GABIT attendees thread

[ShimmeringStar]

LOL!

Now when I flew into Vancouver for the SG con March of last year, the person I got in their customs didn't know about the con or even about Stargate!

(I felt like saying, yeah, you know.... Bridge... that little studio a couple miles o'er that way that brings in a HECK of a lot of money and jobs to the area??!) (Not to mention several hundred of us tourist-types here to eat, sleep, and gawk a couple times a year... )

[starflight]

*bounces in*

Well it looks like I'm going to AT3!!

I'm also going to make AT3...thanks to Celandine *g*

That's great!

[scifithinker]

Hi y'all, looks like everyone's getting psyched ... I've been away from the thread but Mal is in good form with her countdown. Sorry I'm late to the party.

Question: for those of us (cough) who have WAITED UNTIL NOW TO BOOK A PLANE TICKET FROM THE EAST COAST OF USA ... anybody get a really good deal lately? Which online service? Which airline?

Who all is doing the London sightseeing thing? Before or after GABIT?

Please feel free to PM me so I can jump onboard and catch up with the Amandatrain ... thanks!

Suse and I did kayak.com for plane tickets and got them for about $600 each from United. We booked about a week and a half ago.

We're staying the week after the con to do the tourist thing. We booked the hotel today. (Yay! One more hurdle jumped!)

I'm getting more and more excited by the day. Pretty soon, I am going to be insufferable.

[Celandine]

Thanks everyone for such a warm welcome! And to think..this is just the beginning.

Ok..gotta quick question for all you Gabit ol' timers.

I've been looking for airfare and found it now for $218 non-stop and roundtrip. I wanna snag it up quick and run like heck without looking back but there might be one problem with it. It arrives early Saturday morning...7am I think (which is fine as I dont think I'll miss much) but seeing that I have to be back at work Monday the latest I could get the flight out is around noon till about 3pm.

Will I miss much leaving this early? What time do all the 'planned' festivities end on Sunday?

ETA: I actually found another (same everything) where I'd arrive by 7am on Saturday again but have to skedaddle by 4pm Sunday. Would this work out better? What time does everything begin on Saturday and end on Sunday?

[SEREN LWCH (MAL)]

34 DAYS TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PengYn]

*bounces in*

Well it looks like I'm going to AT3!!

The Gabit payment server was down when I reserved my tickets, but as soon as it's back online payment will be taken care of and it'll be official. Just knowing I have a couple tickets on hold for me is mind staggering to say the least. I still havent even fully comprehended that in a months time I'll be in London with all you crazies and seeing/chatting with AT. wheee!

That is our official group title.

Yay for you and Tittamiire!!

A friend of my brother (he's an American who lives in Germany) said that Custom's at Heathrow can take up to 4 hours!? He said it depends on their "mood". They may decide to ask you a million questions and go through absolutely everything. Anyone heard anything else? Any good suggestions on how to get through quickly? I've never been to Europe before.

It's not so bad. You're from the States right? This country loves America, we've got that whole ally thing going. You shouldn't have problems. I would say going out of Heathrow is more of a grr factor than flying in.

[JuliaR]

It arrives early Saturday morning...7am I think (which is fine as I dont think I'll miss much) but seeing that I have to be back at work Monday the latest I could get the flight out is around noon till about 3pm.

Will I miss much leaving this early? What time do all the 'planned' festivities end on Sunday?

ETA: I actually found another (same everything) where I'd arrive by 7am on Saturday again but have to skedaddle by 4pm Sunday. Would this work out better? What time does everything begin on Saturday and end on Sunday?

I'm playing with the Schedule right now, so can answer your questions.

The doors open to the main hall on Saturday at about 8.30 am, the first Q & A is about 9 am. On Sunday the whole event ends at approximately 6.30 pm or just before. If you have to leave by 4 pm on Sunday you would have to have your autograph session earlier in the day (not a problem at all, we can arrange that), and you would not be able to partake in the Charity Tea with Amanda if you won it, so my suggestion would be not to buy a ticket to try and win it so as not to be disappointed. The closing ceremony with Amanda would also be off your agenda as this is late afternoon.

Hope this helps,

Julia
G4

[Celandine]

I'm playing with the Schedule right now, so can answer your questions.

The doors open to the main hall on Saturday at about 8.30 am, the first Q & A is about 9 am. On Sunday the whole event ends at approximately 6.30 pm or just before. If you have to leave by 4 pm on Sunday you would have to have your autograph session earlier in the day (not a problem at all, we can arrange that), and you would not be able to partake in the Charity Tea with Amanda if you won it, so my suggestion would be not to buy a ticket to try and win it so as not to be disappointed. The closing ceremony with Amanda would also be off your agenda as this is late afternoon.

Hope this helps,

Julia
G4

Thanks Julia! I think what I might do is just try and get Monday off work so that I can fly out that day instead. Won't be such a mad dash to the airport either. Plus, after paying so much I'd hate to miss any of the weekend fun.

[JuliaR]

Thanks Julia! I think what I might do is just try and get Monday off work so that I can fly out that day instead. Won't be such a mad dash to the airport either. Plus, after paying so much I'd hate to miss any of the weekend fun.

It would certainly be better to stay until Monday. You would be able to enjoy everything and not worry. I know people who left on the Sunday at AT1 and were upset to find they were sitting on the runway waiting for take-off looking across at the Renaissance Hotel and knowing they were missing the final afternoon of fun.

Wishing you luck with getting the day off!!

Julia
G4

[becky_preen]

[QUOTE=Erin13;7976191]

That's great!


Let's hope Heathrow's delays are sorted out soon eh


A friend of my brother (he's an American who lives in Germany) said that Custom's at Heathrow can take up to 4 hours!? He said it depends on their "mood". They may decide to ask you a million questions and go through absolutely everything. Anyone heard anything else? Any good suggestions on how to get through quickly? I've never been to Europe before.

It's well known that single men travelling tend to get "pulled over" for the spot checks. It's a random thing going through the green chennel for customs, they pull a certain number of people over.

Immigration is another thing. Make sure you have the full Address of the hotel you are staying at, and know when your return date is.

Don't be afraid to beem about going to a sci fi convention. I have been to several overseas now and I have had some really cool reactions... including an imigration officer at Vancouver whose brother worked at bridge. I also went one year on what we called the GATECON EXPRESS. it was a charter airline flight and about 40 of us all booked the same flight. Of course we all ended up going through immigration one after the other so the guys at the fornt got the third dgree and the guys behind us just got a rye smile and a few rolled eyes.

My scariest experience was a few years ago. I have to go through seperately to Mumsey Tim ( and on that trip Dadsey was still with us). I came through the back of the immigration desks to see my mother and brother being frog marched across the hall. I scampered after them asking the (extreamly tall) beafy, armed immigration officer where he was taking them. he turned and asked (rather starkly) who I was. When I told him it was mymother and brother he scowled and asked why I wasn't with them going through immigration. I told him I was married and didn't live at the same address. at which point he softened and said that cos tim had had a cold, he needed to be checked out by the red cross ( it was during the SARs outbreaks.) Tims Temp was duly taken and he was established not to be typhoid mark and we were allowed to proceed.

Getting your luggage back at heathrow is what takes the time not immigration.

Becks

[Erin13]

Thanks Becks....I feel much better now! :-)

[Skydiver]

just remember, don't ever smart aleck the customs folks. they don't joke. be polite and honest and you'll be fine

[ames]

Teryl's going to be at Collectormania in Milton Keynes that weekend as well, interestingly enough. Seeing as that's a twenty minute drive from our flat, I guess I'll head up there on the Monday.

I found Collectormania to be middling.... much better than Expo, but nowhere near as good as Gabit. There just wasn't that community feel.

I thought CM was alright ... then again - my only other con experience has been Expo, so that could def explain that! ...so looking fwd to GABIT!!!...

[QUOTE=becky_preen;7980469]

Immigration is another thing. Make sure you have the full Address of the hotel you are staying at, and know when your return date is.

Becks

Yeah ... immigration was less than pleased with me when I moved to England and only had a B&B booked for the first two nights ... I was supremely (and undoubtedly stupidly!) confident that I'd find permanent housing as soon as I got there. Luckily I did, but that's beside the point! (Have your info ready - nervous immigration officials make for baaaaaaaaaaad times.)

just remember, don't ever smart aleck the customs folks. they don't joke. be polite and honest and you'll be fine

Yes, avoid 'cute' comments -- unless they start it. When I came back to Canada a few weeks ago, I happened to get a customs official with a sense of humour -- which definitely made for a nice change! Actually, the last time I came through to Canada for a visit I had a friendly customs officer as well ... maybe Pearson just hires cool staff? Hmmmm.... now if only their luggage retrieval was as friendly....

[SEREN LWCH (MAL)]

33 DAYS TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tittamiire]

Yeah ... immigration was less than pleased with me when I moved to England and only had a B&B booked for the first two nights ... I was supremely (and undoubtedly stupidly!) confident that I'd find permanent housing as soon as I got there. Luckily I did, but that's beside the point! (Have your info ready - nervous immigration officials make for baaaaaaaaaaad times.)



Yes, avoid 'cute' comments -- unless they start it. When I came back to Canada a few weeks ago, I happened to get a customs official with a sense of humour -- which definitely made for a nice change! Actually, the last time I came through to Canada for a visit I had a friendly customs officer as well ... maybe Pearson just hires cool staff? Hmmmm.... now if only their luggage retrieval was as friendly....

Heh....I regularly fly to the US without even a return ticket and have never had any problems at all *touches wood* I was once passing through DIA and they needed to search my hand luggage....the guy doing the searching goes 'you look vaguely familiar, do you fly a lot?' 'not really, but you don't ski at Winter Park do you?' turns out he did part time instructing up there and skiied and used to work full time up there so we had a wonderful and lively chat in the middle of the huge security check point lol.