I've written before that when I'm arriving into Dublin port from Holyhead, even though the Irish Ferries ship departs 10 minutes after the Stena ship ... I prefer to take the Irish Ferries, as it offers the best chance of being able to walk straight off the ship - instead of having to wait until all the cars have gone, and a bus comes on board, and they finally offload the foot passengers ... as Stena often do !
Usually I'm lucky enough that somebody collects me from the ferry terminal - so I rush off the ship (hand luggage only), and we're often exiting the port as the first cars roll off the ship ...
Today I used the Mortons Coaches transfer bus for the first time in ages - Irish Ferries underwrite the service so their foot passengers are guaranteed an easy link from the Port into the city centre and train stations.
I was one of the first foot passengers off the ship so was through security, and with no bags to collect was outside the terminal building just after 5.30pm
The next Dublin Bus route 53 departure was at 6pm, so it was obvious that I should pay the 3.50 euro Adult Single fare and take the express transfer into the city.
What I hadn't reckoned on was just how slow my fellow foot passengers would be ... and obviously the shuttle bus needs to wait until the last of them have emerged from the terminal building. By 5.50pm the Dublin Bus had arrived - but I was still hopeful that we would get away first ...
I don't know whether it was the hold luggage that was slow coming off, or whether it was just people taking their time ... but we didn't finally depart until 6.05pm - a full five minutes after the public bus had left !
Google Maps reckons I would have got to the train station at about 6.26pm using Dublin Bus ... whereas I ended up arriving at 6.21pm using Mortons ... so the express ended up being five minutes faster than the public bus. Dublin Bus would have cost me 2.50 euro - so I ended up paying a euro to save me 5 minutes. ymmv.
Usually I'm lucky enough that somebody collects me from the ferry terminal - so I rush off the ship (hand luggage only), and we're often exiting the port as the first cars roll off the ship ...
Today I used the Mortons Coaches transfer bus for the first time in ages - Irish Ferries underwrite the service so their foot passengers are guaranteed an easy link from the Port into the city centre and train stations.
I was one of the first foot passengers off the ship so was through security, and with no bags to collect was outside the terminal building just after 5.30pm
The next Dublin Bus route 53 departure was at 6pm, so it was obvious that I should pay the 3.50 euro Adult Single fare and take the express transfer into the city.
What I hadn't reckoned on was just how slow my fellow foot passengers would be ... and obviously the shuttle bus needs to wait until the last of them have emerged from the terminal building. By 5.50pm the Dublin Bus had arrived - but I was still hopeful that we would get away first ...
I don't know whether it was the hold luggage that was slow coming off, or whether it was just people taking their time ... but we didn't finally depart until 6.05pm - a full five minutes after the public bus had left !
Google Maps reckons I would have got to the train station at about 6.26pm using Dublin Bus ... whereas I ended up arriving at 6.21pm using Mortons ... so the express ended up being five minutes faster than the public bus. Dublin Bus would have cost me 2.50 euro - so I ended up paying a euro to save me 5 minutes. ymmv.
