Page 183 - WDT MAGAZINE IRELAND ISSUE WINTER 2018

complimentary wine, tea, coffee and a variety of
snacks, including sweets. We settled down in comfort-
able chairs around a small table.
There’s a comfortable extra-fare lounge that serves
snacks and drinks and which offers a captain’s-eye
view of the trip.
From each of these perches, you can watch the ship
as it glides (in smooth weather) across the sea, and ob-
serve some tricky navigation on departure from Dublin
or as it arrives at Holyhead. Most amazing is how
quickly boarding and docking are accomplished, with a
cargo of scores of trucks and cars.
We weren’t able, however, to visit an exclusive do-
main on Ulysses, a private club for truck drivers!
We then took the train to Llandudno, a pleasant
seaside resort in Wales, and were booked into our hotel
by 2 p.m. Another popular destination is the town of
Chester, England, with an easy connection to Liverpool,
home of the Beatles.
Had we been pressed for time, we could have taken
a faster ferry, which is sometimes canceled because of
weather.
But that would have eliminated some of the romance
and adventure of being aboard a super-size ship that is
a lifeline between the Republic of Ireland and the U.K.
“A painless and scenic trip from central London; three
countries in one day, England, Wales & Ireland,” writes
Smith of his London to Dublin journey, leaving from
London’s Euston train station.

If You Go

Mark Smith, “the Man in Seat Sixty-One,” offers an
excellent preview of the ferry crossing from Dublin
day, but in my opinion the superb, huge & rock-steady to Wales, including information on schedules, fares,
50,000-ton Ulysses is the most glamorous & comfort- accommodations offered by both Irish Ferries and
able ship,” writes Smith. The company boasts that Stena Line. He also provides information on buying
crossings on the Ulysses have seldom been canceled Rail & Sea fares, a combined train and ferry ticket
by bad weather. linking any train station in the U.K. with those in the
“You can pay for a private cabin if you like, with toi- Republic of Ireland. It’s at: www.Seat61.com
let, shower & satellite TV, just ask at the ferry’s recep- Llandudno, Wales: St. George’s Hotel, www.
tion desk,” writes Smith. stgeorgeswales.co.uk
We took Smith’s “top tip” on the Ulysses, upgrading Visit Wales: www.visitwales.com
to Club Class for a fee of about $20 each, paid after
boarding. We proceeded to Deck 11 where we entered
the Martello Club Lounge. At a bar, we were offered

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