Official Barb Con countdown....

[glo]

OK...I need something to look forward to...Looks like a road trip will be in order, and that it maybe an extended one at that....lol...



So here it is.....

As of right this second there are ONLY!!!!


<font color=green><font size=8> 216 days!!!</font></font>

[WebmasterBarry]

I've got to pack! :)

[luvdsny]

Wow! I like that number better than the one for DIS-Con 2. :bounce: Thanks Glo. :)

[disneycub]

Good grief! I've gotta make airline reservations quickly! ;)

[glo]

ok....so who is planning on going?

[perfectmatch300]

Thanks for the countdown, Glo! I've already booked my room! :bounce: We will be stopping at Dorney Park on the way home, and MAYBE at Six Flags Great Adventure after that. Anyone want to join us on the rest of our tour? :wave:

[Barb]

Barb Con-ROTFL!!!!!!! :D:p :p
222 days, that should give me enough time to get ready for everyone. ;) LOL I'm going to mention this picnic on the Community board. There are a lot of DIS-Con attendees that don't ever check in here. Also, there are a few DIS'ers from this area that would probably like to come and meet everyone. :D

[Towncrier]

What about John-Con? What am I? Canned corn? I'm crushed (or should I say creamed) glo. No countdown until Memorial Day? Boo hoo.

Can't hardly wait for Barb-Con. I guess I better make hotel reservations before everyone else snaps them all up.

[NancyIL]

I hope to be at Barb-Con - arriving July 26th and staying at the Comfort Inn for 2 nights. I reserved a room with 2 double beds, so I'm willing to share with another solo female attendee. Wow...opening reception...farewell breakfast...will there be any dessert parties? :D

[Patinmn]

John-Com I will attend if it is at Cedar Point :-)

I wish I could attend BARB-Com but is 1 week to early for me to be able to attend :-(



So I missed the Summer of free Love in 69...was in Peurto Rico at the time.


And I will Miss the Summer Of Green Glove in 01.... Well at least I got to do Hands across America

[perfectmatch300]

So John, if we're going to do a countdown WE NEED DATES!!!! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

PatInMN, we will probably do what we did when we made this trip last year (except THIS YEAR WE WON'T LEAVE THE PARK PASSES IN CT!)

DIS-Meet at John's
2 days at Six Flags Worlds of Adventure. (Tues & Wed) It's right near John's and X-Flight is INCREDIBLE!
2 days at Cedar Point. (Thurs & Fri) Last year this coincided with CoasterMania at CP, but I don't have the date for that this year yet.
Maybe stop at Knobels on the way home.

[Barb]

LOl, John-canned corn?!?! LOL :p I haven't told Bill about "John-Con" yet. (ROTFL) :D But, I figured we would hit at least Cedar Point on this trip. We went to Cedar Point about 7 years ago. It was a lot of fun, but it was very, very hot. I remember drinking tons of water and never having to go to the bathroom! (see what amuses me?):rolleyes:
John, is the picnic on Saturday or Sunday? I'll need to make hotel ressies, too. Any suggestions? Thanks! :)
Pat and Roger, I so wish you could make the trip to my house, too. But, at least we'll meet up again at John's, and within a few short months we'll all be back at WDW! Whoo-Hoo!!!!!!! :p :p

[Towncrier]

Last year's picnic was on the Sunday before Memorial Day. So I figure why mess with success. The official date of the picnic will be May 26, 2002. That gives everyone the opportunity to party at Cedar Point or Six Flags on Saturday, then spend Sunday afternoon and evening at our house. I'm all for planning a group trip to either park on Saturday. But count on Sunday May 26th as picnic day. I'll have the big screen TV tuned to the Indy 500 for those who must watch the race (which I missed last year because I was so busy making hamburger patties).

So who's up for a picnic in NE Ohio?

[Patrick IL.]

I am working on it, a may be at this point.

[Patinmn]

John what is the nearest decent airport to you? I am thinking of flying in, if I am able to make it and going to cedar point and your picnic. It is still kind of up in the air right now...but I hope to make it.

[NancyIL]

Oops! Just assumed that last year's get-together at Towncrier's house was on Memorial Day!
Guess I'll have to revise those hotel reservations again!

[Towncrier]

So sorry Nancy. I thought that the picnic was on Monday this year. That's probably why you got that impression.

Patrick - There are two commercial airports nearby, Cleveland Hopkins (CLE) and Akron/Canton (CAK). I once drove from Cleveland Hopkins airport to my driveway in 16 minutes. I think that I must have been flying since it's usually at least a 30 minute drive. The Akron/Canton airport is a 45 minute drive from our house.

There are lots of motels near our home and in locations closer to the airports or even Cedar Point. If anyone needs suggestions, let me know what your plans are and we can find a place that will minimize your driving time.

[Patinmn]

I wonder if we should split the post to 2 different threads... one called Barb-Con and the other one "What am I Canned Corn"-Com to avoid confusion between the 2

[Towncrier]

Good idea - Perhaps glo will pickup on your suggestion.

[disneycub]

Plan on me being there, John!

[NancyIL]

OK - the Cedar Point meet is going to be on Saturday, May 25th and Towncrier-Con is on Sunday, 5/26 ...right? I just made my THIRD reservation at the Clarion Inn Sandusky (because of changes in dates and plans!) - now for Friday and Saturday nights (May 24 & 25) at the AAA rate of $56/night for 2 double beds. When the rates become available at Cedar Point's hotels (the Breakers Express in particular - which should be between $59-$109) in a few weeks, I may change again!

[WebmasterBarry]

Man, I cannot afford all these "Cons!"

I say everyone hop on a plane and come down to WDW! We can have a BBQ on my Swan balcony! :)

[glo]

oooh I can not wait...I will be there...if my ride still goes.....er...um....hey ride you still going?

[Barb]

Hey, Glo, your ride better be going! I'm counting on you two being here! It wouldn't be the same without you! :) We all have some serious singing and dancing to practice for!! :D :D :D

[perfectmatch300]

Yikes, I just found this post again! I think a separate thread is a good idea!

Now, if I've got this right, Canned-corn-con is Sun May 26th, right?

We will probably not make it to a Cedar Point meet on Sat. because we will be driving from CT ot OH that day. :( We were planning to go there on Thurs & Fri. following Canned-corn-con to avoid the holiday weekend crowds anyway. Besides, I believe that is when the parks start opening on weekdays and usually you can walk on to any rides usless you catch HS Physics day. We'll do 6 Flags WoA on Mon & Tues., then go on to CP on Wed. It worked great for us that way last year. :D

Glo, if your ride isn't going, swing down to CT & come with us. :D

John, can we put in a request for better weather this year? I believe I remember you cooking those burgers in the rain! Oh, and I am NOT booking that awful EconoLodge by the race track again! What a roach motel that was, and too far from John's besides!

[FairyGodfriend]

Too funny! Barb-Con and AmICannedCorn - Con? Slacker confusion abounds, but they both sound like a lot of fun! :)

p.s. Barb, I love the "green glove" .

[NancyIL]

Nancy - I too would prefer to avoid the holiday crowds at Cedar Point. However - I'm pretty sure my DD graduates from high school on Wednesday, May 29th - so I can't go to CP after John's BBQ. I'll drive to Sandusky on Friday, 5/24th.

[Barb]

Question about "Canned corn-com"-where is everyone staying and do you stay at the same place for John's and Cedar Point?? Thanks!

[Patinmn]

I thought we were just going to pitch our tents in his backyard :D


I am (if I am able to attend) going to stay probably near Cedar Point, and then drive to Johns for the Picnic.

[NancyIL]

Barb - I mentioned halfway up the page that I'll be at the Clarion Inn - Sandusky on May 24 and 25. I checked hotel rates in Sandusky on Expedia, and the Clarion had about the best rates without being a dump. I made my ressie at www.comfortinn.com

I'm not sure where I'll stay Sunday night, after the party at John's, but you won't want to drive back to Sandusky that night if you live east of him.

[Barb]

Thanks. We'll most likely be flying. I think we flew into a private airport in or near Sandusky the last time. I guess I need to do some research here. John, how far are you from Cedar Point? I know we stayed at a hotel right at the end of the road to CP. Don't remember what it was, but it was only a few minute drive to the park. I'm sure things have changed since then. ;) :)

[NancyIL]

Barb...when was your last visit to CP? The Greentree Inn is at the end of the CP Causeway and has been there forever. There's also a Radisson that's quite close. Cedar Point opened a new "budget" hotel - the Breakers Express - near the Causeway, but it's still too early to reserve rooms for the 2002 season.

[glo]

Hey Barb!!!

I am excited about this...can not wait to see you guys! Will work on dates for mine today...
:D :D :)

[perfectmatch300]

We're staying near John for What Am I, Canned Corn Con, and to visit 6 Flags WoA, then we will be moving to Sandusky to do CP. I haven't booked any of the ressies yet, waiting for the CP hotels to open up. I REALLY want to stay at the Breakers if there's any way I can fit it into the budget. :D
Just a note about the Greentree. We stayed there about 4 yrs ago. It was around the time they hold HS Physics Day at CP. I think every HS group in Ohio and the surrounding states was staying there, and they DO NOT SLEEP!!!! :earseek: We had kids running up & down the halls SCREAMING at the top of their lungs all night long. Although we complained repeatedly, nothing was done to quiet things down. :mad: To put it mildly, it was not a pleasant experience. Even though they did take the worst night off our bill & give us some freebies, it still wasn't worth it. Last year we stayed at a HOJO Express because it was really cheap, it was clean, but a bit of a dump.

I'm feeling kind of down today. I'm so glad I have these meets to look forward to. :D

[NancyIL]

I wasn't able to get a rate to come up at www.cedarpoint.com - but I called the CP reservations number. The Breakers Express is $64/night for May 24 and 25 (Friday and Saturday) - which is a GREAT rate for a hotel that's pretty close to the CP Causeway. The only downside is that there's a $25 cancellation fee for ANY hotel cancellations, no matter how far out. I didn't ask for rates at the CP properties, because I'm too cheap to spend over $100/night!

More info about the Breakers Express: http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/trips/resorts/breaker_exp/breakers_exp.cfm

[Towncrier]

It's 80 miles from our house to Cedar Point. Roughly a 1.5 hour drive, mostly 4 lane highways (including one toll road).

[Barb]

Ok, looks like the plan would be to arrive Friday afternoon/early evening. We'd stay near CP, do Cp on Saturday, stay over at same hotel. Then get up Sunday morning and head to John's "Corn-Con"! I can't really run all this by Bill until after Christmas. That's when I will get his undivided attention. It does no good to talk now, he's only half listening. But, he does know we're going and he does know there's a picnic here in July! That's a very good start.
Nancy, it's been many, many years since we did CP. The Greentree does sound like the right name. It wasn't so bad back then. But, I have a bunch of hotel "perk" cards and will probably work off of those to see what I can get. Thanks for all the info!

[NancyIL]

I hadn't thought about going that route, Barb. My DH has enough Holiday Inn Priority Club, Marriott Rewards (Fairfield Inn) and Hilton Honors (Hampton Inn) points for a free stay, but all those hotels are farther from Cedar Point than the Breakers Express or the Clarion. I also hate to use hotel awards when I can reserve a room for a reasonable price.

[Towncrier]

Depending on whether or not you want to relocate, there are literally dozens of hotels within 5 miles of our house. You could spend one or two nights in the area of Cedar Point, then spend Sunday night near our home. I'm sure that we could arrange a farewell breakfast on Monday morning for those of you who were still in the area. Just another random thought.

[Barb]

John, that sounds like a great idea. I'm pretty sure that's how we'll plan this one out. :)

[NancyIL]

John, I think staying near Macedonia on Sunday night would be a better plan than driving 90 minutes back to Sandusky. The farewell breakfast (do I detect a pattern here? :D) would sweeten the deal even more! :)

[perfectmatch300]

Farewell breakfast sounds good to me, John! :wave:

We're still planning to do the Cedar Point part of our trip backwards from everyone else, though. We will be coming in to Macedonia on Sat. night, staying in the area till Wed. to do 6 Flags WoA, then moving on to CP for Thurs & Fri. :D
I was able to get in to CP online reservations online last night, but haven't booked yet because I wanted to tell Barry what I'd found first. I will be going back there later this evening to book our room there. :D They have the times that reservations will be down for daily maintenence listed at the bottom of the reservations page.
John, will the Ohio DISers we met last year be coming to this years meet? :wave:

[NancyIL]

John, Expedia isn't turning up any hotels in Macedonia, Ohio! Would you mind telling us the name of the cities where we might find accommodations near you? Thanks. :)

[perfectmatch300]

NancyIl, & anyone else who might be interested - Cedar Point online booking!
I just booked The Breakers Hotel for $75.00 a night! I got a non-smoking room with a queen bed. I'm sure it's not their best room, but it's a great price, and we're right there at the park!
Of course we're going later in the week after the meet at John's, so I don't know how much difference it makes being a non-holiday time period. We will be there Wed, Thurs, & FRi nights. :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[NancyIL]

Thanks for the info, Nancy! The Breakers has a $75 rate for Memorial Day weekend, too - for the same room with 1 queen bed! :) These rooms are in the old section of the hotel. But having worked at CP for 3 summers in the mid-70's and lived in the Breakers - I'm sure the hotel part will be just fine!

The Breakers Express averages $64/night with 2 queen beds. If I wanted to share with someone, the Express would be better. But the Breakers at CP has an indoor pool and would be very convenient to the park. Hmmm.....

[perfectmatch300]

Well, NancyIL, looks like you & I are the ones who really like booking rooms! :D
I just hope there's not too many stairs to the room at Breakers! ;earseek: My suitcase is pretty big! Guess that's what porters are for! :D

BTW, we also bought CP season passes, as we will be spending several days there at CP, then using them again when we go to Dorney Park after the meet at Barb's. Works out cheaper that way.
We have a Vegas trip planned for the fall - wonder if we can manage to swing over & use them at Knotts Berry Farm as well? :D

As for hotels near John's, try Aurora, Solon, Twinsburg, Streetsboro. Those are a few of the nearby towns that I remember. 6 Flags WoA is in Aurora. We stayed in a fairly new Microtel in Streetsboro last year when we were there for John's first meet & 6 Flags, & it worked out OK. DO NOT, I repear DO NOT book the Econolodge in Warrensville Hts. across from the race track! It was HORRIBLE!

[NancyIL]

Thanks, Nancy! I learned my lesson about Econolodges at another Ohio location!!!

[Towncrier]

Regarding hotel rooms. There are at least 3 motel chains in Macedonia if memory serves me. I'm surprised that they don't show up. I know that one of them is a Knight's Inn. Nancy has pretty well stated where to stay around Macedonia. Twinsburg and Hudson are closest. Solon and Aurora are a bit further away. Downtown Cleveland is only a 20 minute drive from our house so you can go really upscale if you want to stay there and visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or the Great Lakes Science Center. I'll try to find out the names of the other motels here in Macedonia.

As far as other Ohio DISers showing up, I think that you can count on most of those that were here in 2001 to return next year. Perhaps we'll even pick up a few more than were here last time.

If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me or post here. With the holidays rapidly approaching, DIS time is a little more sparse, so don't fret if I don't answer right away.

[NancyIL]

I just made a reservation at the Holiday Inn Express, Streetsboro for $61 (Priority Club rate). There is a Baymont Inn & Suites in Macedonia that looks very nice, but it was $89.10 (AAA). The hotels that are closest to John's house are kind of pricey.

[Towncrier]

Streetsboro is a 17 minute (11.5 mile) drive from our house. It's located on the Ohio Turnpike and also has access to I-480. For all of those who have not made motel ressies, all the motels in Macedonia are less than 10 years old and all look very nice from the outside.

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[NancyIL]

I just got the Baymont Inn & Suites in Macedonia for May 26th through PRICELINE!!!! It's a 2* hotel, and my bid was for $29! (I thought the $5 bonus money available through the link at www.biddingfortravel.com had been added, but it didn't show up on my confirmation - oh well.) The lowest rate I saw online was $89.10.

I was wrong...Expedia DOES list hotels in Macedonia: Baymont Inn & Suites; Country Inn & Suites; Travelodge; and Knights Inn.

[perfectmatch300]

WooHoo, NancyIL! :bounce: Good priceline bid! :D
I think I'll try going that route myself later on when I have more time. We're on our way out shortly to Barry's office Christmas party & I don't want to get started on something I don't have time to finish. That rate would help a lot since we will be there for 4 nights. :D

[NancyIL]

Nancy, when using Priceline be aware that my $29 bid was BEFORE tax and the $5.95 Priceline fee. Remember that once your bid has been accepted, you have already spent the money, and there are no refunds!

[Barb]

As Nancy said, I have to wait until after Christmas. I just don't have the time to sit at the computer right now. But, those hotels and the rates sound great. As soon as I can get Bill to sit for a minute, we'll make the plans. Now as long as the weather holds for us, we'll be there. That's one of the biggest drawbacks of flying private, weather is a determining factor. (I hate that) It's changed our plans more than a few times. :(

[Towncrier]

I hear ye Barb. :)

On the one and only extend trip that I made in a Cessna 182, we were forced to fly back in bad weather. It was the only time that I saw true fear in my boss. We flew through a line of thunderstorms and there was lightning all around us. I guess that I was too dumb to know just how much trouble we could have been in. I'll keep my fingers crossed for good weather in May. (That's a long time to keep my fingers crossed)

[Brisully]

Looky Here.....

Have fun everyone!!!!!