This is the place for updates on our upcoming Ireland Getaways and for additional information that pertains to your November 7th, 2010 jaunt to the Land of the Leprechaun! Latest Updates...click here EXTENSIVE IRELAND FAQ - CLICK HERE! Ireland: Some Questions and Answers! Q. Do I need to take a hair dryer with me? A. No, they are supplied in each room at the hotel. Q. Is there Internet service at the hotels? A. There may be, but the best bet will be the very inexpensive Internet Cafes located near our hotel in downtown Killarney. Q. What is the electric voltage in Ireland? A. 220 volts. You'll need an adapter to operate most US devices; there normally is a 110 volt electric outlet for shavers in the hotels, but we find it does not always work properly. Q. How about money exchange, etc? A. You may want to bring a small amount of euros with you. You can get such in pre-packaged amounts at AAA offices, or change dollars to euros at most banks here, though most may have to order it for you. Upon our early arrival in Ireland, only the Bureau De Change (not the Irish banks) will be open. We suggest only changing a small amount there. Wait until we arrive in Bray to change the bulk of your dollars. The exchange rate will be better at the local banks and there are several a few blocks away from the hotels! Traveler's Cheques can be exchanged at the bank, with your passport as ID, and you can get them in Euros at many AAA offices in the US. We do not recommend taking Traveler's Cheques in US Dollars. If you take cash, DO NOT take any $100 bills! Due to counterfeit problems, these cannot be exchanged; stick to $50s and under. See below for details on AAA Tip Paks. There is always a variable surcharge for any money exchange, be it at an ATM, Bank or Bureau de Change. We recommend against the use of pre-paid Visa or American Express Travel Cards. Carefully check any purchases that are charged to your credit card directly in US Dollars - often the merchant builds in a hefty premium as part of the exchange rate, but sometimes it CAN BE a better deal... Q. What about credit cards? A. MasterCard and Visa are accepted at most larger stores and restaurants; American Express to a lesser extent. Discover is a US-based card and will not be accepted in Ireland - leave home without it! There are ATMs at banks and the at airport. Credit cards may not be accepted at small shops and other establishments, especially out in the country however, so please keep that in mind! Check with your credit card company to see what fees they levy on ATM transactions in Ireland, as well as foreign exchange fees on purchases. That way the bargain you thought you had might remain as such!! Q. How is the weather in Ireland this time of year? A. Changeable! It will likely be in the 50s by day and upper 40s by night. Expect some rain and some sun. The rain only makes things greener on the Emerald Isle! Dress in layers and take some rain gear with you – at least an umbrella and water resistant shoes and perhaps a raincoat – that way, it won't rain at all!! See the Irish weather link near the bottom of this page for much more on the weather in the Emerald Isle! Q. How do we tip the driver-guide? A. That is entirely at your discretion...We would suggest perhaps 4 to 6 Euros per person per day as a general guide – more or less is up to you and how you feel about the service provided. You may give it to the driver-guide on the last evening or even as we load or depart the coach on the day we head home from Shannon. We'll provide envelopes for you, so not to worry! Q. Is there a rest room on the coach? A. No, unfortunately. Frequent stops will be made however, including for any “emergency” situation. Q. May I leave the group to do my own “thing” one day? A. Certainly! Just be sure to let us know ahead of time so we don't lose you! Nothing is mandatory on this tour!! Q. How should I pack? A. As lightly as possible; you are limited to ONE checked bag on the coach (therefore ONE checked bag on Aer Lingus) per person, NOT to exceed 62 linear inches and 70 lbs each – not that we intend to help with bags that heavy!! You may also bring one carry-on, (needs to be tagged as well) which must weigh 13 pounds or LESS and be within 22X18X10 inches in dimension and one “personal item” (camera bag, purse, etc) per person. Keep ALL medications and film in your carry-on please! See the Aer Lingus baggage info below for more details...For general carry-on baggage guidance, please click here! Note the new restrictions on liquids - if in doubt, put them in a zip-lock bag and then into your CHECKED baggage!!! See the "3-1-1" rules link on our facts page - or click here (PDF download brochure). Q. How about smoking in Ireland? A. Currently, all pubs are still nonsmoking – let's hope it stays that way! Coaches are also nonsmoking. We request that ALL of our rooms at the hotel be nonsmoking! For a great road map of the country simply click here! Click here for the latest Dollar-to-Euro exchange rate!
July 19: The tour operator has been paid in full and our air tickets will be run shortly, with names as we currently have on file. If you have not sent in your TSA form(s) as yet, kindly get them in as soon as possible - we are still missing a few...You can call or email us with your passport expiration date, if you are awaiting its arrival, once you have that available. For those of you who used credit cards for final payment, they should be charged within the next several days...Thanks very much for your cooperation! July 8: As of July 13, NEW passport fees are in effect! Click here to see the new rates, up significantly! If you have not yet applied (shame on you!!!), please do so NOW! Here is a quick link to our scheduled day-by-day itinerary! June 19: We now expect to have breakfast on the morning of arrival at our hotel in Bray. While rooms will not be ready that early, we'll be able to relax there, go for a walk and perhaps explore a bit of the town prior to check-in. Once the banks are open, we'll be able to exhange our money nearby. When our rooms are ready, porters will take our bags from the coach and deliver them directly. The hotel's pool and hot tub should be available for your use as well...The remainder of the day will be free to rest or continue to explore this seacoast town before dinner at the hotel Monday evening... June 17: Please note slight flight schedule change below! May 26: Our limited PARKING is now FULL at the agency...Space has been arranged, based on order of deposit for the tour, for the following folks only: **Lombardi, Brooks, Sweeney, Connors, Riley** If you are not car-pooling with any of the above passengers, kindly make arrangements to be dropped off for our Sunday departure on November 7 by 1:45pm...Thanks! :) Now that we have our final passenger count, the rate for the coach to Boston/Logan is set. We've managed to keep it the same as last year thankfully - $85 per person round-trip, including taxes, tolls and driver's gratuity. That will be invoiced on September 1st and is payable by check only, due by October 1st at the very latest (so we can pay Peter Pan on time!). Please keep in mind that this is at cost and so, except for our few out-of-state passengers, who will be meeting us at Boston/Logan, everyone else's participation is greatly appreciated. Thanks!! Here is a link to our hotel location on Main Street in Bray. You'll see that the train (DART) is only about 4 blocks away and Bray Head and the seaside promenade are just beyond that, as are all of the restaurants and shops, etc. All in all, a pretty good location! You might choose, weather permitting, to join us on a hike along the seacoast from Bray to Greystones, with a return via train, guided by our fearless driver/guide John O'Neill! Please click here to see a lovely shot of Bray Head to the north, along the path in Greystones! The exact day/time will be determined during the trip... In the interest of being accurate, hotel bedding is either one or two beds, based on your booking of a single, double or a twin. Exact bed size CANNOT be guaranteed. There MAY be a possibility of upgrading on arrival at an additional charge, payable directly to the hotel at check-in, for an executive level room with slightly larger bed(s). This cannot be done ahead of time however and would be based on room availability upon arrival, per the hotel manager. That rate should be around 20EUR per room per night...All of our blocked rooms are on the NONSMOKING floors, guaranteed! If you are booked as a twin, you are guaranteed two beds in your room...Hope this clears up any confusion! Please go to the hotel website for further details on the accommodations and other hotel facilities. Our charter coach to Boston/Logan has been secured. This year, we'll be traveling with Peter Pan Bus Lines out of Springfield - top notch folks. We have arranged a quick stop in Sturbridge, MA for passenger pick-up of folks who live in that area. That stop is at the Cracker Barrel Restaurant on Route 20, just a few feet from I-84...We'll depart Bloomfield at 2pm on November 7... Document Party Alert! The date for our Document Party and buffet is set for Saturday, October 23 at 6pm, Town & Country Restaurant, 820 Park Avenue, Bloomfield Center and has been confirmed. PLEASE mark your calendars and plan to join us for some great food and fun. Once again, we'll show last year's DVD, give away some neat door prizes, answer all questions and distribute documents. You'll meet your fellow travelers, perhaps make some carpool arrangements for the local coach to Boston (as parking is full here) and have some terrific home-made food... The soup is fabulous!! See you there...D&D CLICK HERE for a map to Town & Country Restaurant. CLICK HERE for a source of 3 ounce or less travel toiletries & other travel essentials that will pass TSA muster! Click here for a route map of the Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) system. One way fare from the city center to Bray is currently 2.75Euro (about $3.75USD) Here is a list of the sights we'll be visiting this trip... * * * * * * * * * * We'll be flying from Boston to Dublin each way this year and the hotel is just 34 miles from the airport, so we'll be heading directly to our hotel for breakfast upon arrival. For NOW, there is NO checked baggage fee for the FIRST bag, per traveler, on Aer Lingus. A 2nd checked bag will set you back $50 - for the moment - at check-in, so...our advice is to keep it to ONE checked bag, one small carry-on and one personal item per person and avoid any fees! Again, we'll keep you posted if this changes. JOHN O'NEILL has been requested once again, as our driver/guide for the week. We fully expect, God willing, to have him with us for the week! ***For a map to us at 16 Brooke St, Bloomfield, [CLICK HERE]*** **This tour has a 100% cancellation penalty (thus the travel protection insurance!). Why is the insurance mandatory? Even in the very unlikely event that you have medical insurance that will cover you in Ireland for accident/illness, etc, that insurance will NOT cover you should you have to cancel for such reasons prior to departure! Your medical insurance will also NOT cover you if you have to cancel due to a pre-existing condition of any kind (or such a situation with a traveling companion or immediate family member) OR if the Tour Operator (Sceptre Tours) or the Airline Carrier (Aer Lingus) defaults financially or fails to operate, causing the tour not to operate! We therefore will decline to accept any group passengers who for whatever reasons opt not to purchase such coverage...It is for YOUR protection as well as ours! Thanks for understanding... Insurance premium is based on age and total trip cost. Please ask for details...Insurance protection provided by Travel Insured of East Hartford, CT. * * * * * * * * * * There is a sit-down restaurant - Houlihans - just beyond security and to the left, in Logan Terminal E. We expect to have time for dinner if you'd like, or there is a food court to the right after security...We invite you to join us at Houlihans prior to our departure - D&D CLICK HERE for a map of Logan Terminal E Dinner will be served (such as it is) not long after take-off; a VERY minimal breakfast snack will be served prior to landing in Dublin. We will be served a full Irish breakfast at our hotel on the morning of our arrival however! Seating configuration for Aer Lingus' Airbus Aircraft is 2/4/2: a window and aisle, four in the center section and another aisle/window making each row 8 across. This gives each row 2 window and 4 aisle seats, but undoubtedly some folks may be in the center of the "center" section, however, most of our group is usually (note - "usually") seated fairly near each other, but again, it's the luck of the draw so pleeease...grin and bear it!! Thanks! Current Aer Lingus flight schedule, subject to change of course: Depart Boston Sunday, Nov 7 at 7:15pm; arrive Dublin 5:20am Monday, Nov 8, EI 136 (flight is nonstop to Dublin) Depart Dublin Saturday, Nov 13 at 2:00pm, arrive Boston 4:05pm, EI 137, nonstop We should arrive back in Bloomfield by 7pm or earlier, depending on traffic/weather... Upon arrival in Dublin, we'll pass through immigration (have your landing card - which will be given on board the aircraft - and passport ready). After that, we'll proceed to bag claim. You'll collect your luggage (free carts are available) and pass through the GREEN customs channel (nothing to declare) and into the arrivals hall. Our driver/guide will meet us there and we'll then proceed to the coach. CURRENT Aer Lingus Baggage Guidelines for OUR trip: Flights to and from the USA only - Economy ClassTo comply with TSA regulations, passengers will be subject to secondary security screening immediately prior to boarding. CARRY ON INFO:
CHECKED BAGGAGE INFO: New Free Baggage Allowance as of 7/1/09:
For the LATEST rules and regulations related to baggage and security, go to www.aerlingus.com DIRECTIONS TO D&D TRAVEL: To reach us from I-91 north, take the I-291/Windsor Route 218 exit 35B, stay to the left; go left at the end of the ramp and follow west to the light at Blue Hills Ave. Take a right, get into the LEFT lane, go to your 2nd light and turn left onto Park Avenue, at the BP Station. Take your 2nd right onto Nelson Dr and then a left at the stop sign onto Brooke - we are at #16 - the last house on the right at the dead end...From Bloomfield Center, follow Park Ave (Rt 178) east, make NO turns and then go left on Nelson and left onto Brooke St. We are 2 miles from the center of town...From I-91 south, take the Rt 218 exit 35, go right at the end of the ramp and continue as above. From Rt 178 in Bloomfield Center, simply head east toward Windsor; make NO turns! Go 2 miles and take a left onto Nelson Drive, then a left onto Brooke. We suggest you make a "dry run" if you are not familiar with the area, as we MUST depart by 2:00pm and will be UNABLE to wait for anyone!!! Thanks!
D & D TRAVEL SERVICES, LLC: (860) 243-9458 or (800) 613-0282 click to email us: dennis@ddtvl.com |
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