A few Ireland questions

[2littlestitches]

Hi there! I have just a few questions for any of you who have taken an ABD Ireland trip recently.

1) We are disappointed that Blarney Castle was eliminated from the ABD. I realize that some people think the whole concept is gross, but we really hate to tour Ireland and not get to visit the Blarney Stone. Has anyone here felt the same way, and arranged a journey there on your own? In looking at it, the best option seems to be to arrange a day tour from Dublin. We would do a pre-night or two in Dublin to accomplish this. Any thoughts or experiences?

2) We will be traveling with an 18 year old, and we know the drinking age is 18 in Ireland. I am curious as to how Disney handles this particular situation. Will he be allowed to try a beer, or will Disney abide by USA rules of 21 and up? Just wondering, as it appears there is a pub crawl for "adults" and technically he is one by Ireland standards. Trying to manage our family's expectations on this ahead of time. I'm aware this is perhaps a sensitive issue given the discrepancy in legal drinking age between our countries.

3) Can anyone comment on the welcome dinner experience in Ireland? This is a unique situation, but there is a concert our family really wants to attend in Dublin, and it happens to fall on the welcome dinner evening. We've been on 3 other ABD's, so obviously we know the drill on how the trip is introduced, you meet fellow adventurers that evening, etc. We typically would never want to miss this dinner, but we REALLY want to attend this concert and we are attempting to plan our trip around it. I really wish the concert was the night before, but it's beyond my control. Is the welcome dinner here a not-to-be-missed experience? Sounds like a harpist is playing or some other musical entertainment occurs. If anyone can fill me in on this, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks so much for any info you might have!

 

[kaseyC]

If you haven't already booked the Ireland ABD, I would suggest you take look at the Tauck Bridges Ireland Forever. It's a fantastic itinerary that includes Blarney Castle.

 

[laceltris3]

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[Woodview]

I LIVE in Cork and about a 20 min drive from Blarney Castle .

Take The PaddyWagon Tour to Blarney

OR

Take an AIRCOACH Bus from Dublin center to St.Patricks Quay in Cork , a 3 hr journey each way , &

( A ) take local bus 215 to Blarney & then a 5 min walk to the entrance to the Castle

( B ) take The PaddyWagon Day tour from Cork & see Blarney & other sights that way .... The P.W. BUS IS on

St.Patricks Quay.

( C ) FAILING ALL the Above .... If you arrive in Cork I WILL drive you there ..... IF I AM Home .


There are 3 Hotels All within a 5 min walk of St. Patricks Quay , The Metropole . Jurys Inn , & The Clarion

In Blarney There is the Blarney Woolen Mills Hotel & Many Bed & Breakfast places

..............................................

Now Drinking . Any person over age 18 IS ALLOWED to Drink . Proof of age may be asked for.

DRINKING & DRIVING is NOT ALLOWED anymore .... ( A dramatic fall to drinking trade has caused uproar )

............................................................

Which Concert & Where & which Hotel are you staying at. ?

If it is at the O2 venue then it is a 10 min tram ( LUAS ) journey to O'Connell Street

......................

Hope all this helps send me your phone No or " e " mail me for more info.

 

[carpenta]

Going to Ireland and not kissing the Blarney Stone is unforgivable. There are some tacky things all tourists must partake in to qualify as a tourist.

 

[2-pointdoe]

On our Italy trip there were several older teens (16 and up) and they were allowed at the
wine tastings and to taste wine. Same as for beer and drinks on the pirate ship.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Hi there! I have just a few questions for any of you who have taken an ABD Ireland trip recently.

1) We are disappointed that Blarney Castle was eliminated from the ABD. I realize that some people think the whole concept is gross, but we really hate to tour Ireland and not get to visit the Blarney Stone. Has anyone here felt the same way, and arranged a journey there on your own? In looking at it, the best option seems to be to arrange a day tour from Dublin. We would do a pre-night or two in Dublin to accomplish this. Any thoughts or experiences?

2) We will be traveling with an 18 year old, and we know the drinking age is 18 in Ireland. I am curious as to how Disney handles this particular situation. Will he be allowed to try a beer, or will Disney abide by USA rules of 21 and up? Just wondering, as it appears there is a pub crawl for "adults" and technically he is one by Ireland standards. Trying to manage our family's expectations on this ahead of time. I'm aware this is perhaps a sensitive issue given the discrepancy in legal drinking age between our countries.

3) Can anyone comment on the welcome dinner experience in Ireland? This is a unique situation, but there is a concert our family really wants to attend in Dublin, and it happens to fall on the welcome dinner evening. We've been on 3 other ABD's, so obviously we know the drill on how the trip is introduced, you meet fellow adventurers that evening, etc. We typically would never want to miss this dinner, but we REALLY want to attend this concert and we are attempting to plan our trip around it. I really wish the concert was the night before, but it's beyond my control. Is the welcome dinner here a not-to-be-missed experience? Sounds like a harpist is playing or some other musical entertainment occurs. If anyone can fill me in on this, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks so much for any info you might have!

ABD Ireland was our very first ABD way back in 2007, which was very early in the ABD days. The original itinerary did not have Blarney Castle on it. We went on our own prior to the start of the tour. It is very touristy, but IMO one of those have to do things in Ireland to cross off the list We were at a family reunion in West Cork and went from there so I don't have any advice on transportation.

From my experience, ABD leaves the determination of whether 18 year olds can drink up to the family. Both of my children have had alcohol on ABDs when they met the legal age of that particular country. I viewed it as a great way to introduce them to alcohol legally and responsibly. It's actually 16 in the UK for beer as long as with parents in a restaurant or pub that serves food (you'll want to look up the exact rule or ask). Others may disagree, but I like the European way of not making a big deal out of it, and it has worked for our family. It actually became the group joke on our Scotland trip, when my young daughter joked about the whisky tasting being what she was looking forward to most on the trip. Our group was dubbed Clan McWhisky after that. She was actually too young to drink on that particular trip though, LOL.

If the concert is U2 I say go for it without hesitation It was actually a bucket list item for me to see U2 in Dublin, and still ranks as one of the top things my family has ever done on any vacation. But back to your question ... I don't recall the welcome dinner being anything special, but I'm sure they've changed it in the 12 years since I was on the trip. As you know the drill, it's fun but definitely an easy thing to sacrifice if the concert is something you really want to do.

 

[2littlestitches]

ABD Ireland was our very first ABD way back in 2007, which was very early in the ABD days. The original itinerary did not have Blarney Castle on it. We went on our own prior to the start of the tour. It is very touristy, but IMO one of those have to do things in Ireland to cross off the list We were at a family reunion in West Cork and went from there so I don't have any advice on transportation.

From my experience, ABD leaves the determination of whether 18 year olds can drink up to the family. Both of my children have had alcohol on ABDs when they met the legal age of that particular country. I viewed it as a great way to introduce them to alcohol legally and responsibly. It's actually 16 in the UK for beer as long as with parents in a restaurant or pub that serves food (you'll want to look up the exact rule or ask). Others may disagree, but I like the European way of not making a big deal out of it, and it has worked for our family. It actually became the group joke on our Scotland trip, when my young daughter joked about the whisky tasting being what she was looking forward to most on the trip. Our group was dubbed Clan McWhisky after that. She was actually too young to drink on that particular trip though, LOL.

If the concert is U2 I say go for it without hesitation It was actually a bucket list item for me to see U2 in Dublin, and still ranks as one of the top things my family has ever done on any vacation. But back to your question ... I don't recall the welcome dinner being anything special, but I'm sure they've changed it in the 12 years since I was on the trip. As you know the drill, it's fun but definitely an easy thing to sacrifice if the concert is something you really want to do.

Thanks so much for your response! And to all others who have responded, too! Very helpful, and I appreciate it!

 

[Woodview]

I was in Blarney this afternoon lots of people around

Blarney Woolen Mills is the place to by " Souvenirs " & good quality Goods ..... Not Tacky Stuff

 

[mouthdoc]

We did the Ireland ABD almost 2 years ago. You are going to love Ireland and this tour! Regarding Blarney Castle, my personal opinion is to not worry about it one bit. If you are going to add days, I'd visit Northern Ireland or Cork before I'd go to Blarney. Blarney Castle is kind of like the leaning tower of Pisa, a tourist attraction that gets a lot of attention, but is not very special or important. Yes, your 18 year old can drink if desired. The welcome dinner is fun of course, but not a must do. Yes, there was harpist playing during the meal - very nice. Go to the concert and have a good time, no worries.