Cost of Going to the Nationals

[sha]

honestly i have no idea how much we have to pay....... all i know is that we raised all the money we needed in the beginning of the year by selling raffel tickets fro a segway.

[Joe Matt]

Originally Posted by Cory

Around $550 for us, albeit we made our reservations almost a month ago.

flying to Georgia should be much cheaper for EVERYONE than say flying into Houston, or Orlando.

Atlanta is the busiest airport in the world afterall

Cory

Actually, we get cheaper accomedations at Orlando than Houston or Atlanta.

[jonathan lall]

Have you accounted for the fact that the FIRST package of the post-event team social is nearly $100? You might be staying in expensive accomodations, and also take into account the fact that you are likely paying for your mentors to some extent. We are taking a bus down, driving overnight, sharing it with 1088, and coming back right after in order to cut costs.

[Chris Fultz]

Cyber Blue is renting 3 vans, driving, and statying at a Homewood Suites about 15 miles from downtown. Less convenient than right downtown but it kept the trip affordable.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by JosephM

Actually, we get cheaper accomedations at Orlando than Houston or Atlanta.

Which is why I said flying...

And besides, the FIRST packages are EXTREMELY reasonable for what they give you. Just staying in some of those hotels for 2 nights would cost more than the entire package does for four nights, plus you get tons of other included stuff!

Cory

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by Cory

And besides, the FIRST packages are EXTREMELY reasonable for what they give you. Just staying in some of those hotels for 2 nights would cost more than the entire package does for four nights, plus you get tons of other included stuff!

Which hotels? Staying at the Omni with 4 people for 4 nights is $950, but the FIRST package is $1100. The Marriot Marquis is $640 and again, the FIRST package is $1100.

Yes, you do get a lot with the FIRST package, and are decently priced for what you get (depending on the hotel). But, you exagerated way too much.

[Penny]

As both a team mom and the school vice-principal, I realize there are two sides to this cost issue. Teams that travel cheaply tend to travel as clubs, i.e. non-official school activity. As soon as the school travel policies, insurance, "cleared" chaperones, etc. are brought into the picture, the costs begin to climb astronomically.

Unfortunately in today's lawsuit happy society, the first mishap to a team member has the potential to bring thousands of dollars and gobs of unwanted publicity upon a school district and they are understandably nervous. IF you are traveling as a school function, it will not be cheap.

The Beach Bots travel cheap, but we have no "school" insurance protecting us -- all students and mentors are paying their own way to Atlanta -- all students are traveling with a family member or are being "adopted" by another parent for the trip -- all are traveling as individuals on a trip who happen to be going to the same place to compete in the same competition.

If your school will let you travel in that way, you can save considerably. If not, then start fundraising now for next year!

Penny

[pink967]

It's going to cost us $160 each, technically it's supposed to be $225, but since our PR/Finance team ROCKS (yeah, i'm on it... ) we got money from our school board to pay $85 of each person's fare...plus we're taking a bus not a plane from IOWA...it's gonna be a long ride.

[swdshfsh]

We have over 30 members traveling to nationals this year. Originally each member was going to have to pay in the area of $600 per person. Last week our school board amazingly decided to give our program $10,000. Our school does not have the money to pay for it, but somewhere they found it, most likely due to our win in St. Louis! (Thanks 16 and 967) Each student only has to pay about $150 now and we will be taking a plane and staying for four nights with the FIRST package. After reading the other prices for teams, I feel incredibly lucky for what our team has been given. Good luck to all the other teams traveling. Don't give up on business sponsorship and funraisers. They pay off!

~Hannah, Charger Robotics Team 537

[Jeremy]

it co$t our team only $625/ per person and that includes Plane, Hotel, And Rental car and that is for a 5 night stay

[Vivelation]

For 192, about $700 - getting into ATL Wed afternoon, leaving either Saturday night or Sunday afternoon; price includes food, lodgings, flight. Unfortunately, this year nationals falls on the same weekend as prom, so those seniors who wanted to fly back early in order to make it to prom had to pay more, closer to $800 for them.

[wheeler]

Just to let you know the package pricing is not that bad. I just checked and the Omni for 3 nights is $180 per person for 4 people. Then add in the breakfast for 3 days $30, Lunch vouchers for 3days $30 and team social $90 that makes it $330, but the THS package is about $250
Pretty good savings to stay at the arena and in that nice of a hotel. I have stayed in the Omni and wow. Plus take into account the lack of needed travel around town and the saftey of being right there and it is worth even more to me.

[BlueOrion]

We have been told $250 for nationals which I'm assuming included airfare and hotel. We had to pay $150 each for the Chesapeake regional which was on a bus and for three nights. It's ridiculous to make people pay more than $400 for nationals. You work your tail off all year just to have to pay three months of you paychecks to go for three days? Worth it, but still. I'm glad we have sponsors that donate enough money so we don't have to pay any more than we do. We should start a fund for people who can't afford to go to nationals!!

[Will Hanashiro]

we've been extremely fortunate enough that our sponsor (GM) is paying for nearly our entire trip for the entire team. they are paying for 5 nights at the omni and airfare, with around two people to a room. the only thing that the students have to pay is food that is not included in the package, and extra spending money.

as for the regionals, the students had to pay 100 dollars for both regionals combined (for the busses and the pre-ordered food)

if it werent for our sponsor though, we'd be paying around $800+ each to go to the nationals.

[KTBSPASonya858]

Originally Posted by sha

honestly i have no idea how much we have to pay....... all i know is that we raised all the money we needed in the beginning of the year by selling raffel tickets fro a segway.

Yeah and our sponser probaly helps us out too.