We are traveling to Ireland (from Ohio) for the first time in April 2024. The first two nights we'll stay in Dublin.
Assuming our flight arrives on time at 8:40AM, is it reasonable to think we could clear customs/immigration, drop our luggage at The Alex Hotel, and then start a food tour near Trinity College at 11AM? Feels like a tight turn, but hoping it's a good way to eat lunch and keep us awake!
I haven’t been to Dublin in a while and can’t recall how long it took to get to the city. However, even if it is doable, I’d be reluctant to plan a tour at that time if I had to pay in advance and it was expensive. If your flight is late, you will be out the money. Is that a risk you are willing to take?
We can cancel the food tour up to 24 hrs in advance without penalty. Yes, I think we're willing to risk it as long as it's doable under the best circumstances. I'm just not sure how long it will take to exit the airport, travel to the city centre, and drop our bags. I believe the start of the food tour is a 10-15 min walk from The Alex Hotel.
The time needed for clearing customs/immigration, exiting the airport, and getting into the city can vary widely. Making it to your tour can be done in theory -- if all goes well and the stars align. I would not risk it, but that's just me. If the cost you stand to lose is minor, then go for it. It the cost is major, you might want to reconsider.
I was researching flights from Detroit to Dublin. One connection uses Boston. I know there's a Delta flight from Boston that arrives in Dublin at 8:40 am. Looking at it's flight history back through August shows that you can count on it flying daily but arrival times appeared variable. There was only one complete cancellation and several days where it arrived an hour late. Once the flight was delayed so long that it arrived at 12:30 pm. Several times it arrived a few minutes early. You won't know your arrival time 24 hours in advance so I'd be reluctant to spend too much money booking an activity that morning.
Good idea to check flight history. The past couple of weeks, the nonstop Aer Lingus flight from CLE to DUB has been mostly on time or even an hour early. Occasionally, it was 20-30 min delayed. I will message the tour operator to see if we can join midway in the (hopefully) unlikely event we’re delayed. Among other things, travel has taught us to go with the flow and be ok with last minute adjustments. TBD!
In April 2022 when I went to Dublin it was important to me to tour Newgrange but the only opportunity was the day I arrived. My flight landed around 7:30 am and I was able to get to the tour on time at 9:40. I was in frequent contact with the tour operator and she knew what I was planning. We had an agreement that I would try my best to get there but if there was a snafu I would not be charged for the tour. The way I made it work was by flying with carryon only and moving my seat to premium economy so I was off the plane quickly. I scurried as fast as I could to immigration without making any stops and I was first in line for the passport check. I then took a cab to my hotel, dropped my suitcase, got a takeaway breakfast, and walked the few blocks to the meetup spot. So it can be done if everything goes right. I did really enjoy the tour but will say that I was quite jet lagged and am sure I missed a lot of the information due to brain fog.
Even if it is a tight squeeze on time, do you have an overnight flight? When I fly overnight, I have a touch of a queasy stomach the
next morning. Is that tour only available that particular day?
It's been a while since we've taken an overnight flight. I can't recall feeling queasy, but it's possible. We only have two nights in Dublin so I was hoping to kickstart our visit and keep us awake on the first day. I may cancel the food tour and just plan to walk around on our own. I'm sure the hotel would have suggestions. Hmm.
I would suggest doing one of the RS self guided walking tours instead https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-tours/london (scroll down to Dublin on the page, it's the last listing). It will get you outside and you won't be out any funds if your flight is delayed or you are stuck in traffic on the way in to the city. If you really want to do the food tour schedule it the next day, though with only two nights in Dublin I'd suggest there are other/better things to do than a food tour (I liked Irish food, but I wouldn't prioritize it with such limited time).
Have fun! We stayed at The Alex a couple of years back and it was such a great experience. We landed extremely early in the morning and took a cab right there from the airport. They were fantastic and got us checked in immediately. Let us know how everything goes! :-)
In 2019, we flew Portland to Dallas to Dublin on American. We arrived on time and proceeded to sit on the tarmac for an hour and half waiting for an open gate. You never know what’s going to happen with International travel and hard to predict what’s “reasonable.” Not worth the stress…..but that’s just my opinion.
