England Trip/MINI Plant Tour and sign up list

Eric'smini · #1 11-02-2006, 01:46 PM

Here at last is the information I have been sent by Mann Travels related to the proposed trip to England next year. While I am not a regular international traveler, this seems like a GREAT deal to me!

I am very excited about the possibility of doing this and I hope you will be too!!!

MINI Cooper Package Includes:
* Round trip airfare from Charlotte to London via United Airways (subject to availability)
* Round trip airport transfers
* Guided panoramic sightseeing tour upon arrival in London while transferring from the airport
* Three (3) nights hotel accomodations in London in a moderate First Class 4-star hotel
* Free day to explore London on your own
* Three (3) nights hotel accomodations in Oxford in a moderate First Class 4-star hotel
* Transfers between London and Oxford per itinerary
* Guided walking tour of Oxford
* MINI Cooper Plant tour including private transfers
* Free day to explore Oxford on your own
* Applicable taxes
* Luggage tags and document holders
* Overnight document delivery
* One (1) complimentary package, based on double occupancy, with a minimum of 20 paid guests

MINI Cooper Package Rates (based on group size and hotel room occupancy:

35-39 paid passengers
* $1,979.00/person, based on double occupancy

30-34 paid passengers
* $1,999.00/person, based on double occupancy

25-29 paid passengers
* $2,049.00/person, based on double occupancy

20-24 paid passengers
* $2,099.00/person, based on double occupancy

These rates are based on a departure date of 7/1/07 but I have asked for dates in either September or October so they will likely change slightly (and could even be lower). We will likely need to confirm the trip by the end of the year and we will be asked to begin booking and paying initial deposits sometime in January.

If you think you are (seriously) interested in going, please let me know by either responding to this post or PM me and I will sign you up. Giving me your name DOES NOT financially obligate you to anything at this point. I simply need to get an idea of how many members we have who are seriously interested in participating in this adventure to the "birth place" of our cars.

I am setting a deadline of 12/15/06 to sign up so you will need to get your names into me by that date.

England Adventure Sign-up List:

1) Eric and Pam Sipe
2) Keith Strassel
3) Chris and Laura Suich
4) Dorothy Moorefield
5)
6) Dana Fredricksen
7)
8)
9)
10)

blue_rocket2 · #2 11-02-2006, 04:41 PM

I was visited London this summer. I wanted to visit the Oxford plant and we even offered a slot but it didn't work out.

I have one comment/suggestion. Do you really want to spend 3 nights in Oxford. London has so much more to offer than Oxford and you would chew up a lot of time if you were to go back and forth between the two cities.

Just a thought. I hope you get plenty of sign-up and have a blast!

Eric'smini · #3 11-03-2006, 12:58 PM

blue rocket, thanks for the suggestion. We'll definitely take that into consideration.

Eric

goldcountrymini · #4 11-03-2006, 01:03 PM

Sounds like a fun trip... Wish I could go!

Mini03Tiger84 · #5 11-03-2006, 02:18 PM

Hi Eric, sounds like a good time.
3 days in London... enough time for some sight seeing and a pub crawl.

Count me in as a seriously interested, and my wife, if the timing is right, as she is in retail.

AggieMini · #6 11-03-2006, 02:29 PM

HAVE FUN AND TAKE PICS....share with us...

What a COOL trip!!!

Eric'smini · #7 11-06-2006, 08:01 AM

Chris,
Glad to hear that!!!

I'm putting you and Laura on the list. We hope to have definite dates as soon as possible so folks can plan accordingly. We're shooting for September. We may also decide to expand the London stay to 4 nights, giving folks more time to sight-see (and visit pubs!!!)

Eric

tc4653 · #8 11-06-2006, 08:11 AM

I'm in the UK every other month. Let me know when you confirm details and I'll meet you in Oxford and London.

Eric'smini · #9 11-07-2006, 07:46 AM

TC,
Keep watching this post for the dates. I hope we'll be able to meet up in either London or Oxford.

Stay in touch.

Eric

tc4653 · #10 11-08-2006, 01:10 AM

Will do. Thanks.

Eric'smini · #11 11-15-2006, 01:55 PM

I must admit that I'm

Eric'smini · #12 11-15-2006, 04:02 PM

I must admit that I'm a bit puzzled by the lack of responses to this post.

I put this together based on the responses I got to my original inquiry. A majority of the people I talked with said they would be interested in this. So please help by giving me some feedback. Have a lot of you simply changed your minds? Is it the cost? Is it the proposed itenerary? Is it the proposed time of year? What??? Let me know what you think.

This promises to be a fantastic trip and we want everyone who thinks they are seriously interested to participate. If there are not a significant number of additional responses within the next week or so, we will be opening this up to other groups/clubs.

Thanks in advance for your help on this.

Eric

BLUCOOPR · #13 11-20-2006, 05:32 PM

Eric as I told you think we are going to do Germany and Austria instead and I just like to fly there and go on my own. I don't like the tours and their rail and bus and trains systems are the greatest in Europe. Luke

Kicksnake · #14 11-21-2006, 06:08 AM

Alas... although we were interested, a major and unexpected home repair, two root canals and a speeding ticket have pretty much depleted any vacation savings we had. It sounds like a great trip, but we're not going anywhere next year. Sorry.

BLUCOOPR · #15 11-21-2006, 11:16 AM

Speeding ticket in a MINI? No way, were you backing out of driveway?

VmpyrDavid · #16 11-22-2006, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric'smini

I must admit that I'm a bit puzzled by the lack of responses to this post.

... ... ...
Eric

If I had to guess, the cost is what's causing the lack of response. I've lived here (in the England) since January, and it definitely AIN'T cheap. B&Bs would be cheaper than hotels, but harder to find a joint that has accommodations for the numbers you're looking for.

Having said that, your $ numbers seem pretty good. Round trip airfare and 6 nights in hotels in Oxford alone, nevermind doing 3 in Ox & 3 in London, can run the cost up to the figures you've got shown. Especially for the time of year that's scheduled. Food here is about twice what you'd pay in the US, along with just about everything else. A bottle of Coke costs you 95 cents in the US. Here it costs 95 pence. The exchange rate is what gets ya. Lately it's been from $1.80-$1.90 = £1. (it's $1.894 at the moment). Even if you only get 20 people to make the hop across the pond, I think you guys are getting a pretty good deal.

My estimates...
$550 to $650 - round trip airfare
$75 to $100 - taxi/bus/tube/rail transpo
$50 to $60 - Ox & London guided tours
$1000 to $1500 - hotels (6 nights)
$?? - MINI tour
$?? - Event swag (luggage tags, etc)

Looks like the only thing you'll need to pay out of pocket once you're here is for food and shopping.

So I guess the Cliff Notes are this:

Yeah, it's a good chunk of change, but the numbers are on target. Don't balk at the cost & bring your MINIac A$$ to the birthplace of your addiction. :D

Eric'smini · #17 11-27-2006, 12:55 PM

Thanks David for the encouraging words!

I too think it's a pretty good deal but it is a big chunk o change, no doubt. I understand that it may not be a good time for some folks. Heck, I don't know what'll be going on with me (financially speaking) 9 months from now either

. But I see it as one of those "leaps of faith" that life seems to require of us every now and then.

So..., with this said, I have decided to open this up to others and will be working with Dana Fredrickson at Hendricks to get the information out to all of their customer base as well as the folks in Charleston. She tells me it's over 2000 people. Hopefully, we'll get the numbers we need from this pool of "prospects".

I'll keep you guys posted as things progress. In the meantime, keep the faith and keep on motoring!!!!

Eric

Ches · #18 11-29-2006, 05:47 PM

Eric,
I was one of those who orginally indicated an interest, with wife and a couple of friends. Since then I have decided my retirement gift to myself will be a post war return trip to Vietnam (rather than a trip to England).
Chesley

rsimpson · #19 12-06-2006, 06:00 PM

Eric,

I just saw this post today... I do have a question though, what would the price be for someone traveling alone, and what is the total length of the trip?

Eric'smini · #20 12-07-2006, 11:23 AM

rsimpson,

We weren't quoted a price for a single but what I was thinking is that we may have a few singles sign up who might be interested/willing to room together so they could get the double price. I can check on a single price for you tho. The length of the trip will be 7 days/6 nights. Thanks for your interest and I hope you decide to "tag along".

Stay tuned for more information!!!

Eric

rsimpson · #21 12-08-2006, 03:50 AM

Well tenatively stick my name in the pot, still trying to talk the wife into it.... she really doesn't want to go so I would be going alone. Do check on the single price if you don't mind, that way I'll know if I want to share a room or go it solo. If I do decide to have a roomie, would that just be half of the quoted price?

Thanks again...

Eric'smini · #22 01-05-2007, 01:18 PM

Well, now that we are into the new year, I'm hoping more of you might be motivated to rethink this and decide to participate. We obviously don't yet have the minimum number we need (20) but I am still hopeful that we will reach that number. This promises to be a wonderful once-in-a-lifetime trip (at least once in MY lifetime

) and I encourage everyone who has ruled this out to reconsider or has not yet seriously considered going to do so. I can't think of anything being more fun than going to the place where our cars were born with a bunch of other MINIacs like me!

Happy New Year to all!!!

Eric

rsimpson · #23 01-22-2007, 08:24 PM

I don't think I'm gonna be able to go this year... I think the finance gods are working against me... any plans on possibly making this a yearly pilgrimage if the turnout is good?

Nay's Mini · #24 01-24-2007, 04:06 PM

Would love to go - but finances are tight - what will the dates be - I'll keep it in mind if it's going to be late '07.

Eric'smini · #25 01-26-2007, 11:35 AM

Guess I need to update folks as to where things are at the moment. We were originally given a plant tour date in July '07 and I asked for a tour date later in the year, either Sept. or Oct., feeling that giving folks a longer time to prepare for the trip was a good idea. I was notified in late Novermber by Mann Travels that they had been told that the plant does not give out tour dates more than 6 mths in advance and therefore, it would likely be at least March or April before we would find out if we were going to be given a tour date in Sept. or Oct. So that's where we are. I am still hoping to get a tour/departure date in Sept. or Oct. but nothing can be booked at this point until we get out plant tour date.

I am still asking folks who have expressed an interest in going to "hang in there" with me at this point, anticipating doing this trip later in the year. It has been suggested to me that maybe we should just go with the folks who have signed up, regardless of whether or not we get the required 20 for the group rate, and pay the extra expense. I'm not sure how much that would be but I will attempt to find out and let you guys know. If you have any questions, let me know.

Eric