Bus trip to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago

[Bowman]

Hey everyone we finally got the details for the bus trip to the Shedd. The Dates available are Sunday 7-30 and Saturday 8-5. The trip would be by motorcoach leaving early in the morning IE 6-6:30 AM and arriving in Chicago about 12-1 PM. We would then have the afternoon to spend at the Shedd leaving Chicago around 6 PM and arriving back in Cleveland around 12-1 AM. The cost of the trip would be $120 which includes roundtrip motorcoach transportation and admission to the Aquarium. Included with this trip is the oppertunity to go behind the scenes with one of the shedds aquarists. This trip is in conjunction with CAS, the Cleveland Aquarium Society. Nick Zarlinga, aquarist at the Cleveland Zoo has used his contacts at the Shedd to arrange the indepth tour of the Shedd for this trip so it is going to be the chance of a lifetime for all attending. Seating is limited so don't wait to make your reservations. When signing up please specify prefered date or no preference, once the bus fills up you will be placed on a waiting list in case there are cancellations. Please contact John Janda 440-237-8749 or Tony Bozic 216-262-2845 for reservations.

 

[itZme]

Sounds interesting... is this through Stan's brother or whoever it was that has a bus and would give us a great discount?

 

[EYESEEU]

Kevin at those prices Im sure its not, this trip appears not to be associated with the csea club but rather CAS. I hope this wouldnt hurt any chances of a csea trip or take away any funds that may be generated by the club in the future. It does sound like a good time though. IMHO

 

[Kreeger1]

Wonder if the NEW C-sea president is aware of this. My bet is he wasn't contacted on this.

 

[EYESEEU]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7709883#post7709883 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kreeger1
Wonder if the NEW C-sea president is aware of this. My bet is he wasn't contacted on this.

I would hope that wasnt the case. Im sure the former president would understand what the term chain of command means and wouldnt step on any toes.

 

[Kreeger1]

Ya'd think

 

[Bowman]

For those that are curious yes this is through Stans contact, all we are paying for is fuel, tolls, and the driver. And yes Chuck was copied on the details.

 

[Stottlemire]

John, maybe next time you might try calling me on my cell phone, if I don't respond to your Email. Im sure you were not aware, but I was down in Florida on Vacation and had Know idea what you were planning. Maybe next time have who ever make contact with myself or the vice pres. and we can all work it out so there is no surprises.
Chuck

 

[Kreeger1]

At the 120 price tag does that include lunch? or do the clubs split the profit from the trip?
Erik

 

[Bowman]

Eric at 120 that is just the expenses for the bus but on the last bus trip when we went to Newport Aquarium we had sandwiches,snacks and munchies. I made a couple of quick calls for price comparisions and a Round trip ticket on Greyhound was $95 cheapest fare and you still have to get from the bus station to the aquarium on your own, and no amenities. I also called a couple of charter bus companies for their prices and the big drawback with that is you pay for the whole bus wheter you fill it or not but if you fill it then the price per person comes down and is more realistic but you have to fill the bus 47-55 people. Also with the charter bus a one day trip may not be possible due to regulations for the driver ie sleep vs awake. This is definitly not a money maker for either club.

 

[StanD]

Hello all.

The lack of communication to El Presidente (Hope Florida was great) was my fault. I responded to the copy list included on an e-mail to me from a guy in CAS. JJ was on the list, I do not recall if Chuck was or not.

You are correct that the bus trip is not cheap. Please remember that the seating is somewhat limited (~20) because these busses are more like your living room than a Greyhound. Also, these things are gas guzzlers as they are about 42 feet long. There is also the expense of driving to and from Columbus, OH in addition to the trip to Chicago and back.

I asked my brother-in-law for a "family rate" and he told me that the rate quoted covers gas (check out the price at the pump) and the driver, who will probably spend the night before the trip at my house (no charge to the clubs). I am not sure what other bus companies may charge, but the "retail" for this trip in a Custom Coach is over 3 times what we are being charged.

I feel a little silly apologizing for trying to help arrange a good time for the clubs at a reasonable cost. Like I mentioned earlier, it is not cheap, but those who went to the Newport Aquarium a couple of years ago all seemed to enjoy themselves. As I recall, we lost a little bit of $$ and the club had to underwrite.

Stan

 

[Bowman]

Just an update, So far I have 2 for Sunday and 1 for either and CAS has 6-7 for either.

 

[Caryliss]

Bump to the top. This is a great opportunity. Thanks to Stan, John, Nick, and everyone else involved in the planning of this trip.

 

[Bowman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7745598#post7745598 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Caryliss
This is a great opportunity. Thanks to Stan, John, Nick, and everyone else involved in the planning of this trip.

Hi everyone, well this great opportunity is going to have to wait, we only had 3 people step up and a possible 4th from the C_SEA side. Unless the club wants to underwrite the cost of the unfilled seats (which I do not think is a prudent use of club resources) the trip has to be cancelled and possibly looked at again in the future. Maybe summer is too busy of a time to plan something like this, maybe it is too cost prohibitive ????? But we had to take the opportunity when it presented itself and we'll see what the future holds.

 

[itZme]

I was wondering if the tour would be available for members who provided their own transportation. I have a family of 5 and would have loved to have seen the "backstage tour" but I couldn't justify $600 for a one day trip. We talked about driving our van there and it would cost about $100 for the 5 admissions with the age breaks and all. The gas would've only been about another $60. $160 is a lot easier to swallow for a family on a budget. If this comes up again could you please ask about members using their own transportation being eligible to take the tour?

Thanks,
-- Kevin