54409BIC
Caernarvon Castle Visit
Welsh Home Visit Dinner in small groups
CHECK YOUR VOUCHER FOR PORT, FERRY COMPANY AND SAILING TIME. Irishferries.com for latest sailing information. If High Speed ferry is cancelled, contact ACIS duty officer for alternatives.
Check TM Envelope for Welsh Family Visit Instructions. In doubt contact London Office.
Procedure at Ferry Terminal
What follows is information based around ACIS block booking with Irish Ferries, usually on the High Speed ferry departing Dublin City Port. Out of high season you might be booked onto a slower larger ferry. The information on your voucher always takes precedence to the information listed here.
Double Check.
Getting to the Port.
Make sure you have the first slot for breakfast booked and you may have to arrange boxed breakfast or a coffee station with pastries. It might make things easier to bring luggage down before breakfast. Make sure all the luggage is loaded to the coach. Do a passport check. On the way to the Ferry terminal explain the check in procedure and also what happens upon disembarkation in Wales. Tip the Driver. Check the coach before it departs.
Check in procedure.
Try to keep clients to one side of the check in area whilst you go to the check in desk. (Not the Ticket Desk) You can go to the head of the line because at this stage you are only asking for baggage tags. Return to the group and explain how to tag every bag which they wish to have stored away and to retain the tear off receipt.
Get in line with the group. At the check in present the member of staff with the booking reference number and a copy of the passenger list. Your will receive boarding cards. You will need to show these on two separate occasions, immediately on passing through to the luggage drop and again on leaving the departure lounge.
Clients then leave tagged bags on carousel, and make their way via escalator to Departure Lounge.
Then wait for the call of the sailing of the vessel. Usually this requires you to board a shuttle bus which will then take you around to where the vessel is moored. Larger ferry you walk directly onto after boarding card check.
Arrival in Wales.
Listen for the on-board announcements with regard to foot passenger disembarkation. Walk to the shuttle buses. There are usually two, but don’t worry they are all going to the same place – Baggage Reclaim Hall. Once all the bags have been collected you have to go through security where it is usual for passports to be checked. In 2022 season there were no additional Brexit related checks. There are restrooms in the arrivals hall if anyone should need them, whilst you go and locate the coach, which will be to your right as you exit the station (the terminal is also connected to the train station). Passport checks are being undertaken on a regular basis, please ensure that all passengers have them on their person and handy before departing luggage hall.
Caernarfon.
From the Ferry port drive straight to Caernarfon. Groups enjoy a photo stop at Llanfair PG if time (30 mins from Ferry Port down the A55). Drop at the Hotel (if Celtic Royal Manor/ Premier Inn) or Coach can drop-off on Balaclava Road.
Lunch/Welsh Lesson/ Castle visit.
There is a degree of flexibility on how you operate this afternoon. Your Guide will usually be Donna Goodman who also operates Turnstone Tours. Donna is very helpful so liaise with her prior to arriving. She will also be leading the brief Welsh lesson that is mentioned on the itinerary. You can hold this back at the hotel, but you must check prior to arrival that they have available free space, but probably easier to stay in town and incorporate it into the tour of the Castle.
Walk group from hotel to town centre for lunch. (If however you have been moved onto any other ferry apart from the morning ferry then your group must have lunch on the ferry to allow for the afternoon activities) Point out various places to eat. Palace Street, Market Street and High Street. The square is also where you will find ATM’s and Bureau de Change facilities.
Pre arrange with guide meeting location. (If on a later ferry Tour will commence from Hotel be sure to inform guide of any travel delays.) A suggestion is the David Lloyd George Statue on Castle Square at 14.00. At the end of the tour inform group of required time to be ready for Welsh Evening. (See details below) They will then have free time to explore. They can then return to hotel and check in and retrieve luggage from storage in individual groups, if they should so wish.
Caernarfon Castle dominates the town and is situated on the banks of River Seoint and the Menai Strait.
WELSH FAMILY EVENING MEAL:
Details will be in the TM Envelope. The organisation of this evening can appear overly complicated, but THE majority of it will have been arranged via the London office and their Welsh contacts prior to the trip:
- Group size for the family meal is usually 6-8. You will be told the exact breakdown.
- You will only be required to accompany a group if there are not sufficient Teachers/Adults for there to be one adult for every student sub-group. London office will inform you of this prior to the trip. If not required evening meal allowance can be submitted on expenses. (Driver to submit their meal expenses to their company.)
- At arrivals meeting double check vegetarian numbers. It is usual that vegetarians will be accommodated with one family. Again specified beforehand.
- Break groups down into sub groups required. If you have a multi-group bus this can sometimes be tricky as evening numbers don’t always match groups. The numbers stated for each family must be adhered to.
- London will have pre booked taxis via Huw’s Taxis Caernarfon (01286 676767). However, reconfirm as they often send one taxi to do two drops or send mini-vans if two families are located nearby.
- For each group the ACIS office will have listed a price for a round-trip taxi fare. Give this to the driver. Passengers do not need to worry about tipping.
- Groups are expected to be with their families by 6.30 pm. So they should meet in the hotel lobby at 6pm. Those who might be visiting families within walking distance of the hotel can leave a little later.
- Groups are often apprehensive about outstaying their welcome. Whilst there is no set time limit, inform them that two hours might be a reliable guide. And that it would probably be incumbent on the adult in each party to ask the host to call for the taxi. If they feel they need to offer an excuse then stating that the following morning’s departure will probably be early. The taxis are usually booked for around 8.30pm to return to the hotel, but check this.
- If you have younger groups who are cautious about dining with adults, check which families will have young people around and see if you can match them to these. A highlight is often the connections that they make with fellow teenagers during this meal.
ANY QUESTIONS CONTACT THE LONDON OFFICE