Toronto Boat Show - Half Price Tickets

Willhound

For anyone thinking about attending the Toronto show there is a Black Friday deal until Monday for half price tickets. Must be a member of the Captain's Club. Details here:
https://www.torontoboatshow.com/show-info/newsletter/

Stodge

Got mine! 

Willhound

@Stodge I think you mentioned that you had previously booked a room. Did you check out the Boat Show room deals? Pretty good rates for downtown Toronto and the added advantage of free shuttle to and from the show. We've booked the Chelsea for the Saturday night. Not sure how familiar you are with Toronto but PM me if you want any tips or if there's particular restaurants etc that you like.

Stodge

Yes, got the boat show pricing.  Think we're at the Westin on the lake.  We've been to the show a couple times.  Pretty easy to find places to eat around there.  

Willhound

Yep, nice spot. They usually don't give out the lake view rooms on the deals, but sometimes you get lucky.

skuter99

I was at harbor castle last year on deal with lake view....awesome!
Booked again same place this year

RustyS

My second year of attendance will be in 2020. Last year just the guys went; this year we are taking the Admirals.

Airbnb is the way to go. A nice 3-bedroom condo in a low-rise right in the entertainment district for 2 nights is $472 US. That's less than $160/couple for Friday afternoon through Sunday morning; can't beat that!

Willhound

To each their own. Personally I refuse to use AirBnB. It's falsely driving up the cost of housing and rentals in an already over priced market. If Toronto city council had any balls they'd ban them. But too many influential real estate investors have bought up huge blocks if condos to essentially run an un-regulated hotel business. We live in a "summer" community north of Toronto on Lake Simcoe and it's just police call after police call in the summer for non-stop parties in what should be an otherwise quiet neighbourhood because of short term rentals. But just my opinion.
As for the show, happy to hear you're returning with the Admiral's. I think the show is hands down the best indoor show around and Toronto really is a neat city to visit.

Stodge

I have mixed feelings about Airbnb.  We use it when we travel to San Juan and it's worked well for us.  But my Aunt in Fort Lauderdale has a house across the street that was being rented as a party place.  The cops finally went there enough that the city said it wasn't zoned for that kind of activity and shut her down.  I don't think they have a blanket policy on Airbnb but address problem rentals.

As for the cost, we end up spending less per couple getting a 3 bedroom condo on Airbnb and splitting the fees than each getting a hotel room.

Willhound

Yep, I totally get the price appeal, not to mention having cooking facilities. I should amend my comments to say that I'm not totally against the idea, just that there's no regulation or oversight. Some communities have restrictions on length of stay, i.e. no one nighters which I think cuts way back on the party problems. The lack of affordable housing is also an issue. Can't buy even a studio condo in downtown Toronto now for less than a half Mill. Rent would be $3000 a month. 
I wasn't a fan of Uber when it first started either, but they've made great strides in checks and balances, insurance etc.
In fact our community was the first in the world to enter into a private/public partnership with Uber. Our rapidly expanding community needed a transit option but rather than purchase a fleet of buses, hire drivers, mechanics, build a shop etc., all to end up with a costly system that only travels on a fixed route at fixed times. So instead we have a "Transit" option on our Uber app that allows the driver to pick up to 3 passengers at a time as long as they're going in more or less the same direction and the municipality contributes the first $4 of the ride. And flat rates to community resources like the Rec centres, libarries, town hall etc. So a cost effective, door to door service. It'll cost about $1 Million for 2019, but it's estimated to be less than a third of a traditional system. So in this case the "new economy" works.

randy56

@Willhound  (We live in a "summer" community north of Toronto on Lake Simcoe and it's just police call after police call in the summer for non-stop parties in what should be an otherwise quiet neighborhood because of short term rentals.)  Your just pi$$ed because you don't get invited. 

We made a trip to Vegas last year, it was our first experience with Uber. it's very well organized. Loved it. Moved through out the city in minutes. I do not ever need to go back. But it's off the bucket list.

Air BnB has it's merits, we have not utilized them yet. but it's coming.