Last of the niece/nephew tours - #'s 13 & 14, 21 and 18 yo brothers - combined with big round birthday in Dublin.
Logistics: United was fine. Flew into EWR day before int'l departure to avoid potential issues with connecting with nephews in EWR. Had great dinner in Manhattan with three nieces and spouses, then back to HI Express EWR (which used to be a Hampton Inn) for basic but serviceable accommodation. Upgrade from E+ did not clear but we managed OK. Slight delay but no problem as arrival in DUB was early morning anyway. Aer Lingus DUB to FCO, smooth, no issues. Train Rome to Florence, Florence to Venice. Sala Blu mobility assist service fabulous in Rome and Florence arrival, but departure from Florence was marred by a snafu that led to missing our train. Turns out there were two pax with same first name and Sala Blu staff thought they had boarded DH when they had not. Not the end of the world, was able to book the next train to Mestre, even bumped to Business class. Arrival at Mestre seamless. Return flight VCE-EWR cleared into Premium Economy for DH and myself, was delayed a couple hours, leading to missing connection home via IAH. To its credit, UA had rebooked us on next day's direct flight, provided hotel and food vouchers by the time we landed at EWR.
Accommodation: In Dublin, stayed at our favorite, Dylan hotel. Place is just lovely, accessible room great and staff is delightful. They welcomed us back as if we were visiting family. Major concern is DH's mobility limitations, he cannot handle stairs. Air BnB in Rome was fabulous, door from Prati quiet side street sidewalk led directly into master bedroom, bathroom was clearly designed by someone with knowledge of limited mobility. Full kitchen (microwave only, no other oven) and good AC and WiFi. Boy's room upstairs was spacious, as was bathroom which also held washing machine. In Florence, Air BnB was just wonderful - great location on the river, modern, well designed and furnished with all mod cons. In Venice, stayed at a VRBO property in Mestre, also modern and well designed with only issue being microwave out of commission but that was not a major problem as we did little to no cooking there. Bus into Venice proper left just outside the apartment building, took less than 15 minutes to reach Piazzale Roma. Grocery store nearby, several dining options within walking distance. Served us well as boys and I went into Venice to play tourist and DH stayed in the place doing some online work. best of all was easy, quick cab rode to airport for departure.
Touristy stuff: Struck out on our own in Dublin (Kilmainham Jail, EPIC museum, Guiness Storehouse) but in Italy deviated from previous pattern and booked several small group tours this time around. Did a great three hour golf cart tour in Rome that was perfect for DH and gave the boys overview of highlights. Boys and I went to Coliseum and forum next day for in depth tour. In Florence did Duomo, museum and next day an all day Tuscany tour (Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano with lunch at a winery.) In Venice, booked tour to get no line access to Doge's palace and St Mark's in Venice and had an excellent guide.
Take away: The extra effort to assure accessible accommodations paid off. And yeah, I may be a 20 something in my mind, but the wear and tear on this old body asserts itself. Thank goodness for diclofenac gel, without which my knee and hip would never have made it. On the Tuscany tour I had to just tell the boys to go explore the hilly town and I'd meet them at a gelato shop later. When we began the niece/nephew trips 20 years ago the kids joked about a "death march across Paris" but these days it's Lyft or taxis all the time. Not anywhere near ready to stop traveling, but it sure does take a lot more planning and preparation nowadays!

Did you buy tickets in advance for the Duomo in Florence? Who did you book your tour with in Venice?
Thanks!

I�m intrigued by your niece/nephew tours concept ~ is it asking too much for a brief summary of trips?
You know, like �1998, niece, Paris, one week���
Thank you either way!

karenwoo - I have come to rely on Get Your Guide, find it easier to use and usually less expensive than Viator or other aggregators, especially helpful with last minute arrangements.



nyse � trip tradition started 20 years ago. First and second trips were limited to Paris (2004 & 2005). Subsequent trips expanded, involved:

Paris + London several times 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013 with two nieces

• Paris + Amsterdam (to avoid London Olympics) 2012
• Paris + Madrid/Barcelona (sister of the traveler niece was studying in Madrid that year) 2013
• Germany (Nuremberg, Munich) + Italy (Rome, Florence) with two nephews based on nephews' preferences 2015
• Italy (Rome/Florence/Venice) 2019
• Dublin + Italy (Rome/Florence/Venice) with two nephews 2024

Trips were about two weeks each. Used many IHG hotels based on elite status. London (Crowne Plaza Blackfriars and St. James, HI Mayfair), Amsterdam (NH), Nuremberg (HI Express), Munich (HI), Madrid (HI), apartments everywhere else. We adored the CP St. James in London but it has changed into a Taj property with tariffs three to four times the previous rates so not high on our list now. Apartments were let mostly via VRBO and AirBnB; best apartments we had were in Italy but all were OK. In apartments we would usually have breakfast in, occasionally do a light prep dinner (e.g., pasta, rotisserie chicken or takeaway.) Shopping in local grocery stores and shops was always a fun experience.

All flights were on Continental/United (have lifetime elite status based on loads of travel when I was working) and aside from the period right after the CO/UA merge in 2012 when it was chaotic air travel was pretty much uneventful. Tried the depart separately/ meet up in European destination the first time and niece's flight cancellation caused a bit of anxiety so we didn't do that again, just arranged to meet in EWR and continue together to Europe from there. We like to fly in the day prior and visit with nieces in NYC area.

And that's all she wrote!

Thanks - it’s a wonderful concept. Here’s to you, Uncle Seamus❣️