Great Idea Bruce! Yes! @
VNPP - Tell your parents to come. It would be great to meet them. Tell them I have personally invited them to come check things out. It is a really beautiful area and they can check out many historic things. It is the site of a few very cool TVA, Tennessee Valley Authority, projects from the Great Depression. They also filmed Deliverance and The Fugitive here. They have also recently added horseback riding at the Fontana Village Resort. If they would like to come keep an eye on things they can have a romantic weekend getaway as well.
I was about to book a room this week.... however if we have multiple new people showing up I may get a cabin instead.... In a serious show of hands I need to know how many of you are coming. Seriously let me know by the end of the day tomorrow. I am planning to book on Friday. I can wait a few days though but would prefer not to. Orbitz keeps changing the price. It's cheaper on there and travelocity than on Fontanas own website. Figure that one out.
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I apology in advance for a long one here. But everybody needs to make an informed decision about costs.
On the surface a cabin sounds tempting. Your own crib... everybody together, turn up the tunes... make your own snacks, whatever.
But it costs: The Orbitz price tonight for a 3-bedroom cabin is $249..... x 4 nights which makes it $996 plus tax. Figure $1,100 out the door, or $90 each (x 4 nights) if 3 people share, or $70 each (x 4 nights) if 4 ppl share. That's for the 3 bedroom with one king, one queen and two bunk twins.... 4 beds in all.
https://www.orbitz.com/book/bookingpath?execution=e1s2
The main problem with the large expensive cabin is that not everybody is staying all 4 nights. So let's not be surprised if we can't make this happen, on that basis alone.
On the other hand, the problem with the cheaper Lodge rooms is food... and the need to eat out every meal. Not a big deal for those staying just a day or two... a definite issue for those staying longer.
Seriously, the standard Lodge room for $80 is tough to beat. With two people sharing that room, it's only about $40/nt. per person. With Nix and I the only ones staying 4 nights so far, we would need at least 2 MORE people to stay all four nights to keep the cost of a Cabin to a reasonable level. Then, those leaving after a day or two could contribute a lesser amount, say $25.00/ nt.... but they'd be on the couch... or on air mattresses with a sleeping bag.
Despite the cost sharing, those staying all four nights would still be on the hook for about $300.00 each. Ouch. Sharing lodge rooms (2 per room) we'd be at $40 per night. So it's either $40, $80, $120, or $160 depending on how long you stay. OR, if you really want to go budget, it's basically FREE if you want to camp... I've still got 2 campsites reserved for $18.00 each about 1/2 mile from the lodge in the Fontana Dam area. If nobody wants dibs on a campsite (which also can be shared) i'll be canceling that extra reservation by next Monday.
So let's get a head count --- AND exactly how long everyone is staying -- and go from there. I'm guessing that since this is a last minute trip for many, we should keep the cost down. Besides, we'll be burning enough gas and leaving enough rubber on the deserving roads of TN and NC.... we don't need to be breaking the bank on a hotel room. We'll be driving most of the time anyway.
That's my inflated .02.
