Mandamom Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Here's the background: DD14's team wants to compete in 3 travel events this coming season. The third meet is one we've done before so I know what to expect for that one. The reality is I'm not sure i can do any of them but I'd like to see if it is realistically possible to do 1 of them. I won't know until after I commit how much fundraising will help in contributing to reducing the costs. Here are the options: Bahamas in December from Maryland -- our team is trying to do fundraising for this one but I have no idea how much we'll end up with to reduce the costs. 2-4 nights Hotel/resort: $170-220/night includes water park Airfare: $600/person (there might be cheaper ones but the websites confuse me) Passports: $85/person (I have an expired one somewhere under my former name) Food: ???? I'm hoping I won't need a car. What else am I forgetting? New York City in January from Maryland -- 2 to 3 nights (could be 1 night) Hotel: $250/night Travel: $100 (team bus or car) Food: ??? (cheap places -- maybe one nicer place for a meal) taxis/parking depending on how I get there: ??? My other problem is that I have 2 other kids not on dd14's team and I'd hate for just the team kid to go and not the other two. We went to Disney property to compete 2 years in a row and didn't go to the parks because I couldn't afford to take all of the kids. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Entry fees for the event itself? For food, include actual meals as well as snacks and drinks all day long 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Baggage fees - Although these trips are short and in our family we wouldn't need to check bags, your family may differ. Equipment transportation - What type of sport is this? If there are large items to transport, that cost should be factored in. Coach fees - If coaches are not volunteers, how will they be compensated for their time & expenses and how much of that will you have to bear? Food - Cost will depend on accommodations. Some hotels provide a light breakfast. Will you be able to eat in the room at all? Bagels in the room for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch for example? If there is a refrigerator, you can get milk & have cereal as well. Misc expenses - Will there be new team uniforms to purchase? Travel size bottles for carry on baggage, although those are usually fairly inexpensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 For the Bahamas, will there be a cost for a shuttle or something from the airport to the hotel? From the hotel to the competition venue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandamom Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 Great responses so far. Thanks! Entry fees for the event itself? For food, include actual meals as well as snacks and drinks all day long Definitely and I will have to pay a spectator fee, too. And, if I take any other of my family they will have to pay spectator fees. I forgot about that. Baggage fees - Although these trips are short and in our family we wouldn't need to check bags, your family may differ. Equipment transportation - What type of sport is this? If there are large items to transport, that cost should be factored in. Coach fees - If coaches are not volunteers, how will they be compensated for their time & expenses and how much of that will you have to bear? Food - Cost will depend on accommodations. Some hotels provide a light breakfast. Will you be able to eat in the room at all? Bagels in the room for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch for example? If there is a refrigerator, you can get milk & have cereal as well. Misc expenses - Will there be new team uniforms to purchase? Travel size bottles for carry on baggage, although those are usually fairly inexpensive. I haven't flown in years so I didn't even think about baggage fees. So probably yes. No equipment fees, uniform fees or coaches fees (team pays those but will probably reduce some of the fundraising contribution for the Bahama trip). They are gymnastics meets and our team covers those costs. Yes to travel size bottles. For the Bahamas, will there be a cost for a shuttle or something from the airport to the hotel? From the hotel to the competition venue? That's a good question. I think the competition will be in the same place as the hotel but I'm not sure. I will need to look into that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Many places have city-imposed hotel taxes in addition to sales taxes: NYC: 5.875% Bahamas: 7.5% VAT Souvenirs? Transportation from home to the airport/airport parking Gas if you drive to NYC Tolls if you drive to NYC Tips for cabs, porters? Pet care? Internet access at hotels and/or roaming charges on phone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Passports are $135 for adults and $105 for minors, I think. You have to include the execution fees in the cost. You will have to pay for a photo too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellen Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 If you drive to NYC, there could be parking costs. If you fly to the Bahamas and have to leave your car at the airport, there will be parking costs. ETA: I missed that you already thought of parking expenses in NYC. Try google flights for flights to the Bahamas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Bahamas in December from Maryland -- our team is trying to do fundraising for this one but I have no idea how much we'll end up with to reduce the costs. 2-4 nights Hotel/resort: $170-220/night includes water park Airfare: $600/person (there might be cheaper ones but the websites confuse me) Passports: $85/person (I have an expired one somewhere under my former name) Food: ???? I'm hoping I won't need a car. What else am I forgetting? You are overestimating airfare. I presume you are heading to Nassau. Southwest flies there directly from BWI (if they don't change their schedules) and it costs FAR less than $600pp. I'm thinking round trip was less than $300pp for us this past year. Southwest ONLY books on their own site - they do NOT contract out with any others. The other pro to using them is two bags still fly free with each person. We've found it worthwhile to pay the $12.50 extra per person to get an earlier boarding pass, but if you're cutting costs, this wouldn't be necessary. You won't need a car. There are inexpensive cabs easily obtained and using them is far less expensive than renting a car. On Nassau the cabs are even in decent condition. ;) (Not quite the same on other islands...) Food is VERY expensive unless your resort includes it in their fee. There are grocery stores, but still expect prices to be 2x what they are here in general, sometimes more. There are fast food places there if wanting to try to go inexpensively and still eating out. I can't recommend any local restaurants as we spent the bulk of our time on Grand Bahama, not Paradise Island (where I think you are going). The scenery, natural Vitamin D, and the destressing it brings (esp in Jan) would make this one my first choice if we could afford it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 About the Bahamas... Let me echo what Creekland said and add to it. My folks just went down there sailing with friends. There were 8 of them on the boat. I think she told me they spent $400 on food every couple days and that was basically bread, lunch meat, cheese type stuff. They did not eat fancy on the boat. Her friend who rented the sailboat warned her that food was expensive, but it was 2 or 3 times what she expected. Just saying food alone in the Bahamas is going to be a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Hmm, I just tried pricing flights to Nassau with Southwest and it wouldn't let me put it in as a destination, but still shows it on their "Where We Fly" list/map. It could be worth a call to their system to see if they plan to keep that flight going or not. Calls are free and it would help you plan better, esp for multiple people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 About the Bahamas... Let me echo what Creekland said and add to it. My folks just went down there sailing with friends. There were 8 of them on the boat. I think she told me they spent $400 on food every couple days and that was basically bread, lunch meat, cheese type stuff. They did not eat fancy on the boat. Her friend who rented the sailboat warned her that food was expensive, but it was 2 or 3 times what she expected. Just saying food alone in the Bahamas is going to be a lot. Yup. Not Nassau, but last time I talked to friends there it was $9 for a package of Oreos. Because gas is so expensive, airport shuttles, taxis, etc. will also be more expensive as well. We love, love, love that country. But you'll pay big time to eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Yup. Not Nassau, but last time I talked to friends there it was $9 for a package of Oreos. Because gas is so expensive, airport shuttles, taxis, etc. will also be more expensive as well. We love, love, love that country. But you'll pay big time to eat. Who needs Oreos in the Bahamas? We ate pretty well with lamb, pork, and fish along with whatever veggies and fruits they had in the grocery store at the time. Then we added rice often. Pasta wasn't that expensive either. We brought our own miniature chocolate bars and a few other treats. I can see if one needs super special things like Oreos that they will be paying a bundle, but it doesn't need to be THAT expensive if cooking. It can be that expensive if eating out at resorts. Those are the worst. When we ordered out pizza we paid around $25 for a large "supreme" type. When we ate at other restaurants it was generally < $20 per person, but we didn't pick the expensive type restaurants. When we went to "locals tend to eat here" places it tended to cost around $10 per person. Mostly we cooked and chose foods that were more common there. The cost for lamb there was < the cost for lamb here and we, personally, find lamb to be a treat, so loved indulging! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 passports cost more than $85 for adults food in NYC is extremely expensive so don't underestimate that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 passports cost more than $85 for adults food in NYC is extremely expensive so don't underestimate that It's true that it's easy and fun to spend money in NYC. But it can be reasonable with planning and sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 It's true that it's easy and fun to spend money in NYC. But it can be reasonable with planning and sharing. I don't know. Maybe for one person alone, but even McDonald's is a major investment. That's one thing that strikes me when we go. The food is so expensive!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Who needs Oreos in the Bahamas? We ate pretty well with lamb, pork, and fish along with whatever veggies and fruits they had in the grocery store at the time. Then we added rice often. Pasta wasn't that expensive either. We brought our own miniature chocolate bars and a few other treats. I can see if one needs super special things like Oreos that they will be paying a bundle, but it doesn't need to be THAT expensive if cooking. It can be that expensive if eating out at resorts. Those are the worst. When we ordered out pizza we paid around $25 for a large "supreme" type. When we ate at other restaurants it was generally < $20 per person, but we didn't pick the expensive type restaurants. When we went to "locals tend to eat here" places it tended to cost around $10 per person. Mostly we cooked and chose foods that were more common there. The cost for lamb there was < the cost for lamb here and we, personally, find lamb to be a treat, so loved indulging! LOL. DH needs Oreos in the Bahamas. Truly. But it does vary. We go to the remote parts of the Abacos which are even more expensive than the more populated areas. I've never seen lamb in a grocery store there, just chicken and hamburger costing double or triple what I pay in the states. No take-out pizza either. The OP likely is not going to the Abacos though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 LOL. DH needs Oreos in the Bahamas. Truly. But it does vary. We go to the remote parts of the Abacos which are even more expensive than the more populated areas. I've never seen lamb in a grocery store there, just chicken and hamburger costing double or triple what I pay in the states. No take-out pizza either. The OP likely is not going to the Abacos though. We were mostly on Grand Bahama... pretty much all the food is shipped in still, but it has a higher population than Abacos, so likely gets more variety from that. If one needed Oreos, they could easily pack their own and bring them along I suppose. I can't fathom needing Oreos even in the states, but I suppose I probably have my own weakness of some sort. We're pretty flexible on food options though. We still have a pack of unfinished Oreos on my counter. My mom brought them along on our last trip - starting back the 20th of May. Considering they're a month old now and haven't been touched in a week or two, I think the chickens might get the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 We were mostly on Grand Bahama... pretty much all the food is shipped in still, but it has a higher population than Abacos, so likely gets more variety from that. If one needed Oreos, they could easily pack their own and bring them along I suppose. I can't fathom needing Oreos even in the states, but I suppose I probably have my own weakness of some sort. We're pretty flexible on food options though. We still have a pack of unfinished Oreos on my counter. My mom brought them along on our last trip - starting back the 20th of May. Considering they're a month old now and haven't been touched in a week or two, I think the chickens might get the rest. Last time we went, we had 14 pieces of luggage total including a gigantic rod carrier. It was like putting together an expedition. But where else can you catch a tiger shark and see an octopus and dolphins in the wild all on the same day? Let's go to Abaco...I wish I was there today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Last time we went, we had 14 pieces of luggage total including a gigantic rod carrier. It was like putting together an expedition. But where else can you catch a tiger shark and see an octopus and dolphins in the wild all on the same day? Let's go to Abaco...I wish I was there today! We don't catch sharks, but where can you see all those and more in one day? Hawaii. HI also has my favorite type of dolphin - Spinner Dolphins. I can watch them for hours and diving with them is incredible. Then there are the octopus, mantas, eels... and the assortment of fish. The Bahamas has more variety of coral though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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