Yep, it's that time again already... the dust has barely settled on the last cast party (and where are your pictures yet, Amanda?) and already there's been a fair bit of msn discussion about England - 2005.
There have been a few thoughts floating around. Mostly, though, we need to work out who's wanting to come and what's the best time for everyone? I know a lot of you require it to be around school break time, so the suggestion is that we schedule it for July/August. Which is good, since that'll cover what passes for summer in the UK... :wink:
The tradition has been that the party be hosted in the home city of one of the players. The LA CP was at Sherl's place, the Melbourne one at my Mum's... so it'd be good if we could have the UK one in similar circumstances. I've heard a couple of people mention London, but I think that's just because it's the capitol - nobody in LABN actually lives IN London. I think it'd be nice if it was in somebody's home town, at least.
However, that said, none of our members really have a place that's suitable. Robin's the only one who lives independently, and he's in a small one-bedroom flat which isn't really up to the task. So it looks like we may have to arrange accommodations such that we're all in the same hotel and we have at least one suite big enough to fit everyone. Dave and I had a largish suite at The Alexander in LA and it served pretty welll for gatherings.
My personal vote would be to hold it in the north of England, so at least we'd be closer to the majority of our UK members (sorry, Matt... you're the only one who lives down south). But my knowledge of the English countryside is limited to what I can sift through on the net. Those who live locally will know the pretty areas to visit and stay in... What are your suggestions?
So, a summary:
1. Who's going?
2. When is a good time?
3. Where will we have it?
- Login to post comments
Post to Twitter
CP 2005 - England
I have two words for you-
Frizzy Hair :evil:
CP 2005 - England
I have two words back -
Hair Gel. 8)
CP 2005 - England
I took the liberty of contacting the B&B about availability. This was their replay. Boiled down, no discount but they do have rooms available right now to accomodate us.
I think if we contact them and make a reservation for the time they might back off the price some. "Put up or shut up" is basically the vibe I am getting from these folks.
If we decide to go this route, H & I will reserve the rooms and put it on our credit card. But you will have to front up the money for the reservation. I suggest that you figure out who you will be bunking with and then tell us what size room you want.
I have a PayPal account and can probably set it up to accept credit cards if need be. If you don't have a paypal account you can mail me a money order for your first night deposit.
Nobody rides for free, but it isn't like we are collecting the entire week's rental up front either. I think most of you can manage this, and again once we place a reservation, it may be easier to negotiate a discount.
Let me know how to proceed...dates, and plans and I can lock this down early before the window of opportunity passes.
[/]CP 2005 - England
I'm afraid those dates don't work for me since I've every intention of being out of the country at that time.
That being said don't rearrange on my account I wouldn't be able to give this CP the same amount of time as previous ones even if I was in the UK.
Sounds like you're all going to have a great time :>
CP 2005 - England
Actually I thought those prices looked a little on the steep side (though I'm a little unsure of what the tax would equate to) anyway, I had a look around and found a few other quotes that we might want to concider.
Anyway those were a few of the best places that I found that I thought looked good and were able to accomodate such a large party - though obviously right now we need to decide on who IS or ISN'T coming (if it's less than double figures I saw a few B&B's that were reasonably priced due to the fact that they only had limited rooms available) and also pin down a specific date.
CP 2005 - England
Yes, pinning down a specific date seems to be the thing. I wish all these people who aren't going to be able to make mid-July would have spoken up when I first asked about date availability. *Glares at Adam and Robin in particular.*
On that note... Robin, you didn't mention when you'd be BACK in the UK and able to grace us with your (even limited) presence. Care to give us a clue as to when you'll be around?
Looking at my calendar, perhaps if we shifted two weeks further on to have the CP starting the weekend of Friday 29th July and running until the 4th or 5th August? Or is that still too early for some of you? Speak up, people, with specific dates that you'll be available. I can't second-guess all of you. As Lou said, from what I've seen early July is better than later in terms of numbers of tourists and how expensive things get (not to mention queues for getting into attractions), but having everyone there is more important.
As for accommodations, I think B&Bs offer nicer atmosphere than hotels but if budget is a huge concern then we can try looking at hotels - though I have to say the ones Lou found don't seem to be that much cheaper than the James and Cartref Houses (I note, for instance, that the hotels charge additional for full breakfast, whereas it's included in the rate for the J&C House, and tax is already in the J&C rates). Oh, and Lou - the VAT (the tax mentioned by the hotels) is 17.5% in the UK. I thought you, as a native, would have known that. :wink:
CP 2005 - England
Since tax is normally always included in the price you see I've never needed to know at what rate it is added... until now.
Oh and I know i said it's expensive but if it's costing an aditional £10 for an English breakfast - someone's getting screwed over. :?
CP 2005 - England
Ok, this is the first hotel listed. I've taken the special offer rate.
Special Internet offer:
Single room rate
£ 50.21 + tax per room per night
Including breakfast
En suite bathroom
Double room rate
£ 67.23 + tax per room per night
Including breakfast
En suite bathroom
Twin room rate
£ 67.23 + tax per room per night
Including breakfast
En suite bathroom
Add the 17.5% VAT and you get £59.00 per night for the single room and £79.00 per night for the twin or double. That's with hotel ambience and Continental breakfast.
These are the B&B rates:
So, if you want an ensuite bathroom, you pay £6.00 more for a double or twin (with B&B ambience and full breakfast) and £3.00 more for a single. That's before any negotiations have been entered into with the B&B (which may or may not yield a discount group rate). If you don't mind sharing a bathroom with people from two other rooms, then the B&B prices are actually $9.00 and $7.00 cheaper, respectively.
[/]CP 2005 - England
My plans in July had been somewhat fluid up to this point however they aren't now and to stop Heather glaring at me...
I'm completely unavailable 03/07/05 - 26/07/05
After that I am only available on the following dates
27/07/05 - 30/07/05
06/08/05 - 08/08/05
15/08/05 - 17/08/05
24/08/05 - 26/08/05
Is that enough information for you Heather?
CP 2005 - England
Much better, ta. :)
*Turns off basilisk stare.*
CP 2005 - England
I'd just like to remind everyone who wants to go to the UK Cast Party that we're talking about trying to get accommodation arranged in one of the busiest cities of the world at the busiest time of year for that city. We need firm numbers and dates ASAP or we'll wind up sleeping in a tube station.
That means those of you who haven't responded yet, NEED TO DO SO!!!
At this stage at least, Dave and I and Sherlynn are keen to stay at the James & Cartref House. Lou has expressed some reservations about price and has offered some marginally cheaper alternatives at hotels.
I have no idea what any of the rest of you think about accommodations.
Arranging accommodation as a group would be easiest all around, but if we can't seem to arrive at a consensus soon I think we'll have to just dump the idea of a group booking and I'll arrange rooms at J&C for us and Sherlynn (and maybe Lou if she decides a B&B isn't so bad after all) and the rest of you will be lumbered with arranging your own accommodations.
At least, given that most places in London are near tube stations, even if we wind up with people staying at different locations we'll be able to reach each other with a minimum of travel. It would just seem simpler if we were in the same place, or at the very least nearby the same place.
So, that said... anyone else wanting accommodations arranged at J&C House? Or if Lou is set on one of her hotels and others fancy staying at one of them, too, maybe she can arrange another group for there. I don't know what anyone's thinking - I'm afraid my crystal ball broke last month.
Robin - with your limited time, if we choose the weekend of 29th to 31st for the "official" CP, are you planning on coming down to London for the couple of days then? Dave and I are planning on arriving in London on the 28th, so if you want a room at J&C House for the nights of 28th, 29th (and maybe 30th), let us know.
Lou - let us know which way you want to go. If the B&B seems ok, we'll add you to the numbers for booking, otherwise we'll let you arrange your own accom.
For the rest of you - please tell us what you want to do. We can only book for those who have given a firm answer.
CP 2005 - England
I plan on seducing some rich British guy, and will stay in his posh London Loft.....
But seriously, I cant commit to dates, so I will tell you that ill probably arrange my own accomodations. So no worries for me
CP 2005 - England
So here I am, at the end of the weekend after making an impassioned plea on Friday, and all I have is one posted answer from Shaun, a PM from Robin saying he'll be staying at J&C for the nights of 28th and 29th, and an MSN convo with Saadia saying she's not sure when she'll be down so she's in much the same boat as Shaun.
I say again, my crystal ball is on the blink. Tash is the one who can read minds, not me. If I'm to book accommodation at this place I need to know who wants how many nights, whether you're sharing a room with someone else (i.e. booking a twin - or double if you're really lucky) or want a single, and whether you want an ensuite or not. For those who are more budget conscious, sharing a twin means you can cut your nightly cost down to £35 each.
Sherlynn, are you and Shannon going to be sharing a twin or do you want separate rooms? The number of nights you want will be handy, too. Dave and I plan to stay from Thurs 28th and check out on Wed 3rd August (6 nights).
Jamie, Matt, Lou, Adam, Amanda - PLEASE give me an answer. Pretty please. With sugar on top. I don't care if you don't want to be staying at the B&B but want to arrange something else - but I still need to know so I have a definite idea what to book for.
CP 2005 - England
Whoops, thought I had already posted a reply. My bad. I certainly remember *meaning* to.
Atm, I'm in Shaun's boat too. Every day it seems something else crops up to make July-August really busy. I think I can still keep that weekend free, but even if I could I really don't think I can commit to a date this early. Saying that, if I can still make it (and I'll move Heaven and Earth to do so) I'll probably sort something out for myself a little closer when I know for certain.
CP 2005 - England
Sorry Heather, this is the first time I've actually been online since the begining of last week.
Right now I know that I'll defo be at the CP but I'm not sure for HOW long - whether it'll be for the full week or just several days. So on that note I'll probably sort out my accom a little closer to the CP (I can't book train tickets until three months before the date anyway :?)
Just what are the dates now anyway? I thought we were talking around the 16th but now it's the 29th right? Have we absolutely certainly decided on that now? :P
CP 2005 - England
Originally, in answer to Shaun's plea that we find some firm dates soon so that he could plan, I suggested the 15th/16th/17th etc. But several different people said they'd prefer a bit later, so then I suggested two weeks after that - 29th/30th/31st. Nobody has really said yay or nay to those dates, so for the moment I'm assuming that's what we're going with.
So, for those of you sorting out your own accommodation closer to the time (good luck) the "official" CP dates again are: Friday 29th July to Sunday 31st July in London with activities extending up to 3rd August (and beyond, to a certain extent, if people decide to hook up for touring around the UK).
CP 2005 - England
Those days sound good for me. If I don't have a new job soon, it won't matter when it is, because I won't be able to afford even paying off a loan from a friend (I can barely afford my credit cards some months as it is). And if I do get a new job, at this point, end-July and Mid-august won't make a bloody difference.
CP 2005 - England
Shannon and I will be sharing a room with our own bathroom. Dates okay by me. Will discuss dates w/Shannon and then send Dave $$ for 1st night. More info later.
CP 2005 - England
Personally I don't think it should be difficult booking a place closer to the time we're going - I'd say a month at the very latest but there are literarly THOUSANDS of different types of accomodation in and around London and the city is well connected by the tube/rail links (I'd recommend people look into getting a zone ticket for the tube for however many days they're going for). So it shouldn't be difficult meeting up even if we're not all at the same place.
Anyway, in my search for something a little less pricey, I found a really good site for London hotels/B&B's -
hotels-london.co.uk
It's a really good site and does reviews for all the accom. it features. I've had a quick look around and for people who are on a tighter budget there are really nice places at a range of prices, so check it out if like me you were freaking out at having to find over £300 for a few days accommodation. As I've found you can pretty much find somewhere for whatever you want to pay it's just a matter of realising what you want from a place - Do you want to share a room or bathroom? Do you want breakfast included? And then balancing cost against quality.
I don't know how many people actually ARE coming to the CP now the sordid topic of money has been thrown up, but one thing I would point out is that you really need to look for somewhere near the main train/tube network (zone 1) otherwise you'll be spending more money on taxis or time waiting around for buses than you'll be saving on chosing a cheaper B&B.
Oh, on an extra note, the site also allows searchs in areas so it could be a good idea to look for hotels etc near the B&B Heather, Dave & co. are booking. I'm not sure how close the James & Cartref House is to Hyde Park but I've seen hundreds of hotels/B&B's near there so that would be cool if we're trying to stay together.
CP 2005 - England
Actually, it's reasonably close to Hyde Park. On the map I have J&C House is down Buckingham Palace Rd between Pimlico Road and Eccleston Street. Hyde Park is a couple of tube stations over, but I think it's on a different line (the B&B is near Victoria Station). The area it's in is called Belgravia, if that helps anyone to find accommodation close by.
Here's a map
CP 2005 - England
so is there exact dates up yet ? also whats teh cheapest hotel come around ive been clikcing on the links but it wont load up for some reason my brower is fucking up these days
CP 2005 - England
Jamie, as stated above:
Dave and I (and his mum, who's coming with us) are getting to London on the 28th. Sherlynn and her friend Shannon, and Dave, Mary-Beth and I are all staying at the Cartref House from the 28th July to 3rd August. Robin is booked into Cartref House as well, but only for the nights of the 28th and 29th July. So far, everyone else has said they'll sort out their own accommodations so that's all we've booked accom for.
After the 3rd August, Dave and I (and probably Mary-Beth, unless she heads off to do her own thing) will head up to a more northern base and check out Scotland, northern England, etc for another week.
Not everyone looks like they'll be in London for the entire week of the extended Cast Party - but we hope to have as many as possible for the 29th, 30th and 31st July (Friday to Sunday).
Cast Party 2005 -- Vegas
I wasn't sure which category to put this post in. This one shall serve.
If I've got it right, I'll be staying in the official CP hotel:
Sunset
1301 West Sunset Road
Henderson NV 89014
702-547-7777
My mother wanted to pitch in the extra cash so she could be in a hotel with a casino. So I'll be there! The room will be under "Judy Haines," for anyone who wants to contact me. I'll be alone. Mom will be lost in the sea of slots. I'm going to equip her with a Fogey Alert button so she can scream, "I've fallen and I can't get up."
I will arrive on Friday, April 8th. Probably about 5 pm, maybe 6 pm. How shall I find you guys when I get there?
CP 2005 - England
Ah, you're talking about the Las Vegas weekend, Sid. This thread is about the "official" CP which is being held in England in July/Aug this year. Mind you, there'll be more of us at the Las Vegas weekend than turned up to the last official CP held in Australia last October. :)
On another note: Woo hoo! You're staying at the same hotel Dave and I are. ...which was no accident, I'm sure. Apparently it's handy to Jean's house. I guess once we're closer to the date we'll get phone numbers from Kris - and since we're at the same hotel it shouldn't be too hard to find each other (we'll be there the nights of the 7th, 8th and 9th April). Our room is booked under the name 'Heather Ackroyd'.
And I don't think it's possible to find a hotel in Las Vegas that doesn't have a casino. All I know is, the Sunset Station is at least not on the main strip.
CP 2005 - England
The Rodeway Inn, where I had gotten my 25 dollar a night employee rate (which now must be canceled), has no casino. At least none worth mentioning. Okay, I'm watching LOST, so I gotta go.
CP 2005 - England
well, heather, as i'd said MULTIPLE times throughout this discussion of the CP2005: i'm free whenever. i currently don't have a job in England, so i have no conditions, and if i get one, i'll just get that time off or quit and get another job, lol.
Double twin shary thingy should be good for me and jen tho
thanks :D
CP 2005 - England
Amanda,
Ok, I didn't book for you 'cause I hadn't seen anything from you before now saying you wanted to stay at James & Cartref House with us. So far as I knew, you might already have had accommodations sorted out or planned to work something out yourself later on.
But since your reply was still a fraction vague in that regard, I'll hold off booking the extra room until you reply to this:
- Do you and Jen want a twin room at James & Cartref House staying from 28th July to 3rd August?
- Do you want a room with an ensuite (85 pounds) or a shared bathroom (70 pounds), or don't you care? (If you state you have no preference, I'll go for an ensuite first and only if they don't have one available will I go for the shared bathroom.)
If you want to stay at this B&B, I'll book it as soon as I get your reply. [/]