Game Plan

[trekkie101]

My main ambition for C15 is to meet Leonard Nimoy, as there's only a meagre chance that he'll be coming back to the UK for a long time.

If I'm not mistaken, he'll be there on all days, right? If so, then I'll be heading off to see him on Friday.

It strikes me that, given that there's a recession on, not many people would be able to attend on a workday.

I live in London, so I'll probably need to be up at the crack of dawn if I want to be there for about 11ish.

Usually, I like to have a browse around the stalls first before I head to meet any of the stars, but I'm willing to bet that I'll need to grab a ticket the second the bus arrives because he'll be the hot topic for the event.

And of course, he'll probably be so swamped that it'll be a 6 second meet and greet before moving along to the next guy. But even so I wouldn't mind because it'd just be great to meet him in person.

[chrismk]

My main ambition for C15 is to meet Leonard Nimoy, as there's only a meagre chance that he'll be coming back to the UK for a long time.

If I'm not mistaken, he'll be there on all days, right? If so, then I'll be heading off to see him on Friday.

It strikes me that, given that there's a recession on, not many people would be able to attend on a workday.

I live in London, so I'll probably need to be up at the crack of dawn if I want to be there for about 11ish.

Usually, I like to have a browse around the stalls first before I head to meet any of the stars, but I'm willing to bet that I'll need to grab a ticket the second the bus arrives because he'll be the hot topic for the event.

And of course, he'll probably be so swamped that it'll be a 6 second meet and greet before moving along to the next guy. But even so I wouldn't mind because it'd just be great to meet him in person.

 

Depending on where you are in London, you should be able to make it to MK in 2 hours max! Getting the VQ ticket first would be a good idea, then you'd have time to browse the stalls before meeting him. As you guessed, Friday will be the quietest day - I always get most of my auto's that day if possible, because it's much more relaxed. I'd be surprised if even Leonard wasn't open queue by the end of the day. Depending on what time you have to be home, I'd recommend leaving the auto until after lunch if possible, as he's likely to be a little quieter and you may get more than the 6 seconds with him (though this plan is a little risky!)

[Psychosis]

Where in London do you live? Whenever I go from London to MK it takes about 40 minutes.

[trekkie101]

Clapham.

I usually take the train to London Victoria, and then then undergound to Euston. From there to MK

[Fry]

What is the crack of dawn to you? If you left at 8am you could be there for 9:30 - 10:00. You'll looking at about 30mins on the tube/wondering around the underground, get a Virgin train (as generally its first stop is MK) and thats about 40mins.. Oh, and in case you think about getting a cab from MK train station to the stadium, that will cost about £8-£10.

This of course is all crap if you want to leave after 9:30 so you dont pay commuter rate!

 

I also plan to see Nimoy on Friday, but thankfully live about a 10min walk away!

[trekkie101]

Well, I live near Clapham, so I'd just grab the train to Victoria, then the Underground to Euston and then change to get to MK.

I did once see a train that went direct, but it stopped everywhere.

[teroknor34]

There are two services going from Euston to MK,one takes about 20 mins,the other is a lot longer as it stops everywhere.

 

Take care which one you pick if you want to save time.

[trekkie101]

Actually, that sounds familiar. If memory serves, last time I was at Euston, there were 2 trains to MK, about 5 minutes apart. One took about an hour, but the other took about half the time.

But the fast train needed a different ticket of some kind I think?

Could somebody possibly clarify?

[Too Tall]

Actually, that sounds familiar. If memory serves, last time I was at Euston, there were 2 trains to MK, about 5 minutes apart. One took about an hour, but the other took about half the time.

But the fast train needed a different ticket of some kind I think?

Could somebody possibly clarify?

The slower trains only need a Midlands tickets. If you want to go to the 30 minute trains you need to make sure you ask for a Virgin train ticket.

 

At off peak it's usually about an extra £5 for a return. Well it was 2 weeks a go when I got one.

Edited May 27, 2009 by Too Tall

[trekkie101]

Thanks Too Tall.

So, on the day at the station, at about 7ish (give or take) can I assume it's a peak-hour Virgin ticket?

Does anybody know how I can find out how much that costs?

[lukeowl]

Don't rely too heavily on this idea that the "recession" will keep people away from the event on the Friday. I plan on attending on Friday and will also be hoping to meet LN. I know of at least one other person doing the same.

 

The Friday has always been quieter though, but that's usually due to the lack of the big guests attending on that day. LN is probably THE big name for this one though, and along with the BTTF guests will be the main draw for a lot of people. I imagine that the Friday could be relatively busy for those reasons.

Edited May 27, 2009 by lukeowl

[Charmer]

Hi there Trekfan, I'm not sure if you know, but there are direct trains from Clapham every hour (just after 35mins past each hour) It takes about 1 and a half hours to get there, so it's be quicker for you to do that. It's Southern Trains you want to look for that do that.

 

Also, I've been on Friday a couple of times. Last year I went on Friday and managed to get all the autographs I was planning to within about 30mins, most were open queue and it was really quiet! Also, I went on a Friday afternoon when William Shatner was in MK. I got there between 2 and 3pm and was surprized to see he had an open Q. There was only 2 or 3 people infront of me, if that. But I wouldn't expect this one to be the same, although I would think it will be a bit less busy at least since not everyone will be able to get the day off. Also, some people may have gone on their lunch hour if it was at the shopping centre, I doubt people will be able to do that now.

[Too Tall]

Thanks Too Tall.

So, on the day at the station, at about 7ish (give or take) can I assume it's a peak-hour Virgin ticket?

Does anybody know how I can find out how much that costs?

Friday is a working day and 7am is very much PEAK time I'm afraid.

 

google trainline

[Flibble]

Thanks Too Tall.

So, on the day at the station, at about 7ish (give or take) can I assume it's a peak-hour Virgin ticket?

Does anybody know how I can find out how much that costs?

 

It's best that you buy your train ticket as soon as possible. I have bought a ticket for Friday morning already on either the 7.43am or 7.46am train from Euston. That cost me £25.80 for a return. The ticket I bought for Saturday was only £14.00 but I bought that about a month ago. The only stipulation was that I had to travel on Virgin trains only.

Hope that helps!

[surfy_sah]

according to theTrainLine.com, off-peak return is from £14 but you have to specify which trains you want to travel on as in what time cause this price DOES include Virgin trains which only take 30mins to MK, awesome! if you want a more flexible ticket, you are looking at £20 day return

 

at the time I'm typing this, you can arrive in MK by 930am only paying £14.50 for an off-peak return! so grab it while you can if you want to be in MK near the start of the event anythin earlier than that and you are looking at £25.80 or £34.50 any time day return

 

hope all this helps

 

also, there are 3 tube stations in Clapham, just wandered why you wouldn't just take the Northern Line straight to Euston? might be less hassel if you can jump on a tube going that way rather than getting to the train station, the train and then another train?

 

surfy sah xx