THINGS TO KNOW!The Flanders Hotel
719 E 11th Street
Ocean City, NJ 08226
609-399-1000
Directions: It should only take about an hour for us to travel to the Flanders. Per Google Maps, it will only take 59 minutes (50 miles) from my house in Tabernacle/Shamong. Here is a link for directions. Your location to 719 E 11th St, Ocean City, NJ 08226 - Google Maps Just change to your own starting location.
Arrival: Arrival at the Flanders on Friday is 12:00 noon. No one is permitted to enter the crop rooms prior to 12:00 noon, except for vendors. No exceptions.
Meals: Dinner will be served from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Friday and 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Breakfast will be served from 8:00 -10:00 a.m. on Saturday and brunch is a true brunch this year and will begin at 10:30 a.m. and run until 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. Please make sure you bring or plan your lunch ahead of time on Friday, as we will not be eating dinner until 6:00 pm. There is a refrigerator in your room. The Flanders has a restaurant called Emily's Ocean Room Cafe. It is open for breakfast and lunch from 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. daily.
Parking: There are two parking lots. One very small parking lot is on the side of the hotel, please use this sparingly and for drop off and pack up. The hotel is still operating their regular businesses while we are there and their patrons could use those spaces. The other parking lot is in the front of the hotel. You may park anywhere except where it is marked "reserved". It is the off-season, so there is no limitation in the amount of cars.
Check-in: Official check-in is at 3:00 pm. But, I have been told that if the sleeping rooms are vacant the night before check in, you are certainly welcome to check in at any time during the day. You can either bring your scrapbooking things up to the scrapbooking floor first and worry about hotel check-in later or leave your luggage in your car and go directly to the hotel registration desk. The clerk can tell you then if your sleeping room is ready. You could even call the hotel before you get to Ocean City and ask if your room is ready. The phone number is 609-399-1000. This will help stagger the check-ins and eliminate a wait at the front desk. Note: if you did not add your roommate(s) to your hotel registration, they will need the person who registered to be present in order to check in.
Check out: it is 11:00 a.m. Luggage is not permitted in the crop room or adjacent areas. Please put your luggage in your car. Crop ends at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, unless you've made arrangements to stay until Monday. (Staying til Monday? Please let Lisa know asap!)
Luggage Carts: There are 7 luggage carts, and if you pull up to the port au cochere` [that’s fancy for carport] on the side/small parking lot, then you can simply roll the luggage cart down that hallway and unload there. The Flanders asks that we keep the use of the carts flowing so everyone can take advantage of the limited number. Please do not leave them upstairs at your sleeping room or in the crop rooms. Please bring them back down to the lobby.
Registration: Please stop by the hotel registration desk for your sleeping room assignments and room cards. Please go to the SAG registration table at the scrapbooking area before starting to scrap. If you or any of your tablemates/roommates are not able to attend, I will need to know this.
Internet service: There is internet service in all sleeping rooms. I am told that there is internet available now in the crop rooms as well as The Boardroom that is across from the ballroom. The front desk will provide login/pw information and there should be info in our crop room.
Lighting: Any of you who have attended scrapbooking events at large hotels in the past know that the lighting in large rooms can be dim in some areas and bright in others. The Flanders is no different. The crop room we will be in are VERY large rooms with high ceilings and lighting may be a factor depending upon where you are seated. That being the case, your group may want to bring a floor or table lamp and an extension cord to ensure you have adequate lighting for your space. Ott Lights are perfect for scrapping. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, but it is better to be prepared so you can take full advantage of this weekend away.
Crop Tables: Everyone will receive half of an 8-foot table [or if you are solo at your scrap area, it will be a 6-foot table]. Please be mindful of your space. If you have a Cricut or other die cutting machine, you may want to bring a small table with you (i.e. snack/tray table). I cannot guarantee that you will have an extra spot at your scrapping area to place your electronic tool. I will try to accommodate your scrapping space for the extra table, as long as it does not interfere with fire exit/evacuation areas.
Church: There are several churches in the area. I believe that all of the suites will have a Flanders book that should have church schedules in them. If one is missing you can always call the front desk.
Gift Shop(s): Take a look at the beautiful gift shops - Essentials at The Flanders. It is open 10 am - 5 pm, Friday and Saturday. The Flanders usually offers a 10% discount to our scrappers.
Alcohol: Ocean City is a dry town. Alcohol is permissible in the guest sleeping rooms only.
T-Shirts/Sweatshirts/Zippered Hoodies: I hope you ordered. Here is the link for our S*A*G Swag website. It is always open. S*A*G SWAG STORE
Snacks: Water and ice will be available in the dining area. I am told that there will be ice tea/lemonade and coffee/tea available in our dining area. You may bring coffee for your hotel room coffee machine, creamer or whatever you would like to drink/snack on. You have kitchen amenities in your hotel suite.
Drinking/Eating at your scrap tables: Please be careful - you don't want any spills on your work or your neighbor's work. A covered travel cup/mug is highly recommended.
Rooms: You do not have to bring any linen, unless you have a special pillow/pillowcase. Each room is equipped with one bedroom with a king sized bed plus a queen sleeper sofa plus ¾ sleeper chair in the living area. The Flanders provides sheets, towels and even dish towels. You may want to bring a roll of paper towels if you think you may need them. There is dish soap and dishwasher soap provided, tissues, mini shampoo and conditioner. Coffee maker will be provided; the photos show a regular “Mr. Coffee” style - be prepared with coffee and filters should you wish to brew your own. (We may have coffee 24/7 in the crop room this year.) Wall mounted "hotel" blow dryers are also available. There are also dishes, cups, glasses, flatware and a selection of pots and pans available. But with the meals we have planned, there certainly shouldn't be any need for those. The refrigerator is full size so you are welcome to bring your own water/soft drink/milk, etc. There is also a microwave and 2 burner stove top in each of the suites.
Vendors: We will have several scrapping/stamping vendors (Creative Memories, Stampin’ Up, Kiwi Lane, Paper Piecing by Barbara) on the premises. If you forget or need something - it may be there for purchase. The vendors will have Tally sheets available, so you can "settle" with them at the end of the weekend. You may also let your friends/family know that if they would like to shop with our vendors, they can do so on Saturday between 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm. The crop room and vendors will be on the second floor.
Girl Scout cookies: We’ll have a cookie booth set up from 2-4 (ish) on Saturday!! Please support our local troop; they’re 6th graders from Shamong looking to raise money to do a team building weekend at Rocking Horse Ranch! Cookies are $6 a box and the flavors are listed on the facebook event page for our weekend.
Wig Party/Exchange: We will do this on Saturday before dinner. Location TBA. 4:00 p.m. We'll wear our new wigs to dinner to show those who didn't participate how much fun we are!! Requirements are a good attitude, smile on your face, new wig (please do not spend more than $25 - there are a ton of inexpensive ones (like less than $10-15 on Amazon). Wrap or disguise the wig however you please.Trash to Treasure Table: I am happy to announce that we will have a table available for you to place your unwanted new/used scrapbooking/stamping/crafting stash. You may pick items that you need or place items on the table that you do not want. Janet Bowers has agreed to gather all items that are left over to donate to a local facility for the residents. Thank you Janet.
Massage / Spa Services: Take advantage of Maggie’s masseuse services on the premises. If you didn’t already pre-register with Maggie for a massage, please contact Maggie directly. There are still appointments available 610-883-7288. She has limited availability on Friday and Saturday. A few times open on Sunday morning too! There is also a spa/salon on the premises – Divine Images. Please call to make an appointment to get your nails or toes done - even your eyebrows, a facial or your hair!! 609-399-5000. We appreciate your patronage of both Maggie and the local spa.
Classes: Several of our vendors will have classes (for a fee) available to you. There is a class for every type of scrapping style (except computer scrapbooking - and maybe we’ll teach that next year!) We even have a card class! Please take advantage of this opportunity to learn/try new things and support our vendors. Information will be posted/announced. Several of the classes have been posted on the Facebook Event Page!
Door prizes: There will be door prizes throughout the weekend and gifts from our vendors (Auction/Raffle will be set up). Everyone will receive five (5) tickets and additional information regarding earning tickets will be announced.
Okay, I think that's it. If you have any questions that I haven't covered, please let me know. Here is my cell phone number if you need to contact me on the Thursday the 15th - 609-781-0508. As usual, if you have issues or concerns over the weekend, I ask that you bring it to my attention so that I can address it with the hotel staff.
I am looking forward to a fun weekend!!! Can't wait to scrap with you!
Lisa
