Nautica - 24th August 2013 Dublin

I am not sure now if I have described breakfast properly. Having chosen a table, waiters bring coffee, juices, water etc. They also often carry your plate for you. The choices are large - lots of different fresh fruit (papaya, strawberries, blackberries, mango, melons etc); tinned fruit (figs, peaches, apricots and so on); a range of hot food – sausages, pancakes, scrambled eggs etc., cereals with hot, cold, whole or skim milk; smoked salmon, cheeses, croissants and pastries to die for. You can have any coffee you like – latte, cappuccino etc.

As we were doing our own thing today we didn’t get up too early. I was up first so went up on deck to see where we were and was surprised to see we were berthed at the mouth of the Liffey, right beside the O2 arena. The ship couldn’t get any closer if they tried. This was my second time in Dublin this year, but as the first was very wet we had only done the DUKW tour before. We caught the free shuttle bus into Kildare Street and had a stroll past the gift shops etc, to the statue of Molly Malone and the Tourist Information Centre. 

 

 

We decided to stroll through Temple Bar and over the Ha’penny Bridge and catch the Hoho bus in O'Connell Street. We stayed on board for one complete circuit before getting off at Trinity College to see inside the buildings. A wedding was taking place in the Chapel and I decided the queues were too long to see the Book of Kells so we then had a homemade soup and a Guinness in a nearby pub before picking up the HoHo bus again to Dublin Castle.

Lunch - home-made soup and a Guinness!

Dublin Castle

After a quick walk around we got a different route HoHo back to the centre. I opted for another look around Kilkenny gift shop and then the shuttle back to Nautica while popped back to another store she had spotted. Back on the ship, three Guarda officers were watching everyone come back on board.  We went to Trivia before changing for cocktails in Horizons - there were choices of three different cocktails of the day each night at $5 (plus 18% gratuity). Otherwise cocktails were priced from $10, other drinks from around $8 although there was a Happy Hour between 5 and 6pm – buy one, get one free. All were accompanied by a little stand holding three different types of nibbles, plus canapés.

Cocktails in Martinis Bar

 

We headed down to the Grand Dining Room for dinner where we were taken to table for 8 by the window.  I was next to a Dutch lady and her husband who lived in Vancouver. They recounted their stories about sailing the coast of Alaska for three months in their own boat. It sounded fabulous. After going to the show - Songs from the Musicals – I was ready for bed.