Ireland in March - Itinerary

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RE: Ireland in March - Itinerary

tony2phones · Guru

Hertz don't have a Galway office they are out at the Airport so that's a non starter. I only suggested Budget as you could drop the car and be on a Dublin/ Dublin Airport express bus within a 5 minute walk.

Leaving the Cliffs @ 4ish up to Oranmore then the M6 for just after 5pm. should get to the M50 about 7pm then into the city or up to the airport. You will hit rush hour traffic in Galway but mainly coming the other way out of the city and then busy by Athlone but the traffic at the Dublin end should be fine,

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tony2phones wrote:
Hertz don't have a Galway office they are out at the Airport so that's a non starter. I only suggested Budget as you could drop the car and be on a Dublin/ Dublin Airport express bus within a 5 minute walk.

You're right, I got the wrong company, but the Budget quotes are comparable:

Dublin to Galway $114.14 (plus fees)

Dublin to Dublin $53.46 (plus fees)

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I need an opinion from you guys that have experience with these companies.

Dooley charges EUR 75.05 but I either have to be back by 6pm or drop the car off and have them inspect it while I am not there. I have to pick the car up at the airport and return it to the airport (actually it is outside of the airport so I will need transportation back to the airport via a shuttle or something.)

Budget charges EUR 101.50 (approximately) for the same thing but I can return it until midnight. Pick up in the City Center location and drop off at airport.

Hertz charges EUR 97.39 for the same thing but I can return the car until 10pm with a person on duty. Pick up in the City Center location and drop off at airport.

So Dan Dooley is definitely the best price, but since I don't want to be required to be back by 6pm, I would have to trust them to inspect the car. Which one of these would you go with, based on your experience with each company?

-- Edited by 5111 on Monday 6th of February 2012 11:33:05 AM

Michele Erdvig · Host

Since you asked for personal experience:

Hertz: I've never used them in Ireland.

Budget: Never had a real problem with them. Only time I was ticked was when they changed their rules about putting a "charge" on my credit card when declining CDW and using my MC for insurance. That rule changed between the time I booked and picked up my car. They should have informed me of the change. I would have been prepared.

Michele

Veteran Member

I am leaning towards Budget mostly because I can return the car into the airport, which is great since I will probably stay at the Clarion if we are returning late. I hate the fact that I cannot pay for everything in advance and just pick the car up, not to mention that it is EUR 25 more.

tony2phones · Guru

Does this price with Budget include their current discounts? They are not giving offer codes at the present time just offering what they clame is up to 20% discount, Have you tried the old approach of booking through Budgets US offices or does your chosen airline have a car hire "partner deal".

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tony2phones wrote:
Does this price with Budget include their current discounts? They are not giving offer codes at the present time just offering what they clame is up to 20% discount, Have you tried the old approach of booking through Budgets US offices or does your chosen airline have a car hire "partner deal".

I do not know of any discounts. This is the price that they emailed me from Dublin. I am flying with Continental and when I tried booking on their site the price was considerably more than with Budget's site.

DonnaLind · Newbie

I'm also booked for my first trip to Ireland. I'm traveling with Chamber Discoveries. We arrive March 13th for 10 days. We're staying at the Villas at Adare Manor and taking day trips to include the Cliffs of Moher - Galway, Dingle Excursion, St. Patricks Day in Adare on our own, Cashel-Kilkenny Bunratty the next day, the next day we can take an optional tour to Blarney Castle and of course hike to the Blarney Stone, then 2 days in Dublin. An acquaintance booked on the same trip said she doesn't think she'll take the optional tour to Blarney Castle as she wants more time to explore Adare Mansion and the area. I have mixed feelings and wanted your input. In Dublin we are booked on a tour called the Pub Crawl that sounds fun. It sounds like weather will be very cold, friends even suggested taking long underwear. Any suggestions anyone has or thoughts about Adare Manor Villas, would be much appreciated. I'm am traveling alone so thought joining a local Chamber Group would be a good way to go. Still I'm not afraid to explore on my own if there are suggestions. Thanks much.

-- Edited by DonnaLind on Sunday 19th of February 2012 03:11:49 AM

Michele Erdvig · Host

Donna,

Welcome to my forum. You might want to post a separate topic for your trip.

I have toured the villas at Adare Manor and found them to be first-class. A forum member has stayed there and enjoyed the experience. You will be fine there. Why not see Adare Manor and the village on St. Patrick's Day? The village is very small. If your friend doesn't want to visit Blarney Castle, perhaps you can do it on your own.

Michele

Veteran Member

As you know, we plan to travel from Belfast to Dublin via train on Saturday March 10. We were hoping to go fairly early so that we would have more time in Dublin. However, as I look online, many of the fares are already sold out. Here are my only train options that I can find:

2:10-4:10 route for £17.98 for two (WebFare) or £56.00 (Standard class)
or
8:00-10:00, 10:35-12:35, 2:10-4:10 routes are all available in First Class for £88

The jump from £17.98 to £88 is significant, but it would allow us to leave earlier.

Here is part of the problem: when we booked our flight, the only option was with 1 layover in Newark and it is only 1 hour. Most of the time, flights are on time, but with only an hour, I am somewhat concerned about missing the connection and therefore arriving late. If that is the case, I would probably lose my pre-booked train tickets. No big deal with £18, but £88 is kind of a big deal. Or am I worried for nothing?

I know that buying WebFare is much cheaper than buying in person, but is First Class that way? Should I just wait until we arrive in Belfast to buy the tickets if we are going first class? I know that there are other options like buses, but we have never been on a train so we are leaning towards that if possible.

What do you think?

-- Edited by 5111 on Tuesday 21st of February 2012 01:48:49 PM

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Good idea. They drop you off a little farther from the Croke Park, but they pick up right next to the Europa hotel and only slightly slower.

I wonder how likely they are to fill up. I could use them as an emergency back-up if the train doesn't work or if the wife decides to ditch the train.

-- Edited by 5111 on Tuesday 21st of February 2012 11:43:19 AM

tony2phones · Guru

I think the fare by Goldline Bus city to city is £13 and might give more options

http://www.translink.co.uk/Goldline/Goldline-Timetables/Goldline-Service-200-Outbound/

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tony2phones wrote:
I think the fare by Goldline Bus city to city is £13 and might give more options

http://www.translink.co.uk/Goldline/Goldline-Timetables/Goldline-Service-200-Outbound/

Tony, I am missing something or can you only book a 1am or 11pm trip online?

tony2phones · Guru

looks like it?? I have always just paid on the bus.

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Thank you. As long as I don't have to pre-purchase, I will be good to go.

As to the rail... according to an irish rail site, apparently I am unable to pre-book a train ticket from Belfast anyhow as it requires a UK mailing address. I was told that I must purchase the ticket in person.

I was also informed that there is a rugby match in Dublin that day between Scotland and Ireland and that is why the rail is sold out for the ideal times.

Michele Erdvig · Host

A rugby match would indeed fill up the trains. But usually extra trains are put on for matches. Good to have the bus backup.

Michele

Veteran Member

Are the buses that bad? My friend in Kilkenny said that they go into every small town and take forever. The posted time says it is only about 20 minutes longer than the train, but I wonder how accurate those posted times are...

Is Ireland like Central America where everyone runs late? La hora latina

Michele Erdvig · Host

What about Goldline Express Service?

http://www.translink.co.uk/Services/Other-Translink-Services/Airport-Services/Goldline-200-Belfast-to-Dublin/

Michele

Veteran Member

Michele Erdvig wrote:
What about Goldline Express Service?
http://www.translink.co.uk/Services/Other-Translink-Services/Airport-Services/Goldline-200-Belfast-to-Dublin/
Michele

That is the one that Tony recommended. I may use it as my backup since the station is by my hotel and I can't buy tickets in advance.

On a side note Michele, can you tell me anything about St. Michans, St. Patricks, and Christ's Church? I was under the impression that St. Michans and Christ's Church were the same, but apparently I was wrong. Are they in the same area? I was originally thinking that we would only hit two (since I thought that they were the same). Which two are the most impressive to see?

Michele Erdvig · Host

Those are three different churches/cathedrals. The most impressive are St. Patrick's and Christ Church. This is a good site to find where things are in Dublin: http://www.dublinmapped.com/

Most visit St. Michan's for the crypts and preserved bodies.

Michele

Veteran Member

Black Taxi Tour in Belfast

Michele Erdvig · Host

RE: Ireland in March - Itinerary

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When I land in Belfast I will need to get some cash to travel from the airport to the hotel, right? I'm assuming that an ATM is my best option (as I don't have time to order foreign currnecy). Is the Belfast Airport equipped with ATMs or is there an option to travel via bus without cash?

tony2phones · Guru

There will be ATM's at the airport. Make sure they are wall mounted Bank affiliated machines. The UK do not regulate cash machines as we do down here and you may come across independent machines which charge and make their own exchange rates. Independent machines are usually free standing in fuel stops, shops and even pubs.

Veteran Member

Thanks for the info.

I just got off the phone with the banks and found out that since I bank with Bank of America, I can use any Barclays ATM without any fee except for the 1% foreign transaction fee ($5 plus 1% fee everywhere else). There is a Barclays .5 miles from my hotel! Unfortunately, there is not one at the airport!

So it looks like I will have to use another bank's ATM just to get to Barclays' ATM.

I also found out that BoA and both of my credit cards now charge 3% on purchases. Last time I went to Spain BoA charged 3% but the credit cards only charged 1%. Fees suck!

Michele Erdvig · Host

My Capital One credit card has no foreign transaction fees. One of the few that don't.

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Michele Erdvig wrote:
My Capital One credit card has no foreign transaction fees. One of the few that don't.

I saw in your article where you recommend that we shop around for a new card before going. As I read it I thought, "Mine only charges 1% so it is not worth the hassle." Little did I know that they raised it. I should have shopped around!

Michele Erdvig · Host

Get one before your next trip abroad! wink