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(I imagine this has been covered, but I couldn't find a recent thread on the topic, so I started a new one. In lieu of answers, a link to an old thread would be just as helpful)
I'm wondering what everyone's experiences have been with the official airport shuttle offered by Target Sport Adventures.
Did you wait a long time at the airport? Did you schedule a specific time to leave the airport/festival or did you just have to stand in line and wait for the next available bus? Was it actually a 90 minute ride or were you stuck in traffic for hours along with everyone else? How close do they drop you off to the tent-only campground? Do you think your experience was typical?
I've only been once and it was VIP, so I want to know what to expect if I decide to go this route (assuming I can make it).
I took the shuttle in '08 and really had no complaints. I didn't wait that long - I got there about 5 minutes early, and we left about 10-15 minutes late, presumably just in case there were any stragglers. I don't think I had to schedule a specific time to leave - the buses left on the hour through Thursday and most of Friday, and it was first come, first served if I recall correctly. The trip was closer to an hour, and we didn't have to wait in traffic at all - the shuttle has its own special entrance to the farm, one of the biggest perks of taking the shuttle in my opinion. They dropped us off a little over half a mile from tent only - getting a golf cart taxi to help me bring my stuff to tent only was the best $10 I spent all weekend (it's $5 a seat, but I had so much gear that my stuff needed its own seat). I think my experience was fairly typical.
My one slight gripe is that it was nearly impossible for me to find the pick-up point on Monday morning to go back to the airport. I asked every staff member I saw and they all looked at me like I had three heads, and I ended up having to hitch a ride back to Nashville with a family of wooks... so make sure to remember where you get dropped off.
Thanks, Jack! That was very helpful. Half a mile seems a bit much if I'm going to have not only a tent, sleeping gear, and clothes, but also snacks for 4 days. I'll consider packing my metal-framed backpack and checking it onto the plane if I go that route.
I'm hoping more people can weigh in and tell me if that experience was typical.
One thing that SUCKS is that they do drop you off quite far from Tent Only and I bring a lot of camping gear and the trek from shuttle drop off to Tent Only is BRUTAL. in 08 I was able to get a taxi to help lug all the gear but they charged like $30 for me and my GF and all our gear. I would have paid double that. In 09 there were no taxis available so we had to walk it. That is a rough way to start off the trip and really the only negative impression I have of Bonnaroo as a whole.
As far as the pick up times I have never had to wait at the airport for too long. We normally fly in Wednesday night and stay at a cheap hotel by the airport and then take a cab back to the airport early Thursday. Never had to wait more than an hour to get on a bus. And once you are on the shuttle you get to bypass most of the traffic which is nice.
As far as getting back on the shuttle in the morning on Monday, make sure you arrive at the pick up point very early if you have an early flight. That is always a worry every year as the shuttles seem to run less frequently on the way back and if you have an early flight that might cause a stressful situation. It has always been pretty easy for me to find since they pick up close to the area they dropped you off at,. You can normally find someone with a truck to give you a lift over there with all your gear too.
I know a lot of folks who are driving, but I really like the idea of bypassing traffic and getting a close spot to Centeroo for tent-only camping. Knowing that the walk to tent-only is so far, I might consider camping with friends instead, though-- especially if they're close to the drop-off point and they can help me haul my stuff.
It doesn't make sense to me that they wouldn't arrange to drop people off close to tent only. Isn't that where most folks who take the shuttle end up?
