We are signed up for the 14 day Ireland tour next year and are pondering (well in advance) what to do in Dublin. The following line in the RS trip itinerary has us wondering...."On our way out of Dublin, we'll stop at Kilmainham Gaol (when possible)". Why "when possible"? We definitely want to go there and understand that last minute tickets are sometimes hard to get. What would preclude us from going on the tour and will we know in advance?
Posted by
1172 posts
Kilmainham was a highlight for us. We bought our tickets ahead of time and were so happy that we did as the day was sold out and a number of people were turned away.
I know that they sometimes close for special events/filming/ recording.. I wonder if that is what is meant by when possible
Posted by
Downingtown, USA
2449 posts
I would contact Rick Steve's tour department and see what they mean. Have been there four times and it was the highlight of our times in Dublin.
Posted by
Chicago
555 posts
This is only a guess: Kilmainham Gaol is not in the city center. It's a bit off the beaten path. If there are time constraints, maybe the tour skips the site. I took the DART, the Dublin Area Rapid Transit, to get to the Kilmainham.
Kilmainham is well worth visiting. It's a fascinating site.
Posted by
Kihei, Hawaii
475 posts
I agree ~ highlight of our trip as well so I would check on what they mean.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Group reservations have sometimes been hard to get at Kilmainham Gaol for the morning slot that we need to make the day's itinerary work. In those cases, another stop was substituted. But I understand that we have now completed booking for most, or perhaps all, 2017 tour dates. On the off chance that it's not scheduled, you'd normally be alerted by email a month before your tour departs.
Posted by
OP
14 posts
Thank you all for your helpful responses, and a special thanks to Laura who set my mind at ease. We are very much looking forward to the Ireland trip and really did not want to run the risk of missing the Kilmainham Gaol.
Posted by
Gator country
176 posts
On my RS Ireland tour our group could not tour KG because cruise ship tours had scheduled all of the slots. We were never told ahead of time, we didn't find out until the night of our first meeting. Fortunately most on our tour were able to schedule individual appointments during the afternoon on tour day 2. Great experience, don't miss it.
Posted by
OP
14 posts
Ray, Thanks for the warning. Hopefully the RS team has corrected this oversight. Nevertheless, I will stay on top of the situation as the date approaches.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
How could RS "correct the oversight" of other tours booking the available slots?
Posted by
OP
14 posts
Ah, but the oversight was not being beaten by the boat, but by not notifying the tour members until they actually started the tour. The itinerary sent about a month before the tour starts could have been modified since Gaol tickets are obviously obtained well in advance. See Laura's note.