I feel the front desk "female unit" during the power outage should have been sent home with a written reprimand.

Other than that we had a great time

 

hmm allthough we did lose power the last night at our cabin, we did get our loot back at the desk. also, we had plenty of towels but we did have a large ant family kickin it in our cabin. as far what the event staff planned , i thought it was excellent, but i would have loved to see a group car photo at the dam like the previous years.

 

I know some people like the "remote-ness" of Fontana and the proximity to the dragon, but I really liked it the first two years I attended (WTD '04 and '05). The hotel in '05 was ideal - if only the bar would've stayed open a bit later. Nice, clean rooms, big room for the Saturday night dinner, the food (as I remember it) was pretty yummi, closeness to a variety of restaurants for lunch & dinner, cell service, big parking lot for us to use & hang out, etc. Plus, it wasn't really THAT far to get to the dragon and the drive to/from was enjoyable.

My vote would be to move the location of the event back to the Alcoa area.

 

Personnally I love Fontana...the cabin was "rustic" (at least the stains on the carpet were rust colored) and had character.

I think that many of our cabins/room had not been used since the season closed several months ago. That's why the water had to be run to clear it up. I'm surprised someone didn't come to fix water heater issues...it seemed last time the staff bent over backwards even in the middle of the night to fix small issues (including lost cable tv connection).

And I can tell you the staff bent overbackwars to help me when I needed to change my diff oil. They found a way to safely get my car off the ground and provided a container and dump for the used oil.

Anyway...I understand that some find Fontana primative and would prefer the Hilton. Just as I find camping too primative compared to the cabin.

As a suggestion...has anyone tried Tapoco? It is at least closer than the Hilton and may provide the level of amenities closer to the Hilton than Fontana. I know the Ferrari guys stay there on occasion. The base could still be Fontana, but for those wanting a more refined lodge can stay at Tapoco.

 

[QUOTE=negcamber,Apr 23 2007, 06:25 PM]As a suggestion...has anyone tried Tapoco?

 

SMRW!

 

Since some of these aren't really specific to this year, thought I'd address them from a historical perspective.... WTD is scheduled in mid April for a couple reasons:

1) It's early in the season so it's a good first event for the northerners. Earlier would run great risk of snow, later would start pushing into vacation season.
2) The later you go into April, the busier the road gets. The bikers come out in full force in early May. While rain can dampen spirits, it keeps the road relatively clean and biker-free (except the locals, who for the most part, are very cooperative and/or fast).
3) Friday the 13th was a fluke. I'm not superstitious, but I think our track record for the roughly 15 medium-large dragon meets is superb. If memory serves, we have one significant accident every 3rd event, and the two "bad" accidents (both on 28, coincidentally) weren't all that bad.
4) The raffle is always slow. Not sure how to speed it up other than to reduce the number of prizes.

 

I would not be eager to return to the airport Hilton. The bar wasn't a selling point, even if it was open 24/7 (overpriced, watered down drinks served by a lousy bartender... great).

The trio of hotels by our old stomping grounds - the Jameson, Holiday Inn Express, and Mainstay - have a total of 227 rooms. We'd probably eat up 1/2 of those in total. There are 4 restaurants nearby, but it's also a busy area so it's hard to get groups of any size. Also, I don't think any of those 3 hotels has a banquet area of any considerable size.


I'm really disappointed to hear about Fontana. Last year was good - a bit of teething pain for people unfamiliar with the area, but the cabins were clean and the staff was friendly. Wonder what changed over the winter...

 

My first WTD ...... I stayed in Room 205 in the lodge. Had a clogged sink upon check in Friday afternoon. Stopped at the front desk on my way out to get my baggs and it was "cleared" and the sink cleaned upon my retunr with baggs in tow..... I found the female staff to be accommodating.....

Internet to the room would have been nice, but hey, I was on vacation......

TV, phone and heat worked...... $75 was a fair rate. I ate with Batguano in the lodge's restaurant Friday night. Chicken was good..... Service excellent. Sat AM at the grill for pancakes, ham and juice - another
Saturday lunch
Saturday dinner - I arrived at 7:30 and dinner was being served. I got a fair portion and it was good...
Sunday AM, I decided on instant oatmeal and a cereal bar in my room.....

the WTD staff was exceptional ... especially that "energenic lady" - Sheila ......

Maybe 2 lines for check in A-K ; L-Z or something similar.....

Needed to update the events board, but all you had to do was ask and the answer was given......

"....................... and that's all I've got to say about that!" (Forest Gump)

 

I loved it. I don't mind roughing it a bit, and when you are out there in the middle of the woods you expect some bugs and "issues." Five star? Far from it. Acceptable? yes. Part of an adventure experience? Absolutely.