Plus I may be coming down to help out with the BYOC LAN party. I run a LAN party up here and they're requesting equipment and volunteer staff.
Who is exactly?
Someone called SuperDave?
I dunno he's been talking to one of our LAN party guys up here, Dale.
That's just what Dale told me... you guys would like us though. We're all LAN party vets who know how things are done. 8-)
PM me and we can discuss this more (pst! we're posting off topic! Moe will eat us!) SuperDave is just what Dale has been calling him... I'm assuming his real name is Dave?
Psh, Intel will be organizing and staffing the LAN party?? or just providing equipment?
I can see how well a completely intel LAN party would go... not very well IMO. You guys should at least have some PAX staff helping out as well...
Would only cost you an extra day... they charge you by day, not by mileage apparently.
I was mostly talking about the cost of fuel to drive a big van for 2000 km.
k3rnelpanic, you could probably meet up with us when you get into Vancouver... unless of course you're flying/taking a different route.
I'm travelling with ThatHalfling, he posted the trip plan somewhere around here, and we're leaving Saskatoon at 12pm on the 2nd. We're going to be crossing at Abbotsford and I believe its about a 16 hour drive from here to there. You'll probably be crossing the border somewhere closer to Vancouver.
I've recently gone to Victoria and Kamloops in a large group van ride. It wasn't very awesome.
Also, you've got to be 25 with a Class 5 to rent a vehicle as far as I know. Whether or not you need additional licensing to drive a high capacity van is another question entirely, and it's possible.
Not to be a naysayer, and it might end up being fun in the end, but I don't know how well it would work out. With how little driving is done at PAX once you're downtown, ~$1200 is pretty expensive no matter how you divide it.
Good points bowser...
I'm starting to think it's not such a good idea myself. It was a fun idea though!
I'm gonna go ahead and stick my foot in my mouth and say: maybe the greyhound would be more enjoyable?
Haha, that's after flaming it earlier on... is there a Greyhound bus trip thread?
Or perhaps the train would be fun? I dunno what do you guys think, train or bus?
And I suppose there's always the option of taking my little 4 cylinder on the big mean highway...
Omg the possibilities... CST, train, or bus... hmmm
Good points bowser...
I'm starting to think it's not such a good idea myself. It was a fun idea though!
I'm gonna go ahead and stick my foot in my mouth and say: maybe the greyhound would be more enjoyable?
Haha, that's after flaming it earlier on... is there a Greyhound bus trip thread?
Or perhaps the train would be fun? I dunno what do you guys think, train or bus?
And I suppose there's always the option of taking my little 4 cylinder on the big mean highway...
Omg the possibilities... CST, train, or bus... hmmm
The Cascade train is only an option if you don't plan on participating in any of the Pre-PAX events in Seattle. It leaves Vancouver in the afternoon and arrives in Seattle in the evening. Otherwise I imagine the train would be a cozy trip.
The info for the Greyhound is in the original post, including the time, fares and bus number. You can book your ticket anytime between now and the morning of the trip. Like airlines the prices tend to go up as the date gets closer though.
- If I can find enough who are interested, I'll still go with the passenger van because I think it would still be fun. (checked out the restrictions and there are none for personal use) space available: about 10.
- if I can't find enough for the van, I'll drive down depending on whether I can find enough people for that. space available 2 comfortably, 3 being a little squishy. I'm willing to pick people up too.
- if I don't feel like doing that to my poor car or if I can't find enough people interested in a ride, greyhound!
oh and just so that everybody knows, the fares are up to 53.30 for 14-day advanced payment and 68.50 regular price. Bowser you might want to update the thread.
Well well, it might not be that more expensive renting a van over taking the bus now eh?
- If I can find enough who are interested, I'll still go with the passenger van because I think it would still be fun. (checked out the restrictions and there are none for personal use) space available: about 10.
- if I can't find enough for the van, I'll drive down depending on whether I can find enough people for that. space available 2 comfortably, 3 being a little squishy. I'm willing to pick people up too.
- if I don't feel like doing that to my poor car or if I can't find enough people interested in a ride, greyhound!
oh and just so that everybody knows, the fares are up to 53.30 for 14-day advanced payment and 68.50 regular price. Bowser you might want to update the thread.
Well well, it might not be that more expensive renting a van over taking the bus now eh?
53.30 < 100 each + gas and parking fares. Still twice as expensive. lol. :P
You'll probably have no problem finding a couple passengers for your car, if all they have to pay is their share of gas.
So the choice on your end is mostly going to be between if you want to bother taking your car down, parking it and taking responsibility for driving down.... or if you want to let someone else drive and just hang out at the back of a bus with a dozen other geeks playing DS and planning out their PAXing.
As long as your car is newish and reliable enough that break downs (or loosing your keys) won't be an issue that will bring up additional delays and costs, its pretty much up to personal preference. As you can tell by the thread some prefer driving, some prefer not driving. The cost difference between greyhound and carpooling with a persons actual car is about the same.
So the choice on your end is mostly going to be between if you want to bother taking your car down, parking it and taking responsibility for driving down.... or if you want to let someone else drive and just hang out at the back of a bus with a dozen other geeks playing DS and planning out their PAXing.
I'm sensing some bias towards the bus... but that's ok because I think you've convinced me to take the bus. It seems like the easier way to travel. Cheaper, less stressful. My mind was stuck on the van idea but you've convinced me it would be too expensive...
Add me to the bus list please!
Anyone have experience with baggage? i.e. how strict they are about bag size and how many bags, etc.
Also: do they have power outlets on board? Would be cool to share around my laptop... especially with 3G internets...
Anyone have experience with baggage? i.e. how strict they are about bag size and how many bags, etc.
Also: do they have power outlets on board? Would be cool to share around my laptop... especially with 3G internets...
For baggage I've only ever taken my regular airline size carry-on bag. Never needed anything bigger cuz its a weekend trip, and I'm a guy.
Not sure if they have size restrictions but when you cross the border the driver has to unload everything for customs and then reload everything. You have to take your bag(s) into the customs line with you for scanning (like at the airport). So keep that in mind when packing.
If you still plan on hauling a lot of gear or a gaming rig down for BYOC purposes, as much fun as the bus is, you'll want to still consider carpooling in your own car. Carrying a desktop computer through customs wouldn't be much fun.
If you're just bringing basic luggage and a laptop, you shouldn't need to worry about luggage restrictions. You can take a small carryon on the bus and I beleive two pieces in cargo.
For the laptop there are no outlets, but it is only a four hour trip... so if your battery sucks that bad... :P We had a laptop running the whole trip last year, playing the PAX07 DVD. I think it ran out of juice at the end, but I'm pretty sure ACC3SS said he didn't have a full charge to start with.
Anyone remember how many days ahead you can book on greyhound?
I think it was 10 days.
I believe you can book up to 3 months in advance. However, you get special discounts if you book exactly 14 days or 7 days before your trip. (I took the Greyhound to/from Lethbridge, AB quite a few times.)
If you still plan on hauling a lot of gear or a gaming rig down for BYOC purposes, as much fun as the bus is, you'll want to still consider carpooling in your own car. Carrying a desktop computer through customs wouldn't be much fun.
Yeah... I was wondering this myself. I was planning on bringing my comp for BYOC.
Seems like I should go with driving down instead?
I suppose I could always fit it into a second airline bag... one for comp stuff and the other for everything else... meh, something to think about....
For the laptop there are no outlets, but it is only a four hour trip... so if your battery sucks that bad... :P We had a laptop running the whole trip last year, playing the PAX07 DVD. I think it ran out of juice at the end, but I'm pretty sure ACC3SS said he didn't have a full charge to start with.
This year I've got a huge 8-hour battery. It sticks out of my laptop like a tumor. We shall watch the PAX08 DVD at full brightness, in all it's glory.
^.^
I've also been practicing at Mario Kart. My goal is not to come in last place every race this year...
I suppose I could always fit it into a second airline bag... one for comp stuff and the other for everything else... meh, something to think about....
Besides the fact that packing a (desktop) computer on the bus is a pain, it's actually prohibited by Greyhound technically. I don't know anyone that's tried, but it says in their luggage restrictions that you're not allowed to bring desktops.
My gf and I just took our laptops to BYOC last year, but we weren't really keen on gaming, just a place to check email/web/etc and hang out.
A minor update, my car has changed. I rolled the 4runner into the ditch on the highway and totalled it (not even a bruise on me). I replaced it with a much nicer (and newer) Corolla.
Good work! I'll be getting another thread update done this week sometime.
I'm unsure at this point about the Edmonton Commons Tim Hortons as a starting point. I can't tell exactly what the easiest route to Deerfoot Trail Southbound is, so I haven't exactly pinned it as the starting location. I'd like to use it since it sounds like there's good resources nearby, but I can't tell what the easiest route out of there is on the GoogleMaps.
I suppose I could always fit it into a second airline bag... one for comp stuff and the other for everything else... meh, something to think about....
Besides the fact that packing a (desktop) computer on the bus is a pain, it's actually prohibited by Greyhound technically. I don't know anyone that's tried, but it says in their luggage restrictions that you're not allowed to bring desktops.
My gf and I just took our laptops to BYOC last year, but we weren't really keen on gaming, just a place to check email/web/etc and hang out.
Ah yeah, well I'm a prominent gamer so attending a LAN party without my rig won't work.
Yeah I'm considering driving down instead... I don't wanna kill my car with the long trip though.
I'll probably have to rent, ugh! Either that or take my crotch rocket down. But I don't think a desktop would fit on a bike...
Serenity on
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Moe FwackyRight Here, Right NowDrives a BuickModeratormod
edited May 2009
Vancouver to Seattle isn't really a "long drive". Shit, you probably do more damage to your car just driving it normally for a week than you would driving it to Seattle and back.
Vancouver to Seattle isn't really a "long drive". Shit, you probably do more damage to your car just driving it normally for a week than you would driving it to Seattle and back.
Agreement, if you go early enough to not get destroyed at a border crossing, you can generally do it in the around 3 hour range.
Yeah I'm considering driving down instead... I don't wanna kill my car with the long trip though.
Long drive? Jesus, I was going to drive down from Edmonton in my '93 Cherokee, 233k km's on the odometer. Talk about being nervous about car breakdowns!
But the irony of that is the Cherokee is now dead and I picked up a '09 Patriot. It hasn't been changed at the top of the thread, but I'm sure it'll make for a much more comfortable ride from Edmonton to Seattle
We had a very short border wait last year, because we were crossing early enough in the morning on Thursday. We only had maybe 7 or 8 cars ahead of us at the Abbotsford-Sumas crossing. There's a couple of good breaks on the trip that let your car cool down if it's having issues, so it really doesn't become much of a long drive at all.
I'll get an update done tonight, now that I've got some free time.
You guys are going to miss all the Pre-PAX activities and the beginning of PAX.
Yes, but taking two days in a row off work/school + extra night in hotel is hard to work in. Using the Sheraton promo, it's $566 for 2 nights or $996 for 3 (2 rooms).
I thought it opened at 2PM going off of last year?
Firestorm88 on
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Moe FwackyRight Here, Right NowDrives a BuickModeratormod
are you telling me there won't be an epic line room this year?
There will be many epic lines: for the Keynote, Q&As, Omegathon. I'm curious what Friday morning will be like, but rest assured the vast hopefullywashed masses will end up doing something equally epic.... and will still probably line up for the 8am start.
Oh crap really? We've been playing this around a 2PM opening like last time... Does it still end around the same time this year?
You can probably still plan to sneak out of Seattle Sunday evening if you don't want to do the extra night.
But then you'll miss all the Pre-PAX AND Post-PAX events.
Either way its probably best to plan what works for your schedules, and finances. If you are heading down Friday and coming back Sunday (Most of us do Thursday to Monday) you will miss ALOT, no question. That being said the cardinal rule of scheduling your PAX trip is: you will always miss alot. It's impossible to fit everything in. It's all about priorities and if yours is saving money then plan around it.... as long as the money is for games and booze we'll still respect you.
However most of us are overly social and will still continue to pester you to buck up and come down on Thursday thru Monday to participate in all the Pre and Post PAX festivities, and join our mobile DS party/greyhound group.
Speaking of which, b0wser you can slot me in as +5 on the list as I'll be bringing a few non-forumers along. 8-)
Posts
Someone called SuperDave?
I dunno he's been talking to one of our LAN party guys up here, Dale.
That's just what Dale told me... you guys would like us though. We're all LAN party vets who know how things are done. 8-)
You should confirm that, it might have just been a feeler put out incase intel didnt come back. I dont know any "SuperDave" though...
Psh, Intel will be organizing and staffing the LAN party?? or just providing equipment?
I can see how well a completely intel LAN party would go... not very well IMO. You guys should at least have some PAX staff helping out as well...
Ill PM you though.
I was mostly talking about the cost of fuel to drive a big van for 2000 km.
I'm travelling with ThatHalfling, he posted the trip plan somewhere around here, and we're leaving Saskatoon at 12pm on the 2nd. We're going to be crossing at Abbotsford and I believe its about a 16 hour drive from here to there. You'll probably be crossing the border somewhere closer to Vancouver.
My house is actually closer to the Abbotsford/Sumas crossing.
Yeah, I'm starting to think that this Van idea may not work...
Would still be hella fun though....! Any takers?
Also, you've got to be 25 with a Class 5 to rent a vehicle as far as I know. Whether or not you need additional licensing to drive a high capacity van is another question entirely, and it's possible.
Not to be a naysayer, and it might end up being fun in the end, but I don't know how well it would work out. With how little driving is done at PAX once you're downtown, ~$1200 is pretty expensive no matter how you divide it.
I'm starting to think it's not such a good idea myself. It was a fun idea though!
I'm gonna go ahead and stick my foot in my mouth and say: maybe the greyhound would be more enjoyable?
Haha, that's after flaming it earlier on... is there a Greyhound bus trip thread?
Or perhaps the train would be fun? I dunno what do you guys think, train or bus?
And I suppose there's always the option of taking my little 4 cylinder on the big mean highway...
Omg the possibilities... CST, train, or bus... hmmm
I think it was 10 days.
The Cascade train is only an option if you don't plan on participating in any of the Pre-PAX events in Seattle. It leaves Vancouver in the afternoon and arrives in Seattle in the evening. Otherwise I imagine the train would be a cozy trip.
The info for the Greyhound is in the original post, including the time, fares and bus number. You can book your ticket anytime between now and the morning of the trip. Like airlines the prices tend to go up as the date gets closer though.
Alright so road trip or greyhound? hmmm
- If I can find enough who are interested, I'll still go with the passenger van because I think it would still be fun. (checked out the restrictions and there are none for personal use) space available: about 10.
- if I can't find enough for the van, I'll drive down depending on whether I can find enough people for that. space available 2 comfortably, 3 being a little squishy. I'm willing to pick people up too.
- if I don't feel like doing that to my poor car or if I can't find enough people interested in a ride, greyhound!
oh and just so that everybody knows, the fares are up to 53.30 for 14-day advanced payment and 68.50 regular price. Bowser you might want to update the thread.
Well well, it might not be that more expensive renting a van over taking the bus now eh?
53.30 < 100 each + gas and parking fares. Still twice as expensive. lol. :P
You'll probably have no problem finding a couple passengers for your car, if all they have to pay is their share of gas.
So the choice on your end is mostly going to be between if you want to bother taking your car down, parking it and taking responsibility for driving down.... or if you want to let someone else drive and just hang out at the back of a bus with a dozen other geeks playing DS and planning out their PAXing.
As long as your car is newish and reliable enough that break downs (or loosing your keys) won't be an issue that will bring up additional delays and costs, its pretty much up to personal preference. As you can tell by the thread some prefer driving, some prefer not driving. The cost difference between greyhound and carpooling with a persons actual car is about the same.
I'm sensing some bias towards the bus... but that's ok because I think you've convinced me to take the bus. It seems like the easier way to travel. Cheaper, less stressful. My mind was stuck on the van idea but you've convinced me it would be too expensive...
Add me to the bus list please!
Anyone have experience with baggage? i.e. how strict they are about bag size and how many bags, etc.
Also: do they have power outlets on board? Would be cool to share around my laptop... especially with 3G internets...
For baggage I've only ever taken my regular airline size carry-on bag. Never needed anything bigger cuz its a weekend trip, and I'm a guy.
Not sure if they have size restrictions but when you cross the border the driver has to unload everything for customs and then reload everything. You have to take your bag(s) into the customs line with you for scanning (like at the airport). So keep that in mind when packing.
If you still plan on hauling a lot of gear or a gaming rig down for BYOC purposes, as much fun as the bus is, you'll want to still consider carpooling in your own car. Carrying a desktop computer through customs wouldn't be much fun.
If you're just bringing basic luggage and a laptop, you shouldn't need to worry about luggage restrictions. You can take a small carryon on the bus and I beleive two pieces in cargo.
For the laptop there are no outlets, but it is only a four hour trip... so if your battery sucks that bad... :P We had a laptop running the whole trip last year, playing the PAX07 DVD. I think it ran out of juice at the end, but I'm pretty sure ACC3SS said he didn't have a full charge to start with.
You'll enjoy the bus ride far more than a road trip IMO...
Except I hear losing to me at Mario Kart isn't much fun. Right guys? :winky:
I believe you can book up to 3 months in advance. However, you get special discounts if you book exactly 14 days or 7 days before your trip. (I took the Greyhound to/from Lethbridge, AB quite a few times.)
Just go to greyhound.ca and check it out.
glutenfreegamer.blogspot.com
Yeah... I was wondering this myself. I was planning on bringing my comp for BYOC.
Seems like I should go with driving down instead?
I suppose I could always fit it into a second airline bag... one for comp stuff and the other for everything else... meh, something to think about....
Dang, no outlets eh?
This year I've got a huge 8-hour battery. It sticks out of my laptop like a tumor. We shall watch the PAX08 DVD at full brightness, in all it's glory.
^.^
I've also been practicing at Mario Kart. My goal is not to come in last place every race this year...
I hope to have my netbook by PAX time and that bad boy has up to 9.5 hours of battery life. I think that should be enough :P
Besides the fact that packing a (desktop) computer on the bus is a pain, it's actually prohibited by Greyhound technically. I don't know anyone that's tried, but it says in their luggage restrictions that you're not allowed to bring desktops.
My gf and I just took our laptops to BYOC last year, but we weren't really keen on gaming, just a place to check email/web/etc and hang out.
I'm unsure at this point about the Edmonton Commons Tim Hortons as a starting point. I can't tell exactly what the easiest route to Deerfoot Trail Southbound is, so I haven't exactly pinned it as the starting location. I'd like to use it since it sounds like there's good resources nearby, but I can't tell what the easiest route out of there is on the GoogleMaps.
Ah yeah, well I'm a prominent gamer so attending a LAN party without my rig won't work.
Yeah I'm considering driving down instead... I don't wanna kill my car with the long trip though.
I'll probably have to rent, ugh! Either that or take my crotch rocket down. But I don't think a desktop would fit on a bike...
Agreement, if you go early enough to not get destroyed at a border crossing, you can generally do it in the around 3 hour range.
Long drive? Jesus, I was going to drive down from Edmonton in my '93 Cherokee, 233k km's on the odometer. Talk about being nervous about car breakdowns!
But the irony of that is the Cherokee is now dead and I picked up a '09 Patriot. It hasn't been changed at the top of the thread, but I'm sure it'll make for a much more comfortable ride from Edmonton to Seattle
I'll get an update done tonight, now that I've got some free time.
At least that's what I'd be sad about.
I thought it opened at 2PM going off of last year?
are you telling me there won't be an epic line room this year?
There will be many epic lines: for the Keynote, Q&As, Omegathon. I'm curious what Friday morning will be like, but rest assured the vast hopefullywashed masses will end up doing something equally epic.... and will still probably line up for the 8am start.
But back on topic:
You can probably still plan to sneak out of Seattle Sunday evening if you don't want to do the extra night.
But then you'll miss all the Pre-PAX AND Post-PAX events.
Either way its probably best to plan what works for your schedules, and finances. If you are heading down Friday and coming back Sunday (Most of us do Thursday to Monday) you will miss ALOT, no question. That being said the cardinal rule of scheduling your PAX trip is: you will always miss alot. It's impossible to fit everything in. It's all about priorities and if yours is saving money then plan around it.... as long as the money is for games and booze we'll still respect you.
However most of us are overly social and will still continue to pester you to buck up and come down on Thursday thru Monday to participate in all the Pre and Post PAX festivities, and join our mobile DS party/greyhound group.
Speaking of which, b0wser you can slot me in as +5 on the list as I'll be bringing a few non-forumers along. 8-)