People's costs to attend CGE?

[NoahsMyBro]

For about ten years I've thought about going to CGE (well, first World of Atari, then CGE). But it always seemed unrealistic, and just something to idly think about.

This year, I actually started thinking the trip was something I may be able to actually do. I considered requesting the time off from work, talked about it with my wife, and got over my dislike of flying.

Then I calculated the costs. As I understand things, one of the reasons CGE is held in Las Vegas is because, compared with other destinations, LV is generally inexpensive to reach by airplane.

However, I came up with this:


Hotel Fri 7/28 - Sun 7/29
FRI: $114
SAT: $114
SUN: $ 94
------------
Hotel: $322

CGE Registration: $30

Airfare: $333

TOTAL: $685


That's nearly $700 before any incidentals or at-show-purchases. I could shave $100 off by leaving Sunday night instead of Monday, but it still seems awfully steep. I got the Airfare price off of Expedia last night - is that price way, way out of line? I'd think, looking the flight up this far in advance ought to give me a pretty good price - am I wrong?

Or, am I just cheap, and this isn't really such a big deal?

[Mayhem]

Let's look at my expenses for this year LOL

Hotel: $114 + $114 + $94 = $322 + whatever for tax on top
CGE registration: free (first 100 to book hotel)
Flights: $1,350 odd (including one to Chicago to pick up QoF)

Total: around $1,700

Spending money: who knows! But given the rate currently, I've got at least $1,200 in my pocket so far...

(though some of that is left over from last year)

[Sniderman]

However, I came up with this:


Hotel Fri 7/28 - Sun 7/29
FRI: $114
SAT: $114
SUN: $ 94
------------
Hotel: $322

CGE Registration: $30

Airfare: $333

TOTAL: $685


Or, am I just cheap, and this isn't really such a big deal?

You're cheap. LOL

Serious, I was gonna post the assumed rates for the overseas folks, but Mayhem beat me to it. I've been to CGE in Vegas three times (Ohio to Nevada and back) and my rates have always been in the same neighborhood of what you posted above. If you expected flight/lodging to Vegas and back for less than $500, you're very deluded. These numbers look fine and, in fact, are on the low side.

[rolenta]

am I just cheap, and this isn't really such a big deal?

Steve, it's not a question of being cheap, it's a question of whether you could afford it or not. But think about this: look at all the money you saved during the past ten years by not attending a CGE!

Anyway, I would suggest cutting out the Sunday night stay and taking a redeye back to Newark. My flight leaves at 11:59 pm. This way, you get home around 8 in the morning and have the whole day to yourself. If you leave anytime Monday morning, you lose Monday altogether.

The airfares you quoted were roughly the same with what I paid. I'm taking Continental Friday morning and coming back Sunday night on US Airways.

[NoahsMyBro]

Wow. I've always avoided flying because I hate the way airlines treat passengers. The whole ordeal is a pain. driving almost every trip I take, I never really noticed quite how expensive it is to fly.

Thanks for the feedback guys & Mayhem.

-- Steve

[gamegirl79]

I'm pretty pleased with how cheap my trip is going to be:

Round trip airfare (non-stop) + 3 nights at the Venetian (Thurs., Fri., and Sat.) = $653

Add the $30 for CGE admission and it's still under $700. And the Venetian is a pretty upscale place! I booked it all on Travelocity.com.

[y-bot]

2 booths $600
Riviera hotel for 5 nights $114 + $114 + $94 + $94 +$94 + tax
roundtrip flight for two $540
total= I'm afraid to add it up, luckily my girlfriend is paying for half the hotel/flight and my friends are paying for 1/2 to 2/3 of the booths.

See you there!

y-bot

[vincewy]

Another cheap option is staying at hotels around Fremont St Exp, I got rooms at Club Vegas, also Allegiant is flying to my area nonstop, which I'm ablt to fly RT for under $200. My hotel is booked through Vegas.com for $170 (Thur, Fri, and Sat nights), air is $180 after tax and I plan to spend another $250 on foods, CGE, etc.

I tried to stay at Holiday Inn Fitzgeralds again but they're booked solid, other cheap options in downtown areas are Four Queens, Plaza, Vegas Club, and El Cortez (not recommended IMO due to location).

[MachineGex]

You guys forgot cab-fare/car rental...

I decided on the Riviera because I didn't want the extra cost/hassle of Cab-fare to & from the event. Plus, I thought it would be fun seeing DP members run around the hotel/casino.

[nationgamesdepot]

I booked mine through Aligenet Air which is the cheap carrier from Knoxville. For round trip nonstop air and 7 days 6 nights at the Sahara is is going to be 470 each for me and my g/f. That also includes shuttle to and from the airport. Not to shabby I didn't think.
~~NGD

[Sniderman]

Air tix for me and the mizzus - $750
Hotel reservations for 3 days - $70
CGE registration for Your Truly - $30

So we're at $850 for the event without counting in spending money (games for me; gambling for her; food and alcohol for both). I think we'll probably bring a cool thou for that.

Total for the Sniderman CGE event - $1,850

[Knoxximus]

I live here, so it's just gas and admission for me. Already got my vacation time in!:D

[PapaStu]

Plane tickets were alot more than I was expecting. Not to mention nigh on impossible to even get a direct flight out of the Bay Area to Vegas on any carrier other than Southwest.

Plane= +/- 500
Hotel= 2 Nights Riveria @ CGE rate (Fri-Sat)
CGE Entrance = 30

So somewhere in the 750 range

[Cav]

[QUOTE=
Hotel reservations for 3 days - $70
[/QUOTE]


Do I dare ask where you are staying, Tim?

[jeannerocket]

2 booths $600
Riviera hotel for 5 nights $114 + $114 + $94 + $94 +$94 + tax
roundtrip flight for two $540
total= I'm afraid to add it up, luckily my girlfriend is paying for half the hotel/flight and my friends are paying for 1/2 to 2/3 of the booths.

See you there!

y-bot

I'm going for pretty cheap. My share of the Riviera
hotel is $255,
flight is $270
+ free admission 'cause I'm cute. Yeah right, it's 'cause I'm helping at Y-Bot's booth.

So that's like, $525. Pretty good for five nights! Chips, entertainment and food will easily be another few hundred. But I'll make it all back playing the roulette wheel, come on seventeen! ;-)

[Sniderman]

Do I dare ask where you are staying, Tim?In the streets. :roll:

That shoulda said $140. Have no idea where I got $70.

[Cav]

In the streets. :roll:

That shoulda said $140. Have no idea where I got $70.

Ok, phew. I was going to take pity and let you two crash in my bathtub.

[BydoEmpire]

I don't know what the total is for me but it's in the $600 range. I could have gotten a cheaper hotel, but I wanted to be right near the expo so I'm at the Riviera (plus, got free tix to the expo). That was worth it for me, and I'll save on cab rides, anyways. The plane tickets were more expensive than I would have expected (and I'm taking a ridiculous redeye adventure leaving late Saturday night and getting back in Orlando at 8:30am). Still, this is the first CGE I'm going to so while it is an expensive weekend, I'm definitely looking forward to it and I'm sure it will be worth it.

And I DID save an AWFUL lot of money by not going to the previous CGEs. It doesn't pay NOT to go this year. Yeah, that's it!

[atarian90]

Plane tickets were alot more than I was expecting. Not to mention nigh on impossible to even get a direct flight out of the Bay Area to Vegas on any carrier other than Southwest.

Plane= +/- 500
Hotel= 2 Nights Riveria @ CGE rate (Fri-Sat)
CGE Entrance = 30

So somewhere in the 750 range

Whoa!!! Is this the San Francisco Bay Area you're talking about? If so, I don't know where you got $500. I was able to book a flight earlier this week for $215 on United from SFO at Expedia/Travelocity/Orbitz. (Leaving 7/27 3PM and returning 7/31 4PM) I just checked it out again and tickets are still available though I noticed it's $255 if you return on 7/29.

Hmm. Maybe you're in the San Jose area. If so, then I can see $500 being the cost for a non-red-eye flight from SJC. But (to me at least) it may be worth it to drive 40 miles north to SFO and save up to $285 on your plane ticket (minus about $50 for 4 days in the long term parking lot?). It's up to you though...

So back to the topic...for me, the costs are:

Plane = $215
Hotel = $114 x 2 nights at the Riviera = $228
CGE tix = $30

Total = about $475 (CGE-related only). However, I'm staying another 2 nights + rental car, so my total costs will be higher.

[boatofcar]

Airfare + 2 Nights in the LV Hilton (Quark's bar, baby!)
$450, flying from Richmond VA.

[mezrabad]

2611 Miles Roundtrip Fuel assuming 30 mpg:
245.47 at $2.80/gal or $324.37 at $3.70/gal. call it................ $280
Hotel Riviera Fri & Sat Night:............................................ ..$250
Random Hotel on way to Vegas: approx.................................$50
Random Hotel on way home from Vegas: approx......................$50
Expo tickets for two:.............................................. ............$60
Meal cost estimates for Thur/Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon:......................$120
Opportunity cost of 3 days of missed work (no paid time off):...$240
Total cost, before purchasing a single item at the expo:.......$1,050

Five solid days spent with my son: Priceless
So, priceless minus $1050 is still priceless which means I'll be coming out ahead. :)

I'm going to the expo to meet people, take pictures and possibly get to play some systems/cabs that I'd never otherwise get to see/play. I may buy a few things, but that's not really the point for me. Regardless of the cost, I'd much rather go ahead and spend the money than miss another classic gaming expo and say "Damnit, I wish I'd gone!" perpetually thereafter.

EDIT: Oh by the way, for two people to fly, RT from Austin would cost me $1173for the plane tickets alone, so yes, I'd rather be a crazy person and drive the 40 hour round trip.

[PapaStu]

Whoa!!! Is this the San Francisco Bay Area you're talking about? If so, I don't know where you got $500. I was able to book a flight earlier this week for $215 on United from SFO at Expedia/Travelocity/Orbitz. (Leaving 7/27 3PM and returning 7/31 4PM) I just checked it out again and tickets are still available though I noticed it's $255 if you return on 7/29.

Hmm. Maybe you're in the San Jose area. If so, then I can see $500 being the cost for a non-red-eye flight from SJC. But (to me at least) it may be worth it to drive 40 miles north to SFO and save up to $285 on your plane ticket (minus about $50 for 4 days in the long term parking lot?). It's up to you though...

Yup SF Bay Area (Currently residing in Dublin).

Well its 500 for 2 going thru San Jose. When I was looking to book, there was NOTHING on any of the carriers other than Southwest that had a direct flight to Vegas available. I also had some time restrictions at the time as well, where we had to do an early evening flight because my wife wasn't going to try and get a half day off work. There was no way in hell that I was flying to Texas and then back when I could have driven there in as much time, for less no matter. My parents live in Fremont so we're just stopping by there and they'll drop us off and pick us back up when we get back, so parking = free.

[ubersaurus]

Flight: About $240
Hotel: about 260

So yeah, I've spent about what, 530 bucks and the con hasn't even started yet?

Not bad for only starting to save for it in June.

[Sean Kelly3]

I'm pretty pleased with how cheap my trip is going to be:

Round trip airfare (non-stop) + 3 nights at the Venetian (Thurs., Fri., and Sat.) = $653

Add the $30 for CGE admission and it's still under $700. And the Venetian is a pretty upscale place! I booked it all on Travelocity.com.


The Venetian??!! Argh!

[LucidDefender]

I booked at the Riveria so I could save money on Taxis, help out the CGE organizers, and hang out with the DP crew! Well worth the extra money!

[ubikuberalles]

I'm thinking my costs will be $800-$1000:

- Gas will be between $150-$200
- Hotel. About $400
- $200-$300 for food and other expenses including CGE purchases. I don't expect to buy much at CGE.

[YoshiM]

2 Round Trip Tickets: $560
Riviera Rooms (Friday to Sunday): $322
CGE Entry for wife: $35 (dropped the ball on this when pre registering)
Car (1 week): $138 (wife wants to drive a Charger, it's her vacation too :D ).

Total: $1055. Not including meals, extras, etc.

[djsquarewave]

Yup SF Bay Area (Currently residing in Dublin).
Hey, I'm in Livermore and I'm driving! ;)

Though I've also got three other people to play chinese fire drill with, meaning it's not ten solid hours of driving each way and paying for all the gas...

So personally, including gas, admission, and hotel, I'm probably paying about $200 or so (plus a sore ass once I get back).

[ubikuberalles]

So far I've spent more preparing for the trip then I'm likely to spend for the entire trip. I'm driving to Vegas so on Tuesday I took it to the dealer for a checkup. The front suspension was riding pretty rough so I had them replace the two front struts. The engine was also leaking oil and they replaced the head gasket and the spark plugs. The car needed those repairs anyway but better now instead of on the desert halfway to Vegas.