The President-elect and her family visited Aras an Uachtarain on Saturday afternoon for a look around their new home. "It was an informal visit," said the secretary to the President, Mr Peter Ryan. "They spent an hour there getting a feel for the place. It was an orientation experience more than anything."
Earlier on Saturday Mrs McAleese had acknowledged to journalists in Dublin Castle: "There is quite a lot of relocation to be organised in a relatively short time and I will need a lot of help."
That help will come from a variety of sources, but one person who will be crucial is Mr Ryan. He met the President-elect for the first time when she visited the Aras on Saturday.
"It will be very much the same procedures as anyone else moving house," he told The Irish Times yesterday. "Our job is to make sure the move is completed as smoothly as possible."
In some ways, Mrs McAleese is more fortunate than her predecessor. When Mrs Mary Robinson was elected seven years ago, the then president, Dr Patrick Hillery, was still living in the Aras.
He invited the Robinson family for afternoon tea, giving them a chance to view their new home before they moved in.
This time, because of Mrs Robinson's resignation, the building is empty. This has given the Office of Public Works, the Department responsible for the maintenance of the 245-year-old State-owned building, a chance to do some work.
Outside, tarmac has been dug up and replaced with more aesthetically-pleasing cobblestones. Inside, the building has been repainted and rewired and work has been done on the stairs, which were, according to one source, "riddled with dry rot."
Mrs McAleese's children - Emma (15) and twins Sara Mai and Justin (12) - and her husband, Martin, are understood to be delighted with their new home.
Mr Charlie McAleese, the father-in-law of the Presidentelect, will also live in the Aras, Mrs McAleese confirmed yesterday.
Further visits to the Park are planned before the move, which will take place immediately after the inauguration tomorrow week.
There are eight permanent household staff in Aras an Uachtarain. These include two cooks, a housekeeper and cleaners.
For the most part, Mrs Robinson chose not to avail of their services in the family living quarters upstairs but, says Mr Ryan, arrangements are "flexible" and at the discretion of the President.
Should Mrs McAleese wish to transfer some furniture from her home in Rostrevor, Co Down, the Office of Public Works will be "more than happy" to look after transport arrangements, says Mr Ryan.
Mrs Robinson brought some paintings and newly-purchased furnishings to the Aras.
There are other practicalities to be sorted out before the McAleese family relocates. For example, new schools will have to be found for the children.
Whatever problems Mrs McAleese encounters, she knows she can rely on experienced advice. Mrs Robinson has already offered her successor every support and will, at all times, be just a long-distance phone call away.