Seattle, WA The Celebration 4 Travel Information Thread!

Hi everybody! I'm JediFarfy, and despite my obsessive coffee drinking and hyper activity, I'm also an organizing FANATIC. As a result, I'm already panicking about Celebration 4!!! So, here's some information I've gathered today (I loooove lists):

• Many good and close hotels are booked solid. The exceptions are the Sheraton and Holiday Inns. They are supposedly being reserved for VIP, vendors, and official fan club members. I'm a fan club member, So:


1. Is anyone else a member?


2. Should we book what we can ASAP, or wait until the fan club rooms are opened up?


3. How much are we willing to spend per person? Many are $100-$200/ night depending on size, and we can cram 5 people in a room! I can take the floor!




• Who is going? I know those who were at the meeting were very interested and we pretty much decided we'd go. Please PM me or Yvette soon so I can get a count because:


1. Depending on the hotel, we are allowed 4-6 people per room.


2. I, at least, would prefer male and female only rooms, but that can be up for discussion if we have a disporportionate number one way or the other.




• Disneyland! Some of us would loooove to hit Disneyland at some point while we're down there. C4 starts on a Thursday and ends on a Monday. Hey look, another list:


1. If you're going to C4, want to go to Disneyland (include in PM please)


2. Before or after C4? Or both?!

I'm working on pricing for hotels, transportation, Disneyland, flights, etc. I think if we book all together, we'll get discounts, and rooms near each other. Let me know what you all think so I can get us organized. If you have other ideas or already have some info, post it! I'd just like to get some sort of plan going. Trust me, I'm the type that would plan out every single minute of a trip just in case!!!!

JediFarfy

 

Please remember the hotels have been booked by GenCon, the company running Celebration 4.

They will release rooms through their own booking agent when they are ready. This may be in September.

So the hotels are not really booked but just reserved. Hopefully they won't botch it like they did for C3.

 

JediFarfy reminds me of my Eledaia... always planning...

The Spokane group has already started planning for a possible road trip/caravan from washington, down through oregon, and then through Northern cali, meeting up with as many fan forces, 501st and Rebel Legion people as possible on the way. If you guys think you might be interested in this, let us know and we'll keep you posted.

 

I can't help it, I love planning stuff.

The road trip idea is cool, but I'm not sure if I'm as into it. I like traveling, but I'm also a wuss.

More information:

• Flights can't be booked more than 330 days before the trip, which means we still have a couple of weeks.


• Anyone have a preference on airlines? I'm not into Alaskan Airlines (too many recent problems). Southwest kinda scares me too. They're cheap... for a reason.

Ah, planning. So much fun!

JediFarfy

 

I would prefer flying...people end up getting cranky and can never decide on music. I however don't have any preferences on airlines...as long as its reasonable.

 

Cool. I'm trying to get an idea on pricing, but can only get early May flight information. Late May is going to be different, I'm guessing, based on summer starting, graduations, Mother's Day, etc. My current guestimation is about $150 each way, but I'm also checking out combo deals and other special things that might lower that.

JediFarfy

 

I heard over at the C4 boards that air fair deals will be offered starting in the late summer and early fall. It may be possible to get a round trip ticket for about 200.

 

Though I haven't done any research on it, from what Eledaia tells me, she has calculated it out, and thinks it'll be a lot cheaper to drive. Just FYI for anyone who's trying to decide one way or the other

 

I would totally love to drive instead of fly because I HATE TO FLY. But I suck at driving and it takes lots of extra time that I would have to ask for off. So I think Yvette will hafta toughen up (or medicate self) and fly.

 

I have a 29 foot long bus at my disposal. It has been retrofitted as an RV and can sleep 6 comfortably with a couple more on the floor.

Of course I can make the drive in one day to LA.

It could easily transport 10 people, it would cost about $850 each way in gas.

 

any new developements in this? I'm savin up so jus let me know when I need to drop the doe....lol

 

Nothing new yet. I haven't found out when the fan club stuff will open up, and no pricing yet either. I'll work on it some more Monday and Tuesday and see if I can get more info. As far as I've seen, amounts (rounding up) might be about:

-$300 for flight (round trip)
-$200-$250/room (depending on hotel, 4 or 5 people per room)

But, I'll get more difinitive information soon!

JediFarfy

 

The place I booked is from the 24th to the 28th. It is a block away. I can have two room mates max. The total price per person for the entire stay would be $226.50 per person.

 

Cool, I work on checking out other hotels and prices, since we can start booking.

Speaking of booking...

Flights are available now. The issue is the number we will be buying. We can work this out at the August and September meetings, but I definitely want to buy tickets by November (hotels sooner if possible).

As of writing this, I'm seeing this:

1) Searching for maximum number of tickets from the site (6-9)
2) Leaving early morning Thursday, May 24, 2007
3) Arriving home Saturday, June 2, 2007 (extra time for Disneyland!!!)

Priceline.com -- $338
Orbitz.com -- $341
Travelocity.com -- $303
CheapTickets.com -- $339

A lot of these places have a "Save with Flight + Hotel" deal, so I'll get more information with that ASAP as well.

Another issue is most of these invole an airline we all kinda didn't want to fly, United, so I might check out the specific airlines to get their prices and information.

Interesting information: When you book directly with the airline, rather than a third party site, you have a good chance to upgrade. If we leave at 6am like some of these flights do, it won't be very crowded. Just thinking ahead people!

Edit: Ok, the Flight + Hotel stuff sucks. There's a small number of people you can book, and a small number of hotels, none of which we want.

BTW: What about this hotel? I'm just worried we won't get a good hotel or rooms. Don't mind me, just making myself nervous...

JediFarfy

 

Looks like an interesting hotel. They have group rates too. Did you want to try and wait and see if any of the blocked hotels go on sale?

 

Well, this way you worry enough for all of us.
Thanks for the information! I do feel better about all of this.
Any I think any hotel within walking distance is fine. I am not too picky, as long as its clean and functioning.

 

Here is something:
the 501st had this game at C3 and it looks like they're doing it at ComicCon. I'll bet you anything they do it at C4 too. It is just one of many things to look forward to.
http://www.southerncaliforniagarrison.com/hunt/index.html

 

Oh, that looks like fun! Can't wait!

Booking with that hotel is hit and miss (some could, some couldn't).

Our #1 PROBLEM right now is who is going? If you think you MIGHT be going, let me know. So far, we have 4 or 5. We're hoping for 10, which would be 2-3 rooms. We get flight discounts that way.

Oh, so far, it's cheaper to leave Wednesday, May 23! Must be a Wednesday thing...

Plus, since we're pretty sure we'll do Disneyland AFTER the convention, what days? C4 ends the 28th, so are we going to do Tuesday the 29th? Or, use that day to get out of hotel #1 to hotel #2 and go to Disneyland the next day (the 30th)?

Ok, we can talk about this at the next meeting.

JediFarfy

 

Woah! That is a lot of info there! Yeah, talking about it at the meeting sounds good!
Since it is cheeper to come in on the 23rd would the cost of an extra night at the hotel cost more than what you save?

 

Should we bring this to our next meeting or have a special one just to plan C4 stuff?

 

Hm, good point. The flight cost difference was about $50-$70. I'll have to do some more research on that.

JediFarfy

 

Ok, I've found a FANTASTIC site that I've seen lots of TV ads for called Kayak.com. They basically search all those travel sites and gives you prices. It's my new favorite site EVER-ish. From what I've seen, we can leave at 6am the morning of the convention for the same price as the day before (the sites didn't show that before!). Round trip tickets are $335 before taxes and stuff. We need a hotel now, which I'm heading off to check out as well.

Note: The flights that are cheapest are American Airlines, which I don't have a major issue with, but if someone does, post it or PM me and I'll work around it. Southwest, which would usually be cheaper, doesn't have any listing at all at this point and their site doesn't allow reservations for then yet.

JediFarfy

 

Hotel Information:

Stillwell Hotel:

Just a few blocks away from the convention center

Online rate is $75 a night for a "Double Double" room (2 double beds)

For 5 nights, one room for 4 people: $427.50!

I'm edging towards this. PLEASE tell me ASAP so I can get this moving! YAY!

JediFarfy

 

Ok, paying for rooms:

I am willing to use one of my credit cards, as long as I'm repaid ASAP. I don't want to have a lot of debt on my one card with room, so if you DO want to go, PM ME!

Pretty much set to go to the same hotel and same flight:
Ammers, Maco, Yvette, and Moi. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE post and let me know if you are interested in staying in the same hotel and taking the same flight.

Total costs per person are going to be a total of about $450 with the Stillwell Hotel and the flights I found, which may change if we do in fact go to Disneyland.

JediFarfy

 

I am okay with the above stated plan. I just get the side closest to the window.