Theme Park Review's 2007 Group Trips!

[deguy123]

^^ Oh I know you weren't talking to me...lol...My comment/question was just about the Ukers not being in the lottery.

 

These people really don't read the flyer at all and why ask why R&E are going to a place, if you don't like it, don't sign up.

[TexTitan01]

 

Second it is also insulting to others who do read the thread, but more importantly to R&E. They spend their free time doing all this research, calling parks, typing up information and posting flyers. That would easily amount to hours or days worth of time and you can't sacrifice a couple of minutes to read the things they have worked on. I may be older but that is a total sign of disrespect.

 

Wow you really know how to flame 'em as they come dont ya? Though I can understand where your coming from. I cant even begin to imagine how much time R&E have spent making this a possibility, then selfish little punks who dont know or dont care about the hours put into this chime in "OOOH I WANNA GO!!!! How much is it??? whats ERT? I dont like that park, can we go someplace else? Do we get to ride Voyage?!?" I'll second what coaster05 is saying and put more emphasis on how important it is to read and get a full understanding of these trip flyers inside, outside, black, white, whatever!

 

-end ramble

[benzo41190]

Wow! 23 people already??? Probaly more by now

 

I have never won anything....so I wont be lucky in that lottery. But 12 days traveling around the midwest does sound fun.

 

Also, what if 2 people are going together. Would the lottery be for both people....or, if one gets picked then the other person can go?

[TexTitan01]

This was discussed already, but on another topic preceding this one. I would really like to believe you read that, but if you didnt yes 2 people will be counted as one on the lottery.

 

I really hope people arent being as irrational as I think they are

[robbalvey]

Ok, let me try to answer a few questions.....

 

1. Q: "Do I need to be on the entire trip?"

A: Yes you do. In order to keep the trips more exclusive, at this time we are not planning to offer a "join us for a day, or part of the trip" option. If we did that, we run the risk of having hundreds of people show up on a certain day, and that would defeat our goal of having fewer people in order to get better ERT sessions.

 

 

2. Q: "What if I live locally?"

A: You are welcome to come meet up with us for the day, however you would not be able to join in on any "park perks" which includes ERT sessions, group meals, photo ops, etc. Even as a local, these trips should be a good value for your money considering the additional perks you will get.

 

3. Q: "What if I have a season pass?"

A: At this time we are not able to offer a discount for people who have season passes as the park will still charge us for each "special event ticket" per person (which could include your admission, ERT, meal, etc) which your season pass does NOT include. And even if we did, the discount would not equal the entire cost of the your pass, but a fraction of the price based on an assumed value of your visit that day. For example, a SFMM season pass cost $60 this year. Most people if they buy a pass will go to a park 5 times during a season. So you can assume each visit to the park would be worth about $12. Considering that most parks we visit you will get a meal or ERT worth at least that amount, it kind of makes giving a discount for passholders a little pointless. And when you're paying $2,000 for a trip, if $12 is a dealbreaker, well then, perhaps this isn't the trip for you.

 

4. Q: "If there is a lottery, are the members of the UK trip in that too?"

A: No. One of the perks for taking our trips is that you automatically have priority seating on future trips.

 

5. Q: "What about the Italy add-on?"

A: Once we have everyone signed up for the Spain trip we will discuss potential add-ons. The TusenFryd/Liseberg add-on for the UK trip was not part of the initial plans, it was originally just a Robb & Elissa 'side trip'. It just sort of "happened" that it became part of the official trip due to 1. the parks we were visiting (yay Balder) and 2. the reasonable price. At the moment the Italy add-on is pricing out to be about $400 more than UK Trip add-on due to more expensive flights and hotels (we HAVE to stay at a hotel with A/C during August in Italy!) We are looking into a few different add-on trip options, and this will be discussed in the Spain Trip Forum once the deposit deadline has closed.

 

I think that's most of the current questions.

 

And I must stress to everyone....please....

 

READ THE ENTIRE THREAD BEFORE YOU ASK A QUESTION!

 

It has probably already been asked.

 

I hope this helps!

 

--Robb

[ride6]

Okay, I'm officially too poor to do this so it would be fantastic if you'd release the dates that you guys will be at the specific parks (say SFGAmer, Indiana Beach and Cedar Point) I'll try to meat you guys at one of them. I should be able to afford to at least do that.

 

Oh and please do Indiana Beach at night, it's so much better than during the day.

 

Ride6

[deguy123]

^ Oh my god......That all I have to say

[thomas2]

4. Q: "If there is a lottery, are the members of the UK trip in that too?"

A: No. One of the perks for taking our trips is that you automatically have priority seating on future trips.

 

Okay so in let's say 5 years, people who haven't been on a trip before can't get on anymore because there are so many people who get priority and fill all the space up?

Or does this priority only applies for the UK trip?

[SharkTums]

As of right now, we haven't figured out how to do trips past next year in regards to signups. It's looking like the UK peeps will pretty much always have first dibs for being our guinea pigs, but 2007 trip people may or may not.

[deathmole]

I'm damn interested in the Spain trip, damn the mole needs cash, fast.

 

But all I hear is:

 

"No I will not pay you three hundred dollars for sex"

 

[mcjaco]

All I have to say is, that I think the system in place is pretty good and fair. Too many over the allotment, lottery. Sounds good to me. Still glad I gots me money in early though.

 

Here's to hoping I get in. My wife would love ten days with me gone!

[AndyGiles]

If you ask me, it seems completely wrong that the people on the UK trip get right of first refusal on all subsequent trips.

 

I thought the whole point of TPR was to build a coaster community. With this kind of system, you're simply going to get an exclusive club of the same select people who go on these trips every year.

 

If I was running it, I would put all people who have already been on a trip in the lottery and not the other way around.

 

It simply means that these trips will become "cliquey" and newcomers will feel like outsiders.

[methylene]

I'll try to meat you guys at one of them.

While some of the guys might be cool with it; I, for one, have no desire to be meated by a stranger. I have *some* scrupples.

 

Matt

[DerekRx]

^^I don't see it that way at all. Long story short, there are how many trips per year now vs the one from last year? I don't know what kind of job you have to be able to take off of work for more than a month, but I know even though I have enough money to do every trip, I don't have the time off.

 

The UKers getting first dibs was something mentioned back during the original UK trip announcement and I think its a nice bonus to those of us who were brave enough to put our hands in a never before experienced trip.

 

Besides all that, I doubt all the UK people will continue to go on trips indefinitely if there isn't that much new stuff to experience.

 

Of course, I also think that people who complain about the way Robb and Elissa do things should probably just try to set up their own trip altogether and see how easy it is.

[methylene]

If you ask me, it seems completely wrong that the people on the UK trip get right of first refusal on all subsequent trips.

 

I thought the whole point of TPR was to build a coaster community. With this kind of system, you're simply going to get an exclusive club of the same select people who go on these trips every year.

 

If I was running it, I would put all people who have already been on a trip in the lottery and not the other way around.

 

It simply means that these trips will become "cliquey" and newcomers will feel like outsiders.

 

You might have a point if all 50 people on the UK trip could afford and chose to go on three TPR trips a year. Reality paints a different picture, however.

 

Matt

[thomas2]

^^and^

But what if the people of the 2007 trips get this privilege? Then it would be completely difficult to ever get in a trip, so R&E don't do that. I think it's okay for the UK-trip, but don't overdo it

[SharkTums]

Yeah sorry Andy, but I see nothing wrong with rewarding a group of 51 people that were willing to take a chance on us!

 

Just so you don't freak out anymore, you should realize that less than half of the Exclusive Cliquey UK group will be doing Spain, and only a handful will be doing the Midwest or Japan.

 

Being that you haven't actually signed up for any of our trips I'm also trying to figure out why you seem so angry?!?!

 

EDIT!

 

^Don't tell us how to do our trips. Thanks!

[methylene]

^^and^

But what if the people of the 2007 trips get this privilege? Then it would be completely difficult to ever get in a trip, so R&E don't do that. I think it's okay for the UK-trip, but don't overdo it

 

What if Robb and Elissa grow sick and tired of planning trips for 150 different people a year and the groundhog doesn't see his shadow next year and global warming floods all coastal amusment parks and California falls into the Pacific and France goes to war with England and Fox becomes a 24/7 porn channel and little bo peep can't find her sheep and WHAT THEN OH GOD WON'T SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!1!

 

Hypotheticals on top of "What-ifs" are just plain absurd at this point.

 

Matt

[coaster05]

If you ask me, it seems completely wrong that the people on the UK trip get right of first refusal on all subsequent trips.

 

I thought the whole point of TPR was to build a coaster community. With this kind of system, you're simply going to get an exclusive club of the same select people who go on these trips every year.

 

If I was running it, I would put all people who have already been on a trip in the lottery and not the other way around.

 

It simply means that these trips will become "cliquey" and newcomers will feel like outsiders.

 

Go ahead and run one. I am sure you have the time to do all the work that they did then criticize them for how THEIR system is run. Anyone and I mean anyone could have went to the UK. There was a chance, albeit slim, that it could have blown up in our faces, yet I committed my wife an myself to 6,000 dollars with people I had never met on a site I hadn't visited. If you don't think that is worth anything I am truly sorry.

 

Here is my thing. I have known R&E for less than a year and had never talked to them before June 9th. What they are doing is totally selfless and should be accorded that respect. They are not making money on these trips and to be honest I have no idea how they can do this. You are entitled to your opinion, but I feel it is very unfair and disrespectful. I consider both of them my friends, which is not a term I use loosely, and I will stick up for them.

[thomas2]

Anyone and I mean anyone could have went to the UK

 

That's not true. Those who didn't had a job then and thus didn't earn any money, those who where too young, those who didn't get permission from their parents, etc. They just couldn't make it to the UK, but that doesn't mean they don't want to attend the trips!

[AndyGiles]

^^ I think my post has kind of been misinterpreted.

 

I think it's great that these trips are being organised and I would love to go.

 

My problem is that for work reasons, I can't plan that far ahead. By the time I know when I can get holidays, the trip will be full. Many of those spaces will have been taken up by people who have been on these trips already, which seems a shame as it prevents other people from experiencing all the fun!

 

I guess it's my problem that I can't book holiday that far in advance...I was only venting my frustration out aloud and didn't mean any harm.

[deguy123]

They are planning the trips so really they can do whatever they want and have whatever system they want. I don't see why these few people are getting so mad.

 

A few good points were made, the UK'ers aren't all going to go on all 3 trips next year and I bet half of people who say they are sending in the money, will not.

[coaster05]

I would say each trip will have around 35 non ukers. If you can't schedule your vacation now, you have until in Feb 1st to get your deposit back. That is approx five months before the trip I would hope you could schedule your vacation by then.

 

If I misinterpreted the post I apologize though I stand by my statement.

[SharkTums]

^^ I think my post has kind of been misinterpreted.

 

I think it's great that these trips are being organised and I would love to go.

 

My problem is that for work reasons, I can't plan that far ahead. By the time I know when I can get holidays, the trip will be full. Many of those spaces will have been taken up by people who have been on these trips already, which seems a shame as it prevents other people from experiencing all the fun!

 

I guess it's my problem that I can't book holiday that far in advance...I was only venting my frustration out aloud and didn't mean any harm.

 

How far can't you plan ahead? You can always put in your deposit now, then drop out before the 2nd on is due! Also, why don't you email me and say: "Hey Elissa, I really want to go on Trip X but I can't committ this far in advance, can I be 1st on the waitlist? Anyone else have this problem? What do you suggest?" I would have thought that to be a nice idea as opposed to complaining about our system!

 

We had teachers that didn't know about snow days, we had people in the military who wouldn't know if they could get out, etc. They didn't have a problem, why do you?

[larrygator]

If I was running it, I would put all people who have already been on a trip in the lottery and not the other way around.

 

It simply means that these trips will become "cliquey" and newcomers will feel like outsiders.

 

Whew - As a UK participant, I'm glad you are not running it. Keep in mind that 2006 was one trip (50 spots), this year there are 3 trips (150 spots). I don't think anyone from the UK Trip is planning to go on all 3, maybe Jeff or Derek who frequently travel with R&E anyway and help out.

 

Most of us took a chance spending between $3,000-$4,000 a per person putting our faith in an unproven system.

 

As far as being cliquey R&E had a core of 5-6 people they knew beforehand on the UK trip and many of us newbies to traveling with R&E had similar concerns. R&E did a great thing in creating the exclusive UK Trip message boards and most people got a chance to learn the personalities and quirks of others before the trip.

 

What's to stop a trip from being cliquey if it is all newcomers and in signing up there are ten friends from California, and four mates from the UK, and three couples who know each other from Chicago.