Street Lower, Dublin 2, Ireland Toners won “Snug of the Year’ in 2010. A snug is a private area separated within a pub and is a timeless feature in a traditional Irish pub. Like the one in Toners, it typically has its own door, a rugged bench and is completely private. Back in the day it was where the likes of policemen, lovers and the Irish literati met up. (12 min taxi ride to National Print Museum) 2pm for 2:30pm tour National Print Museum Individuals and groups of 5 people or less We offer two public guided tours of the Museum per day (Mon – Fri) at 11.30 and 14.30. See rates below. No booking required. where the family can learn about the history of printing and make a Wanted poster. The fee for this is just €7 for a family ticket. Carla Marrinan. If need something to do between Print Museum and Teeling- can try to get to Trinity College for Old Library Room or can walk 14 min to 29 Fitzwilliam Street Lower—Number 29 Georgian House Museum to take pics outside. (13 min taxi ride to Teeling) 4:40pm- Teeling Whiskey Distillery 13-17 Newmarket, Merchants Quay, Dublin 8, Open daily 10.00am – 5.20pm (last tour) Tours approx 45 minutes. We really enjoyed Dublin. Ubers very easy and quick to get. General Post Office and Teeling were highlights of the day. BELFAST, REPUBLIC OF IRELAND 8AM-9PM PICK UP around 8am-8:30am. Paddy Campbell's Belfast Famous Black Cab Tours £260 for 1-4 people. BELFAST TOUR: 1. Dark Hedge (just quick pics) 2. Carrick A Rede Bridge (walk across) 3. Giants Causeway (organ, Amphitheater, shepherds steps, causeway) 4. Dunluce Castle w/Mermaid’s Cave (walk down to Mermaid’s cave and view from Dunluce looking west for arch) *only taking pics from mermaid’s cave* 5. Peace Wall (City Tour) Belfast extremely interesting. This was a private tour, well worth the money. I highly recommend. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bababooey Land Posted July 19, 2017 Author #25 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Funny, but when I read your comment about the pizza, the first thing I dd was check your location. You passed, lol! Thanks again! Ha..thanks! I know my pizza. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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