Calgary Transit GM Fishbowl #1046 Fantrip - Saturday, August 28, 2021 (OFFICIAL THREAD)

[Nick B]

The long awaited Calgary Transit #1046 fantrip is coming this Summer! This will be the official update and discussion thread for all pertinent information regarding this event. 

To reserve your spot, send a PM to either me or @yvarushin. We will send you your charter ticket after you e-Transfer your payment (see cost below) to yvarushin@gmail.com. Spots will be reserved on a first come, first serve basis. A waitlist will be implemented if the charter sells out. 

Below are some important charter details, and you will also find COVID-19 related info towards the end of this post.

TICKET COST: $50 per person. e-Transfer ONLY, send payment to yvarushin@gmail.com. If you cannot e-Transfer, send a PM to @yvarushin for alternate arrangements. Payment MUST be submitted by end of day August 14, 2021 (2 weeks before the charter), exceptions may be granted without guarantee. If we don't have your payment or otherwise confirmation of attendance by then, your spot will be given to a waitlisted attendee. Tickets will be e-mailed to you upon payment and you can either print it or show it on your phone on charter day. Payment is refundable until charter start time.

DATE: Saturday, August 28, 2021

LENGTH: 6 hours

START/END LOCATION: Whitehorn CTrain station (Blue Line), bus loop on west side of station

START TIME: 5:00 PM. Please arrive at Whitehorn station at least 15 minutes prior to ensure an on time departure.

END TIME: 11:00-11:15 PM

This will be the first time a GM Fishbowl has been chartered for a fantrip in Alberta in nearly 8 years. Our bus will be Calgary Transit's one and only preserved heritage bus, 1980 GMDD T6H-5307N #1046.

This charter will take place in the evening, meaning about half of the charter will be at night, allowing for some interesting photo opportunities. We will have many original photo stops across all quadrants of the city. Each stop will be complete with destination sign readings, many of which will be historic routes and destinations.

The charter will start and end at Whitehorn Station in northeast Calgary. The station is served by the Blue Line of the CTrain as well as by the major bus routes 38, 43, and 57. A free Park n' Ride lot is also located at the station for those driving.

A 1 hour lunch stop will be provided at Westhills Towne Centre, a shopping district with many restaurants.

Free info booklets for the charter will be included.

Yigal @yvarushin will be the accountant for this charter, handling all payment and ticket-related issues. PM him if you have any questions regarding payment or ticketing.

Anyone is free to leave the charter at any time and any photo stop. For those who will not make it to Whitehorn for our start time and wish to board the charter further down the line, PM me and we will make arrangements.

All information is tentative. Any and all updates to information will be posted in this thread as necessary. If you have any questions, post them in this thread or send me a PM.

We hope to see you all there! 

COVID-19 INFORMATION:

Masks and face covering will be MANDATORY. Vaccination is optional but encouraged. 

Please do not board the charter if you are feeling sick, or have any signs/symptoms of COVID-19 such as a fever, cough, or shortness of breath. Any attendees exhibiting such symptoms will be asked to disembark. 

Edited August 19 by Nick B

[Oc4526]

DM sent.

[Nick B]

Spots are filling up fast! As of this post we have 10 seats remaining. However at least a dozen people on our list have asked to be put down as tentative and haven't paid yet. Since it's so early and we know it is often impossible to know for sure this far in advance if you can come, if you don't want to send your payment yet but want a spot on the charter, feel free to send me or @yvarushin a message if you haven't done so already and we'll reserve your spot as tentative. Remember that we'll need all payments by 2 weeks before the charter so we'll still have a good idea at that point how many spots we really have left. 

[Nick B]

Delete.

[Nick B]

#1046 Charter - NEW DATE

 

Hey everyone. After reviewing Alberta's latest reopening plans from the lockdowns, and getting feedback from several attendees, we have made the difficult (but in my opinion, good) decision to reschedule the #1046 fantrip.

 

The new date for the charter will now be Saturday, August 28th, 2021 from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM.

 

If you have previously paid or asked to have a seat reserved, and you can make the new date, no action is required on your part, as we're still keeping everyone on the list. Deadline for payment submissions is now August 14th, 2021. All other information in my original announcement still applies.

 

I realize this may be disappointing to some (it is for me too) but I think this'll be a much better time to have the charter, considering everything from weather to scenery to the possibility that some of us might even be vaccinated by then. I appreciate everyone's patience, hang in there and we'll be sure to have an absolute banger of a fantrip come August!

[Nick B]

***CHARTER UPDATE***

 

Hey everyone. Just checking in for a quick update on the August 28th #1046 fantrip as I'm sure a few of you have been getting anxious lately.

 

Alberta's reopening plan was just announced this morning and with cases declining and vaccine rates rising, we expect most restrictions to be gone by the time the day comes around. As a result, I am pleased to announce that the charter as of right now is 100% a go for the planned date.

 

We have decided to increase the capacity of the charter to fill the entire bus up. As of now, we have 19 spots open, so be sure to contact me or @yvarushin to reserve a spot if you're interested in coming on the charter but haven't done so already. Everyone else who has reserved a spot in the past still has their seat.

 

We did also reach out to touch base with CT and the bus rental for August 28th is still confirmed with them. In addition to that, we also have authorization to access the tarmac of Calgary Transit's newest Stoney Facility on a weekend as one of the photo stops on the charter, if all goes well, with hopefully a photo opportunity with one or more fleet buses stored there.

 

Payment deadline is still August 14, 2021 for those attending, e-Transfer only unless we trust you enough to have cash in hand on the day of.

 

To be clear, provided there will be no more COVID-19 restrictions by charter day, the charter will go forth regardless of Alberta case numbers.

 

Hope to see you all there for this historic event. Let's all make Canada's first post-COVID fantrip awesome!

[MTL66]

I booked my hotels for this charter, so if anyone is looking to save a little and want to split a room, I have booked a suite near the start location with 2 Queen beds and I believe a sofa bed, waiting on the hotel to confirm the sofabed part.

I am in Calgary from August 24th to the 31st and got a very good rate with my discounts.

[Nick B]

Hey all. Just a minor update regarding the charter. Effective August 9th, fully vaccinated Americans will be able to enter Canada without quarantine, so any US members who are interested in planning a last minute trip up here for the charter are more than welcome to come. However I am not familiar with the current rules down there for returning travelers. 

With one month to go, we're getting close! I'm really excited and I look forward to seeing everyone soon.

Edited August 19 by Nick B

[Nick B]

Hey guys. I have just received clarification from Alberta Health and a charter attendee that the mask law, which has been extended until late September, will apply to chartered buses as well, despite Calgary Transit having told us otherwise. Therefore, masks will be unfortunately required while on board the bus during the charter, but optional when outside of the bus. I'm sorry for the confusion. Proof of vaccination is still NOT required however.

All my past announcements regarding this have been updated to reflect this.

[MTL66]

This was an awesome charter and worth the trip from Montreal. The event went off without a hitch and everything was planned out perfectly. This was my first trip out to Alberta and it did not disappoint.

Thanks to everyone involved in organizing this event!