I am now booked (a slight change) on the 14 day Ireland tour, April 21 - May 4. My current plan is to fly into Dublin 7 days early ... get over jet lag (I don't sleep on planes), explore some things in Dublin that are not covered by the tour (the tour covers very little), and take several day trips out of Dublin (have many things identified from reading posts and guidebooks).
Then, at the end, (tour ends at breakfast on a Saturday), stay in Belfast one extra night for the Saturday market (also on Sunday) and to explore a bit more. Then, on Sunday, take one of the buses to the Dublin airport, and stay at a hotel at or near the airport, and fly home on Monday, the 6th.
?thoughts on this plan? The only real negative I can think of is if I wanted to shop in Dublin .. I would have to ship home or lug around for the tour.
Appreciate any advice from those who have done pre and post. I don't want to do a lot of moving around since will be moving around alot during the 13 night tour.