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#345430 - 31/05/2011 12:23 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: rob]
julf
veteran

Registered: 01/10/2001
Posts: 1307
Loc: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Hmm.. Still waiting for response from the hotel...

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#345431 - 31/05/2011 12:26 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: julf]
Roger
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5683
Loc: London, UK
Originally Posted By: julf
Hmm.. Still waiting for response from the hotel...


They got back in touch with me earlier today. Try them again?
_________________________
-- roger

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#345432 - 31/05/2011 13:09 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: julf]
dr_dos
member

Registered: 02/03/2002
Posts: 134
Loc: Bendorf, Germany
Originally Posted By: julf
Hmm.. Still waiting for response from the hotel...


Did you contact them using their contact form or email? I tried that and since I never heard anything back from them I ended up calling them by phone. It also took them three days to send me a confirmation email (only after I called again to remind them). Impressing service, really...

Cheers,

Peter

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#345434 - 31/05/2011 15:38 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: dr_dos]
DWallach
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
I just phoned the hotel and booked my room. Apparently, the magic phrase is to say that you're attending the Schofield birthday party, which then gets you a reduced rate.

Meanwhile, I now have to plan my travel to and from London. I'll be arriving at Heathrow sometime Friday morning. There's apparently a direct train from Waterloo station. Anybody have reservations booked already? Or is somebody driving?

Similarly, I'm leaving Sunday for my Ryan Air extravaganza to Germany. Anybody else have any particular plans for leaving on Sunday onto which I can piggyback?

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#345436 - 31/05/2011 17:17 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: DWallach]
dr_dos
member

Registered: 02/03/2002
Posts: 134
Loc: Bendorf, Germany
Originally Posted By: DWallach
I just phoned the hotel and booked my room. Apparently, the magic phrase is to say that you're attending the Schofield birthday party, which then gets you a reduced rate.


That didn't work for me. Last Thursday I was told that only executive rooms where left at the regular price. When did you book your room?

Originally Posted By: DWallach
Meanwhile, I now have to plan my travel to and from London. I'll be arriving at Heathrow sometime Friday morning. There's apparently a direct train from Waterloo station. Anybody have reservations booked already? Or is somebody driving?


We'll arrive Saturday morning.

Originally Posted By: DWallach
Similarly, I'm leaving Sunday for my Ryan Air extravaganza to Germany. Anybody else have any particular plans for leaving on Sunday onto which I can piggyback?


We're flying Ryan Air too, but we'll stay through Monday


Cheers,

Peter

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#345439 - 31/05/2011 17:36 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: dr_dos]
DWallach
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
Quote:
That didn't work for me. Last Thursday I was told that only executive rooms where left at the regular price. When did you book your room?

I booked only a few hours ago. She said they were out of regular rooms but had "superior" and "executive" rooms, so I'm now in the superior room. The price was 84 GBP or thereabouts.

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#345455 - 01/06/2011 04:06 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: DWallach]
Schido
enthusiast

Registered: 29/03/2005
Posts: 364
Loc: Probably lost somewhere in Wal...
RobRicc and I are ariving friday morning at heathrow too. You might be in the same plane as him.
Rob rented a car, i'm hitching a ride, and i'm pretty sure there's more room in the car.
We're both returning on sunday afternoon too, but to heathrow again, your ryan air flight is from another airport?
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#345456 - 01/06/2011 05:52 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: Schido]
StigOE
addict

Registered: 27/10/2002
Posts: 568
I'm also arriving Friday morning (09.20) and planning to take the train, unless someone is offering to let me hitch a ride. I'm staying until Monday.

Dan, was your quoted price with or without breakfast? I was quoted £93 with breakfast, which would only be needed on Saturday, for a Superior Room.

Stig

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#345457 - 01/06/2011 10:46 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: StigOE]
julf
veteran

Registered: 01/10/2001
Posts: 1307
Loc: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
I assume those prices are per night?

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#345458 - 01/06/2011 10:50 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: StigOE]
robricc
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/10/2000
Posts: 4931
Loc: New Jersey, USA
I reserved a Passat, so there should be plenty of room to take a couple more from Heathrow. Just PM me with your details and Bas and I will meet-up with you.

My flight gets in at 7:50AM on Friday.
_________________________
-Rob Riccardelli
80GB 16MB MK2 090000736

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#345459 - 01/06/2011 10:59 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: julf]
StigOE
addict

Registered: 27/10/2002
Posts: 568
Originally Posted By: julf
I assume those prices are per night?

Yes, they are per night.

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#345460 - 01/06/2011 12:06 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: StigOE]
andy
carpal tunnel

Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5916
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
Per person, per night. With a ~£20 premium if you are a single person in a double/twin room.

The rate I got, including breakfast, was £79 per person per night for an executive room.
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#345469 - 02/06/2011 01:10 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: andy]
DWallach
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
I never asked whether I got breakfast or not. Somehow, I imagine no two of us will end up spending the same price at this place.

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#345470 - 02/06/2011 02:16 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: DWallach]
DWallach
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
I will now gripe about Ryanair. Oh. My.

A one-way ticket from London-Stansted to Frankfurt-Hahn is nominally 36.99 GBP. However, there are additional fees which I must pay:

EU 261 Levy 2.00 GBP
1 x (1st Checked Bag (20kg)) 30.00 GBP
1 x (Web Check in ) 6.00 GBP
Administration Fee 6.00 GBP

And, on top of that, they wanted to charge what amounted to a 10% currency conversion fee on top of that. All said and done, I'm paying somewhere around $136 for the one-way ticket.

They're charging me for web checkin, which saves them money, and I have no idea what an administration fee is. And then they're constantly trying to upsell you on travel insurance, car rental, hotel, and on and on it goes. And that 20kg allowance on the bag... if I end up above that, there are per-kilogram fees.

For contrast, a flight on, say, Southwest Airlines, one-way from Houston to Oklahoma City, would be $69 at the "web special" rate without any additional fees or assorted crap.

No wonder folks dislike Ryanair. Amazing stuff.

So... how should I best get from the empeg meet to London-Stanstead for a Sunday 15:25 departure?

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#345471 - 02/06/2011 04:16 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: DWallach]
StigOE
addict

Registered: 27/10/2002
Posts: 568
Did you check other airlines? I'm planning to go down to Spain for a week in November and I checked 3 different airlines, Ryanair being one of them. They did turn out to be the cheapest, but not by much and the departure time from Spain was 07.00 in the morning... The airline I expected to be most expensive, was actually close to Ryanair in price.

Edit: Don't forget your boarding pass when you go to the airport, otherwise you have to pay £40 extra. I just checked Lufthansa. They would have flown you from Heathrow to Frankfurt for £87.78, so not much more and I expect the service to be higher.

Stig


Edited by StigOE (02/06/2011 04:28)

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#345472 - 02/06/2011 05:08 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: StigOE]
andy
carpal tunnel

Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5916
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
Whenever I fly, which is not that often, BA always seems to be within a few tens of pounds of the budget airlines prices. I always pay the extra and avoid the awful budget experience.

Life is too short to be treated like scum by Ryanair.
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#345474 - 02/06/2011 05:16 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: DWallach]
andy
carpal tunnel

Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5916
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
Originally Posted By: DWallach

So... how should I best get from the empeg meet to London-Stanstead for a Sunday 15:25 departure?


The only real option, unless someone can give you a lift, is a train into London and back out:

http://traintimes.org.uk/wareham/ssd/14:00a/2011-07-10

The other option is if someone else is going back to Heathrow on the Sunday you could get a lift and then a transfer to Stansted by coach:

http://www.nationalexpress.com/coach/Airport/London-Stansted-Airport.aspx

But given that the transfer can take nearly two hours, the train all the way there is probably a better bet.

Sunday is of course the day that they tend to rip up parts of the train network, so you need to keep an eye out on whether your journey is likely to be lengthened/delayed at all.


Edited by andy (02/06/2011 05:16)
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#345476 - 02/06/2011 10:54 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: andy]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
I don't think Cris and I are going to be able to attend. At £84 pppn, it's just too expensive.
_________________________
Cheers,

Andy M

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#345480 - 02/06/2011 12:02 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: andym]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
For those of us in the US, it would be more like £700.

I can't make it either. frown
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#345481 - 02/06/2011 12:17 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: andym]
Schido
enthusiast

Registered: 29/03/2005
Posts: 364
Loc: Probably lost somewhere in Wal...
I guess me and RobR got lucky, we're in a normal room for 52.50£ per night.
There's no reason you have to sleep at that hotel though, is there?
Maybe bring a tent and stay at this campground?
http://www.ridgefarm.co.uk/

edit: or this one, even closer: http://www.caravan-sites.co.uk/page3.html


Edited by Schido (02/06/2011 12:19)
_________________________
Empeg Mk1 #00177, 2.00 final, hijack 4.76

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#345482 - 02/06/2011 13:29 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: andy]
DWallach
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
For now, I'm not going to book any train tickets. When we get closer to the day, I'll see if there are any scheduled train outages or (if I'm lucky) a ride I can snag in somebody's car.

As to Ryanair vs. other carriers, my destination isn't Frankfurt-Main (i.e., the actual city of Frankfurt), but rather the middle of nowhere (as mentioned earlier), and Frankfurt-Hahn, which is nowhere near Frankfurt, is actually the closest airport to my destination. I did investigate flying into Luxembourg, which would be comparably close, but that was a much more expensive flight.

Besides, at least once, I need to experience the depths of airline hell so I can more properly appreciate the, umm, blinding good design of American discount air carriers.

(Sigh.)

EDIT: I went and checked again, and it seems there's a £107 flight on BA from Heathrow to Luxembourg. Naturally, I checked and Ryanair offers no refund mechanism of any kind.

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#345485 - 02/06/2011 15:24 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: Schido]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
The only rooms they had were the executive ones. Despite the woman telling me yesterday she'd reserved a normal room for us.

I don't think camping with Cris is an option.

After some searching, it looks like we're going to spend Friday night in a B&B nearby, then we'll be heading back Saturday night after the evening do.
_________________________
Cheers,

Andy M

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#345535 - 05/06/2011 09:04 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: StigOE]
julf
veteran

Registered: 01/10/2001
Posts: 1307
Loc: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Do we have any idea what time the Bovington tank museum outing ends on Sunday? Might have to head out on Sunday evening. Depending on the timing I will either get a rental car from the airport, or have time to pick up the Vampire on Friday and return it on Sunday...

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#345536 - 05/06/2011 09:05 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: julf]
julf
veteran

Registered: 01/10/2001
Posts: 1307
Loc: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Ah, and does anyone have the email for the hotel? I still haven't gotten the promised confirmation for the booking I did over the phone.

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#345537 - 05/06/2011 09:20 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: julf]
dr_dos
member

Registered: 02/03/2002
Posts: 134
Loc: Bendorf, Germany
You'll find the email address here, but I recommend calling them as they never replied to my emails.

Peter

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#345538 - 05/06/2011 10:29 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: dr_dos]
andy
carpal tunnel

Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5916
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
If anyone is flying into Gatwick on Friday morning and wants a lift, let me know. I'll be driving down on Friday with an empty car, starting from near Gatwick (and driving back on Monday).
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#345539 - 05/06/2011 15:29 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: dr_dos]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
Originally Posted By: dr_dos
You'll find the email address here, but I recommend calling them as they never replied to my emails.

After reading stuff like that, I'm feeling less annoyed about not being able to stay there. Given my so called 'reserved' room went from £42 pppn to £84 pppn in less than 24 hours.
_________________________
Cheers,

Andy M

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#345540 - 05/06/2011 18:17 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: andym]
LittleBlueThing
addict

Registered: 11/01/2002
Posts: 612
Loc: Reading, UK
I phoned the hotel and got the same "limited availability" but I don't feel like stressing over it smile

I'm *far* more concerned about what to do on Sunday cool

So ... anyone know which of the events combine?

Ice-cream, Pooh sticks with ducks and model aircraft sounds like a good mix.
Question is ... will the Harbour trip fit in too ???
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#345541 - 05/06/2011 20:08 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: LittleBlueThing]
DWallach
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
If we all arrive at the hotel and they stare at us blankly, I wouldn't be altogether surprised if we solved the problem with a mass outing to a camping goods store to purchase tents, which we would then pitch on the hotel's front lawn.

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#345547 - 06/06/2011 08:10 Re: So: Where will you be... [Re: andy]
julf
veteran

Registered: 01/10/2001
Posts: 1307
Loc: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Would your route perhaps pass 51.013458,-0.422603 (that's where the Vampire lives currently), and how early in the morning are you planning on setting off?

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