September 16, 2011
DUBLIN, Ireland – Today we woke to typical Irish weather – rain. Oh well, it is to be expected. Because we have both been to Dublin before, we decided to book the shuttle ($20 round-trip) into the city and to explore on our own. 
This worked out fine and by about 11 a.m. the sun came out. Again, typical for Dublin. We saw most of the sights…did a bit of shopping…and headed back to the ship. (The ship has to sail earlier than usual today because of low tides.)
Before departure, there was an impressive show of Irish music and dance called the “Gaels Afloat.” The four musicians and three dancers put on a rousing show that set just the right note for leaving Dublin. They announced that this was their 18th season of playing for Princess and that this was their last show for this year.
After that was concluded, we went out on deck for the sailaway and noticed a small drama in progress. The crew was pulling up the gangplank but it was obvious some passengers were missing. They called the names of four people…and soon a cab pulled up and dispatched two stragglers. But where were the other two? Soon we saw the purser appear, obviously carrying the passports of the missing. She reluctantly passed these off to the port agent and we prepared to sail.
Of course, just as we were pulling away from the dock…a taxi screeched in, bearing the missing man and woman. But it was too late, the ship was underway. They stood forlornly and soon the port agent showed up to help them handle their situation. Of course, they are fortunate that they only have to get to Belfast by tomorrow (some 100 miles away) to catch up with the ship.
Photos by Chet Janssens
Heidi, Editor-In-Chief
