A friend checked in from Jambo

[shortridge]

I can understand your frustration, but everything on the Jambo website clearly says that it doesn't open to visitors until 9 a.m. And if you think about it, before 9 a.m., what's going on? The Jambo "residents" are getting ready in their "home" - showering, getting dressed, eating breakfast. No program is happening. Would you want people traipsing through your house while you were getting ready for work?

 

At an event with thousands upon thousands of people, there's going to be waiting. All we can do is take a deep breath and grin.

[trogers17]

I too thought that the gates opened at 9, and I woke up early and drove the 2 hours from my house to get there to find that they opened the gates early to park everyone. At 8:15AM, it was about a 90 minute wait in a line of cars to get to the visitor parking area. I'll toss up some pictures I took on my phone. The parking area was already ridiculously full at 9:45 and I was told by one of the money takers that they opened the gates at 6AM and it had been a steady stream since then. I can't imagine what it was like for people who came later. The Jamboree was just PACKED with people, especially compared to Tuesday. The lines at concessions were slow but steady and the people working them were pleasant despite the heat! The crowds were just crazy. An amazing time though!

[theysawyoucomin']

Short,

I understand your point and that is why I did not go near my son's sub camp all day long

 

My son was in line at the Trading post at 7am. He was even fully dressed.

 

I spoke to some Venture folks the night before they arrived at 9 am Friday and did not get in until 11.

 

I drove from Albany NY to get there, if an MP sergeant suggests 5 am I'll take his word. I was a SGT once and would never tell two civilians bum scoop.

 

Based on SGT SCHMUCK's(not his real name) advice, I did expect to wait 4 hours INSIDE the facility. I would have slept in my car just nicely at a parking lot or staging facility as I had been told.

 

Heck,

I waited in the Arena for 4 hours from 4 to 8 when it started.

 

 

When the gate did open at about 0615, there were 100's of Military and Civillian folks standing and waiting for people to be parked ect. Every Marine can play "hurry up and wait" (in fact ask any Marine it is an art form) but these forks would have had to stand waiting for another 2 1/2 hours for us to be let in.

 

 

Sorry for the 6 posts the other night the wifi I was on was not registering.

[Frank17]

Just got back from a day trip to Jambo yesterday. Had no problem getting in at 9:15 AM at the gate, parked by 9:30 AM, in main gate 5 minutes after. Lines at ALL the trading posts were huge all day long; some discounts already in effect. Really enjoyed the Conservation exhibits and the Scout displays. Had a good (if hot) time walking around). Very well done.

 

Glad I went for the day; also glad I did not go for the full week!

[CubScoutJo]

We, too, had a good experience as visitors (with some boys from the troop) to Jamboree yesterday. We arrived around 8:00am, and first tried to go through the Villeboro Gate. At that gate we were told that they couldn't let anyone through that gate until 11:00am. So I think that gate was for staff only until that time. We headed down to the main gate expecting the worst, but turns out, it was smooth sailing. We probably were in and parked in less than 1/2 hour.

 

We did a lot of things in the Armed Forces Adventure area,which was awesome and had lots of freebees, then headed up past one of the action Centers to observe and continued to the Conservation area. I stopped in one of the trading posts. The line was long, but not unbearable. I believe I was a total of 1/2 hour from line to check out. At 11:00am our two scouts who are attending Jamboree met up with us, and we spent a long time in the conservation area because all of our scouts wanted to earn the patch by completed 10 of the exhibit activities. The only thing I wish I had known was just how far back that area went. There were tons of things to do and we stopped at the very first ones, which ended up being more crowded. Had we knows the conservation trail went as far back as it did, we'd probably have gone further down to do our 10 activities. But it was overall a good experience (and they all earned the patch!)

 

Next the visiting scouts went to Brownsea Island and Disabilities awareness, while my husband and I joined our sons to go to an action area. We got to watch them do climbing, rapelling and buckskin games. they also got their hat "branded" in that area. They really wanted to do mountain boarding, but the line was already cut off at 4:15 or so. So we ended up just going back via the bus. After we said goodbye to the boys, we went in the Visitors center trading post which had ZERO lines (not as much merchandise, but they had the Tshirts that I needed to get). Maybe because it was the second to last day and also a weekday, it didn't seem too unbearably crowded to me. It was a great visit and all the scouts want to go in 2013 either as participants or staff.

 

Jo(This message has been edited by CubScoutJo)