NYC chorus trip

[nicolewi]

I posted last year about the trip to Disney that ended up not happening, which was great, bc that one just wasn’t great for us. This year, the choir director is gathering opinions on whether people would be interested in a New York City trip in April. Now, New York City I feel is a perfect destination for DD, and she would love to go. I am not sure if it will even happen, but if it does, estimated cost is 2400. I’m sure there will be some fundraising.

I am curious. Is this just what it costs nowadays for these trips?? It seems high to me based on my own estimates for four nights/air/2 meals a day, but maybe I am way off???

[waverly]

Yes, I feel like if they go with a tour company this is the price nowadays. Our DC trip is slightly less and 1 less day. It is way more than it should be for flying to DC and a hotel stay, but it also includes ALL the food and excursions etc. and the kids don't need to bring any money unless they want to buy a souvenir or snacks.

[redpenmama]

I think the rates are high when you use the tour companies, so that's probably what to expect. We have a 5th grade trip with one that's 48 hours and it's $800+ pp. My daughter's dance nationals at Disney World cost $1,300 pp, which doesn't include food or airfare.

[jeaniebueller]

$2400 seems about right. Costs in general are up.

[livinitup]

That seems prices for a bus to/from and shared room in NYC but not pricey for a private bus, driver, chaperones, maybe some entrances fees/activities, meals, and not-overly crammed NYC hotel room.

I think it’s fair to ask what it covers and the expectation for activities.

[thebreakfastclub]

What are your estimates for those things?

[nicolewi]

Sept 17, 2024 13:45:20 GMT -5 livinitup said:

That seems prices for a bus to/from and shared room in NYC but not pricey for a private bus, driver, chaperones, maybe some entrances fees/activities, meals, and not-overly crammed NYC hotel room.

I think it’s fair to ask what it covers and the expectation for activities.

It’s a plane ride, lol. So if you think it’s not too bad for a bus, then I suppose it’s normal with air travel! But you did make me think of something that I hadn’t considered, and that is the bus travel in and around the city.

[waverly]

Sept 17, 2024 13:49:17 GMT -5 nicolewi said:

Sept 17, 2024 13:45:20 GMT -5 livinitup said:

That seems prices for a bus to/from and shared room in NYC but not pricey for a private bus, driver, chaperones, maybe some entrances fees/activities, meals, and not-overly crammed NYC hotel room.

I think it’s fair to ask what it covers and the expectation for activities.

It’s a plane ride, lol. So if you think it’s not too bad for a bus, then I suppose it’s normal with air travel! But you did make me think of something that I hadn’t considered, and that is the bus travel in and around the city.

This is a good point.  For the DC trip they have the same busses and drivers the whole time, so basically 3 days of busses from 8am-8/9pm.  

[mainelyfoolish]

My kid’s chorus did a four day trip to NYC last spring and the up-front cost was about $1800 which included commercial bus tickets from New Hampshire (not a charter bus), hotel (4 per room), three prepaid meals, two Broadway shows, one museum admission, and the choir program (which was $950). Other meals and any optional activities during free time were additional.

ETA This was with a non-profit choir group, not school affiliated. They didn't use a tour company, the choir director arranged everything, and chaperones paid their own way.

[georgeglass]

Our school requires us to use a tour company for insurance/risk mitigation. Their costs increase dramatically every year. Because of their fees and the fact that the chaperones costs are all covered, the trips cost 2-3x what I could do on my own. Once we tried working with a less expensive tour company and it was a disaster that ended up costing us a ton more money because we didn't feel like the hotel they chose was safe and we had to find 20 rooms in a decent hotel day of and move everyone.

[nicolewi]

Sept 18, 2024 5:05:00 GMT -5 georgeglass said:

Our school requires us to use a tour company for insurance/risk mitigation. Their costs increase dramatically every year. Because of their fees and the fact that the chaperones costs are all covered, the trips cost 2-3x what I could do on my own. Once we tried working with a less expensive tour company and it was a disaster that ended up costing us a ton more money because we didn't feel like the hotel they chose was safe and we had to find 20 rooms in a decent hotel day of and move everyone.

This is interesting. I bet this is just how it is now; have to use tour companies.

I ALSO forgot about the fees for the choir event itself, which I suppose are hefty. 

I remember my high school trips being more like a "deal" than seeming extra expensive...but I guess everything changes!

[minniemouse]

I think that is way too much! My daughter’s chorus trip cost $575 per student last year. It was a 4 day trip to Cincinnati and included everything except lunches. They fit a ton of fun things in plus workshops at a college and a performance. There were 3 fundraisers but they were all selling products and I’m not into that. Lol.
Dd has an opportunity for a 2 week music trip to Europe next summer that costs around $6,000. It sounds awesome but just way too much for us and probably many other families. I’m glad the trips during the school year are affordable so less kids miss out! There is also financial help for families that need it for the school year ones, but not the summer trip.

[nicolewi]

Sept 18, 2024 9:15:41 GMT -5 minniemouse said:

I think that is way too much! My daughter’s chorus trip cost $575 per student last year. It was a 4 day trip to Cincinnati and included everything except lunches. They fit a ton of fun things in plus workshops at a college and a performance. There were 3 fundraisers but they were all selling products and I’m not into that. Lol.
Dd has an opportunity for a 2 week music trip to Europe next summer that costs around $6,000. It sounds awesome but just way too much for us and probably many other families. I’m glad the trips during the school year are affordable so less kids miss out! There is also financial help for families that need it for the school year ones, but not the summer trip.

This price would be great and much more achievable for everyone. If they don’t do this trip, I wonder if they could just do a cool trip to Chicago, which would be driving distance for us and also have great musical theater.

[dutchgirl678]

DD went to Disneyland with marching band this year and we paid $1500. It involved a flight, a tour company with buses in CA, hotel for 4 nights, Disney for 2 days including a workshop and parade participation and a couple of side trips. I think $2400 is a lot. We were able to save a few hundred dollars through fundraising (car washes with marching band) and using the RaiseRight app.

[sent]

Sept 18, 2024 9:15:41 GMT -5 minniemouse said:

I think that is way too much! My daughter’s chorus trip cost $575 per student last year. It was a 4 day trip to Cincinnati and included everything except lunches. They fit a ton of fun things in plus workshops at a college and a performance. There were 3 fundraisers but they were all selling products and I’m not into that. Lol.
Dd has an opportunity for a 2 week music trip to Europe next summer that costs around $6,000. It sounds awesome but just way too much for us and probably many other families. I’m glad the trips during the school year are affordable so less kids miss out! There is also financial help for families that need it for the school year ones, but not the summer trip.

Yeah but it was 4 nights in Cincinnati... can't exactly compare a trip to a Midwestern city to an NYC trip.

$2400 for 4 nights in NYC sounds ok. It's definitely a lot of money but I'm sure the tour company has zero incentive to look for deals like I do when setting up travel for the family. They also have to keep these kids occupied from morning to bedtime so activities are probably not cheap either. I know bus costs in the NYC metro have gone way up because we had to up our PTO budget a lot for charter buses this year for one of the field trips we help fund.

I hope she is able to go!

[thebreakfastclub]

Sept 18, 2024 21:42:12 GMT -5 sent said:

Sept 18, 2024 9:15:41 GMT -5 minniemouse said:

I think that is way too much! My daughter’s chorus trip cost $575 per student last year. It was a 4 day trip to Cincinnati and included everything except lunches. They fit a ton of fun things in plus workshops at a college and a performance. There were 3 fundraisers but they were all selling products and I’m not into that. Lol.
Dd has an opportunity for a 2 week music trip to Europe next summer that costs around $6,000. It sounds awesome but just way too much for us and probably many other families. I’m glad the trips during the school year are affordable so less kids miss out! There is also financial help for families that need it for the school year ones, but not the summer trip.

Yeah but it was 4 nights in Cincinnati... can't exactly compare a trip to a Midwestern city to an NYC trip.

$2400 for 4 nights in NYC sounds ok. It's definitely a lot of money but I'm sure the tour company has zero incentive to look for deals like I do when setting up travel for the family. They also have to keep these kids occupied from morning to bedtime so activities are probably not cheap either. I know bus costs in the NYC metro have gone way up because we had to up our PTO budget a lot for charter buses this year for one of the field trips we help fund.

I hope she is able to go!

I sure can compare and contrast the two experiences as a 15 year old - getting some independence, staying in a hotel with your friends, and having fun with your friends is what matters. 
Who really cares if it's Cincinnati or NYC when you're 15.   

I know Cincinnati isn't as great as NYC, but there is no high school chorus trip worth over $2000.  The #1 priority should honestly be financial access for the most number of kids.  Flying to NYC is not needed.

[Bad Dingo]

$2400 is outrageous unless it's a high end private school where money is no object for families. Zero percent of kids at DD's school would be able to afford this (but to be fair they also can't afford to hire a chorus teacher). I'd push for a local trip that they can drive to and wouldn't exclude a large number of students.

[minniemouse]

Sept 19, 2024 7:09:22 GMT -5 thebreakfastclub said:

Sept 18, 2024 21:42:12 GMT -5 sent said:

Yeah but it was 4 nights in Cincinnati... can't exactly compare a trip to a Midwestern city to an NYC trip.

$2400 for 4 nights in NYC sounds ok. It's definitely a lot of money but I'm sure the tour company has zero incentive to look for deals like I do when setting up travel for the family. They also have to keep these kids occupied from morning to bedtime so activities are probably not cheap either. I know bus costs in the NYC metro have gone way up because we had to up our PTO budget a lot for charter buses this year for one of the field trips we help fund.

I hope she is able to go!

I sure can compare and contrast the two experiences as a 15 year old - getting some independence, staying in a hotel with your friends, and having fun with your friends is what matters. 
Who really cares if it's Cincinnati or NYC when you're 15.   

I know Cincinnati isn't as great as NYC, but there is no high school chorus trip worth over $2000.  The #1 priority should honestly be financial access for the most number of kids.  Flying to NYC is not needed.

This exactly. $2400 is too much, in my opinion, for a chorus field trip. Not that it’s too much for a trip to NYc in general.
The kids had an amazing time on their trip. The location didn’t really matter. Actually, I’m kind of glad they picked a city most of the kids had never been to before. Something new to explore.

[sent]

Sept 19, 2024 7:09:22 GMT -5 thebreakfastclub said:

Sept 18, 2024 21:42:12 GMT -5 sent said:

Yeah but it was 4 nights in Cincinnati... can't exactly compare a trip to a Midwestern city to an NYC trip.

$2400 for 4 nights in NYC sounds ok. It's definitely a lot of money but I'm sure the tour company has zero incentive to look for deals like I do when setting up travel for the family. They also have to keep these kids occupied from morning to bedtime so activities are probably not cheap either. I know bus costs in the NYC metro have gone way up because we had to up our PTO budget a lot for charter buses this year for one of the field trips we help fund.

I hope she is able to go!

I sure can compare and contrast the two experiences as a 15 year old - getting some independence, staying in a hotel with your friends, and having fun with your friends is what matters. 
Who really cares if it's Cincinnati or NYC when you're 15.   

I know Cincinnati isn't as great as NYC, but there is no high school chorus trip worth over $2000.  The #1 priority should honestly be financial access for the most number of kids.  Flying to NYC is not needed.

Can't say I disagree with any of this.

I'm clouded in assessment because my parents let me go on almost zero trips so I really wanted these experiences but was forbidden.  So when I hear "trip" for my kids, I'm like "Yes, sign them up right now!" 

[nicolewi]

I agree with… Pretty much everything! It looks like the trip is going forward and we’re going to try to make it happen. It would be an amazing experience for her, and she will love it. I think part of the cost comes from participating in a big event with a famous composer.

However, I wish the school would have decided to put forward a much lower cost opportunity that would be more accessible and affordable, even if it were less prestigious or impressive. Because I do agree that you can have a lot of the same thrill and excitement from a teenage perspective even by doing something closer to home.

This is a public high school, FYI.