Not to pile on more but I did an ACE trip recently and the whole time I kept thinking back to the TPR trip I did. We didn't find out the schedule until we checked in at the hotel on day 1, ERT was a hot mess (sure there is a language piece but still) in the sense the park thought we wanted it on the SLC. They had that up and running but not the RMC (which was marketed as big part of the trip). Then the one park on the trip they revealed to us on the bus they could never get a hold of and there was a chance it was closed. They almost didn't go to it but enough of us were like "we have nothing better to do the rest of the day can we at least try?" It was open go figure. The one day they had local sightseeing scheduled, the trip planners decided they had to do some errands such as drop off paperwork for the next day's park so instead of seeing the places we were suppose to the buses were stuck in traffic going to the park we were going to the next day but just to drop off paperwork. The three buses and 100+ people had to give up seeing the biggest sights in the city because one person had to drop off paperwork.
To me the biggest difference was how nimble TPR trips were. You guys are clearly travel experts who know if X happens we can do Y and Z. Where is every road bump we hit on the trip they had no idea what do, whereas on the TPR when something happened you guys already had a backup plan or ideas ready. Like when GeForce broke during ERT, unplanned exclusive beer time started minutes later.
AndrewRnR wrote:Not to pile on more but I did an ACE trip recently and the whole time I kept thinking back to the TPR trip I did. We didn't find out the schedule until we checked in at the hotel on day 1, ERT was a hot mess (sure there is a language piece but still) in the sense the park thought we wanted it on the SLC. They had that up and running but not the RMC (which was marketed as big part of the trip). Then the one park on the trip they revealed to us on the bus they could never get a hold of and there was a chance it was closed. They almost didn't go to it but enough of us were like "we have nothing better to do the rest of the day can we at least try?" It was open go figure. The one day they had local sightseeing scheduled, the trip planners decided they had to do some errands such as drop off paperwork for the next day's park so instead of seeing the places we were suppose to the buses were stuck in traffic going to the park we were going to the next day but just to drop off paperwork. The three buses and 100+ people had to give up seeing the biggest sights in the city because one person had to drop off paperwork.
To me the biggest difference was how nimble TPR trips were. You guys are clearly travel experts who know if X happens we can do Y and Z. Where is every road bump we hit on the trip they had no idea what do, whereas on the TPR when something happened you guys already had a backup plan or ideas ready. Like when GeForce broke during ERT, unplanned exclusive beer time started minutes later.
Did I mention this Japan trip is in the middle of typhoon season and they have zero contingency plans for rain?
AndrewRnR wrote:Not to pile on more but I did an ACE trip recently and the whole time I kept thinking back to the TPR trip I did. We didn't find out the schedule until we checked in at the hotel on day 1, ERT was a hot mess (sure there is a language piece but still) in the sense the park thought we wanted it on the SLC. They had that up and running but not the RMC (which was marketed as big part of the trip). Then the one park on the trip they revealed to us on the bus they could never get a hold of and there was a chance it was closed. They almost didn't go to it but enough of us were like "we have nothing better to do the rest of the day can we at least try?" It was open go figure. The one day they had local sightseeing scheduled, the trip planners decided they had to do some errands such as drop off paperwork for the next day's park so instead of seeing the places we were suppose to the buses were stuck in traffic going to the park we were going to the next day but just to drop off paperwork. The three buses and 100+ people had to give up seeing the biggest sights in the city because one person had to drop off paperwork.
To me the biggest difference was how nimble TPR trips were. You guys are clearly travel experts who know if X happens we can do Y and Z. Where is every road bump we hit on the trip they had no idea what do, whereas on the TPR when something happened you guys already had a backup plan or ideas ready. Like when GeForce broke during ERT, unplanned exclusive beer time started minutes later.
You should've been treated better. Your a celebrity.
Proud Member of the 300 Coaster Club. Joined June 16, 2012 Proud Member of the 400 Coaster Club. Joined August 17, 2013 Proud Member of the 500 Coaster Club. Joined January 30, 2015 Proud Member of the 600 Coaster Club, Joined April 21, 2017
SharkTums wrote:Oh, and that cost is high because they usually send the entire ACE Executive committee for free!
Shouldn't that be illegal somehow? Embezzlement or some other such nonsense?
Nope, that's totally legal. Unethical and wrong, but that's ACE for you. It's a completely shady "non profit" business filled with IMO absoultely shady people behind it. I have so many stories from over the years. All I can say is that I'm much happier with the way we do things and the best part of about ACE is that it gives a home to those horrible people we don't want on TPR. And they stick out like a sore thumb at our events. This weekend at WCB you could **EASILY** tell the people who were more "ACErs" than TPR members.
Last edited by robbalvey on Wed Sep 12, 2018 12:40 pm.
SharkTums wrote:Oh, and that cost is high because they usually send the entire ACE Executive committee for free!
Shouldn't that be illegal somehow? Embezzlement or some other such nonsense?
Nope, that's totally legal. Unethical and wrong, but that's ACE for you. It's a completely shady "non profit" business filled with IMO absoultely shady people behind it. I have so many stories from over the years. All I can say is that I'm much happier with the way we do things and the best part of about ACE is that it gives a home to those horrible people we don't want on TPR. And they stick out like a sore thumb at our events. This weekend at WCB you could **EASILY** tell the people who were more "ACErs" than TPR members.
Were they the ones incessantly bugging all the park employees and asking all kinds of obnoxious questions (and then getting mad when the answers weren't what they wanted)?
AndrewRnR wrote:Not to pile on more but I did an ACE trip recently and the whole time I kept thinking back to the TPR trip I did. We didn't find out the schedule until we checked in at the hotel on day 1, ERT was a hot mess (sure there is a language piece but still) in the sense the park thought we wanted it on the SLC. They had that up and running but not the RMC (which was marketed as big part of the trip). Then the one park on the trip they revealed to us on the bus they could never get a hold of and there was a chance it was closed. They almost didn't go to it but enough of us were like "we have nothing better to do the rest of the day can we at least try?" It was open go figure. The one day they had local sightseeing scheduled, the trip planners decided they had to do some errands such as drop off paperwork for the next day's park so instead of seeing the places we were suppose to the buses were stuck in traffic going to the park we were going to the next day but just to drop off paperwork. The three buses and 100+ people had to give up seeing the biggest sights in the city because one person had to drop off paperwork.
ACE has no business planning trips. They are horrible at it, they aren't qualified to do it, and the "tour" product they sell is the absolute WORST of anyone who does it. In fact the WHOLE REASON why we got into doing tours in the first place was after a few years of doing tours and events with ACE we kept thinking "OMG, this is so easy to do right, and how do the manage to fu*k it up so badly every time??!!"
So that's why we started doing it. Of course, part of the problem was that the word got out that we were actually able to do a decent job at putting together a tour (honestly, a box of partially deformed brainless chickens could do a better job planning events and tours than ACE) and we ended up with quite a few ACE members on our trips that started to impact the tours for everyone else because they were just such terrible humans in every way that they made it an unpleasant experience for the rest of the group. That's one of the reasons we do them privately now. I won't let a few bad apples (read: ACErs) ruin our trips for the decent people that appreciate the hard work that goes into them.
AndrewRnR wrote:To me the biggest difference was how nimble TPR trips were. You guys are clearly travel experts
I'll be honest, we're not even "travel experts" we're just not idiots when it comes to planning and putting together a trip. It was honestly SHOCKING to me just how poorly planned and operated some of the events and tours we did with ACE were.
AndrewRnR wrote:Every road bump we hit on the trip they had no idea what do, whereas on the TPR when something happened you guys already had a backup plan or ideas ready. Like when GeForce broke during ERT, unplanned exclusive beer time started minutes later.
You always have a plan B. Sometimes even a plan C. And the other difference between TPR and ACE is that we aren't afraid to spend extra money when we need to. ACE is such a greedy pathetic organization that if there is something that needs to have money thrown at it to resolve a problem, they won't do it, and sometimes you just have to. People are paying a very high price for these trips, and it is expected that you go out of your way to make things right. ACE has no concept on how that works. Probably out of their own greed or lack of know-how. Probably both.
In case you couldn't tell, I have very little respect for what ACE does... but I'm VERY thankful they are around!
Last edited by robbalvey on Wed Sep 12, 2018 12:55 pm.
AndrewRnR wrote:To me the biggest difference was how nimble TPR trips were. You guys are clearly travel experts
RobbAlvey wrote:I'll be honest, we're not even "travel experts" we're just not idiots when it comes to planning and putting together a trip. It was honestly SHOCKING to me just how poorly planned and operated some of the events and tours we did with ACE were.
Honestly, I feel like a travel expert. I've been doing this my whole life and have had travel agents ask me to work for them. I know more than 99% of people that work in travel and travel planning! In addition to our group trips I have planned trips for friends and family to all over the world.
...and I would never do the Japan trip on a bus! Sure maybe like one or two parks, but it's just SUCH A BAD IDEA!!!!!
Last edited by SharkTums on Wed Sep 12, 2018 1:09 pm.
I've never participated in voting on one of these Golden Ticket awards, but honestly a park or ride winning one hasn't really influenced if we go to that park or not.
so "winning" or "losing" has never really factored in for me when we plan trips.
but I will say that if TPR does a poll, I'll absolutely participate in it. (I loved what Chase did with the Coaster Poll, and even tho I don't tend to rank, really enjoyed filling in my choices for that and look forward to continuing it).
as to coaster/theme park trips?
I can't imagine anyone would ever be able to compete with the level of Planning (and Back-up Planning), Professionalism, and Coordination that Elissa and Robb put into a TPR trip.
Not to mention the ease of following the directions given: show up on time, and don't be a jerk.
If a TPR trip were entered in a travel awards type of poll? I'd vote for them over any of the other group trips I've taken over the years. tho some of those (such as Arno's Bear Cruises) were good too. . .just TPR does the organizing, and dealing with unexpected issues way better!
So not a "Golden Ticket". .but hey, a "bert award" counts about as much, right?
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Sure maybe like one or two parks, but it's just SUCH A BAD IDEA!!!!!
