Laninga's Travel Blog

We had been planning a cruise to Ireland since last fall.  We were going with our friends the Shireys, but they had to cancel for medical reasons.  Hopefully they will recover but we missed having them with us on our cruise.

Shipboard:    As is usual with Celebrity, this was a well run cruise.  Probably the most on board activities we’ve ever had on a trans Atlantic cruise, we were so busy we only got to the hot tubs twice!  And of course we ate too much.

The Azores:  Our first landfall after leaving Miami 8 days before.  We had an overnight stay, so we had lots of time to visit the many scenic locations, including Ponta Delgado, the capital city.

Cobh:  Our first Irish port, formally known as Queenstown.  Last port for the Titanic, and final destination for the Lusitania, which was torpedoed in 1915 just off the coast.  We had much better luck, and visited Blarney, where I kissed the Blarney Store.

Dublin:  As always, lots to do and see in Dublin.  we visited Trinity College and the downtown area on foot.

Galway:  We rented a car and drove to Galway, where we stayed at the most excellent Glenlo Abbey.  We drove to the east coast and visited Kylemore Abbey, a beautiful castle surrounded by trees and lovely gardens.  It would have been better without the strong winds and rain, but it was a nice visit.

Kilkenny:  We then drove to Kilkenny where we had a short visit to a very scenic and historic city.  The castle was fantastic.

I’m keeping the descriptions short, there are some summary images are below.  Our full photo album is at laninga.com, click on 2018, then cruises then the place name.