Ireland Trip Report **Finally Finished...Sort of p.13**

[slg]

I just called ABD and although they were super friendly and nice they wouldn't/couldn't tell me anything. Pretty much the tour can be canceled at any time until we leave. :sad1

He also said that ABD wouldn't help me with rebooking fees for european flights so I think I'm completely hooped if we are canceled. I guess we'll try to find another tour company if possible or just do it on our own.

This was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime and a celebration of our 20th anniversary. Now it feels like a nightmare.

The fellow sounded surprised that I had so much information about the canceled trips, so I told him I read it on the disboards.

Good luck on everyone's Irish tours! I hope they go, and I hope that we get to go too! If anyone books on the 22nd of July, say hello to me!

 

[clarabelle]

Wonders -I just booked the Ireland June 17 trip
My DH and I and our girls 14 and 11 at the time of the trip

 

[tigger_ttfn]

Okay, that makes at least 9 known people for the 6/17 trip - Wonders (3), Clarabelle (4), and me (2).

Surely there is at least one more family booked otherwise they wouldn't have given us this date.

Sounds promising to me!!

 

[Wonders10]

Wonders -I just booked the Ireland June 17 trip
My DH and I and our girls 14 and 11 at the time of the trip

That's great! Are you doing any pre or post night?

Okay, that makes at least 9 known people for the 6/17 trip - Wonders (3), Clarabelle (4), and me (2).

Surely there is at least one more family booked otherwise they wouldn't have given us this date.

Sounds promising to me!!

I agree...it seems like it would be incredibly stupid of ABD to cancel trips and inconvenience travelers TWICE for one trip. Now I think I can finally start getting excited! Although I'm so busy at work and stressed out with a new puppy and awaiting news on the short sale I bid on that I am having a hard time finding time to get excited!

 

[clarabelle]

Erin -the ABD rep I spoke to the most today acted like it was almost full. She acted like the trips that they were pushing 13,17th and July 22 were a go.
She said she would not put me in a trip likely to be cancelled -but could not make any guarantees.


The whole airlines booking being done by a different person than the rest of the tour seemed frustrating.
We are doing one pre-night -the day the trip starts (17th) is my DDs 11th birthday

 

[Wonders10]

As I mentioned many times earlier, I am traveling with my niece on this adventure. And I've vented on here (mildly compared to here in the "real" world) about how her mom has yet to get her passport and it is completely freaking me out. I'm thinking worse case scenario here, and while my mom and I will still go on the trip and have an awesome time (we originally did not plan to bring her with us), I will be bummed but I will get over it. I will not however, get over paying for a child and not getting my money back. So while I technically hold DSIL responsible for re-paying me that money even though she is not going and my mom and I were originally paying her fare, I do not want that money to just disappear. I'm just assuming it does not get refunded so is there a way to transfer it to a WDW credit and use it for WDW resort, etc. to use at a later date?


Now assuming passport does come in time, is there any special documentation I would need since I'm traveling with a minor who is not my child and doesn't even have the same last name as me?

Thanks for answering my questions (if you can!). I spent a lot of this weekend reading about things to do in Dublin since it seems we'll have a decent amount of time there, including the pre-night.

 

[sayhello]

I'm just assuming it does not get refunded so is there a way to transfer it to a WDW credit and use it for WDW resort, etc. to use at a later date?

To my knowledge there is no way to "transfer" a reservation, to, say WDW or DCL. And ABD considers changing the date of a reservation as a cancellation, and you lose your deposit ($300). But it couldn't hurt to call ABD & ask what options there are.

Now assuming passport does come in time, is there any special documentation I would need since I'm traveling with a minor who is not my child and doesn't even have the same last name as me?

You definitely need documentation/written authorization to take a child whom you are not the parent or guardian for out of the country. I'm not sure if there is a form, or if it's just a notarized letter or what. I bet ABD could answer that for you, also.

Sayhello

 

[DOPEYLUVER]

As I mentioned many times earlier, I am traveling with my niece on this adventure. And I've vented on here (mildly compared to here in the "real" world) about how her mom has yet to get her passport and it is completely freaking me out.

If it makes you feel any better, it took less than 3 weeks to get passports for my two teenagers for our recent trip to Ireland. My kids are 18 and 17. They absolutely loved the trip and Ireland. It was through a completely different tour operator. I will say though that this was my third tour and we had the best tour guide ever. What a difference in the experience. I hope you get a great guide like we had.

 

[MerissaAndMomLoveDis]

is there any special documentation I would need since I'm traveling with a minor who is not my child and doesn't even have the same last name as me?

Yes. You need a notarized affidavit signed by BOTH of her parents explaining your relationship to the child and that you have permission from both of them to take her, and where you are permitted to take her to. But I encourage you to ask ABD for sure what you need for Ireland (and don't forget to ask about any other country in which you might land in an airport on the way if you plan on going thru customs and leaving the airport for a brief time during a layover).

I have been to many countries with my daughter (just the two of us) and a few times I have been asked in airports to show that I have her father's permission to travel internationally with her. This is a precaution to make sure that one parent is not fleeing the jurisdiction of the court with a child in order to avoid a custody battle or custody order (i.e. parental kidnapping). I always carry a certified copy of the court Order which says I have sole custody of her AND that I have the court's permission to travel internationally with her without his consent AND that I have the sole right to control her passport. But a notarized affidavit from the parent (in your case both parents) is supposed to be acceptable.

Please don't forget this--very important!!! I am surprised that AbD has not brought this up to you...maybe they don't realize that the child is not the child of one of the adults booked in the room?

Have fun!!!!

 

[Wonders10]

My mom spoke with my brother tonight and....

the passport has finally been ordered! Now I'm not exactly sure when they did it but the paperwork is all in and now all we have to do is wait. Relief is an understatement right now!

I also spoke with an ABD rep about traveling with a minor. Basically she told me that we need a notarized statement from both parents stating all the info - where she is going, who with, when, etc. DSIL has already given us a copy of a medical release too. Hopefully that will be enough. I may ask again when it gets a tad closer just to double check.

Now I am back on to being excited! I've watching a couple Ireland shows that I have DVRed and it is so neat watching them now that I know that I will be in some of those places!

 

[wdwsos]

This is a good article about cruising with minor children who are not your own, but it applies to other travel as well. There's a link at the bottom to a sample letter:

http://www.cruisediva.com/parental_permission1.htm

Dotti

 

[Turtlemom]

In response to Dopeyluvr's comment above that you took a trip to Ireland with a different tour operator and had a great time--do you mind if I ask which tour operator you used? Have you ever taken an ABD before? If so, I would be very interested to know how they compare.

Thanks for any info. . . .

Turtlemom

 

[slg]

We took a tour of Ireland in 1994 with Cosmos. It was wonderful! Even though Cosmos is a budget company, the hotels were great, the breakfasts were great, the tourguide was fantastic, and everything was top-notch! I would definitely travel with them again, but we decided to go with ABD for the kids. However, considering the cost of this tour, our next European tour will be with another company as ABD is just too expensive for us, and with the Canadian dollar so unstable we really shouldn't be doing this tour. We can afford it, but barely and its causing me a lot of stress.

Having said that, I'm planning to fully enjoy my ABD experience, as its going to be a once in a lifetime one and a celebration of our twentieth anniversary!

(My son will turn 8 on our trip and is hoping ABD will do something special for him)

 

[Turtlemom]

Thanks for the feedback, Slg! I'd be really interested to hear how the ABD trip compares to the Cosmos trip you took earlier. I'm sure that they will do something special for your 8 yr. old on the trip and I hope that you have a great time!

Turtlemom

 

[Wonders10]

Hey everyone!

This isn't really an update...more of a "I'M SO EXCITED FOR OUR TRIP TO GET HERE!" post.

Did I mention I'm excited?

Our trip is now completely paid in full...I'm actually pretty pleased at the final amount my mom and I ended up spending. Including airfare, it came out to getting my niece's trip for free when we look at the money we saved up. And we are still saving for spending once we are there.

I've been reading tour books and anything that has the words "Ireland" or a picture of a shamrock on it. Same goes with tv shows. I'm becoming quite an Irish historian haha.

I really need to get shopping for some clothes...and I desperately need new sneakers. This weekend I am planning on heading to a local store that sells TONS of Vera Bradley merchandise to see if they have a bag that is on sale, but no longer available on their website. I know ABD gives us backpacks, but I just don't feel comfortable using a bag that advertises we are tourists. Even if we will look like tourists anyway. They will still get plenty of use though.

Hope all my fellow Emerald Isle travelers are doing well with their planning!

 

[Wonders10]

What is everyone planning on doing during their free time. I have spent the majority of my time thinking of Dublin things to do:
*Dublin Zoo
*Hop on Hop off bus tour
*Trinity College (other than the book of kells)

What else would you suggest or have planned?

Stupid question maybe, but how do you call back to the U.S. My cell does not have international service and we will definitely want to get in touch with my DSIL (niece's mom) and my cousin who is dog-sitting for my mom and I. i was thinking of buying international calling cards.

Has anyone received their plane tickets yet? The ABD rep told me 30 days out which is about now so I'm keeping my eye out for them.

I'm also hanging up my potential outfits in the closet to see what I have and don't have. I'm having a really hard time deciding if I will be too warm or too cold with certain outfits. I'm from Florida so 60's can be chilly to us...but if it is sunny, I could get away with short sleeves and light pants. Suggestions?

How is everyone else's planning coming? I can't believe it is so close!

 

[redzinner]

We booked one pre-night so we've pretty much decided to walk Dublin on Friday (this Friday in fact ) after arrival and possibly hit Jameson Distillery. On Saturday we plan on getting a bus to Newgrange to have a look see at the neolithic monuments, megalithic passage tomb, etc and hopefully be back in time for the reception dinner that evening. You'll be surprised at how fast your 'free' time goes when there are so many new things to see and enjoy.

I hear you about the Florida/Ireland wardrobe. I'm taking 2 sweaters (pullover), scarf and gloves for the chill coming off the Irish Sea. I think layering is going to be the best bet. I've finished my 'test' pack and made it under 40 lbs so I'm happy.

Can't comment on the other 2 items in your post since I did my own airlines and my phone has International standard calling at 1.29 per minute. I won't use it much, just for emergencies if needed.

 

[sayhello]

Only a few days left, redzinner? Whee! Enjoy, enjoy your trip! Looking forward to your trip report when you get back!!!

Sayhello

 

[azdisfan]

We went to Ireland last August, and we did a pre-night. One of the places we went was the National Museum. It was really interesting and you can do it in couple of hours.
Weather was warmer than I expected, I took to warm of clothes. It was a beautiful trip, we made the circle from Dublin to Galway and back to Dublin. No matter what you do it will be a fun trip.
azdisfan

 

[Stringman]

Hi Shannon, forgive me for popping into your thread, but im here in Ireland, 20miles south of Dublin city centre, on the Wicklow coast. About a month ago I came across this tread while googling something else, and I was drawn in to read by how enthusiastic you were about coming to Ireland. So I`ve come back a couple of times in passing to see how your plans were going. I have to say, you seem to be so looking forward to coming over here, im a bit worried about us not living up to all your dreams, but hopefully it will be all you hope for. Anyway, I just felt I should give you a couple of thoughts in reply to your last post. On the cloths front, at that time in june id guess the normal temp in Dublin should be round 20 degrees C, which I think is the mid sixty`s in degrees F, but remember if its rainy it will be quite a bit lower, plus if the winds off the sea it will be cooler as the sea never gets that warm round here. remember your light rain jacket, and you`ll have no worries. As to what to do, can I suggest, as the rest of your trip is so organised you just go for a long wander, assuming the weather`s`not to bad. A nice circuit I sometimes do myself is to wander up grafton street, cross the road into stephens green, stroll past the ponds and lawns. if its a nice day in june, it will be full of people just relaxing. then mayby come out of the park at the southern end and wander on to merrian square, where you pass government buildings, which are quite impressive. The oscar wild statue at the corner of the square is worth seeing. Also the national gallery is here, which is not hugh, but has a fair few world renouned pictures, plus its always a good spot for a coffee or lunch break. then you can head into trinity if you like, it is a nice place on a sunny day. After that I would strongly suggest you just stop off in a pub, and just relax over a nice drink, and a chat with whoever may be around. Finally, mayby wander down the river, and see the custom house which is without douth the finest building in Dublin. There`s a new bridge being put in down there, which looks like A harp on its side, very pretty, so have a look for it. In short just be part of dublin while your here, rather than running round the tourist stuff. I really hope you have a wonderfull time, and have a big smile on your face when you cross the river that gave you your name later in your trip. I`ll actually be on a fishing weekend in the shannon estuary, when you arrive in Ireland. If there`s anything you think I can tell you, just ask. enjoy.