Archive for RCCGB FORUM Message Board for Members of the Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain to discuss club events and all things theme park related.          RCCGB FORUM Forum Index -> USA Trips Andy Hine MBE USA 2009 - UPDATES Did I mention an ERS on this: http://www.masslive.com/news/inde...and_in_agawa.html?category=Agawam reg I just got a little too excited!     Was hoping for an ERS on this beast, but didn't want get my hopes up. Kudos to you Nev! Magic reg wrote: I just got a little too excited!     I seem to recall that happened to you before at the opening of The Voyage. Evidence here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXKa2ZxyheA stevencaine That looks kinnda of fun nemesis scribe Wooo - hooooo!!!   USfriends ERS = YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One question: Are they going to change the name to "Superman: Ride of Fiberglass"? nemesis scribe USfriends wrote: ERS = YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One question: Are they going to change the name to "Superman: Ride of Fiberglass"? good one pete!! Lets hope they DONT change it to "Superman: Ride of Rattler"         Magic nemesis scribe wrote: Lets hope they DONT change it to "Superman: Ride of Rattler"         Or Superman Soar: The Ride nemesis scribe Magic wrote: nemesis scribe wrote: Lets hope they DONT change it to "Superman: Ride of Rattler"         Or Superman Soar: The Ride Ho ho ho, very good     You see, i like SAW: the ride but i also like the Rattler . . .but which is better? Theres only one way to find out . . . FIGHT!!!!   coaster-andy I saw this news the other day and was hopping for a ers on this coaster and Nev again delivers. USfriends nemesis scribe wrote: USfriends wrote: ERS = YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One question: Are they going to change the name to "Superman: Ride of Fiberglass"? good one pete!! Lets hope they DONT change it to "Superman: Ride of Rattler"         I can't take credit for that one....musta been Lisa c anderson They have fitted the ride with loudspeakers so we cannot hear Gareth shout that his camera has flown out of his pocket on the ride like last time. A fantastic ride that I hope has not been spoilt. krusty_the_clown I assume the purple paint means they wont be renewing the contract with DC comics (or who ever it is?) Magic No it means it's got a new story line, but still connected with Superman, there's speculation that one of his super villains has taken over the ride. Here's a video from my visit to the park last year just to whet everyone's appetite. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwPZR1tZec8&feature=channel_page and here's one featuring Ravine Flyer II, the coaster that if it was a scarecrow would be outstanding in its field. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhSEu54Bkf4&feature=channel_page USfriends Oooh,  extreme pun attack! Magic Here's another video that might interest those on this years trip http://www.clipmoon.com/videos/12.../six-flags-great-escape-2008.html Andy Hine MBE Quick update:- Luggage tags printed today (just got to laminate them now) Airport Terminal guide written (new one as it's Terminal 5) The above will be sent in a week or two. ERS's 10 sorted (so far!) More to come (of course!) Lunches 4 sorted (so far) - lunches are not possible in all parks. Did I mention PASSPORTS! nemesis scribe [quote="Andy Hine MBE"] ERS's 10 sorted (so far!) More to come (of course!) quote] Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ERS's . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .           frosty I'm more excited about this trip than last years - and I was exited then Let me at them thar' coasters !!!! Steven Burns Andy Hine MBE wrote: ERs 10 sorted (so far!) More to come (of course!) Lunches 4 sorted (so far) - lunches are not possible in all parks. Did I mention PASSPORTS! That's great about the lunches Nev, 4 is great, more cash for t-shirts and booze them days them   , being me for one is really restricted this year on cash. Nev, we were talking to Harvey about Playland Park and there Kiddie Wooden Coaster. He was saying adults are not allowed to ride this ride unless it is privately hired out. http://www.rcdb.com/ig232.htm?picture=3 Is there any chance you could grab us an ERS on this? lol, considering the park only has 5 coasters and we could do the other woodie in our own time. I know a lot of the coaster credit hunters would appreciate the tick? http://www.rcdb.com/pd56.htm Nev, motivation. ITS A WOODIE !   Coaster Police Hi, I know some people were asking about these at the SAW-Ted trip, so i'd thought I post details incase anyones interested. These are pre-paid currency cards. I.E. instead of taking bundles of cash over (or old fashioned travellers cheques which can be a pain in the behind to cash sometimes), you buy these in advance and pre-load them. They act like debit cards and have all the usual features such as Chip & PIN, Cashpoint withdrawl etc. and have the Visa/Mastercard logo on, so you can use them everywhere, in froth shops / restaurants etc. I use one from FairFX.com, but there's also one from Caxton FX (links below). The exchange rate you get is always better than if you changed currency in the high street. The cards are free subject to a minimum initial load of £500 (about right for a 2 week USA trip). Any money you don't use up, you can either keep on the card until next time, or get refunded back to your account. (I still have $200 from last year which i got at 2.xx exchange rate on mine ) If you run out of cash on it while you are away... a quick twiddle with the internet (or a phone call) and you can be chinged up in 20 minutes again. You can read all the details on the website from the links below. They also do Euro ones if you do trips to Europe alot. http://www.fairfx.com/ https://www.caxtonfxcard.com/ I usually find the rate is marginally better offered by FairFX, however, if you call them, they will rate match - so they are much of a muchness. All the info you need should be on the websites. I totally reccomend them and I have the FairFX one, as i think the card looks nicer Death Coaster Police wrote: I know some people were asking about [pre-paid credit cards] at the SAW-Ted trip, so i'd thought I post details incase anyones interested. These are pre-paid currency cards. I.E. instead of taking bundles of cash over (or old fashioned travellers cheques which can be a pain in the behind to cash sometimes), you buy these in advance and pre-load them. They act like debit cards and have all the usual features such as Chip & PIN, Cashpoint withdrawl etc. and have the Visa/Mastercard logo on, so you can use them everywhere, in froth shops / restaurants etc. I must admit that when I went to the US for a month, I simply took my Visa Electron card with me and it worked fine over there for both widthdrawls and card payments! From what I recall, I was getting a fairly good exchange rate for the time (About $1.75 per Pound IIRC) and I wasn't stung too bad on the bank charges - In fact, because of some promotion that Bank of America were running for foreign travellers, I was only paying $1.00 per widthdrawl (Which included the charge levied by my bank!) from their cash machines! Mind ye though, that was about two years ago when I went to see BAL-SAGOTH live in Minneapolis...So things might've changed since then. Coaster Police Well yes, normal cards work just as well, however the exchange rates are not as favorable and you don't know exactly what you pay until you're home and read your statement. With this, you know you have say $700 on your card, and you spend $40 in a restaurant you know you have $660 left. I think the best thing about it is, IF you were unfortunate and you're card was compromised such as being skimmed in an outlet with dubious staff, your total potential risk exposure would only be the amount on the card. (I.e. $700, not the total available credit limit on your credit card, or available funds in your bank if you used debit card). In the same way as normal cards, you can phone up and have the card blocked if you suspect it's been compromised.... however this is a separate card and not your own personal bank account - thus, it's a lot less hassle in the long run should it happen. Anyway, i don't work for them, so i'll stop selling now   - Seriously tho, it's just a convienience thing that offers you much better rates than cash. chillichutney I have one from the Post Office.  Thankfully as well it still has money on it from my last usa trip   Not sure what the exchange rate is now though but it was fantastic when I got it!!   frosty For all those not taking such cards, remember that for the latter part of the trip you'll need Canadian dollars or a credit or debit card. Apparently Canada is not big on US dollars nemesis scribe I'm taking my Monopoly money as i have loads left over after winning the last time i played it   Seriously though, forgot about the canadian dollars thing, grrrrrrrr   bradpeet frosty wrote: For all those not taking such cards, remember that for the latter part of the trip you'll need Canadian dollars or a credit or debit card. Apparently Canada is not big on US dollars Serious question - how acceptable are US$ travellers cheques in Canada then? Andy Hine MBE nemesis scribe wrote: Seriously though, forgot about the canadian dollars thing, grrrrrrrr   Tut tut - What does it say on Page 9 on the Trip Tip Guide? As for CaxtonFX/FairFX, they are a good idea and are a safe way to take money to America.  I use the CaxtonFX one and also have a business version for securing a better rate (than UK high street banks) for paying the US parts of the trip (hotels, coach, etc).   Finally, as we are at Six Flags New England on this day, I took the liberty of volunteering us to join in (in return for ERS's!) https://secure.walkintheparks.org...?EventID=23869&LangPref=en-CA coaster-andy Upon Matts instructions I will apply for one of these cards before I go but have Canadian in cash for last part. I was thinking of doing it but as never had before I was dubious on doing so but recommendations from others helps with these chooses. Death Coaster Police wrote: Well yes, normal cards work just as well, however the exchange rates are not as favorable and you don't know exactly what you pay until you're home and read your statement. With this, you know you have say $700 on your card, and you spend $40 in a restaurant you know you have $660 left. Andy Hine MBE wrote: As for CaxtonFX/FairFX, they are a good idea and are a safe way to take money to America.  I use the CaxtonFX one and also have a business version for securing a better rate (than UK high street banks) for paying the US parts of the trip (hotels, coach, etc). Hmmm...Good point, that. I'll have to look into those cards before my next trip in the "local" area! (In my case though, "local" means the whole of continental Europe, Asia West, and Africa North! ) Andy Hine MBE wrote: Tut tut - What does it say on Page 9 on the Trip Tip Guide? As ye might already be aware, I'm fairly interested in joining one of the USA trips at some point in the future, but it would help me to have as much background info as possible for planning purposes and to see if I could cope with the intense schedule. Would it be possible to obtain a copy of the USA trip guide - Preferably one from a two-week USA trip - To get a general idea of what exactly is involved? If it's not desirable for non-US attendees to keep a copy of that guide for whatever reason, a quick flick-through of this years guide at the 'Bash would probabally give me enough of an idea as to what exactly to expect! Farewell, and cheers in advance! >> Death << nemesis scribe Andy Hine MBE wrote: nemesis scribe wrote: Seriously though, forgot about the canadian dollars thing, grrrrrrrr   Tut tut - What does it say on Page 9 on the Trip Tip Guide? Ohhhhhhhhhhh 'that' trip guide   I knew really, just checking to see who was awake and paying attention, thats all       I love canadian dollars me   Coaster Police Death wrote: Would it be possible to obtain a copy of the USA trip guide - Preferably one from a two-week USA trip You can have a flick through mine for a small fee of £500   The guide contains useful tips and information for non-frequent travellers really and includes information such as Passport info (the machine readable style needed), how to fill out the VISA waiver, flight info, what to do at the airport (incase you're not in the bar with most of us), parking, check-in and all the usual "travel" related advice stuff you can find on any good airline website. Trip specifics are parks and hotel lists. The intense? schedule detail is not contained in it, thats dealt with on the bus each day.... so for that, just read the trip reports as we go along. Hope that helps....(and saves you £500) So for everyone else..... What time are we on the bus? Where's your luggage? *can't wait*   nemesis scribe [quote="Coaster Police] So for everyone else..... What time are we on the bus? Where's your luggage? *can't wait*  [/quote] Also, just make sure you are not . . . .laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate!!!   Coaster Police Leeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnn !!!!!!!! c anderson Sorry Matt but you forgot, "Ryan have you returned your room key" Rough Rider c anderson wrote: Sorry Matt but you forgot, "Ryan have you returned your room key" I may have forgotton the odd key or 2 or 3 or 4......in the past USfriends Are we volunteered to be volunteers or to do the "Walk in the Park"? ? Andy Hine MBE USfriends wrote: Are we volunteered to be volunteers or to do the "Walk in the Park"? ? Who mentioned volunteer?  I've put all your names down regardless! haha! amigasat I have the Caxton FX Card, both Euro & Dollar and have used these for my trips without problems. Both Caxton & Fair FX Price Match each other, just let them know via e-mail or phone and they will do the rest! and best of it they're free! to obtain, Caxton charge £10 per card but credit this in currency when you first load it with some currency. There is also another website i've come across offering better rates than these! My colleague recently got some Euro's from them without any problems. The dollar rates are pre-order. They also do Canadian Dollars but the minimum purchase is £300. The details are below :- http://www.crowncurrencyexchange.com/ The current rates for delivery between 28/05/2009 and 21/06/2009 is as follows :- USA Dollars $1.5025 Canadian Dollars $1.8625 Dave Rough Rider Hi Dave Tell me one thing? Every time you use the card, are you charged???????????? by the bank  for every transaction?????????? Ryan Coaster Police Yes we are charged, for the value of our transaction !!!!! But no, not by the bank. (Sounds like a trick question to me)   amigasat Once you have your card as Matt said all you pay is the value of the transaction, if you get charged $25, only $25 will be debited from the card. There are no hidden charges as the currency has already been added to it when you loaded it. I'll take you through how it works in detail at Blackers. Dave     Rough Rider amigasat wrote: Once you have your card as Matt said all you pay is the value of the transaction, if you get charged $25, only $25 will be debited from the card. There are no hidden charges as the currency has already been added to it when you loaded it. I'll take you through how it works in detail at Blackers. Dave     Thanks Pete and Dave. I haven't bought any dollars yet. I usually use travellers cheques. coaster-andy I was informed today you will at the end of this month you will be able to get on of these cards from First Choice travel agency as I was informed today when I went to look at taking myself and Thomas to Europa Park I think she did say it would be one of the FX cards as well which could also be handy to know. Maybe the day of travels cheques are numbered as ew move in to a digital age. c anderson Ryan,since you only buy beer why not Beer dollars ? amigasat Beer Dollars $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ !! Like it Colin! Basically in the bar(s) he can run up a LARGE tab!! and then pay the bill with his FX card, you can even add a tip on the transaction so no cash is required! SORTED, and you get more dosh on the card than travellers cheques so for Ryan it'll be a few FREE pitchers!!!!!!! Dave Member of the "First to be denied SAW by Technical Failure" club Member of the famous "Muskegon 4" Coaster Police coaster-andy wrote: I was informed today you will at the end of this month you will be able to get on of these cards from First Choice travel agency I expect so, I think Thomas Cook do something similar called "Travel Money Card", though i'd be suprised if high street travel agents give you the same decent rates. But you're right.... the travellers cheque is dead. amigasat The Caxton & Fair FX cards will definately have better rates and they are both issued by The Newcastle Building Society. Dave Member of the "First to be denied SAW by Technical Failure" club Member of the famous "Muskegon 4" Rough Rider Can I obtain one of these cards from Nat West Bank?? or am I limited as to where I can obtain one?? amigasat You can only get one by applying online at this address for the Caxton one :- www.caxtonfxcard.com If you look at the website then all the details are contained there. I can help you apply for one at Blackpool if you wish as they only take 7 days to process. All you need is a debit card to register with them as it uses this information to transfer money to the card. Once you've got the card you can top it up via the net, phone or even a text message! Dave reg I've just applied for one of these. Hopefully it will be more accepted than the Amex preloaded card I used in New York last year, which was about as much use a wet fish. frosty Are there cash points in all parks? amigasat reg wrote: Hopefully it will be more accepted than the Amex preloaded card I used in New York last year, which was about as much use a wet fish. The card is accepted everywhere a Mastercard is accepted so it'll be hard to find somewhere it isn't accepted. frosty wrote: Are there cash points in all parks? There are cash points available in most Theme Parks, they are everywhere in the states! Dave reg frosty wrote: Are there cash points in all parks? Most of them will have a cash point, but don't forget most will charge for a foreign card, and you'll get a worse exchange rate as well. frosty reg wrote: frosty wrote: Are there cash points in all parks? Most of them will have a cash point, but don't forget most will charge for a foreign card, and you'll get a worse exchange rate as well. Yes for normal cards, but apparently there's no extra charge for caxton and similar cards and the rate you get is what you had when loading the card. I've got quite a few US dollars left from last  time but I need to sort out funds for canada. Taking a card with loaded US/Can dollars sounds great as long as you can use the card in the parks we go to. USfriends You can get cash back at your beloved WAL-MART without any fees when you make a debit purchase (using a pin number). Usually petrol stations can do it too. I noticed that some of the hotels have cash point machines, but they usually have a fee tied to the machine of around $1-$3. Death USfriends wrote: You can get cash back at your beloved WAL-MART without any fees when you make a debit purchase (using a pin number). Usually petrol stations can do it too. A lot of outlets over here offer that facility as well. Strangely enough though, I still couldn't get cash-back at Target stores with my Visa-based card when I went there. Thus, I was pretty much tied to Citibank and Bank of America for the most part. USfriends wrote: I noticed that some of the hotels have cash point machines, but they usually have a fee tied to the machine of around $1-$3 I presume ye've never used a hotel ATM in Las Vegas then? I was going to try using one at one point because I needed a bit of cash to buy lunch - But when I saw the charge warning come up on the screen, I decided to think again...$22.50 charge for a $100 widthdrawl?!?!? In the end, it worked out $18.50 cheaper for me to catch a Deuce bus over to Fremont St, and use the machines at the Bank of America branch there insted! Magic Death, I suspect the high charge in Vegas casinos is to discourage people from getting more money to lose while trying to chase their losses. I know casinos want their clients to lose as much money as possible BUT they still have a moral obligation.  Personally I think the casinos are being sensible. Andy Hine MBE To everyone on the USA trip who is at the Blackpool Bash this weekend - please can you stay behind after lunch for a quick update and Q&A session. Thanks frosty The 'final letter' arrived today. About 6 weeks to go - can't wait amigasat Got mine today too!     Dave reg Got mine as well! Getting excited now, have not been on a USA trip for what seems like ages!! Has only been 2 years though. ) USfriends Made it to the US of A today ! Really stoked to see everybody!! frosty USfriends wrote: Made it to the US of A today ! Really stoked to see everybody!! Be great to see you both again - even if you do get more rollbacks than most Coaster Police Has anyone looked into USA cell phone SIM cards? I've found one for $19 which includes $10 credit. So long as you have a phone with compatible band coverage (most do these days), it could be a much better way of communicating amongst ourselves when we're out there. Past years have clearly shown that we do send a good number of TXT's when we all get lost in Parks. I usually send a TXT to Ryan within 5 minutes of arriving at the hotel of the day, because he's usually found the nearest bar, so i get a location report. http://www.telestial.com/view_product.php?ID=LSIM-US04 This one doesn't seem bad, as the card doesn't expire until after 9 months of non-use. Most blow up in 30/60/90 days unless you re-credit it. (I recall a bunch of us last year roaming round Wal-Mart looking for a good deal, but everything expired after a month which was pants so we didn't bother!) Anyone got any thoughts, or seen a better deal? Thanx Appended:- Actually, having researched this some more, it looks really cool. You also get a free International Calling Card (at the Checkout Process which i explored - which is a bonus). The rates are really good... to call home, it's $0.59 for the first minute, then $0.09 a minute after.. thats great compared to UK roaming rates. It's also got a cool feature if you want it called Travel Journal.... seems to automatically plot where you are and creates you a google map of your travels from where you use the phone, so you can let family & freinds back home know where you are, and add reports, pictures etc. Not sure exactly how it all works yet (i'll find out!), but it's a cool feature if you want it. I think i'm going to order one. It will need you to have an UNLOCKED mobile phone in order to use the SIM in though. - Most phones can be unlocked by calling your provider if it's out of it's contract term, or from the dodgy guy in the high street usually for a fiver, or online. I have a spare nokia (my old one from before last upgrade), so i'll simply take both. Sounds like a plan to me, as my bill was over £150 last year for random phone use during the trip. At least this way, we get a cheaper way of communicating amongst each other on the trip. Andy Hine MBE HOTEL UPDATE As you know I'm always trying to improve trips, and so two of the hotels on the forthcoming USA trip have been upgraded (at no extra charge to you!): June 9th - Wingate Inn (is now out!) and replaced by, Country Inn & Suites, 1125 Village Drive, Millville NJ 08332.  Tel. 856 825-3100 Restaurants - PaperWaiter (on site), TGI Fridays Outdoor pool Shopping Mall - 2 miles Miles to Wilwood - 4 miles Wal-Mart - 3 miles June 12th-13th - La Quinta Inn (is now out!) and replaced by The Hampton Inn, 2168 Poquonock Avenue, Windsor, Connecticut, 06095.  Tel. 860 683-1118 Restaurants - Skyline Restaurant, Wendy's, Ruby Tuesdays, Italian Corner, Friendly's & Skooters Indoor pool Miles to Lake Compounce - 28 Miles to Six Flags New England - 8 Wal-Mart - 5 miles c anderson Good changes, especially the Hampton Inn USfriends The letter with Atlantic city info says we will arrive about 9pm on the 9th of June and depart Thurs. the 11th.  Is that off by 1 day? Since we will be at this hotel on the 9th?... "June 9th - Wingate Inn (is now out!) and replaced by, Country Inn & Suites, 1125 Village Drive, Millville NJ 08332.  Tel. 856 825-3100 " Andy Hine MBE Oops, my mistake. Well spotted. Yes, we are at Six Flags America on Tuesday 9th, the during the day on Wednesday 10th we are at Wildwood, then roll into Atlantic City on the Wednesday evening (10th), staying that night and the following night (Thur 11th). We then leave AC on Friday morning. Sorry!   frosty Governments around the world have imposed health checks at airports to try and stop the spread of a flu epidemic that has seen many fatalities in Mexico, the US and now other parts of the world. It's likely the alert level will soon be raised to try and counter it's spread. With only 6 weeks to go to the trip I wonder how this may affect things. nemesis scribe frosty wrote: I wonder how this may affect things. It means its sqweeaky bum time for us   Lets hope it gets sorted ASAP   USfriends " The man with the rubber glove was surprisingly gentle"   ... Ace Ventura Coaster Police Coaster Police wrote: Has anyone looked into USA cell phone SIM cards? I've found one for $19 which includes $10 credit. So long as you have a phone with compatible band coverage (most do these days), it could be a much better way of communicating amongst ourselves when we're out there. Past years have clearly shown that we do send a good number of TXT's when we all get lost in Parks. I usually send a TXT to Ryan within 5 minutes of arriving at the hotel of the day, because he's usually found the nearest bar, so i get a location report. http://www.telestial.com/view_product.php?ID=LSIM-US04 This one doesn't seem bad, as the card doesn't expire until after 9 months of non-use. Most blow up in 30/60/90 days unless you re-credit it. (I recall a bunch of us last year roaming round Wal-Mart looking for a good deal, but everything expired after a month which was pants so we didn't bother!) Anyone got any thoughts, or seen a better deal? Thanx Appended:- Actually, having researched this some more, it looks really cool. You also get a free International Calling Card (at the Checkout Process which i explored - which is a bonus). The rates are really good... to call home, it's $0.59 for the first minute, then $0.09 a minute after.. thats great compared to UK roaming rates. It's also got a cool feature if you want it called Travel Journal.... seems to automatically plot where you are and creates you a google map of your travels from where you use the phone, so you can let family & freinds back home know where you are, and add reports, pictures etc. Not sure exactly how it all works yet (i'll find out!), but it's a cool feature if you want it. I think i'm going to order one. It will need you to have an UNLOCKED mobile phone in order to use the SIM in though. - Most phones can be unlocked by calling your provider if it's out of it's contract term, or from the dodgy guy in the high street usually for a fiver, or online. I have a spare nokia (my old one from before last upgrade), so i'll simply take both. Sounds like a plan to me, as my bill was over £150 last year for random phone use during the trip. At least this way, we get a cheaper way of communicating amongst each other on the trip. Well i've ordered mine! I have done some comparisons, and even with Vodafone ICS (International Call Saver) I would pay £1.10 per minute to call the UK, or other UK mobiles e.g. others on the trip. It's £1.29 without ICS, and texts are about 35p each too. The tariff for this SIM is only $0.59 for the first minute of call, and then $0.09 for following minutes to call the UK. There is a similar tariff for incoming, but it's still cheaper than UK mobiles roaming rate. Texts are cheaper too. So I guess i'll have a US number for the duration of the trip. As i have said, you need to check that your phone is unlocked in order to use a different SIM. I have a spare phone which I will use, but it's easy to get them unlocked... just phone your provider and explain that you are needing to use a foreign SIM on your travels, or go to an unlock website such as www.nokiafree.org and there are ways to unlock them. So i've worked out for $19 for the SIM which includes $10 credit, thats a bargain really Hope it helps, if you need more info, PM me. frosty I'm in the process of getting my phone unlocked by O2 - cost £10. It seems for a K800i fiddling and patching firmware is the only alternative than a code directly from the operator. When that's done I'll order a sim as this seems a good deal. nemesis scribe USfriends wrote: " The man with the rubber glove was surprisingly gentle"   ... Ace Ventura . . . I've heard that rumour   Anyhow Pete, howe many drinks do you owe me for all your lost seahawk bets??   Andy Hine MBE frosty wrote: Governments around the world have imposed health checks at airports to try and stop the spread of a flu epidemic that has seen many fatalities in Mexico, the US and now other parts of the world. It's likely the alert level will soon be raised to try and counter it's spread. With only 6 weeks to go to the trip I wonder how this may affect things. Well I've just heard that we should be ok as long as we don't come out in any rashers before the trip.  If you do, I will have some oinkment with me, and if all else fails I'll call you an hambulance!   Incidentally I just won a trip to Mexico - straight up, I'm not telling porkies!  Can't go though - i'm pig sick!   coaster-andy Andy Hine MBE wrote: frosty wrote: Governments around the world have imposed health checks at airports to try and stop the spread of a flu epidemic that has seen many fatalities in Mexico, the US and now other parts of the world. It's likely the alert level will soon be raised to try and counter it's spread. With only 6 weeks to go to the trip I wonder how this may affect things. Well I've just heard that we should be ok as long as we don't come out in any rashers before the trip.  If you do, I will have some oinkment with me, and if all else fails I'll call you an hambulance!   Incidentally I just won a trip to Mexico - straight up, I'm not telling porkies!  Can't go though - i'm pig sick!   That was the joke of the day I cannot stop laughing.       c anderson Swine flu will not stop us, if it was sheep flu then a certain Welsh person would have trouble, Rattling with the shakes. Coaster Police If the H1N1 strain of swine flu and the avian flu (commonly known as bird flu) get mixed up... does that mean we will have flying pig flu???   Rogue Doesn't alcohol kill germs.....the way I see it all you guys need to do is keep your alcohol levels up and swine flu germs can't get you   nemesis scribe Coaster Police wrote: Coaster Police wrote: Has anyone looked into USA cell phone SIM cards? I've found one for $19 which includes $10 credit. So long as you have a phone with compatible band coverage (most do these days), it could be a much better way of communicating amongst ourselves when we're out there. Past years have clearly shown that we do send a good number of TXT's when we all get lost in Parks. I usually send a TXT to Ryan within 5 minutes of arriving at the hotel of the day, because he's usually found the nearest bar, so i get a location report. http://www.telestial.com/view_product.php?ID=LSIM-US04 This one doesn't seem bad, as the card doesn't expire until after 9 months of non-use. Most blow up in 30/60/90 days unless you re-credit it. (I recall a bunch of us last year roaming round Wal-Mart looking for a good deal, but everything expired after a month which was pants so we didn't bother!) Anyone got any thoughts, or seen a better deal? Thanx Appended:- Actually, having researched this some more, it looks really cool. You also get a free International Calling Card (at the Checkout Process which i explored - which is a bonus). The rates are really good... to call home, it's $0.59 for the first minute, then $0.09 a minute after.. thats great compared to UK roaming rates. It's also got a cool feature if you want it called Travel Journal.... seems to automatically plot where you are and creates you a google map of your travels from where you use the phone, so you can let family & freinds back home know where you are, and add reports, pictures etc. Not sure exactly how it all works yet (i'll find out!), but it's a cool feature if you want it. I think i'm going to order one. It will need you to have an UNLOCKED mobile phone in order to use the SIM in though. - Most phones can be unlocked by calling your provider if it's out of it's contract term, or from the dodgy guy in the high street usually for a fiver, or online. I have a spare nokia (my old one from before last upgrade), so i'll simply take both. Sounds like a plan to me, as my bill was over £150 last year for random phone use during the trip. At least this way, we get a cheaper way of communicating amongst each other on the trip. Well i've ordered mine! I have done some comparisons, and even with Vodafone ICS (International Call Saver) I would pay £1.10 per minute to call the UK, or other UK mobiles e.g. others on the trip. It's £1.29 without ICS, and texts are about 35p each too. The tariff for this SIM is only $0.59 for the first minute of call, and then $0.09 for following minutes to call the UK. There is a similar tariff for incoming, but it's still cheaper than UK mobiles roaming rate. Texts are cheaper too. So I guess i'll have a US number for the duration of the trip. As i have said, you need to check that your phone is unlocked in order to use a different SIM. I have a spare phone which I will use, but it's easy to get them unlocked... just phone your provider and explain that you are needing to use a foreign SIM on your travels, or go to an unlock website such as www.nokiafree.org and there are ways to unlock them. So i've worked out for $19 for the SIM which includes $10 credit, thats a bargain really Hope it helps, if you need more info, PM me. After reading this, i think i shall purchase one of these SIM cards too. I have an unlocked phone that is Tri - band so that should work. Cheers for the info Matt   nemesis scribe Right, my current phone is Dual Band (GSM 900 & GSM 1800) so would i be right in assuming this SIM card wont work as it works on GSM 850 & 1900. Would my old tri band phone still work though?? Coaster Police Should do... just go to the manufacturer website, put in the model number and look at the technical specifications. I got my SIM through today - well impressed with the service (albeit being sent from the UK) frosty Coaster Police wrote: The tariff for this SIM is only $0.59 for the first minute of call, and then $0.09 for following minutes to call the UK. There is a similar tariff for incoming, but it's still cheaper than UK mobiles roaming rate. Texts are cheaper too. Calls to the UK seem to be a bit more than this - if I understand the airtime rate information correctly then calls to the UK have a $0.75/min surcharge and to UK mobiles an additional $0.35 on top of that. But I may be reading it wrong krusty_the_clown Coaster Police wrote: Hi, I know some people were asking about these at the SAW-Ted trip, so i'd thought I post details incase anyones interested. These are pre-paid currency cards. I.E. instead of taking bundles of cash over (or old fashioned travellers cheques which can be a pain in the behind to cash sometimes), you buy these in advance and pre-load them. They act like debit cards and have all the usual features such as Chip & PIN, Cashpoint withdrawl etc. and have the Visa/Mastercard logo on, so you can use them everywhere, in froth shops / restaurants etc. I use one from FairFX.com, but there's also one from Caxton FX (links below). The exchange rate you get is always better than if you changed currency in the high street. The cards are free subject to a minimum initial load of £500 (about right for a 2 week USA trip). Any money you don't use up, you can either keep on the card until next time, or get refunded back to your account. (I still have $200 from last year which i got at 2.xx exchange rate on mine ) If you run out of cash on it while you are away... a quick twiddle with the internet (or a phone call) and you can be chinged up in 20 minutes again. You can read all the details on the website from the links below. They also do Euro ones if you do trips to Europe alot. http://www.fairfx.com/ https://www.caxtonfxcard.com/ I usually find the rate is marginally better offered by FairFX, however, if you call them, they will rate match - so they are much of a muchness. All the info you need should be on the websites. I totally reccomend them and I have the FairFX one, as i think the card looks nicer Matt, on Fair fax it states that there is a charge for cash withdrawals? are you aware of this or is the site wrong, I thought it was free? Cash Withdrawal Fees £1/€1.5/$2 per ATM withdrawals in the UK and overseas reg There is also a charge of $3 on the Caxton FX card, which I wasn't aware of. It's well hidden in the terms and conditions when you sign up. Had I known, I might not have bothered with it. Will just have to make sure I have ample cash. I think I'll be taking some travelers cheques too. Andy Hine MBE These are the CAXTONFX charges: Transaction Fees • No charge when used overseas (£1.50 when used in the UK) Cash withdrawal Fees • $3.00 per overseas ATM withdrawal • 2% of the withdrawal amount for International over-the-counter cash advances Balance Enquiry • No charge online • No charge per call to balance enquiry line (0845 222 2639)** • No charge by SMS* Top-up fees • Internet Debit Card Load – No charge • SMS Debit Card Load – No charge* • Telephone Debit Card Load - No charge** * Note that your mobile phone operator may charge you the cost of sending an SMS message, subject to your contract with the operator. ** Note that calls to our customer services line are subject to the charges levied on you by your phone network operator. So I would say, load it up with plenty of dollars and then use it as a debit card for all purchase - thus NO CHARGES!   Also, some UK ATM's charge you £1.00-£2.00 for cash withdrawals so $3 is not a rip-off charge. Coaster Police krusty_the_clown wrote: Matt, on Fair fax it states that there is a charge for cash withdrawals? are you aware of this or is the site wrong, I thought it was free? Cash Withdrawal Fees £1/€1.5/$2 per ATM withdrawals in the UK and overseas Yes, i am aware of this. I rarely use it for cashpoint withdrawls (only when i run out of beer vouchers), i normally use my card for normal shopping. However, you don't get screwed on the exchange rate as you've already got the dollars. Coaster Police frosty wrote: Calls to the UK seem to be a bit more than this - if I understand the airtime rate information correctly then calls to the UK have a $0.75/min surcharge and to UK mobiles an additional $0.35 on top of that. But I may be reading it wrong I think you have read it wrong. If you read it, and follow the link, the surcharge is described as follows... United Kingdom (+4484), United Kingdom (+4487), United Kingdom (+449) Those are 084xx 087xx and 09xxx UK numbers. (Local/National/Premium) rate numbers, hence the surcharge. They are the only UK numbers listed. Normal numbers are not effected. As the UK is not listed by itself, I would presume the $0.35 surcharge is not applicable. BUT, even if it was it would still only be $0.44 per minute (after the first minute), which is still better than Vodafone at £1.10 per minute + VAT (And thats my discounted rate!!!!) I guess you have to check the small print yourself, i'm only putting here how i read it.... I am doing this and just letting people know it's here as an option if you think it looks good - i'm just trying to save myself ending up with a stupid Vodafone bill again. c anderson Well, only a month to go and we will be at the airport (with our passports) ready for the USA, cannot wait frosty I had quite a bit of US currency left from last year so I've topped that up and I now have my first ever Canadian currency. Just a month to go I received Nev's follow-up mailing yesterday and it got me wondering about the special t-shirts - are they ultra luminescent or something USfriends Will we get any more ERS details, or will it remain a secret? ccp I received Nev's follow-up mailing yesterday and it got me wondering about the special t-shirts - are they ultra luminescent or something [/quote]        will probably have a glow in the dark yellow line...looking forward to doing some extreme ironing sat night ! ! !.. Lol...chris Andy Hine MBE USfriends wrote: Will we get any more ERS details, or will it remain a secret? Can you keep a secret? nemesis scribe Andy Hine MBE wrote: USfriends wrote: Will we get any more ERS details, or will it remain a secret? Can you keep a secret? No, so tell us   butler Dont'tell them Nev. Keep them guessing frosty We'll we all be held up coming back through UK customs due to a luminous light emanating from all our cases c anderson Nev would not have been able to get the trip T shirts into the UK owing to the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 (really going for the glow). Just joking (I hope) Andy Hine MBE Radioactive! haha! Not a bad guess though! Just got the movie list from BA for our flight:- The Pink Panther 2 Watchmen Milk The International Last Chance Harvey Confessions of a Shopaholic Anvil! The Story of Anvil The Tales of Despereaux The White Countess Race to Witch Mountain Fracture And when we come home:- He's Just Not That into You Gran Torino In The Loop Franklyn Bride Wars Valkyrie Phoebe in Wonderland Hotel for Dogs Spiderman 2 Coraline A Beautiful Mind PASSPORTS! Magic if it's not radio active then perhaps it has non ionising radiation. You've got a better list of films than my flight this month. Will have watched everything on my iPod before I even land.        RCCGB FORUM Forum Index -> USA Trips Page 1, 2  Next Page 1 of 2