Advice on post cruise options after Ireland/Iceland cruise

[SSAtlantic]

I am looking for advice. We will be cruising from and return to Dublin. Our plan is to have 2 days precruise in Dublin, plus we have one full day there at the end of the cruise with an overnight. My DD and I want to spend a few more days somewhere before flying back to the States. My DH is not as on board. We are considering flying to London for 2-3 days as we have never been. Our other option is to remain in Ireland and do something but no clue as to what. We will be debarking on a Thursday and need to fly home on Sunday. Any suggestions? 

[soccermommy]

Are you on the 5/18-5/28 cruise to Iceland on the Reflection? If so, so are we! But to answer your questions, I’d say it depends on a number of things.

First, your airline arrangements. I don’t know where you are flying from, but one of our options to return was to fly to Heathrow, then direct to Boston ( which for us was a little crazy since  we have to get back home and we’d rather fly nonstop). If breaking up your return  is an option for you, you might be able to fit London in your plans, though I understand flights from Dublin to London are pretty easy to find if you are already set to do a round trip to Dublin. It’s my understanding that after an overnight, leaving the ship is flexible. You could get an early flight to England and spend more time in London. There are many ways to get from Heathrow (or Gatwick). Take a look at the London Toolkit site to get much more information on experiencing London. We used it and it has a lot of information.
Be advised, though, that 2 days in London is going to give just a taste of that beautiful city.

Have you considered renting a car and perhaps exploring more of Ireland, if you are okay with driving on the left. We visited Cobh on a previous cruise, and the area is beautiful, near to Blarney Castle, Kinsale, and gorgeous coastline views. Some people drive to the Ring of Kerry, or Galway. We haven’t had the chance to do that yet. I’m sure others can give you more information.

Several tour companies in Dublin offer short trips to various parts of Ireland, too. 
I think it’s going to come down to how you’d like to spend your extra time, in a big city like London, or the countryside. Whatever you choose, you are going to have a wonderful time!

[princeton123211]

On 1/12/2020 at 9:11 AM, SSAtlantic said:

We are considering flying to London for 2-3 days as we have never been. Our other option is to remain in Ireland and do something but no clue as to what.

Flights from Dublin to London are cheap, plentiful, and quick. If you want to see London its a very easy jumping off point to do so and you can fly from Heathrow to pretty much any major US city so it makes it easy on the way home too. 

 

If you stayed in Ireland you could venture out into the countryside-- down to Waterford or out west towards Galway (and you could save some time and fly home from Shannon). 

 

But if you have never seen London and are inclined to go (which it sounds like you are since you brought it up), then you should do it. It's very easy from Dublin. 

[geoherb]

Two nights/three days would be my minimum for London, and that's nowhere near enough time to do much. That's all we had time for last fall before our transatlantic cruise. We managed to go to two shows, and Kew Gardens was our major attraction. We stayed near Trafalgar Square to be closer to things. When we had longer stays, we opted for less expensive hotels, once in Kensington and once in Waterloo.