Issue #12…

First…News Flash!

We’ve set the date for our group meeting. I mean, it’s still a bit in the distance and if a large number of you can’t make it, I suppose we can still wiggle a bit…BUT…How about April 6^th, 5 p.m., somewhere in Jacksonville. (I think the size of our group may have outgrown my sister-in-law’s living room so we’ll search around a bit for something that resembles an Irish Pub or a Scottish Peat Bog… (yeah, sure..) in Jacksonville. More later on this meeting.

However, it would help us in planning if you could email me with your availability on the April 6^th date.

Be assured that whatever we discuss, I’ll send you notes if you can’t make it. You won’t lose your bed.

Optional Excursions….

All tour companies offer add-on’s to the tours. It’s really not a trick. In fact, it allows the cost of the tour to be kept reasonable while allowing each traveler to extend the experience a bit if they so wish. Bottom line: you’ll have a great trip whether or not you buy into any of the excursions. I’m doing my best to compare the Passport cost with that of an on-the-day-of purchase. Of course, purchasing in advance guarantees you a spot.

The material states that these trips must be purchased at least 30 days prior to our departure. However, most of these can probably be purchased independently at perhaps a higher cost, once we get there.

Also, I’ve seen them gather folks from several different groups to make a tour.

I think you’ve all received an email from Passports regarding the options and perhaps a hard copy as well. Here they are again with a little here and there concerning what I know about them. We’ll discuss these at our group’s meeting. Some require a minimum of 15 participants and some don’t. In general, you’ll find that when coach travel is required, there’s a minimum.

If you do an online search for these places and their prices, you’ll find that some are a bit higher and some lower. When I asked Passports about the discrepancy, Kathy, our tour organizer said that if the price is cheaper it’s because we’re getting a group rate (like on the all-day excursions) and if it’s higher it’s the handling fee of someone getting our tickets ahead of time. Also, she mentioned that if six people sign up for a tour, the tour organizer (me) gets a free ticket. I don’t like agreements like that, but it’s out of my hands.

Again, you don’t have to sign up for the options, and I know that several of you have expressed an interest in whether others in our group are inclined to look at a few.

I’ll list the Passport Blurb then give you my take on each. ..first the official description, then my take:

Dublin

Price: $100 Includes: Dinner Length: Night (need 15 to sign up)

ABBEY TAVERN DINNER UPGRADE

• Dinner and entertainment with traditional Irish music and dancing.

Opt to upgrade your included dinner this evening.
For a taste of traditional Irish entertainment, an evening at the Abbey Tavern in Howth is hard to beat.
Howth alone, a quaint fishing village on Dublin Bay, makes the trip worthwhile. Dublin's rapid transit system, called DART, will take you right there in about 30 minutes. The Abbey Tavern is just a couple of minutes' walk from the quayside.
In the atmospheric surroundings of this traditional Irish pub, complete with turf walls and fires, you will eat excellent local food before sitting back to enjoy a cozy show of traditional Irish music and dancing.

KB’S Take on it: Most European cities have halls, restaurants, or theatres offering a night of “local color” and that seems to be what this is. I’ve not done this option. You can think of some of these as “Branson with dinner” as they wine and dine you plus provide entertainment tied to your particular city.

The two on-line reviews I’ve read have both been positive.

Note that on Day Seven, a similar evening in Edinburgh is included in our tour…at least it says “traditional” and “Scottish” and “entertainment.”

Price: $60

Includes: Coach, Train

Length: Half Day

MYSTERY TOUR* (15 not needed)

• Professionally-guided mystery coach tour to an inland town, a coastal village, a castle, mountain or hill. All coach and train transfers included.

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Let us take you away from Dublin for half a day and show you some of Ireland's loveliest countryside. You may visit an inland town or coastal village, a magnificent castle perhaps, mountain scenery or gentle rolling hills. You won't be disappointed.
Check in Dublin Connolly station for a train journey to a mystery destination. You may go North, South, or West. At some stage, transfer to a luxury coach and tour the highways and byways. You'll be taken off the beaten track, and will almost certainly see a historic castle, a lovely fishing village or a scenic mountain range. Wherever you go, there will be plenty of time to stop, look around, and generally explore delightful destinations.
Return to Dublin by train in time for dinner. Not Available on Sundays. (This tour does not go to the Wicklow mountains.)

KB’S TAKE: I’ve never seen a tour quite like this one. You literally don’t know where you’re going until the tour begins. Sounds enticing. It seems to me to be a tour that says, “Hey! There’s more to the Dublin area than the city!”

Price: $60 - $150

Includes:

Length: Night

RIVERDANCE (15 needed)

• Riverdance performance.

Tonight, enjoy a spellbinding performance of Riverdance. Rhythmic, raucous and fast-moving step dances alternate with ethereal tunes to evoke ancient Celtic mythology and Irish culture in a grand spectacle full of color and energy.

KB’S TAKE: I remember sitting beside fellow traveler Hannah Stephens and watching River Dance onstage in Springfield. It’s a heck of a show. Of course, I’m sure that many of you have seen it stateside. Keep in mind that we’ll have two nights in Dublin so if you do both River Dance and the Traditional night, you’ll need to do one on the night we arrive.

Edinburgh

Price: $160 Includes: Lunch, Coach

Length: Full Day

LOCH LOMOND AND THE TROSSACHS (15 needed)

• Full-day professionally-guided coach excursion to the Trossachs and Loch Lomond, including lake cruise and lunch.

The great Scottish countryside, with its lochs and heather-clad mountains, is all yours to enjoy in this relaxing and inspiring excursion to the region where the Highlands and Lowlands meet in scenic splendor.
This is the land of Rob Roy, and the Macfarlane, Macgregor and Colquhoun clans. It is landscape beloved of Sir Walter Scott himself.
After absorbing the wild, yet somehow intimate appeal of the myriad Trossachs lochs, you will embark on a delightful short cruise on Loch Lomond, the largest and among the grandest of all the Scottish lakes.

KB’S TAKE: I’ve quizzed Kathy Bernard, our tour consultant, about this one. She said that although she’s not been on it, she’s heard good things from past travelers. Kathy’s been pretty straight on everything. We will have a free day in Edinburgh so you might want to consider this one. Some of us have a friend, Jackie Clinton and hubby who are currently living in Edinburgh and may want to spend this day with Jackie. The “sightseeing part” of Edinburgh isn’t nearly as large as London nor are the sites as plentiful. So…you might want to consider this one.

London

Price: $100 Includes: Dinner

Length: Night

BEEFEATER MEDIEVAL BANQUET UPGRADE* (15 not required)

• Four-course traditional english banquet including soft drinks and two hours of themed entertainment.

Opt to upgrade your included dinner this evening.
The regal medieval banquet takes place by flickering torchlight in the vaulted cellars of Ivory House, just a stone's throw from the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. You'll find jousting knights and strolling players singing medieval ballads. You'll eat and drink in historic surroundings as they did in medieval times, served by dancing wenches who invite you to join the revels.
The Elizabethan Banquet at the Beefeater by the Tower in London is all this and more. The host for this historic pageant is Henry VIII, and he's joined by a cast of colorful characters from England's past, so sit back and enjoy the show, as Henry's medieval court entertainers provide a breathtaking and magical display for your delight.

KB’S TAKE: I don’t know if I’ve done this particular option or not. I know that we’ve been to Hatfield House for a similar evening and to one other place. Hatfield House was delightful and “the other place” was a bit hot and crowded.

I’ve read online reviews of this place and they are literally all over the place. ..ranging from “I loved it!” to “Never again!” I do know that on one night in London a play is included in our trip, and this will take the other available night.

It sounds really tourist-y, but ….hey, lots of folks enjoy that experience.

One guarantee, it’s not a “nice, quiet evening.”

Price: $40 Includes: Entrance

Length:

BRITISH AIRWAYS LONDON EYE (15 not required)

• Ride on the London Eye.

Check out the London Eye - the world's largest Ferris wheel, magnificently situated across from the Houses of Parliament on the River Thames. Revolving slowly above the London skyline, the Millennium Wheel uses the latest in communications technology to take you on a unique overview of England's capital city.

KB’S TAKE: The last time I was in London I had tickets to ride The Eye, and it was closed that week for repairs. I guess I should be glad that they didn’t put us on it before they made the repairs. It has sort of become the thing to do in London and Lord knows it is one big sucker! An unparalleled view.

Price: $115 Includes: Entrance, Coach

Length: Half Day

HAMPTON COURT (15 required)

• Professionally-guided coach excursion to Hampton Court, including a visit to the palace and its grounds.

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The Palace of Hampton Court is set in the idyllic surroundings of the stately River Thames and parkland grazed by deer. It is a jewel of Tudor and Renaissance architecture. Hampton Court was the favorite residence of King Henry VIII, the Stuart kings and King William of Orange. Ghosts from the royal past still famously haunt its splendid rooms and corridors.
Explore the brilliantly reconstructed Tudor kitchens. Take time to wander through the breathtaking formal gardens, just recently restored to their seventeenth-century perfection. See the Real Tennis courts where Henry VIII used to work out the frustrations of kingship. Lose yourself in the Great Maze that inspired Lewis Carroll to write Alice in Wonderland. The historic resonances and the varied delights of Hampton Court together make up one of the greatest treasures of Britain.

KB’S TAKE: Okay, this is purely my opinion, but I’ve been to Hampton Court and Windsor Castle and I sort of favor Windsor. It’s got more to do and although it’s a bit more crowded, I really like the place. No matter what Henry VIII thought, the present Queen favors this one and I like her better.

Price: $70 - $160 Includes:

Length: Night

LONDON THEATRE* (15 not required)

• West End theatre performance.

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With 77 mainstream theatres in central London, the variety of shows here is unmatched anywhere in the engligh-speaking world. Will it be a blockbusting musical, a Shakespearean masterpiece, a much-loved traditional classic or an innovative play at the cutting edge of modern theatre? You choose. A night at the theatre in London's West End is an indispensable outing for any visitor to this city of drama, creativity and thespian genius.

KB’S TAKE: We’ll talk about this, but since we’ve switched off our night at the Stratford Theatre for a night of London Theatre, our tour already includes one night at a show.

It would be “relatively easy” to get theatre tickets on our own on the other night in London, especially if we’re willing to go in smaller groups. Frankly, if I’m in London, I’d like to do two nights of theatre.

Price: $16 Includes:

LONDON TRAVELCARD - ONE DAY*

• London Travelcard for one day unlimited usage within zones 1 and 2. (Expires at midnight on the day of purchase.)

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One-day London Travelcard for use in zones 1 and 2.

Price: $39 Includes: Length:

LONDON TRAVELCARD - THREE DAY* (15 not required)

• London Travelcard for three days of unlimited usage within zones 1 and 2. (Expires at midnight on the third day from day of purchase.)

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Three-day London Travelcard for use in zones 1 and 2.

KB’S TAKE: These Travel Cards are the way to go if you plan to do any exploring at all. They’re good for zones 1 and 2, which pretty much covers Central London. If you’re ever “out of the zone,” you simply buy another ticket to get you back into the zone.

Price: $35

Includes: Entrance

Length: Half Day

THAMES RIVER CRUISE AND GREENWICH* (15 not required)

• Round-trip river cruise with entrances to the National Maritime Museum and the Cutty Sark. (You may substitute the Greenwich Observatory for one of these entrances.) *Please note the entire group must choose the same two entrances.

See London from the soothingly lovely perspective of the River Thames. This cruise takes you from Westminster Pier, in the shadow of Big Ben, all the way downstream to Greenwich and the meridian itself. The trip is punctuated by entertaining cockney commentary which introduces you to London's riverside treasures: the Globe Theatre, St. Paul's Cathedral, HMS Belfast, Tower Bridge and the spectacular waterfront of Greenwich.
Visit the great naval sites of historic Greenwich or simply enjoy free time in this intimate, lovely town that straddles east and west, before reboarding the boat to Westminster and the heart of London.

KB’S TAKE: I took this one on my own, not with a group. I’d heard it was a good tour and have recommended it to several traveling friends since then. I liked it.. If memory serves me correctly it’s about an hour cruise each way on the boat with narration en route. You get to see London from the river and of course Greenwich is where all time starts.

Price: $115 Includes: Entrance, Coach

Length: Half Day

WINDSOR CASTLE (15 required)

• Professionally-guided coach excursion to Windsor Castle, including the State Apartments, Queen Mary's Dolls' House and St. George's Chapel.

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This is a sight that no visitor to London should miss. Sitting proudly on a bluff above the River Thames, Windsor Castle dominates the landscape for miles around just as it dominates the heart and soul of England.
Built by William the Conqueror to strengthen his hold on his new domain, it has been the main residence of every king and queen for the last millennium. The State Apartments, restored to international acclaim after the recent tragic fire, offer an unbelievable insight into the treasures, the possessions and the lifestyles of the Royals from the medieval warrior-kings to Queen Elizabeth II herself.
St. George's Chapel, burial-place of King Henry VIII and the seat of Britain's highest Order of Knights, is a Gothic jewel of extraordinary beauty.
These are just some highlights of this exciting visit to the most famous castle in the world. (If her Majesty is in Residence, Hampton Court will be offered instead.)

KB’S TAKE: As I said above, I’m a fan of Windsor. If you happened to catch the PBS series, “A Year at Windsor,” you may have seen many of the sights. It’s a “working” castle in that it’s one of the Queen’s official residences and it’s absolutely chock-a-block with pomp and pageantry… plus shopping, plus scones, plus those funky hairy-topped guards.

HOWEVER.. keep in mind that tours of either Windsor or Hampton Court are half-day tours and that will cut into our free time in London.