Firsts new policy on non disney hotels
 

Where is our money going? How can first say that they need to evenly dispense costs for nats and institute a per person non disney hotel fee and not lower our entry fee or our disney hotel bill? I think it only fair that First release its budget on the internet and show where our money is going.

FIRST's budget is in the program (for lack of a better word). I don't have mine anymore, but I'm sure somebody can post it, if you don't have yours.

The fact is, if you stay off site, you still use disney transportation at a minimum, and usually many more disney services. Instead of having teams on-site subsidizing those off-site, FIRST is making sure that those who stay off-site pay their fair share.


Edit: FIRST is lowering the cost of staying on-site.

Getting a room onsite should a bit easier this season for a number of reasons. . .

First, they're apparently trying to cut the number of attending teams by 25% this year, so that automatically increases your chances.

Couple that with the opening of the new, value-priced, Disney's Pop Century resort and you've got plenty of room for teams, I hope. Heck...add a recession of sorts into that and there ought to be no problem.

The fee isn't being applyed to team who stay off-site, but to team's who book outside of FIRST's available packages. So, even if a team should book a stay at Disney's Grand Floridian, they'd be asked to pay the fee since it's not included in any of the packages.

Does that mean, then, that I can't stay longer than the packages and not be assessed a fee? That's a bit ridiculous.

Disney's transportation is available to anyone who's purchased park admission media for that day. I know that not all team's do that, though, and so, technically they're using the transportation system free of charge.

But, realistically speaking, so do thousands of other vacationing guests. Disney has rules against it, but they rarely enforce them. The cost of FIRSTers transportation around the property is negligible, and hardly worthy of any sort of additional fee.

FIRST Statement of Activites
 

FIRST STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES (Audited)
FY1999-2000

Revenues and other support:

Registration Fees - Programs:
3,153,306

Rental Income:
383,779

Contributions - Robotics Competition:
1,614,495

Contributions - FIRST Lego League:
340,009

Contributions - FIRST Place:
16,200

Grant Revenues - Operating Purposes:
459,358

Contributions from individuals for Operation:
407,534

Other Income:
234,974

Net assets released from restrictions:
91,869

Total revenues and other support:
6,701,524

Operating Expenses:

Robotics Competition:
4,646,568

FIRST Place Museum:
203,491

FIRST Lego League:
419,772

Management and General:
921,800

Operation of building:
218,311

Depreciation:
257,369

Total operating expenses:
6,667,311

Operating Gain or (Loss):
34,213

Excess (deficiency) of revenues over expenses and increase (decrease) in unrestricted net assets:
34,213

Temporarily restricted net assets:

Grant revenues:
172,371

Net assets released from restrictions:
(91,869)

Increase in temporarily restricted net assets:
80,502

Increase (decrease) in net assets:
114,715

Net assets (deficit) at beginning of year:
1,876,727

Net assets at end of year:
$1,991,442

Source: Ernst & Young Audited Financials for FIRST FY99-00.