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If you could choose only one...


JLMoran

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With four days post-cruise in Ireland next year, we’re trying to figure out what we want to while there. We’re staying in Dublin all four days, in a relatively low-cost but nice-looking / well-reviewed hotel (The Uppercross House). But we do want to see at least some of the natural wonders that Ireland has to offer, and so we’re looking at a couple of day trip options with Paddywagon Tours...

First, a small-group tour to the Cliffs of Moher that includes the following:

  • King John’s Castle
  • Wild Atlantic Way coastal drive, with stops at the “baby cliffs” and The Burren
  • Lunch in the village of Doolin
  • The Cliffs of Moher
  • Snack stop on the return trip (back in Dublin at 7:30, in time for dinner)

Other one we’re looking at is a day tour to the Giant’s Causeway, including:

  • Glens of Antrim
  • Dark Hedges
  • Causeway Coast
  • Carrick-A-rede Rope Bridge
  • Giant’s Causeway
  • Dunluce Castle (photo stop only)
  • Belfast (short tour, with 1 hour of free time in the city center)
  • Return to Dublin about 8:30, in time for late dinner)

I’ll note that there is also a small-group version of the Giant’s Causeway tour offered through their sister company, Elegant Irish Tours, but honestly it didn’t look as interesting.

I’d love to do both, but I think packing two all-day trips like that into an already short time, right after a 2-week cruise with a ton of port days, will be overwhelming. Especially when we want some time to explore Dublin, hopefully see The Book of Kells, visit the Guinness brewery, and maybe go down to Bray to visit my wife’s cousins and maybe explore that area a bit.

So, if you had to choose just one, which one would you choose?

Especially looking for thoughts from the folks who live nearby and maybe have had the chance to visit all of these places. @hayley_bopp, @Joe01, @Ray... I’m sure there are plenty others I know I’m forgetting, feel free to tag them.

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2 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

I have zero suggestions, but I just want to say that I'm jealous as hell (not my first choice of term, but I'm behaving) - I fear I'd never leave Ireland.  I do hope you plan on (live) blogging (even if it's post cruise) and sharing this amazing trip with us.

 

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1 hour ago, SpeedNoodles said:

I do hope you plan on (live) blogging (even if it's post cruise) and sharing this amazing trip with us.

I do plan to blog, but definitely not live. Internet on X is significantly more expensive to begin with, and being so far north I'm guessing that it will be so spotty that a bucket of Tide detergent wouldn't clean it up. Plus, I'm going to be taking something like a hundred bazillion pictures, and I'll need time after I'm home to go through and edit them all (though I plan to do at least some "triage" while on board). So the blog will be another edition of "Not Even REMOTELY Live".

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@JLMoran My vote is the first one and save the next one for another trip. I've only had experience with the first option though. The Cliffs of Moher are an experience. I've been to Ireland a couple of times and it's beautiful! There is so much to see and do. The second option looks great but seems exhausting and better for another time.

 

Either way you will all enjoy yourselves. Ireland was one of my favorite places to visit.

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1 minute ago, HeWhoWaits said:

The Cliffs of Moher are not to be missed. If you only do one, that's the one.

1 minute ago, ellcee said:

@JLMoran My vote is the first one and save the next one for another trip. I've only had experience with the first option though. The Cliffs of Moher are an experience. I've been to Ireland a couple of times and it's beautiful! There is so much to see and do. The second option looks great but seems exhausting and better for another time.

Either way you will all enjoy yourselves. Ireland was one of my favorite places to visit.

Thanks for that, both of you! If nothing else, we are all huge fans of The Princess Bride, and it would be fantastic to actually see the location where they filmed

At the same time, we're also Game of Thrones fans, which is part of why the second tour also has some appeal. But as you say, it looks exhausting and I have a feeling that doing both would leave us too wiped out for anything else during our time there.

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On 11/16/2019 at 7:27 PM, Big Tule said:

 I would choose the small-group tour to the Cliffs of Moher  (but I may be prejudiced as my ancestors came from the Burren area) spectacular scenery and a real feel of Ireland.

 

On 11/18/2019 at 7:19 AM, HeWhoWaits said:

The Cliffs of Moher are not to be missed. If you only do one, that's the one.

My son was in Ireland last year and said the Cliffs of Moher was the highlight of his trip. Well, maybe it's a tie with the Jameson Distillery tour! ??

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On 11/23/2019 at 9:02 AM, FManke said:

Well, maybe it's a tie with the Jameson Distillery tour! ??

On 11/23/2019 at 9:26 AM, ellcee said:

The Jameson Distillery tour is in my top 5 tours of a lifetime. I don’t even like Irish Whiskey 

I'm already being indulged by the family with a tour of the Guinness brewery during one of our days in Dublin. I don't think I could persuade them to do two such tours! ??

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We did a land tour of Ireland this summer. Didn’t visit Northern Ireland so I have no input on Belfast. The Cliffs were quite the site. If you can, try to see them from the sea too. We did a day trip to the closest Aran Island then cruised by the Cliffs by sea before seeing them by land. 
Enjoy your time in Ireland! Beautiful country and the happiest cows I’ve ever seen

 

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On 11/26/2019 at 5:52 PM, Summer Bee Sweet said:

The Cliffs were quite the site. If you can, try to see them from the sea too. We did a day trip to the closest Aran Island then cruised by the Cliffs by sea before seeing them by land. 

I've read that being able to see them from the ocean is very much dependent on weather and wave conditions. The small group tour I'm looking at has been cited as sometimes taking the guests out to sea while at the Burren area, and giving a view of the cliffs from there. But it was noted that's never listed as part of the tour and is always at the discretion of the tour guide.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Sorry for the late reply - I've been sooo busy getting on top of everything ready for my upcoming cruise (c -5 days ?) that I've barely had chance to draw breath let alone get on here ?

Anyhoo, I've never been to any of the countryside listed and I've only been to Belfast once but that was 28 years ago. 

However, I can tell you that all of Ireland is stunning and I'm sure whichever option you pick you will love.

Make sure you eat soda bread, potato cakes and white pudding (all savoury and most likely to be served at breakfast)

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