Chrons Dublin and Belfast cluster meet -2019

[Jo Zebedee]

Can I assume that the "First Worldcon membership" is, in terms of the access it provides, the same as "Adult membership"?

Yes it’s just a reduced price for the same access

 

[Abernovo]

Can I assume that the "First Worldcon membership" is, in terms of the access it provides, the same as "Adult membership"?

Yes, if you click on that, you get the option of First WorldCon Membership, Adult, or First WorldCon Membership, Young Adult, etc.

Don't forget, if you backed them financially as as supporter of the bid, then you should enter your email on the main page to get a special discounted link to apply for any membership.

 

[chrispenycate]

I notice I haven't said anything on this thread - assuming I last long enough, I'll be there (I've already got my Dublin membership, as I voted for their bid, and presumably Belfast will sell out later). And I imagine Nesa will be there with her giant.

 

[Abernovo]

I'll be there (I've already got my Dublin membership, as I voted for their bid, and presumably Belfast will sell out later).

I'm ignoring the rest of that sentence, as I wish to live in hope. It'll be lovely to see you again, Chrispy.

 

[Juliana]

Tickets bought for both.

I've already got my Dublin membership

Hopefully we'll get a nice Chrons group together to meet up!

I have tickets, but haven't even looked at things like hotels yet. (Or the all-important air ticket!) I imagine I can wait a little longer for hotels? And will definitely be looking for people to share room costs with!!

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Hopefully we'll get a nice Chrons group together to meet up!

I have tickets, but haven't even looked at things like hotels yet. (Or the all-important air ticket!) I imagine I can wait a little longer for hotels? And will definitely be looking for people to share room costs with!!

Yes - Dublin has plenty of hotels BUT affordable ones are fewer on the ground. But 6 months or so before should be ample time - unless anyone plans staying in the convention hotel. Belfast can be trickier as it traditionally has limited hotel rooms but that is improving and there should be no hurry.

I can probably advise on Belfast hotels/ areas/ proximity but am as lost as the rest of you in Dublin!

 

[Ursa major]

(Or the all-important air ticket!)

I get the impression** that airlines (at least those on this side of the Pond) don't usually open flights for booking until there's no more than a year to the date of departure, as that's how far ahead they plan their schedules.


** - I have gained this impression not from personal experience -- surely no-one thinks I could ever plan to travel that far ahead -- but in reading about issues with flights from March 2019 on (or, perhaps from January 2021 on), issues we can't discuss here. However, I have heard separately that airlines over here are writing words to cover themselves regarding that sort of issue in their terms and conditions. (Note: I'm pretty sure that this won't affect flights between the US and the Republic of Ireland.)

 

[Juliana]

I get the impression** that airlines (at least those on this side of the Pond) don't usually open flights for booking until there's no more than a year to the date of departure, as that's how far ahead they plan their schedules.

It'll be a while before I look into that, anyway, as — finances allowing — the idea is to possibly go earlier with my husband and kids and do the whole family holiday thing first. I have family in Ireland, and it would be a great opportunity to show the kids where my nan's side comes from.

 

[Ursa major]

Well that's me booked up for Dublin (give or take getting there and having somewhere to sleep...).

Now to tackle Belfast, as it were...

...an attempt that failed at the first hurdle: the TitanCon/EuroCon 2019 site doesn't accept credit cards, only PayPal (of which I'm not a member).

As it happens, BristolCon also uses PayPal, but one can pay PayPal with a credit card (an option offered by PayPal, once you get to it). Is this how it works in this case? I don't want test if it does only to find out that, without a membership number to pass onto the TitanCon 2019 site, I've just thrown my money away.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Well that's me booked up for Dublin (give or take getting there and having somewhere to sleep...).

Now to tackle Belfast, as it were....

Hooray! I really need to get onto getting tickets soon!

 

[Ursa major]

I've just edited that last post, as I may have hit a snag with paying TitanCon 2019 (as I've explained).

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I've just edited that last post, as I may have hit a snag with paying TitanCon 2019 (as I've explained).

Leave it with me and I'll ask the relevant people.

 

[Ursa major]

Thanks!

(There's no particular rush: the event doesn't start for eighteen months or so....)

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Thanks!

(There's no particular rush: the event doesn't start for eighteen months or so....)

Apparently you pay (with cc is fine) and then you get a membership number - you then put that number into the website to confirm. If there are any problems they’ll sort it out

 

[Ursa major]

Well, they've accepted the submission of my application.

With luck, it will be processed shortly (and successfully) and all will go smoothly from then on.

 

[millymollymo]

Thanks to intelligent WorldCon peoples offering installment payments for an entire family, my place (and the family's) is 'in the bag'. Hotel prices are making me cry. Seriously! I thought London was expensive.
Belfast next.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Thanks to intelligent WorldCon peoples offering installment payments for an entire family, my place (and the family's) is 'in the bag'. Hotel prices are making me cry. Seriously! I thought London was expensive.
Belfast next.

Dublin is horribly expensive - Belfast is much much cheaper to stay in. For Dublin I might make a holiday of it and take somewhere self catering I can get in and out from.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Sorry this is a double post but for those with families (and I'll probably be with my lot of little darlings - or not so little by then!) hotels can be a nightmare. There is loads of self catered accomodation in both cities, and both venues are reasonably easy to get to by train/dart/luas/bus. For Dublin, the city centre has some (I had a gander today) but it's still not cheap. North of Dublin places like Howth and Malahide are nice seasidey places and about half an hour out by train.

In Belfast, accomodation should be easy but the city centre is notoriously short on beds (comes of having a tourist boom after years of no tourists wanting to set foot near the place...) and, again, there are loads of places just outside the town that are nice to stay in and should have accomodation - places like Bangor are half an hour in, or Carrickfergus direction on the other side of the lough (my side - less posh and probably cheaper)

I don't think anyone should near to hire a car to get around. Both cities have good bus and rail links and, whilst Dublin is big, is well joined up (and a nightmare to drive in anyway, with not much parking), and Belfast is tiny.
If anyone is looking at places in Belfast and needs advice in terms of where they are to the venue/what they're like/things to do with families, feel free to PM me. I can't help with Dublin so much.

 

[williamjm]

Thanks to intelligent WorldCon peoples offering installment payments for an entire family, my place (and the family's) is 'in the bag'. Hotel prices are making me cry. Seriously! I thought London was expensive.
Belfast next.

I'm taking a trip to Dublin next month and I was a bit shocked at how expensive the average hotel prices seemed to be. I think WorldCon should have some sort of discounted hotel options available at some point, although they don't seem to have announced it yet (at least I couldn't see it with a quick glance at their webpage).

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Not good news here:
From the Chair's Desk: Important Hotel Information - Dublin 2019

Is it worth me looking into hostels maybe a small way out (trains are plentiful and easy - up to half an hour out gives me a lot to play with). If we had enough of us we could maybe do a block booking? Most have family rooms and the like now?