I have another question about my upcoming trip to Ireland. I’m taking a tour, so I have no practical choice about hotels. If I arrive in Dublin the day the tour starts and leave the day the tour ends, I get a free ride to and from the airport. If I stay longer before and/or after the tour, I’m on my own in terms of the airport.
So, two questions:
Given that I use a manual wheelchair but don’t have too much difficulty transferring into most ordinary North American taxis, what’s it like getting to and from Dublin airport?
Anyone know anything about the area of Dublin in the immediate vicinity of the Grand Canal Hotel? I’ll probably see any major tourist traps as part of the organized tour; I’m just curious if it would be practical and interesting to wander around that immediate area in my wheelchair for a day.
The regular route 747 bus service to the airport is wheelchair-accessible. There’s a faster ‘Aircoach’ service, but I don’t think this will be as easy for you.
I’m not from Dublin, but I’m not far away. I can’t really help you with transport issues, but if you have any other questions I might be able to help. Also, a fellow doper called js_africanus was on a trip to Dublin last year, he’s a cool guy and should be able to help you from a tourist point of view.
I used to live in Dublin, but have never tried to get around in a wheelchair, so take any advice with a pinch of salt.
The area around the Grand Canal Hotel, Ballsbridge, is pleasant enough, but you’d probably exhaust it within about 20 minutes of sightseeing. It probably wouldn’t be practical to wheel yourself all the way from there into the city centre (unless you’re a marathon runner) but the taxis aren’t too expensive, and a recent law means that a large proportion of new cabs have to be wheelchair accessible. I have seen one incident where a cabbie with an accessible cab refused to take a disabled passenger, but such things are few and far between. Also you’ll find Dubliners a very helpful bunch if you need assistance.
Here’s Dublin Bus’s accessibility statement, which seems to cover most routes. From observation, not all of them are “kneeling” buses, so you may have to wait a little while for the right type of bus to come past.
The city’s sights and sidewalks aren’t perfect for wheelchair accessibility, but I’ve seen plenty of people in the city centre in wheelchairs, and there’s a lot of good legislation around: many pubs that are accessed by stairs also have mandated lifts for wheelchairs (‘The Bank’ in Dame Street being one that springs to mind).
General advice: if a service charge is included in the bill it’s not mandatory to tip. Tip 10% for adequate service, and maybe 15-20% for exceptional service, though this is unusual. You don’t have to tip barmen whenever you get a drink, though if you’re served by a lounge person a small tip is nice. In taxis, rounding up and/or adding a euro to the fare is acceptable.
As has been said you shouldn’t have that many issues. The cost of getting a wheelchair accessible taxi on the road is way lower than normal cars thanks to recent changes in the licensing laws. You’ll have no problem getting one at the airport. Also most buses on the route will also take wheelchairs. Most tourist places have access and a lot of large central pubs and eateries also have good access.