September 24 Small Group Tour - Anyone Going?
Good Morning
My husband and I are on this tour. We chose it because first of all - we wanted to come back to Ireland and second. we did a Tauck Small Group last year to National Parks and loved traveling with only 24. On National Parks, people were very casual at dinners. Since many of are stops will be at Castles, I was wondering what dress code for dinners would be at these stops. Look forward to hearing from other travelers. We are from Plano, TX and have been on many Tauck River and Land tours.
Janet and Jim
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The dress code is not overly formal. The diningroom at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast is elegant, as is the George V restaurant at Ashford Castle. Men have to wear jackets at the George V, but the hotel provides jackets for the men who don't have them. (There are 2 other restaurants at Ashford Castle -- the Dungeon and Cullen's at the Cottage. Unfortunately, we had only 2 nights there so I couldn't sample all 3. I enjoyed my meal at the Dungeon more than in George V, but I wanted the experience.) Men did not have to wear jackets at the Merchant -- or anywhere else. Women will fit in with slacks and a nice top anywhere. (And don't be shy about wearing the same clothes multiple times. No one cares!)
Thanks for the info! Janet
what kind of transportation is there for the tour? is it one group on a luxury bus? or in a small van? any pictures or descriptions is welcome.
A small group is generally too many for a small van. My experience on all of the small group tours I've been on is that Tauck uses a standard bus.
We did that tour in 2018, but I don't remember if it was small group or not. You can see what we did at https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2018Ireland-01.htm
[Added note: I found a group shot on the blog and it was more than 24 people, so I guess that's classic size.]
Our small group in 2023 used a full sized coach. Plenty of room to spread out.
THANKS MIKE AND MCD
Yup, full size coaches. However, no fancy Tauck applique (at least not in 2015), like England, Scotland, Wales.
Best of Ireland, small groups:
England, Scotland, Wales, small groups:
Bob -
You posted on my wall (next time use the message button on the upper right of my profile page or post in the forums). The buses are charters, as you can probably tell from Alan's pictures. Generally, you will have the same bus and driver for the whole trip. You will be assigned a seat each day and the seats will rotate so that everyone gets a chance at the front. On a small group tour there are plenty of empty seats if you want to spread out into an unassigned seat. Buses have bathrooms, but these are often reserved for emergencies only. Usually, lots of comfort stops. Don't forget to tip the driver on the last day (as well as the Tour Director, of course). Recommended tip amounts will be discussed in your final documents sent after you make your final payment.