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Ireland and England trip including two tours

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I have started research and planning for a lengthy trip to Ireland and England. We have been to both countries, but want to explore new places and a bit more of London. This will be in 2025.

1) Looking at booking a 10 day Gate 1 tour of Ireland that includes Dublin, Galway and the southern half of the country, especially the scenic SW. Then...
2) Head to London where we stay a few days until we pickup a Rabbies tour (five nights) of Devon and Cornwall that departs from London.
3) Then pickup a Cunard transatlantic cruise back to the USA (NYC).

We would fly into Dublin and then fly home from NYC doing an open jaw.

Cunard has 6 Westbound transatlantics to NYC from March through Sep. Looking at the one departing Southampton on May 16.

Therefore, I must
1) Book air flights from Jacksonville, FLA to Dublin, retuning from NYC to JAX,
2) A flight from Dublin to London after the Irish tour. Flights seem the cheapest and fastest way to get to London. It seems that Aer Lingus or Ryanair are my options. Any suggestion on the best, considering having to pay extra for checking luggage, etc?
3) Considering staying at Premier Inn. Any recommendations on location were we can walk to key sites?
4) We wil need to travel down to Southampton to pick up the Cunard cruise. Should we book a hotel there, the night before the cruise. We did a cruise out of Southamption years ago and stayed at a Holiday Inn close to one of the docks. Also, suggestions on the best way to transport down to Southampton. We will have luggage to roll.
5) Suggestions on where to do laundry after the Irish tour. We would be in London.

Posted by
1232 posts

You can fly from Dublin to most London airports but I would start by looking at options flying into London City (LCY). It is by far the best airport to transit through - it's small, efficient and the nearest airport to central London. Both Aer Lingus and British Airways fly frequently through the day and booking now you should get decent fares. As with all flights within Europe make sure that you understand the full costs involved in the flights including prices for bags and for selecting seats if that's important for you.
For me the easiest way to get to Southampton is by train from Waterloo - 75 minutes or so and prices can be very cheap if booked ahead of time. Then it's just a short taxi ride to the docks. No real need to go down the night before assuming you will only be boarding in the afternoon. Transport by road is both slow and expensive.
If that's the way you want to go then there are two Premier Inns within walking distance of Waterloo station - Waterloo and County Hall. You can get to Waterloo from LCY in about 30 minutes by taking the DLR to Canning Town and changing to the Jubilee line

Posted by
8913 posts

Your trip sounds wonderful!
3) Premier Inn- My personal favorites are Premier Inn Waterloo and Premier Inn County Hall. They are just a few blocks away from each other. Walkable to Westminster, close to many transport options. Other choices can also be good, just avoid Premier Hub as the space becomes quite small.
4) I have taken National Express Coach to Southampton for a cruise and found it very easy and the least expensive option. I like that the driver loads your bag(s) under the bus for you and you are not really dealing with them too much. The Southampton Coach Station is located just .3 miles from the Premier Inn Southampton West Quay Hotel which is very reasonably priced.

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