Shannon Airport Info

astralj · Member

Shannon Airport Info

Michele Erdvig · Host

astralj,

There is the Estuary Cafe on the upper level at Shannon Airport. Just a short walk away is the Great Southern Hotel. Euros are the currency in the Republic of Ireland, however you could use your credit card if you don't have local currency.

Michele

Date: 3:04 PM, 11/07/05

Thank you for the reply. We are now wondering whether we need to start exchanging some US dollars fairly soon to have with us next September.... Seems the interest rates are slowly creeping up here in the States, so I suppose that would affect the Euro. Where do you live Michelle. Close to the airport? *lol* We'd be delighted to have breakfast with you and perhaps exchange a lapel pin with you.....

Michele Erdvig · Host

astralj,

I live in the Atlanta Georgia area! But I am in Ireland enough to qualify as a native. I usually recommend exchanging money when you get to your destination. If you get euros here in the States the exchange rate is not the greatest. There is a bank and ATM at Shannon Airport. Are you flying through Shannon to another destination?

Michele

astralj · Member

Yes. We fly into Shannon on our way to Heathrow... and have a 3 hour layover. We thought it would be enough time to have some breakfast; hence the query about changing dollars into Euros. We will be flying AER LINGUS from Boston and arriving at Shannon Airport at 5:45 am.

I doubt that we would have enough time to see much of the area. You see, we are actually on our way to cruise out of Harwich UK the next day. We will stay overnight very close to Heathrow and will get a car hire to the port. Our cruise is stopping in Dublin as well as Cork! I know there are excursions that we can makethrough the cruise line, but I am researching on my own right now.... and hope to be able to see some of that magical green countryside on our own.

Thank you in advance for direction.

Michele Erdvig · Host

astralj,

At such an early hour the Estuary Cafe will most likely be your best choice. I doubt if the hotel would be serving breakfast that early. Since you will return to Ireland on your cruise you could get your euros at the ATM in Shannon. That way you will have some when you dock in Cork and Dublin. There are many different tours that you can take independent of the cruise ship. It sounds like a fun trip.

Michele

astralj · Member

Buy Euros at the ATM, that's the ticket. How much do you think we'll need knowing the airport would have better rates than the ship I suppose. I have to admit that I was starting to check on exchange rates to have some idea of what's ahead, but who could guess the rate for next September.... Checking with http://www.xe.com/ucc/ today posts 100 US = 85.42 EUR

As far as excursions on our days in port, the cruise line has not yet posted what they are or their costs, however I am most interested in your take for a one-day-only choice in each stop. We are not chained to the ship's excursions but we do have to be back onboard late in the day. How does one select just ONE place to see? We heard a must look-see was a statue of the lady in the cart (Molly Malone). My husband and I also want to see a castle as well as some beautiful countryside.... possible in a day Michele? Cork: no ideas yet? help.

Michele Erdvig · Host

astralj,

I have no idea how much money you will need. Is most everything taken care of on the ship? I'm sure you can use your credit cards for most purchases but things like newspapers, pub drinks, incidentals, etc. might require cash. So how much money you need really depends on your traveling style.

As for which tour to take, that is a tough choice. I suggest you check out some of them and then make your decision. There are far fewer choices from Cork City and many of those only run through mid-September or even the beginning of September. Blarney Castle is not far from Cork. Dublin has the most tours into the countryside or you could opt to see the city and take the hop-on hop-off bus tour and then get on and off at whatever stop appeals to you. Do some more research to see what appeals.

Michele

wojazz3 · Guru

astralj:

Just a quick note. I've had the breakfast at the Great Southern. It was pricey and not any better than anything you could get at a cafe. We arrived after 6:00 and had to wait for it to open.

Bill

astralj · Member

Thanks Bill for the heads up. We have no great urge to spend that much on a hotel breakfast. We were just wondering where and how much we could expect never having been in Ireland before. The hotel's website has an opening time of 7:00 am, but we're hoping that the cafe at the airport will be open before that. Do you have a favorite pub to recommend in either Dublin or Cork? We enjoy people no matter where we travel and look forward to listening to local character and charm... If anyone else happens to read through this message board and has taken a local tour through either Dublin or Cork, we would very much appreciate a hollar about it.

wojazz3 · Guru

astralj:

Ah pubs! Now you're talking my language. Can you walk through Dublin without passing a pub? There's the famous question. It sort of depends on what you are looking for. For the beer lover, either Maguires at the O'Connell St Bridge on the south side of the Liffey or the Porterhouse for excellent microbrews. There are a number of websites that list great Dublin pubs. I finally made it to the Brazen Head and highly reccommend it. I was surprised it was a tourist bar given it's claim to fame as the oldest site for a pub in Dublin. They had a mighty session going on when we were there on a Monday night and the Guinness was flowing. For an interesting Irish meal, try Gallagher's Boxty in Temple Bar. All of this is in the city center. There were a few pubs that we've tried a bit further afield in Dublin, but those will do just fine. By the way, Gallaghers only (and proudly) serves Murphy's, not Guinness.

Bill

astralj · Member

Taking notes and writing down those fine recommendations. Murphys it is! Thank you. Has anyone taken a tour of Cork with Butlers Bus & Coach in Cork? I think we may have a group from the ship that would book an entire bus for an all-dau tour of Blarney, Cobh and Kinsale.... The ship usually charges a lot more money for a lot less, and we're pretty sure we can tour for the day for roughly 23 Euros pp (tip included).

Michele Erdvig · Host

astralj,

I haven't used Butler's because I always have a car. However, I just looked at their website and it looks good. The price seems right too. Be sure to schedule time for Charles Fort in Kinsale and The Queenstown Story museum & St. Colman's Cathedral in Cobh. And besides trying a Murphy's (which my husband likes) also try Smithwick's if you like something a bit lighter in the pubs.

Michele

astralj · Member

Michelle, Thank you for such good suggestions. We will be sure to check them out. If someone else has a recommendation of a private tour company, please let us know.... We have some time before making commitments as we're trying to see how many would be interested in day trips when we are in port. We've also decided to wait until next summer before buying some Euros as the value can't be seen this far ahead. And every time I think of what we shall see next year, my eyes seem to fill up tinted green -- *lol*

Date: 6:29 PM, 11/26/05

Have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

astralj · Member

Current Costs for some stuff...
British Pounds or Irish Pounds?

litre of milk: £0.85
street snack (pub sandwich): £3.50
an umbrella: £5.00
movie ticket: £8.00
cup of coffee: £2.00
can of soft drink: £0.75
CD: £23.00
litre of petrol: £0.95
pint of Guinness: £4.00
souvenir t-shirt: £15.00

Michele Erdvig · Host

astralj,

The Republic of Ireland uses euros as their currency. Go to my "Money" page for more info on that. You will also find my "Tips & Tricks" page useful.

Michele

astralj · Member

Yes Michele, I've read that already. Just was asking if the prices seemed reasonable to you. I know that it's some time before we leave, but I'm still watching the US Dollar keep dropping to the Euro. *sighs

Michele Erdvig · Host

astralj,

I was confused because you posted pound signs instead of euro signs in front of the prices. If you replace them with euro signs most of the prices are fine. Petrol (gasoline) is a bit higher and fluctuates daily. Pints can run from 3.50 to 4.50, depending on the place you go. You might pay a bit more for soft drinks (minerals) and a bit less for coffee. But it will probably even out in the end.

Michele

astralj · Member

Michele, Please know that's how I found the prices and hoped you would be able to convert a wee bit for me (which you did).... You have been so helpful in the short time I have wandered through this website and I appreciate all the time you give here. *claps tastefully... My husband and I have a countdown clock moving ahead for this trip, now just a bit over 9 months away. I sense we will want to return to Ireland :)