Vienna-Budapest Tour 2015 Meeting Notes/Minutes (September 9, 2014)

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Vienna-Budapest Tour 2015 Meeting Notes/Minutes (September 9, 2014)"

Betty Wilkins
6 years ago
Views:

1 Vienna-Budapest Tur 2015 Meeting Ntes/Minutes (September 9, 2014) Opening/Welcme by Linda Edelstein Opening presentatin by Wrld Prjects Crps. (ur tur cmpany) Debrah Gibbs and Saul Charleswrth Prpsed Itinerary as f 9/8/2014 by Debrah Gibbs Tur dates: Sun., June 28 Wed., July 8 Main cities: Vienna, Austria, with day trips t Salzburg and Dürstein Budapest, Hungary, with a day trip and perfrmance in Gödöllő Several planning details are still being discussed/finalized/negtiated with tur cmpany, airlines, and MYSO ffice including: Which airline(s) MYSO will fly with Which airprt we will depart frm and arrive at in the U.S. Chicag O Hare r General Mitchell, Milwaukee The rchestra may fly tgether n 1 flight r may be split between 2 r mre flights/airlines t accmmdate the grup size A detailed itinerary will be available n the Senir Symphny members page at MYSO.rg sn, as well as in the ffice. Hwever, a general verview f the time spent in Eurpe is as fllws: Sunday, June 28, depart frm Milwaukee/O Hare airprt, vernight flight t Vienna, ne layver mst likely Mnday, June 29, arrive in Vienna; spend 5 nights at htel in the city. Saturday, July 4, leave Vienna, travel t Budapest; spend 4 nights in city Wednesday, July 8, leave Budapest, fly back t U.S., arrive in Chicag O Hare/Milwaukee DRAFT Planned Activities while abrad: Upn arrival in Vienna and befre checking int the htel, the rchestra will travel t the Vienna Central Cemetery t visit the tmbs f numerus wrld-renwned cmpsers and musicians. Guided tur f Vienna, including: Parliament, City Hall, Hfburg Palace, the Cathedral, and the Vienna State Opera Huse Day trip t Salzburg, Austria, with a guided walking tur arund the city, including Mirabell Gardens, St. Peter s Abbey, the Cathedral, and Mzart s birthplace Day trip t Dürnstein including a riverbat cruise dwn the Danube River Visit the Esterhazy Palace in Eisenstadt, Hungary while en rute t Budapest Guided tur f Budapest, including: Parliament Building, Matthias Church, Fisherman s Bastin, and the State Opera Huse Budapest Museum f Music Histry Several days are included where students can chse between 2 r 3 activities during the day in smaller chaperne grups. In Vienna: July 2, chice f: Haus der Musik (Huse f Music)

2 Schönbrunn Palace Beethven Pasqualatihaus In Budapest: July 7, chice f Liszt Ferenc Memrial Museum Bela Bartk Memrial Huse There are scheduled times fr sme free time explring in chaperne grups as well n several days. Perfrmances n Tur: Tuesday, June 30 MuTH Cncert Hall, Vienna Thursday, July 2 Musikverein (Glden Hall), Vienna Sunday, July 5 Bela Bartk Natinal Cncert Hall, Budapest Tuesday, July 7 Riding Hall, Ryal Palace, Gödöllő Infrmatin regarding tickets, times, and pssibility t stream r recrd perfrmances is nt yet available. Shadw Tur Optin Parents and friends wh wuld like t accmpany the tur but nt be chapernes may sign up fr a shadw tur. Grup wuld fllw the same tur schedule but may stay in different htels, eat at different restaurants, and wuld nt be bund t the same schedule at the students due t perfrmance/rehearsal requirements. Cst wuld be similar t what students/chapernes are paying 50 persn limit as f right nw if enugh interest is generated t create a tur package Fd: Breakfast and dinner are included in the cst f the tur All breakfast/dinner meals are eaten tgether as a grup, either in the htels r at restaurants yet t be determined Daily lunches are nt included. The cst is a persnal ne fr students t budget fr themselves. Anyne with specific dietary needs r desires can be accmmdated but students are encuraged t try new things as well. Trip Inclusins: General inclusins are as fllws: Airfare Breakfast and dinner daily Htel accmmdatins Turing caches Grund transprtatin t and frm airprt upn departure and arrival in U.S. Students will meet at MYAC fr check-in and be shuttled t airprt tgether. Sightseeing turs and admissin t lcatins per the itinerary. (extra sites visited n wn utside f itinerary will be an additinal cst t the student/chaperne) Perfrmances Tur managers frm Wrld Prjects Lcal/bi-lingual tur escrts while in Central Eurpe Taxes, tlls, surcharges, equipment rental, equipment van, etc. EXCLUSIONS:

3 Please nte: Drinks at included meals--students, chapernes, and staff must pay fr their wn drinks if they rder any with an included meal. Water is nt always free! Passprt/Visa prcessing fees ONLY if yu are a nn-us citizena Travel Insurance: In case f delays r an emergency/accident while abrad, pst-departure trip insurance is included in the cst f the trip. FAQ answers: Everyne needs a VALID U.S. passprt in rder t leave and return t the U.S. and travel abrad in Eurpe. If yur passprt will expire within 3 MONTHS after the return date f July 8, 2015, please strngly cnsider renewing yur passprt. Yu may nt be allwed t travel if it is set t expire within that time frame. Credit and debit cards are recmmended fr travel, but it is smart and safe t have a small t mderate amunt f lcal currency as well. Ntify yur bank well ahead f time f any travel plans, including what cuntries and cities yu will be traveling t and using yur cards in. Otherwise, the bank may flag yur card and freeze it in an attempt t prevent fraud. If yur PIN number starts with 0, yu must change it befre using any ATMs in Eurpe. Many cuntries d nt recgnize 0 as a first number in ATMs, and it will nt register yur card as valid. 2 lcal currencies will be used while n tur In Austria: the Eur ( ) In Hungary: the Frint (Ft) Cnversin rates fluctuate daily. A current rate chart will be distributed shrtly befre departure It is smart t learn sme basic phrases in the lcal languages in rder t cmmunicate with peple. In Austria: German In Hungary: Hungarian Phrases such as: Please, Thank yu, Where is the bathrm, D yu speak English, Yes, N, Hw much, etc. Learn t cunt t at least 5, maybe 10. Language/Culture educatin sessins will happen in the spring. But reference materials are available in travel bks, nline, etc. if yu wuld like t start nw. ANY deviatins frm the set itinerary due t family plans befre, during r after the tur must be arranged with MYSO and Wrld Prjects tur managers well ahead f departure. This includes meeting family at lcatins ther than stated in itinerary, taking a different flight, staying behind in Eurpe after the tur, etc. If yu are unsure as t what qualifies as a deviatin, please refer t the infrmatin packet fr the tur r call the MYSO ffice. Misc. Cmments: The lcatins, activities, and fd chices have been made in an attempt t allw everyne n the tur t experience authentic flavrs, smells, clrs, sunds, and culture while abrad. Trying new fds, seeing new sights, meeting new peple, etc., is the entire pint f the tur besides perfrmances. Students are encuraged t explre and try new things they nrmally wuld nt eat r d at hme. Chapernes: Kent and Marna Tess-Mattner are head chapernes fr the tur. Sign-up fr chapernes is pen nw. Interview and backgrund check is required t be cnsidered fr chaperning psitins.

4 Infrmatin utlining chaperne respnsibilities and requirements will be cming sn nce chapernes have been chsen and assigned grups f kids. Please cntact Libby Garrett at fr infrmatin n hw t apply and t schedule an interview Fundraising Opprtunities: Sergy s Chclate Bars Until January 5, 2015 Stne Creek Cffee Until December 1, 2014 Playathn Launches end f September Perfrmance date: Nvember 2, 2014 Students are als welcme t d their wn fundraisers utside f MYSO events. Infrmatin regarding each fundraiser is available with Katie Truax. Infrmatin regarding Playathn will be made available sn. Travel Lgisitics: Rules f Cnduct: A strict utline f rules f cnduct is prvided in the packet each student received upn cmmitting t the tur. They will be firmly adhered t by all students and enfrced by all chapernes and staff. Changes, additins, etc may be made prir t departure and/r during the tur if need arises. Cncert attire guidelines will be strictly enfrced while n tur. Students MUST have every piece f clthing required by the dress cde requirements. Make sure it is all packed nicely in yur bags befre yu leave hme. Packing: Limit f 1 checked luggage and 1 carry-n bag, and 1 persnal item (purse, cat, blanket/pillw) Any instruments carried n the plane with cunt as yur carry-n. Be mindful f what yu will want t bring with yu while flying. Weight limit n checked luggage: 50lbs. D nt pack 50 lbs. fr yur departure. Yu will g shpping and buy suvenirs and that will frce yur suitcase t be verweight. Recmmended weight f arund lbs fr departure. Chapernes will assist in weighing yur luggage befre yu depart MYSO fr the airprt as well as befre yu depart Budapest. Item lists f what t pack are included in yur infrmatin packets. Cnsider buying an utlet cnvertr set t charge laptps, phnes, use a hair dryer, charge camera batteries, etc. Be mindful f what yu pack in yur carry-ns. Everything must cmply with TSA regulatins. If yu are in pssessin f an item that is prhibited frm the plane cabin, the item may be cnfiscated, and/r yu may be delayed frm barding yur flight. (Example: D nt bring a reed knife in yur carry-n. Check it in yur luggage.) Daily dress/attire requirements r suggestins will be made at a later date. Sme lcatins the tur visits may have a certain dress cde students must cmply with. Cmmunicatin while Overseas: It is likely cell phnes will nt wrk while in Eurpe if yur carrier des nt have an internatinal plan. Dispsable phnes are an ptin if yu insist n having a wrking phne n tur. Sme cell carriers will ffer a temprary internatinal texting/calling plan fr a fee.

5 Other cmmunicatin ptins will be: Calling cllect frm the htel (yu will have t settle up upn checkut and thse calls can be very expensive). Using Skype, Facebk r WhatsApp n a tablet with WiFi (yu may have t pay a small fee fr WiFi use in the htel, but it will be available) Or, simply ging incmmunicat fr the trip. There will be a staff member in the MYSO ffice during the trip t field phne calls and imprtant messages frm parents t students verseas. Rming: Students will be gruped in duble r triple rms accrding t what is available at the htel upn bking thrugh Wrld Prjects. Sign-ups fr rmmates in Vienna and Budapest will be made available at a time yet t be determined. Rmmates will mst likely be in the same chaperne grups during the tur as well. N c-ed rms Large Instruments: Cells, Basses, Harps, and percussin equipment will NOT be traveling n the planes with the rchestra. These pieces will be rented in Eurpe and will travel with the rchestra fr the duratin f the tur. Students shuld bring their wn bws, sticks/mallets, and anything else they may need t play n the tur. Instrument insurance is strngly encuraged fr any student bringing their wn instrument n tur. Fr a small fee, a hme insurance plicy can be mdified t put a special premium prtectin n the instrument fr the tur. Be sure t bring any extra strings, bws, bw-hair, rsin, etc., yu may need n tur. Tips and instructins n hw t safely pack and transprt yur instrument n the plane will be made available at a later date. Frms: All frms and passprt infrmatin are due t Libby Garrett by WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15! Payments fr the tur will be billed accrding t the payment schedule. Please make yur payments n time r ahead f the due dates fr each payment if at all pssible.

Shuttles are scheduled ONLY when there is a reservation. Without reservations we DO NOT travel.

Custmer Agreement / Cmpany Plicies Shuttles are scheduled ONLY when there is a reservatin. Withut reservatins we DO NOT travel. (Excluding Hlidays) Reservatins must be prepaid with a credit card. Please