I've done some checking, and if we rent a couple of minivans we can carpool down. One of our members north has a full-size van that can haul the bins and stuff, so we can fit people in the minivans for transit. I'm not sure how much the 501st block rooms will be, but it is looking like 12 people, sharing expenses, will only cost $275 per person (travel and rooms).
2 minivan rentals from Tuesday until Tuesday (8 days). Hotel rooms from Wednesday until Monday (5 nights). This is not counting fuel or food. It is a 14 hour drive down I5. Add in bathroom breaks, driver changes, and food stops, and we are looking at about 18 hours. If we leave later on Tuesday, we can drive through the night and arrive in time for check-in on Wednesday (then have all day to decompress from the trip). We will also miss the majority of the really bad traffic.
If someone has a couple of minivans that they might want to donate to the cause, we might be able to save about $60 bucks per person (or just put it toward gas). Either way, we can get 12 people down there for the entire convention for less than possible airfare prices. We'd need a couple of drivers per van (with co-drivers), and possibly a couple of motorolas for comms.
So, how does this proposal sound to everyone? Would you like Celebration travel and rooms for about $275 per person for the entire time?
