Itinerary (Tentative) ATLANTIC GROUP TOURS Tour of Ireland June 2013 June 11 7.00P Depart from Orlando International Airport for Dublin Ireland. Dinner will be served on board followed by movies. June 12 8.15A Arrive in Dublin Airport, Ireland. On arrival in Dublin we must have our passports available for inspection by Irish Immigration Officers before proceeding to the Baggage reclaim area. All persons must claim their bags from the appropriate Baggage Carousel and then proceed through Customs. Customs channels are Green and Red Green is Nothing to Declare, Red is Goods to Declare. Our Irish Driver/Guides will meet us in the main Arrivals Hall, outside the Customs Hall. They will escort us to our coaches. This would be a good time to change some US dollars into Euros at the airport bank, or obtain Euros from the ATM machines. Following the boarding of our coaches we will enjoy a Panoramic Tour of Dublin prior to checking into our hotel. Early afternoon check in to Bewleys Hotel, Leopardstown. Dinner and overnight at Bewleys Hotel Leopardstown, Dublin. Breakfast at Irish Hotels usually consists of fruit juices and cereals (same as USA), followed by bacon, eggs and sausage with tea\coffee and toast and brown (soda) bread. Dinner at Irish hotels usually consists of a starter of salad or soup, Main course of beef, lamb, pork, hamburgers or chicken, all served with vegetables, followed by dessert and tea\coffee. Milk and soft drinks are charged extra. Menu changes daily. *** Special dietary needs are not a problem provided proper notice is given, with Rooming List June 7.30 13 am Breakfast at hotel followed by 8.30 am departure for tour to Belfast. 11.000 am On arrival in Belfast we will enjoy a panoramic tour of this famous city. Option: Visit to the Titanic Quarter where the actual ship was built. Late afternoon: Dinner in a local hotel or restaurant. 7.30 pm This evening we will enjoy a shared concert with a local Belfast music group. 10.300 pm Depart for Dublin. Overnight at Bewleys Hotel, Leopardstown, Dublin
ATLANTIC GROUP TOURS Tour of Ireland June 2013 June 14 8.30 am Breakfast at hotel followed by checkout and 9.30 am departure for Galway. 12.00 pm on arrival in Galway we will enjoy a Panoramic tour of this ancient city. Galway received its charter as a city over 500 years ago. Free afternoon to explore Galway. Dinner at the Clayton Hotel, Galway. Overnight at the Clayton Hotel, Galway. June 15 8.00 am Breakfast at hotel followed by 9.00 am departure for Limerick. En route to Limerick we will visit the Cliffs of Moher. These are world famous cliffs which rise 1,000 feet from the Atlantic Ocean. Following our visit to Bunratty we will check into the Radisson Blu Hotel. Option of a shared Concert this evening with a local group in St. Mary s Cathedral in Limerick. St. Mary s Cathedral is a 13 th century Norman church. Dinner and Overnight at the Radisson Blu hotel, Limerick. June 16 8.30 am Breakfast at hotel followed by 9.30 am departure on tour to Bunratty Folk Park. Bunratty Folk Park in addition to the 15 th century castle features a collection of houses from the western region of Ireland in addition to a replica 19 th century village street complete with shops and a schoolhouse. Afternoon free. Dinner and overnight at the Radisson Blu hotel, Limerick. June 17 8.00 am Breakfast at hotel followed by 9.00 am departure for Blarney in County Cork. In Blarney we will first visit Blarney Castle. We will climb the 105 steps to visit the Blarney Stone; the stone is said to bestow the gift of eloquence on all those who kiss it. Following our visit to the castle we will visit Blarney Woolen Mills which is a great place to shop for arts and craft products from all over Ireland. Lunch on our own followed by visit to the Titanic Museum in Cobh, a small seaport town east of Cork. Cobh is the seaport from which the Titanic sailed on its ill fated voyage. Return to Limerick.Dinner and Overnight at the Radisson Blu hotel, Limerick.
ATLANTIC GROUP TOURS Tour of Ireland June 2013 June 18 7.30 am Breakfast at hotel followed by 8.30 am checkout and departure for Dublin. 11.30 am On arrival in Dublin we will visit Trinity College followed by some free time in the Grafton Street area for exploration and shopping. 4.00 pm Depart Nassau Street for Bewleys Hotel, Leopardstown, Dublin. 4.30 pm Check in to Bewleys hotel. 5.30 pm Dinner at hotel. Option: Concert in St. Patrick s Cathedral with local Dublin Orchestra. Overnight at Bewleys Hotel, Leopardstown. DUBLIN Dublin, Ireland s capital city is located on the east coast of Ireland and has a population of 1.1m people. In 1988 Dublin celebrated the one-thousandth anniversary of its charter as a city. Originally founded by the Vikings, Dublin in the 19 th century was second only to London as a center of culture and fashion. Today, as a modern European capital, it is a bustling, vibrant and exciting city particularly in its stores, cafes and coffee shops. June 19 8.00 am Breakfast at hotel followed by 9.00 am transfer into Dublin city center. We will first visit St. Michans Church followed by a free day in Dublin. St. Michan s Church was founded in the 12th century. The church is one of the oldest in Ireland and has a number of interesting features. The church organ was the organ used by Handel when practicing and preparing for the premiere of "The Messiah". The crypt has unusual properties that result in the non-decay of bodies buried there; one may view the naturally mummified remains of a Mediaeval knight crusader. Following our City Tour we will visit the Grafton Street area and have time for shopping. Late afternoon return to hotel.dinner and Overnight at Bewleys Hotel, Leopardstown, Dublin. June 20 6.30 am Breakfast at hotel followed by check and departure for Dublin Airport. Check in for return flight to USA.
Financial information UPDATED - Estimated tour price:$2,500-$2,800* *$229 Single room supplement. Travelers will also need some spending money. UPDATED - Estimated Tour Price does NOT include Traveler's Insurance. each family to purchase Traveler's Insurance, if they so desire. It is up to Airline taxes or fuel surcharges may increase; Atlantic Group Tours reservess the right to pass on such increases in the final pricing. Pricing is based on exchangee rate of $1.40 to Euro. Reserve your space now with a $300 deposit per person (see sign-up form at the end of the packet). UPDATED - All musicians/ /family members wishing to go on the YOPBC Ireland Trip must have their Registration Form and Deposit into the YOPBC office by July 15, 2012. Payment plan information will be available as soon as we receivee final details from the tour company regarding when payments are due to them (we expect this information very soon) ). All trip deposits and payments will be held by YOPBC in an account restricted for the trip. The money will be refunded if the trip must be cancelled. Should a musician/family member need to cancel after making a deposit, money will be refunded, minus whatever amount has already been paid to Atlantic Group tours as of the date YOPBC receives the request for a refund in writing. Eligibility to travel: UPDATED - The YOPBC Ireland Trip will accept Registration Forms and Deposits from family members with the following conditions: Musicians' immediate family (parents, guardians, siblings): Musicians and immediate family ONLY will be given priority for registering. Musicians' extended family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.): Extended family who register will be informed of their trip participation on a first-come, first-serve basis ONLY afterall YOPBC musicians and their immediate families are accounted for. All immediate and/or extended family members must abide by the Ireland Tour Itinerary as laid out in this packet for the duration of the trip. NO EXCEPTIONS.
All regular season tuition for 2012-13 must be paid by December 31, 2012 for musicianss or family members to participate. If regular season tuition is not paid in full by this date, all trip monies paid will be refunded, minus any amount already paid to Atlantic Group Tours for the individual to participate in the Ireland tour. Musicians/familieswho have not paid in full for the 2011-12 season will not be eligible to register for the 2012-13 season, and will therefore not be able to participate in the trip. Permission forms, medical forms, conduct agreements and other documentation (to be provided in the near future) must be completed before the trip. UPDATED - Alll musicians/family members must have a valid passport by July 15, 2012. Atlantic Group Tours will REQUIRE everyone's PROPER PASSPORT NAMES to secure airline tickets. If you are a U.S. citizen that does not currently hold a passport or is holding a passport that is expired, you should visit the link below to request or renew your passport. Pleasee note that securing a passport can take up to eight (8) weeks. http://www.t travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html If you will be traveling on a non-u.s. Passport, please check to see if you will require a Visa to enter both Ireland AND Northern Ireland. http://www.oneworld.com/airports-destinations/visa-health-information/ Financial Assistance: Theree will be a limited number of partial scholarships to assist those musicians in financial need to go on the trip. The $300 Registration Fee is excluded from these scholarships (all musicians/p arents must complete the Registration Form and remit the $300 per person fee). The award of a season scholarship does not necessarily guaranteee the award of an Ireland Trip Partial Scholarship. Eligibility for Assistance An Ireland Trip Financial Assistance Application will be provided in the near future. To be eligible for Financial Assistance, the Applicant Musician/Family must: 1. Be a current member of one of the YOPBC orchestras; 2. Be considered a musician "in good standing" - all tuition must be paid in full and/or applicant has been in full compliance with a previous scholarship agreement and/or Payment Plan; 3. Submit a completed Ireland Financial Assistance Application package in full (incomplete applications will not be eligible); 4. Demonstrate a financial need based on the application and the required attachments; 5. Participate in all Trip Fundraising Activities to raise funds for their trip.
Fundraising activities: The Youth Orchestra of Palm Beach County will make every effort to provide fundraising activities throughout the season for all YOPBC musicians/families to raise funds toward their Ireland Trip fees. Every musician/ /familyseeking Financial Assistance is required to participate in fundraising efforts for their trip. YOPBC will also encourage any musician/parent to bring fundraising ideas to the Music Director and Executive Director. Parent Idea (submitted 4/2/2012): set up a FREE fundraising page for your musician at www.youcaring.com In addition, YOPBC will support a Parent Fundraising Committee, if there is interest, to research and select fundraising activities and organize the fundraising process (providing informational packets, setting deadlines, collecting monies and turning them into the Music Director or Executive Director in a timely fashion, etc). The Parent Fundraising Committee could provide individual fundraising activities for the musicians to raise funds for their individual trip fees, such as: YOPBC-created letter that can be personalized by each musician to request sponsorship from family and friends. Selling Domino s Pizza Cards with the percentage allowed from each sale to go into the musician's trip account. Selling candy. The Parent Fundraising Committee could also organize fundraising activities whereby the Committee raisess funds so that a percentage of the total can be allocated to each musician, such as: Themed bake sales at concerts and events. Selling raffle tickets. What Atlantic Group Tours will provide: Development of a full and interesting itinerary, which will maximize the exposure of Orchestra members to the culture, history and people of Ireland. This will include the arrangement of all performances. Transportation on Aer Lingus on scheduled flights from Orlando to Dublin, Ireland on round-trip basis. Services of a professional Irish Tour Manager who will accompany the group for the duration of the tour and will direct the execution of all preplanned logistics.
Services of professional Irish Driver Guides, who will meet the group on arrival in Ireland and accompany the group for the duration of the tour. The Driverr Guides will be assigned exclusively to the Orchestra and will accompany the group for the duration of the tour. Program of sightseeing with transportation throughout by luxury European motor touring coach, with services of professional Irish staff, as appropriate. Eight nights accommodation in 3 or 4 star hotels, in twin rooms, all rooms with private bath. Full breakfasteach morning in Ireland. This is very similar to a full American breakfast. Dinner each evening at hotel. Dinner is usually a 3-course meal. Entrances to Blarney Castle, Bunratty Folk Park, Cliffs of Moher, Kylemore Abbey, St. Michan s Church and Trinity College. Coordination of all performances. On site provision of Concert Percussion: Timpani, Concert Bass Drum, Gong, Xylophone, Marimba, Orchestra Bells, Music Stands and Conductor s Score stand and Podium. Baggage Van as appropriate for transportation of instrumentss in Ireland. All airline and local service charges, taxes, and gratuities. About Atlantic Group Tours Atlantic Group Tours is the European tour operative of choice for many United States University music programs. John Cox, president, has extensive experience in handling concert tours over the past 33 years. Atlantic Group Tours was founded in 1989 by John Cox, with the purpose of providing custom European performing tours for United States musical groups. The head office is in Galway, Ireland. The U.S. office is in Townsend, Delaware. John Cox was awarded the Golden Shamrock Tourism Award by Dublin Tourism in 2003.
Commitment for YOPBC Ireland Trip: YOPBC s Musician s Name: Orchestra: Instrument: Address: Contact phone number(s): Contact email (preferably parent s): Pleasee list names and contact information for parents who wish to chaperone and other family members who wish to travel with YOPBC: To be completed by parent/guardian responsible for payment. Please acknowledge each statement by checking the box and sign below: I have enclosed a $300 deposit for each traveler (checks made to YOPBC). I understand that amounts I pay toward the trip will be held in an account restricted for the trip. My money willl be refunded if the trip must be cancelled. I understand that YOPBC must make payments to Atlantic Group Tours on a regular basis. If travelers determine that they cannot participate, funds paid will be returned, minus the amounts already paid to Atlantic Group Tours as of the date the traveler requests a refund. I understand that the total cost of the trip will be $2,700 to $3,000, plus spending money. I will make regular payments, according to a payment plan to be determinedd by YOPBC (coming soon plan will be based on dates money is due to Atlantic Group Tours). I understand that all travelers (including parent chaperones) must travel to and from Ireland with the group and stay with the group for the entire tour. I will make necessary arrangements for my musician (and parent chaperones, if applicable) to have a current passport for the trip. I understand that my musician will not be permitted to participate if regularr season tuition for 2012-13 has not been paid in fulll by Dec. 31, 2012. Signature: Date: Name (please print): Please send completed commitment and deposit to: YOPBC, 2285 Potomac Rd. Boca Raton, FL 33431