Cobh ('cove'), County Cork
I've got lots to tell you today!
MEETING
Please remember that we are having a group meeting on Sunday, March 17 (Feast of St Patrick!), in the Meeting Room after the 11:30 Mass- so, about 12:45-1:30pm. There will be soda bread, scones and tea.
I will also have your travel bags, luggage tags, and e-tickets.
MONEY
Many of us already have some Euro to get started in Ireland. For the rest of you, please do arrange to have at least a day or two's worth ($50-75 Euro?) BEFORE you leave the US... we don't want to waste time at an exchange booth in the Dublin Airport or searching for an ATM. Please consult one of the earlier "get ready" category posts about currency exchange. Here is one new piece of information: if you are a Wells Fargo customer, you CAN get Euro from the tellers at the RTP branch, rather than having to pay for them to be shipped to you.
Before you leave for Ireland, please be sure to contact your bank and credit card companies to let them know your will be out of the country. Otherwise, they might see attempted spending coming from a place they know you don't live and suspend or cancel your account! That's generally a good thing, a safety measure to guard against someone running up huge bills on your card without your knowledge. But if it happens while you are away, and you don't have alternate options for money, well.... that could get tricky! So please, sometime BEFORE April 2, call the customer service number for your ATM and Credit Cards, and tell them when and where you will be away. (Don't bother bringing your DISCOVER Card, that's hardly accepted at all in Europe).
AIRPORT TRANSPORTATION
Have you thought about how you are getting to and from RDU yet?
If you are considering one of those last two options, I'll make a couple suggestions here, but would also like to hear from you, if you know of better ways to do this economically. Now- by mentioning specific companies, I am not necessarily endorsing those companies - they are simply options I am familiar with, to get you thinking on your own!
Drive and park yourself.
Use a taxi/limo service.
Admittedly, I have little experience with this, but when I went to Italy 7 years ago, 6 or 7 of us parked at one couple's house and we all rode one van to and from the airport together. We used White Horse limo company and my foggy memory has it costing each person about $15, roundtrip. Their website has a place to punch in details and get a price quote. Of course, there are other taxi companies and rates vary depending on distance.
MEETING
Please remember that we are having a group meeting on Sunday, March 17 (Feast of St Patrick!), in the Meeting Room after the 11:30 Mass- so, about 12:45-1:30pm. There will be soda bread, scones and tea.
I will also have your travel bags, luggage tags, and e-tickets.
MONEY
Many of us already have some Euro to get started in Ireland. For the rest of you, please do arrange to have at least a day or two's worth ($50-75 Euro?) BEFORE you leave the US... we don't want to waste time at an exchange booth in the Dublin Airport or searching for an ATM. Please consult one of the earlier "get ready" category posts about currency exchange. Here is one new piece of information: if you are a Wells Fargo customer, you CAN get Euro from the tellers at the RTP branch, rather than having to pay for them to be shipped to you.
Before you leave for Ireland, please be sure to contact your bank and credit card companies to let them know your will be out of the country. Otherwise, they might see attempted spending coming from a place they know you don't live and suspend or cancel your account! That's generally a good thing, a safety measure to guard against someone running up huge bills on your card without your knowledge. But if it happens while you are away, and you don't have alternate options for money, well.... that could get tricky! So please, sometime BEFORE April 2, call the customer service number for your ATM and Credit Cards, and tell them when and where you will be away. (Don't bother bringing your DISCOVER Card, that's hardly accepted at all in Europe).
AIRPORT TRANSPORTATION
Have you thought about how you are getting to and from RDU yet?
- Maybe you are lucky and have a family member or friend who will drop you off and pick you up!
- Or maybe you plan to drive yourself and pay for parking?
- Or maybe you are considering a taxi service?
If you are considering one of those last two options, I'll make a couple suggestions here, but would also like to hear from you, if you know of better ways to do this economically. Now- by mentioning specific companies, I am not necessarily endorsing those companies - they are simply options I am familiar with, to get you thinking on your own!
Drive and park yourself.
- You COULD use any of the airport parking lots, and of course, the further from the terminal you park, the cheaper per day it is. The cheapest rate is $6 per day. I used to do this, but got frustrated by how infrequently the shuttles seemed to run. That's an inconvenience on the way home, but if you are running a little late arriving at RDU, it can make anticipating checking in on-time a nail-biting experience.
- There are now a few companies that have private lots near the airport and operate frequent shuttle service, picking you and your luggage up at your vehicle, and delivering you back to it upon your return. Most also have a 'rewards' program, that give you a free day for every 8 or 10 days paid, and average about $5/day. Pre-flight charges a slightly cheaper rate if you do not use covered parking, Fast Park has all covered parking and offers a free car wash upon your return. Both often have coupons in the newspaper or in those coupon mailings.
Use a taxi/limo service.
Admittedly, I have little experience with this, but when I went to Italy 7 years ago, 6 or 7 of us parked at one couple's house and we all rode one van to and from the airport together. We used White Horse limo company and my foggy memory has it costing each person about $15, roundtrip. Their website has a place to punch in details and get a price quote. Of course, there are other taxi companies and rates vary depending on distance.
RSS Feed