Tuesday, 7 September
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Icy Jewels bus tour
Note: This tour is FULL and Wait List is CLOSED
Update from July 1st, 2010
Martha(FinelyRetired) has arranged with Butlers Bus and Coach Hire for two 24-passenger buses and one 18-passenger bus for the Icy Jewels Blarney, Kinsale and Cobh tour and will coordinate arrangements with them. The final cost of the three buses is €1,140.00. The final per person cost will depend upon the final total number of Icy Jewels who take this tour. Presently we have 65 Icy Jewels signed up, and so the charge would be rounded down to €17.50 per person. Obviously, a large number of cancellations in the coming days could drive this number somewhat higher.
Payment should be in cash (exact change in euros) and given to your bus coordinator (Martha on Bus 1, Frank on Bus 2, or Dave on Bus 3) while onboard bus.
Pick-up for the tour will be at 9:00 a.m. SHARP (or as soon as possible if ship is delayed). Return to ship is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. (The Jewel is scheduled to sail at 4:00 p.m., so we must be back onboard by 3:30 p.m.)
(Previous info/updates are at the bottom of this page.)The Butlers Bus webpage says:
Meal & admissions to Blarney Castle are not included in price
Gratuities are discretionary and not included in price
The Blarney Castle website says:
| Class | Euro € | U.S. $ | Canada $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult Admission: | 10 | 12.55 | 13.37 |
| Student / Seniors: | 8 | 10.04 | 10.69 |
| Children (8–14 years): | 3.50 | 4.39 | 4.68 |
| Family (2 Adults, 2 Children): | 23.50 | 29.49 | 31.41 |
From Butler’s tour website:
- Learn about Cobh’s connection to Titanic & Lusitania
- Kiss the legendary Blarney Stone
- Shop ’til you drop in The Woollen Mills
- Discover the delights of Kinsale – The Gourmet Capital
- Great “Craic” and running commentary from local guides
This tour departs from your ship in Cobh for Blarney where you will have the opportunity to Kiss the legendary Blarney stone or take in some shopping in the famous Blarney Woollen Mills or simply indulge in the atmosphere in the village of Blarney enjoying some local cuisine
The next leg of the trip will lead us to Kinsale taking in some of Cork city and stopping at Charlesfort to capture the stunning views before heading for the charming Kinsale, dubbed “Ireland’s gourmet capital” where you will have an abundant choice of places to eat and drink.
After a nice leisurely lunch, and a wander around the narrow and winding streets of Kinsale, we will sit back, relax and enjoy the scenic drive back to Cobh where you will have time to visit St. Colman’s Cathedral and learn of Cobh’s fascinating history before going back to your ship in good time for your sailing.
Meal & admissions to Blarney Castle are not included in price
Gratuities are discretionary and not included in price
eCoach is an independent company with no connection to any cruise line or shipping company.
Blarney
Things to see at Blarney Castle.
Just 8km (5 miles) from Cork City, Blarney is set in beautiful wooded countryside, it is an ideal base to visit the many wonderful sights of Cork and Kerry. Steeped in history and magical charm, Blarney village offers the visitor a host of wonderful things to do and places to discover.
One of the finest things that impresses the first time visitor is the well preserved village square. Blarney is one of the few villages in Ireland which has such a fine amenity, and today it continues to be a focal point of village life. In Tudor style, the village has developed around the square which is owned and carefully maintained by Blarney Castle Estate. The population of Blarney is small, approximately 2,000 and the people are friendly and welcoming towards the visitor.
Kissing The Blarney StoneSome great sights to visit include the legendary Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle. For many of the visitors to Blarney, their first priority is to kiss the famous Blarney Stone high up on the Castle battlements. Tradition holds that those who kiss the Blarney Stone will be endowed with the gift of eloquence – “the gift of the gab,” as the locals call it.
Over 200,000 people visit Blarney Castle each year. The castle is situated in over a thousand acres of magnificent woodland, making it the ideal place to take walks to enjoy the clean fresh environment of Blarney.
Blarney boasts some of the finest accommodation premises in Ireland. These include hotels, guesthouses, a caravan and camping park, town and country homes and farmhouses. Approved self-catering accommodation is also available. Blarney offers accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets.
Shopping is a pleasure in the village where there are a number of excellent outlets, including the world famous Blarney Woollen Mills. Established in 1824, the outlet has become one of the largest craft shops in Ireland and is renowned for its quality produce.
Kinsale
Historical sitesShopping
Chip-and-PIN credit cards: On March 17, 2007, Ireland introduced a new Chip-and-PIN credit card system, according to the Irish Payment Services Organization. Chip-and-PIN means that a credit or debit card has a computer chip and must use a PIN number to complete a transaction, not a signature. Credit card holders in Ireland are ahead of the US with this new technology – Americans do not use this system yet. So what will happen when you try to use your American credit or debit card in Ireland? “Cardholders with cards from countries that have yet to upgrade (to this new system) will always sign… in all of these cases the PIN pad will automatically recognize that a signature rather than a PIN is required.” So American visitors can continue to sign for credit and debit card transactions until the day when the US makes the transition to Chip-and-PIN technology. This new system is designed to combat credit and debit card fraud. For more information, go to www.chipandpin.ie.
New taxi fares — Ireland has a new system of national taxi fares, valid throughout the country, rather than 35 local authorities charging different fares. The new basic fare is €3.80 during the day and €4.10 at night, supplemented by distance or time-related charges, and applies to taxi journeys everywhere (previous “extra” charges, such as the €1.50 hiring charge at Dublin airport and luggage charges, and the practice of drivers going "off-meter" have been abolished). The new structure means that fares are now higher in Dublin but lower in many other parts of the country. In addition to the fare changes, there is a new complaints phone line, posted in taxis, and information on the driver’s license, rates and the rights and responsibilities of passengers is displayed in large print in all cars.
Examples from Ireland Expert site:
Blarney Woollen Mills, Blarney, Co. Cork (tel. 021-438-5280). Located next to Blarney Castle, this huge family-run emporium of knitwear and crafts is a veritable department store of Irish gifts and souvenirs. Web site: www.blarney.ie
Kinsale Silver, Pearse St., Kinsale (tel. 021-477-4359), local hand-crafted jewelry using Celtic designs. Web site: www.iol.ie/~dolan
Kinsale Crystal, Market St., Kinsale (tel. 021-477-4493), is a local cut class enterprise set up by Gerry Daly, former Waterford master-cutter, reviving the old deep-cutting method. Products include bowls, stemware, vasesand decanters. Web site: www.kinsalecrystal.ie
Murrays, 11-13 Grand Parade, Cork City (tel. 021-427-4731), is a prime source of Irish lace curtains, as well as linens and other fabrics.
O’Conaill Chocolates, 10 French Church St., Cork City (no telephone), sells chocolates of all kinds (truffles, bon bons, and diabetic chocolate bars), handmade at Carrigaline, Co. Cork (tel. 021-437-3407), also serves hot chocolate to go or to enjoy on the premises.
Paperworks, 41 Main St., Kinsale (tel. 021-470-0441), for unique cards, gifts and stationery. Web site: www.paperworks.ie
Prince August, Kilnamartyra, Macroom, Co. Cork (tel. 026-40222), is Ireland's only toy soldier factory. It is situated off the main N 22 road NW of Kinsale., and also produces metal miniatures based on classic books such as “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings.” Web site: www.princeaugust.ie
Older Icy Jewels bus tour discussion:
We are using Butler tours as well in Cork next week, they work well with cruise ships and they can alter tours anyway you need; the tour prices have stayed the same since last year and as long as you pay in advance you get the discounts. Fortunately, the people at Butlers will let us sign up and pay individually, on their site, without having to put together any groups or lists for them ahead of time. What a convenience! I understand they have a whole fleet of vehicles, and will bring whatever size(s) they will need to accommodate the number of pax who have booked.
We can book this individually and Butlers will just round us all up! I have never dealt with paying for anything by credit card in Euros, so this will be a first for me. I think to take advantage of the 20 Euro price you need to make a booking early.
The way I understand how Butler works is that they provide the tour and it is open to all who are interested (from any source, not just our ship) They show up in a suitable vehicle to handle everyone who booked. In order to keep it to your group, you have to arrange it with them and that will probably affect the cost. But if there are enough people, the price shouldn't be too bad.
At the moment, I can’t find that there will be any other ships in Cork the day we are there so this approach by Butler will work well. But for most places, someone needs to be the organizer. If you find a tour you like and want to list it and find others to join you, please let me know and I will maintain a place to show the details and list those who are going. But if you like, I will show the list of those who are going on this tour, but will need for you to let me know to add you as I read the thread a lot but probably miss a post every now and then.
With the Butler/Cork bus tour list that you volunteered to keep (thank you!), do you think it would be wise to add a little “disclaimer” of sorts, saying that “Signing up for this list isn’t the same as actually making a reservation”?
As to the Butler Bus tour in Cork, I think, once it is fairly well known how many people want to go, that it could be advantageous for someone to contact them and see about ensuring that our group has its own bus rather than anyone who finds them on the internet and books them. If there are a lot of folks, then two smaller mini-buses may be the way to go. In my opinion, once you get over about 20 people, you lose a lot of the advantages of private tours. Having said that, I have arranged tours for up to 30–32 people myself. A lot depends on who you have going, what expectations are set in advance and what size vehicles are available.
One thing to keep in mind with breaking into smaller groups, while increasing flexibility, it will also (most likely) increase the cost per person – two vehicles, two drivers, two guides – due to higher fixed costs to the tour operator.
I updated the list to stress that signing up requires contacting Butler and showing you as the coordinator. I have done several tours where we has about 30 people, but split into two vans (in one case we even had slightly different itineraries after all was completed).
I would make another observation about the cost of the private tour versus the standard one. The rate of €20 (or whatever it is on the date it is booked with Butler) is not refundable after 7 days. And it will go up as the sailing date gets closer, eventually reaching €35. Martha has negotiated a rate that is very near the minimum and it doesn't have to be paid until the day of the tour (although you should be considerate of others on the tour and give ample notice before canceling as it affects the cost for everyone).
The benefits of smaller tours are numerous. Among them are: they are almost always flexible, it is easier to stick to a plan with fewer people to round up after a stop and they frequently get to places ahead of the larger tours and you avoid the worst of the crowding.
Obviously, should someone cancel their cruise, they are not obligated to pay. Given that the cruise is so far out, that is a possibility for any of us. What we all would hope would be that anyone who’s signed up for the ICY JEWELS tour would let me or Bob know immediately if they cancel their cruise so that we can free up the spots for others to join.
Now that the 1st bus is full, we are collecting names of those interested for a possible 2nd 18 pax bus. I will arrange for the 2nd bus if and when we get to a goodly number, say 12–14, and I am confident that we will be able to fully fill it. However, Butler’s has limited availability of drivers who are also guides and should it take too long to get enough interest to book a 2nd guide, we may find there are none left and will not be able to secure a 2nd bus.
Earlier info from Martha / Bob’s site:
Martha (FinelyRetired) has arranged with Butler Bus for an 18-passenger bus for the Icy Jewels Blarney, Kinsale and Cobh tour and will coordinate the arrangements with them. There are now three confirmed 18 pax buses. A wait list will be maintained, but there will not be a fourth bus. The Wait List is now closed. Icy Jewels on the Wait List will be assigned, in order, if/when cancellations occur. If everybody confirms after final payment, then Butler’s will provide its two 24-pax buses for Bus 1 & 2. If that happens, Butler’s will guarantee space for their standard tour for anyone remaining on the Wait List. You do NOT need to contact Butler or prepay at this time. The final cost will be determined by the number of people and the size of the buses. Payment is to be made in Euros at the pier.
Update from Martha (FinelyRetired): 23 Feb 2010
If you are on the Cork Tour or Wait List, please read this!
After email conferencing for several days with Ian (who is a GEM, btw) at Butlers Buses, I have two very important updates for our Cork Tour:
- Ian/Butler’s has assured us that all 28 ICY JEWELS on our current Wait List will have a Butler’s tour in Cork!
- I have today frozen the Wait List at 28.
Obviously our numbers will be in flux over the coming months and become more settled after final cruise payment date. If our numbers hold at a high level, Butlers has set aside its two 24 pax buses for our use. Further, Ian has guaranteed space on Butler’s standard cruise line coach tour for any still remaining on our Wait List beyond #12. Per person costs can’t be determined until our final number is fixed. But, if numbers hold it obviously will be on the low end shown on the Tour Page, perhaps lower.
Bob (another GEM amongst the JEWELS) has updated the website Tour Page to reflect this increased flexibility Butler’s has afforded.
Like any Port, Cobh has a finite number of qualified guides available. That is what is driving this scenario. We are fortunate the ICY JEWELS were “up and operating” a year or more out and secured 3 of those guides! And, I am grateful to Ian for his professionalism, patience and willingness to assist/advise the ICY JEWELS as our numbers grew this past year. (I first contacted Butler’s last Spring to request a car/guide for 2 older ladies……who later found 80 “new” friends to tag along)
As always, I’ll keep in touch along the way. If questions, my email is mascavjr at cs dot com.
Martha
Icy Jewels bus tour Update: 8 Jan 2010:
“I’ve been able to book a 3rd 18 pax. bus for Cork. So … all of you with numbers 1–18 on the Wait List are accommodated. Our wait list now stands at 6. I (Martha) will be the Coordinator on tour day on Bus #1 and Dave (daytona) will be the Coordinator on Bus #3. I'm looking for a volunteer (to check names, count heads, etc.) for Bus #2. Obviously, as we go forward it is going to be imperative that you let Bob or I know immediately should you choose to cancel.”
Those of us on the ICY JEWELS 18 pax bus tour I arranged, do NOT pre-pay. I made a small deposit on our behalf to confirm ONE 18 pax tour. We will pay the day of the tour.
