Hello everyone,
My name is Bernie and I'm the DH. I felt compelled to post a few notes on our recent trip to Ireland since we had such a fantastic time. Here goes!
I have to compliment both Disney Adventures and our tour guides, Courtney and Jennae, all did a teriffic job making this truely a first class event. The other members of the group, a small one with a total of 12 people, were all great too. So first came Dublin. Our tour guide was waiting in the lobby of the Westin Hotel to greet us as we arrived via the private care provided by Disney. The location was perfect, right next to Trintiy collage and the Temple Bar area, where the night life, Pubs and restaurants are all within an easy 5 to 10 min. walk. Dinner the first night was hosted in a private room and you have a chance to get to know everyone going on the tour with you. This event actually set the tone of the trip as we quickly made 12 new friends for the week.
I'll be brief and only mention some of the highlights, that'll be tough since there were so many! The Guinness tour was so much fun. There were tons of people lining up to get into the building. The Disney group however was ushered right in and we met our private guide. All of the other groups and people were jostling for position to start their "self guided" tour. You actually learn why Guinness tastes soooo much better in Ireland than in the States! After the tour we had a private lunch, including a pint of Guinness, which included as one of the selections Guinness Stew. It was terrific. A panaramic view of the city from the top of the world's largets "pint glass" concluded the event, perfect!
The trip to Killarney on the bus, a really comfortable one, was beautiful. You can't imagine the countryside so beautiful. A lot was learned from the guides on the road. They were knowledgable, friendly and always available. In fact most of the time you didn't even notice the coordination or effort it took to pull everything together because it all happened so seemlessly. About half way to Killarney we stopped at Cashel for another privte tour of the Cathederal where St. Patrick lived. The private guide was extremely knowledgeable and interesting. A great spot for pictures. (By the way, you are never on the bus too long, the ride is broken up with enroute tours such as Cashel or lunches etc.)
Killarney is a fun town, lots of restaurants, Pubs and shops. We decided along with Judy and Liz to see "River Dance" which was playing in town. A 5 min. cab ride away and another fun night. Killarney National Park is directly behind the hotel, the best one in town by the way, and you get to take a horse drawn carriage through some of it.
The wine and cheese tasting along with the Irish dancers was great fun. We hung out with them for awhile afterwards and like all of the locals we met, they were great hosts. (You should see the videos of Judy and my wife "performing" with the real dancers!)
It seems like whenever we had dinner scheduled on our own, we always ran into somebody from our group at the same place, and had another great unplanned experience with new friends.
Dromoland Castle is difficult to express in a narrative. It is on the high end of the 5 star scale. As you arrive the entire staff is waiting outside to greet you as you get off the bus. The grounds are magnificent and the estate's property seems endless. Anything you can think of as an activity, you can do here. This place and the Medieval dinner at the Bunratty Castel rank way up there as highlights of the trip!
Oh yea, you almost never deal with luggage or check-ins, this is part of the staff work addressed by the guides which make the trip so enjoyable.
I think Disney, to include the guides, hit this one right out of the ball park. They even scheduled dry, 70 degree weather for the entire trip! Our lasting moments will certainly include the wonderful friends we made throughout the week. Thanks to all of you!
My name is Bernie and I'm the DH. I felt compelled to post a few notes on our recent trip to Ireland since we had such a fantastic time. Here goes!
I have to compliment both Disney Adventures and our tour guides, Courtney and Jennae, all did a teriffic job making this truely a first class event. The other members of the group, a small one with a total of 12 people, were all great too. So first came Dublin. Our tour guide was waiting in the lobby of the Westin Hotel to greet us as we arrived via the private care provided by Disney. The location was perfect, right next to Trintiy collage and the Temple Bar area, where the night life, Pubs and restaurants are all within an easy 5 to 10 min. walk. Dinner the first night was hosted in a private room and you have a chance to get to know everyone going on the tour with you. This event actually set the tone of the trip as we quickly made 12 new friends for the week.
I'll be brief and only mention some of the highlights, that'll be tough since there were so many! The Guinness tour was so much fun. There were tons of people lining up to get into the building. The Disney group however was ushered right in and we met our private guide. All of the other groups and people were jostling for position to start their "self guided" tour. You actually learn why Guinness tastes soooo much better in Ireland than in the States! After the tour we had a private lunch, including a pint of Guinness, which included as one of the selections Guinness Stew. It was terrific. A panaramic view of the city from the top of the world's largets "pint glass" concluded the event, perfect!
The trip to Killarney on the bus, a really comfortable one, was beautiful. You can't imagine the countryside so beautiful. A lot was learned from the guides on the road. They were knowledgable, friendly and always available. In fact most of the time you didn't even notice the coordination or effort it took to pull everything together because it all happened so seemlessly. About half way to Killarney we stopped at Cashel for another privte tour of the Cathederal where St. Patrick lived. The private guide was extremely knowledgeable and interesting. A great spot for pictures. (By the way, you are never on the bus too long, the ride is broken up with enroute tours such as Cashel or lunches etc.)
Killarney is a fun town, lots of restaurants, Pubs and shops. We decided along with Judy and Liz to see "River Dance" which was playing in town. A 5 min. cab ride away and another fun night. Killarney National Park is directly behind the hotel, the best one in town by the way, and you get to take a horse drawn carriage through some of it.
The wine and cheese tasting along with the Irish dancers was great fun. We hung out with them for awhile afterwards and like all of the locals we met, they were great hosts. (You should see the videos of Judy and my wife "performing" with the real dancers!)
It seems like whenever we had dinner scheduled on our own, we always ran into somebody from our group at the same place, and had another great unplanned experience with new friends.
Dromoland Castle is difficult to express in a narrative. It is on the high end of the 5 star scale. As you arrive the entire staff is waiting outside to greet you as you get off the bus. The grounds are magnificent and the estate's property seems endless. Anything you can think of as an activity, you can do here. This place and the Medieval dinner at the Bunratty Castel rank way up there as highlights of the trip!
Oh yea, you almost never deal with luggage or check-ins, this is part of the staff work addressed by the guides which make the trip so enjoyable.
I think Disney, to include the guides, hit this one right out of the ball park. They even scheduled dry, 70 degree weather for the entire trip! Our lasting moments will certainly include the wonderful friends we made throughout the week. Thanks to all of you!
